  A large number of coronagraphs have been proposed to overcome the ratio that
exists between the star and its planet. The planet finder of the Extremely
Large Telescope, which is called EPICS, will certainly need a more efficient
coronagraph than the ones that have been developed so far. We propose to use a
combination of chromatic Four Quadrant Phase Mask coronagraph to achromatize
the dephasing of the device while maintaining a high rejection performance.
After describing this multi-stage FQPM coronagraph, we show preliminary results
of a study on its capabilities in the framework of the EPICS instrument, the
planet finder of the European Extremely Large Telescope. Eventually, we present
laboratory tests of a rough prototype of a multi-stage four-quadrant phase
mask. On one hand, we deduce from our laboratory data that a detection at the
10^-10 level is feasible in monochromatic light. On the other hand, we show the
detection of a laboratory companion fainter than 10^-8 with a spectral
bandwidth larger than 20%.
