Determination of the optical axis in Z-cut uniaxial crystals by a polarization-based method

Abstract

A polarization method is proposed for determination of the orientation of the optical axis in a Z-cut uniaxial crystal. The applicability of the method for controlling the deflection angles of the optical axis from the normal to the crystal surface ~0.01° was shown using the example of lithium niobate crystal with a thickness of 514 μm. Peculiarities of the practical implementation of this method and approaches for increasing its accuracy and throughput are considered.