Dielectric Wire Grid Circular Polarizer for Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional organic phase retarders in display technologies face mechanical and optical instability, leading to deviations in performance due to environmental changes and inability to achieve wide circular polarization, affecting visual health by not converting entire visible light spectrum effectively.
Innovation Solution
A circular polarizer with strip dielectric wire grids on a transparent substrate, where each grid corresponds to R, G, and B sub-pixel units, providing a quarter-phase delay through controlled thickness and refractive index difference, eliminating the need for a traditional quarter-wave plate and achieving broad-spectrum circular polarization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a traditional linear polarizer and quarter-wave plate are used in OLED display, then the display contrast in outdoor environment is enhanced, but the organic materials gradually deviate from ideal state due to mechanical and optical instability under environmental changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from organic to inorganic, fundamentally altering the chemical composition to achieve both high contrast and long-term stability. The inorganic materials (metal oxides, nitrides, or carbides) maintain their optical properties under environmental variations including temperature, humidity, and air composition changes, resolving the degradation issue of organic materials while preserving the display contrast enhancement function.
2Measurement precision
If a quarter-wave plate is designed for a specific wavelength (e.g., 550 nm), then the phase delay is satisfied at that wavelength, but the entire visible light band (380-780 nm) cannot be effectively converted to circularly polarized light
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the structural parameter from a single-layer quarter-wave plate to a multi-layer stack with varying thicknesses. Each layer is designed with specific thickness (d1, d2, d3, etc.) and material composition to contribute differently to the phase delay across the spectrum. This parameter variation enables broadband circular polarization while maintaining accurate phase control at design wavelengths.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures where multiple inorganic layers with different refractive indices and thicknesses are stacked together. This composite approach allows the system to achieve wavelength-independent circular polarization performance by combining the optical effects of individual layers, thereby covering the entire visible spectrum effectively.
3Measurement precision
If the wire grid period is reduced to increase resolution, then the grid density increases, but the manufacturing complexity and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs thin-film deposition techniques to create the wire grid structure, allowing precise control of layer thickness and composition without requiring complex lithography or self-assembly processes. This thin-film approach enables fabrication of high-resolution grids with periods down to 100 nm while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through established semiconductor processing techniques.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures stable and effective circular polarization across the visible spectrum, enhancing visual performance by maintaining uniformity and optical stability, and improving display contrast without mechanical deformation or chromatic differences.
Implementation Method 1
each of the dielectric wire grids respectively corresponds to a region above one of R sub-pixel unit, G sub-pixel unit and B sub-pixel unit of the display and has a corresponding thickness, so that each of the dielectric wire grids forms a quarter-phase delay on the sub-pixel units of the corresponding display
Implementation Method 2
the thickness of each dielectric wire grid is determined by a reference incident wavelength of the sub-pixel unit corresponding to the display and a refractive index difference formed by a horizontal polarization and a vertical polarization corresponding to an incident light
Implementation Method 3
the wire grid of the wire grid array on each dielectric wire grid is a wire grid with a same material, a same period and a same duty ratio... achieving broad-spectrum circular polarization
Implementation Method 4
the period of the wire grid is between 100 nm and 700 nm; and the duty ratio of the wire grid is between 0.1 and 0.9
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a circular polarizer for use on a display including a transparent substrate disposed on the display and a plurality of strip dielectric wire grids disposed on the transparent substrate; each dielectric wire grid is provided with a wire grid array formed by a plurality of wire grids, and each of the dielectric wire grids respectively corresponds to a region above one of R sub-pixel unit, G sub-pixel unit and B sub-pixel unit of the display and has a corresponding thickness, so that each of the dielectric wire grids forms a quarter-phase delay on the sub-pixel units of the corresponding display. The implementation of the disclosure can solve the problem that the traditional organic phase retarder can not achieve the wide circular partial effect, and improve the visual effect.