For years, crossed polarizers represented the state-of-the-art in birefringence measurement technology that was available to researchers as well as quality control professionals. While this 1 or 2 nm sensitivity was sometimes sufficient, "pixel" quantification, metrology level repeatability and statistical data analysis capabilities were missing. Learn more about birefringence and the history of this problem at our birefringence tutorial.

Scientists at Hinds Instruments, drawing on more than two decades experience with photoelastic modulation technology, applied this relatively fast (50 kHz), non-mechanical, virtually pure sinusoidal "polarization switcher" to the birefringence measurement challenge. The result, now patented, was a two- and sometimes three-fold increase in the order of magnitude improvement in measurement sensitivity when compared to traditional measurement methods. This technology has been extensively published and documented. Request a technical paper here to learn more information or request a product brochure to learn more about a specific model.

The turnkey Exicor system has made birefringence measurement intuitive and simple. Our first of it’s kind software allows for multiple views and statistical analysis of birefringence data. See a demonstration of our software here.