LBTEK Quartz Multi-Order Quarter-Wave Plate (λ/4) is made from a single piece of quartz crystal, has a relatively large thickness, and is simple to fabricate. When a beam of linearly polarized light is normally incident on a waveplate made of a uniaxial crystal, it is split inside the waveplate into o-light and e-light that propagate along the original direction but have mutually perpendicular vibration directions; their corresponding Index of Refraction (n) values are no and ne. Because the two lights have different velocities in the crystal, after passing through a waveplate of thickness d, the phase delay produced is δ =(2π/λ)|no-ne|d. Here |no-ne|d is the optical path difference. The optical path difference produced by a Quarter-Wave Plate (λ/4) is (4m+1)λ/4, and the phase delay is δ =(4m+1)π/2, where m is a non-negative integer. For a Multi-Order Quarter-Wave Plate (λ/4), m is not 0, and the thickness is determined by the order m. Compared with a Zero-Order Quarter-Wave Plate (λ/4), when light passes through a Multi-Order Quarter-Wave Plate (λ/4), it has an additional phase delay of m full wavelengths, making it more sensitive to wavelength. LBTEK Quartz Multi-Order Quarter-Wave Plate (λ/4) is commonly used to convert linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light. LBTEK also sells mounted and unmounted Multi-Order Waveplates. The mechanical housing(s) of the mounted waveplate cannot be detached, making it convenient to use. In addition, LBTEK also provides Quartz True Zero-Order Waveplates and Quartz Zero-Order Waveplates, which are less affected by wavelength shift, angle of incidence, and temperature. In addition to standard Quartz Multi-Order Quarter-Wave Plates (λ/4), LBTEK also provides a variety of custom solution, including custom special sizes, Design Wavelength, phase delay, and other specifications. For specific custom requirement, please contact LBTEK technical support.