Control of dispersion in form birefringent-based holographic optical retarders

Holographic retarders based on form birefringence are shown to have controllable dispersion properties. Significantly, we show that the dispersion properties of these retarders can be adjusted over a large wavelength range by varying the periodicity of the index of refraction profile. These retarders with controllable dispersion characteristics are of high value for applications such as the compensation of liquid crystal displays.