Slice and rearrange to form quarter-wavelength plates: Numerical simulation in one dimension

In this paper, the computational results of numerical simulations for newly proposed structures combining two quarter-wavelength (QW) slabs in one dimension are presented. The new QW plate is composed of alternate layers of two different QW slabs that are made of nonmagnetic dielectric materials A and B, characterized by the dielectric constants ε _rA and ε _rB , which satisfy the relation (ε _rA ) ² = ε _rB > 1, in order to minimize the reflection from the structures. Slabs A and B are, in theory, uniformly sliced into N + 1 and N pieces, respectively, or vice versa. They are then respectively rearranged into two different structures, A(BA) _N and B(AB) _N , which are numerically proved to function as QW plates. Compared with the traditional antireflection coating (ARC) techniques, the newly proposed structures have the advantages that every component of each type of material is identical in thickness and that they are easy to assemble. The idea of the proposed structures is numerically supported by simulation results obtained through the application of the method of characteristics (MOC). The wavelength of interest is set to 550 nm, which corresponds to green light. The numerical results, in both the time and frequency domains, demonstrate that the proposed structures function as antireflective glasses that can be straightforwardly fabricated and used to increase the energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of buildings as well as to enhance the performance of some wavelength-sensitive optical sensors. It can also be used as a new coating material for solar panels to single out the specific wavelength of light and hence to protect the solar panel from infrared and ultraviolet radiations.