Phase Retardation and Birefringence of the Crystalline Quartz Plate in the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrum

A method for measuring the phase retardation and birefringence of crystalline quartz wave plate in the ultraviolet and visible spectrum is demonstrated using spectroscopic ellipsometer. After the calibration of the crystalline quartz plate, the experimental data are collected by the photodetector and sent to the computer. According to the outputted data, the retardation can be obtained in the range of 190 to 770 nm. With the retardation data, the birefringence for the quartz can be calculated in the same spectrum with an accuracy of better than . The birefringence results enrich the crystalline quartz birefringence data especially in the ultraviolet spectrum.