Giant Birefringence of Periodic Dielectric Waveguides

The giant $(\Delta n \;>\; 1.5)$ and broadband achromatic birefringence is realized by periodic dielectric waveguides (PDWs), which benefit from low loss transmission, compact size, and simple structure. Based on the PDW, ultrabroadband achromatic ( $>$ 100 nm), low-order ultracompact $(<\ \lambda)$, and ultrahigh-order (500th order) wave plates are designed successfully.