Polarizer Types Comparison
Compare Glan-Taylor, Glan-Thompson, Wollaston, Rochon, wire-grid, film, thin-film plate and PBS cube polarizers on catalogue extinction ratio, wavelength range, transmission, aperture and damage threshold, with output and leakage power.
Inputs
Polarizers
Extinction ratio (dB)
Catalogue minimum, 10·log₁₀(k₁/k₂). Grey bars: the type's range doesn't include 1064 nm.
Comparison
Output: P·k₁. Leakage: P·k₂, with the polarizer turned 90° to the input. Both use the stated minima, so the output is a lower bound and the leakage an upper bound. "—": the vendor states no transmission (plots only) or no damage threshold.
| Type (item) | Range | ER | DOP, unpol. in | Stated T | Output (mW) | Leakage (mW) | Aperture | Pulsed LIDT | CW LIDT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glan-Taylor GT10 (uncoated), Calcite, air-spaced | 350–2300 nm | 100,000:1 50.0 dB | 0.999980 | — | — | — | 10 mm sq. | 20 J/cm² (1064 nm, 10 ns, 10 Hz) | — |
| Glan-Thompson GTH10, Calcite, cemented | 350–2300 nm | 100,000:1 50.0 dB | 0.999980 | — | — | — | 10 mm sq. | 2 J/cm² (1064 nm, 10 ns, 10 Hz) | 2000 W/cm (1064 nm) |
| Wollaston WP10 (uncoated), Calcite, cemented, two outputs | 350–2300 nm | 100,000:1 50.0 dB | 0.999980 | — | — | — | Ø10 mm | 5 J/cm² (1064 nm, 10 ns, 10 Hz) | 100 W/cm (1064 nm) |
| Rochon RPM10, MgF₂, two outputs | 200–6000 nm | 10,000:1 40.0 dB | 0.999800 | — | — | — | 10 mm sq. | — | — |
| Wire grid (holographic) WP25H-K, Al grid on KRS-5 | 2.5–30 µm outside | 150:1 21.8 dB typical: >150:1 at 3 µm, 300:1 at 15 µm | 0.986755 | — | — | — | Ø18 mm | — | — |
| Film (dichroic) LPVISE2X2, Dichroic triacetate film | 400–700 nm outside | 1,000:1 30.0 dB >1000:1 for 500–700 nm, >100:1 for 400–500 nm | 0.998002 | 38 % unpol. | 7.592 | 7.59e-3 | 50.8 mm sq. | — | — |
| Thin-film plate PBSW-1064, Dielectric coating on glass, 45°, two outputs | 1064 nm | 10,000:1 40.0 dB | 0.999800 | Tp > 95 % | 9.500 | 9.50e-4 | Ø21.6 mm | 2 J/cm² (1054 nm, 10 ns, 10 Hz) | 1000 W/cm (1070 nm) |
| PBS cube (broadband) PBS253, N-SF1, dielectric coating, two outputs | 900–1300 nm | 1,000:1 30.0 dB | 0.998002 | Tp > 90 % | 9.000 | 9.00e-3 | 20.32 mm sq. | 2 J/cm² (1064 nm, 10 ns, 10 Hz) | 1000 W/cm (1070 nm) |
Thorlabs catalogue values for one product family per type, read 2026-10-23. Damage thresholds hold only at their test wavelength and pulse length; CW thresholds are linear power densities (power ÷ beam diameter).
Key formulas
ER = k₁/k₂, ER (dB) = 10·log₁₀(k₁/k₂)
Aligned linear input: output P·k₁; turned 90°: P·k₂
Unpolarized input: output P·(k₁ + k₂)/2, DOP = (k₁ − k₂)/(k₁ + k₂) = (ER − 1)/(ER + 1)
Stated unpolarized T: k₁ = 2T/(1 + 1/ER)
Model and references
Exact. The equations are exact within the stated assumptions, or are a standard's tabulated values. The results are as good as the inputs. About the tiers
Thorlabs catalogue minima for one product family per type (read 2026-10-23), and the ideal-diattenuator algebra: k₁ passes along the pass axis, k₂ = k₁/ER across it, (k₁ + k₂)/2 for unpolarized light. Not modelled: ER and transmission against wavelength or angle, other vendors' parts, damage scaling with wavelength and pulse length.
- Shurcliff W. A. (1962). Polarized Light: Production and Use, ch. 3 Polarizers: classes and performance parameters, pp. 32–42 (principal transmittances k₁, k₂). Harvard University Press. doi:10.4159/harvard.9780674424135.c4
- Goldstein D. H. (2011). Polarized Light, 3rd ed., ch. Mueller Matrices for Polarizing Components, pp. 93–115. CRC Press. doi:10.1201/b10436
- Thorlabs product-family specifications (read 2026-10-23): Glan-Taylor GT10, Glan-Thompson GTH10, Wollaston WP10, Rochon RPM10, holographic wire grid WP25H-K, film LPVISE2X2, plate PBSW-1064, cube PBS253. thorlabs.com