Wire Grid Polarizer Fabrication via Polymer-Metal Composite Curing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The fabrication process of wire grid polarizers is complex and costly due to the need for accurate etching and metal deposition, leading to high light loss in TFT-LCD displays.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a mixture of polymeric monomer and metal particles applied to a base substrate, followed by curing and patterning to form a wire grid pattern with protrusions, which reduces the need for metal deposition and etching, using the oscillation characteristics of free electrons in metal particles for light polarization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a metal wire grid polarizer is used to improve light utilization, then light loss is reduced, but fabrication complexity and cost increase due to metal deposition and precise etching requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from pure metal to a composite system (polymer matrix with metal particles), and changes the structural parameter from continuous metal wires to discrete metal particles embedded in polymer. This allows achieving polarization function without requiring precise metal wire formation through complex etching processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite material consisting of a polymer matrix (such as polyvinyl alcohol) doped with metal particles (such as aluminum particles). This composite approach combines the advantages of both materials: the polymer provides mechanical flexibility and ease of processing, while the metal particles provide the free electrons necessary for polarization function.
2Reliability
If metal deposition and etching processes are used to form wire grid pattern, then polarization performance is improved, but fabrication cost and processing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive metal deposition and etching processes with a cheaper alternative using polymer materials that can be processed through simpler, more cost-effective methods such as coating and thermal treatment. The polymer-based structure achieves sufficient polarization performance without requiring high-precision manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical/chemical processes of metal deposition and etching with a thermal processing approach. By heating the polymer-metal particle composite to a predetermined temperature, the polymer matrix is cured or restructured to form the wire grid pattern, replacing complex fabrication steps with a simpler thermal treatment process.
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
This method simplifies the fabrication process, reduces material costs, and enhances light utilization by effectively polarizing incident light with a wire grid polarizer made from a resin material doped with metal particles.
Implementation Method 1
under an oscillatory action of free electrons on a surface of the metal wire grid polarizer 20, almost all light having an electric field vector component parallel to the wire grid is reflected, and almost all light having an electric field vector component perpendicular to the wire grid is transmitted
Implementation Method 2
performing a curing treatment on the mixture at a predetermined position
Data Source
AI summary
A wire grid polarizer (20) and a fabrication method thereof,and a display device are provided. The fabrication method of the wire grid polarizer (20) includes: applying a mixture (100) including a polymeric monomer (101) and a metal particle (102) on a surface of a base substrate (01); performing a curing treatment on the mixture (100) at a predetermined position; and forming a wire grid pattern including protrusions (110) arranged at intervals on the surface of the base substrate (01). Problems of a complicated process, great difficulty and high cost in a fabrication process of the wire grid polarizer (20) are solved.