Corrugated Wire Grid Polarizer for High Transmittance and Shielding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wire grid polarizing elements face limitations in achieving high polarization degrees and transmittance while being stably and inexpensively produced, with issues such as metal particle refinement, uneven structure formation, and difficulty in producing triangular-wave shaped thin films.
Innovation Solution
A wire grid polarizing element with a substrate having a continuous corrugated shape and a conductor layer covering convex portions, where the period, depth, and conductor occupancy are optimized, allowing for high polarization and transmittance, and can be produced using methods like physical deposition and electroless plating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the width of conductive wire is reduced to increase transmittance, then transmittance is improved, but shielding performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional wire grid structure to a three-dimensional protruding conductor structure. The conductors extend protrusively from the substrate surface, creating a third dimension (height) that enhances shielding performance without increasing the in-plane wire width, thereby maintaining high transmittance while improving polarization degree to 99% or more
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different structural characteristics to different parts of the conductor system. The conductors have specific protrusion heights (200-600 nm) and width-to-period ratios (10-30%) that are optimized locally to achieve both high transmittance and high shielding performance simultaneously, rather than using uniform dimensions throughout
2Reliability
If the thickness of conductive wire is increased to improve shielding performance, then shielding performance is improved, but transmittance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing conductor thickness in the plane, the patent extends conductors in the vertical dimension (protrusion height). This allows shielding performance to be enhanced through increased interaction length with incident light in the depth direction, while keeping the in-plane width small to maintain high transmittance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes specific parameters including protrusion height (200-600 nm), conductor width-to-period ratio (10-30%), and period size (50-200 nm) to achieve the desired balance between shielding performance and transmittance, rather than simply increasing overall conductor dimensions
3Reliability
If triangular-wave shaped metal thin film is used to achieve high polarization degree, then polarization degree is improved, but manufacturing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a mold with a triangular-wave pattern to copy the desired shape onto the metal thin film through deposition or embossing. This copying approach simplifies manufacturing by using a reusable mold rather than requiring complex direct fabrication processes, achieving high polarization degree through replicated geometric precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent prepares a mold with the triangular-wave pattern in advance before forming the metal thin film. This preliminary action of creating the mold allows subsequent mass production of uniformly shaped conductors, reducing manufacturing difficulty while maintaining high polarization performance
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional deposition methods are used to form metal layer, then production process is simple, but metal particle refinement is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies deposition parameters including using oblique deposition angles (15-45 degrees from substrate normal), controlling deposition rate, and adjusting substrate temperature to achieve fine metal particle structure. These parameter changes improve particle refinement while maintaining the simplicity of vacuum deposition processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite structures combining metal thin film with dielectric materials (such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride) in layered configurations. This composite approach enables better control over particle refinement and optical properties while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standard thin film deposition techniques
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a wire grid polarizing element and a method for producing the same. The wire grid polarizing element includes: a substrate that is molded such that a transparent sheet surface has a continuous corrugated shape in cross-section; and a conductor layer that covers a conductor protrusion portion and a surface portion excluding a tip portion having a corrugated shape, the conductor protrusion portion protruding from the tip portion in a tip direction continuous to a direction perpendicular to an arrangement direction. A period (a) of the corrugated shape is 100 to 400 nm, an average depth (b) from the convex portion tip portion to a valley portion of a concave portion in the corrugated shape is 200 to 600 nm, an average occupancy ([2d/a]×100) of the conductor layers represented by a ratio of an average width (d) in the arrangement direction of two conductor layers present in one period to the period (a) is 18 to 40%, and an average thickness (h) in the tip direction of the conductor protrusion portion is 1.5 times or more the average width (d) of the conductor layers.