Wire Grid Polarizing Unit Fabrication Cost Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high fabrication costs of polarizing members with wire grids, due to the need for a photolithography process, and the low light transmittance of absorptive polarizing plates in liquid crystal display devices, which result in a significant loss of light and reduced user experience.
Innovation Solution
A method of fabricating a polarizing member with a wire grid that involves sequentially depositing a metal layer and a preliminary pattern layer on a base substrate, forming a patterned resin layer, surface-treating the layers, and using a mask pattern to etch the metal layer, thereby forming a wire grid polarizing unit without the need for photolithography, reducing processing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a photolithography process is used to form a wire grid polarizing member, then the polarizing member can be fabricated, but the fabrication cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the photolithography process from the fabrication sequence, replacing it with a simpler direct patterning method using a patterned resin layer as mask, thereby reducing fabrication cost while maintaining the wire grid polarizing member functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a disposable patterned resin layer as a sacrificial mask that is removed after etching, replacing the expensive and complex photolithography process with a cheaper, simpler alternative that achieves the same patterning result
2Illumination intensity
If an absorptive polarizing plate is used, then light can be polarized, but light transmittance decreases and light loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the absorptive polarizing mechanism with a wire grid polarizing structure that uses reflection and transmission based on wire orientation, substituting the energy-lossy absorption mechanism with a more efficient optical manipulation mechanism that preserves light energy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure combining metal wires with a transparent substrate to form a wire grid polarizer that maintains high light transmittance while achieving effective polarization, overcoming the limitations of single-material absorptive polarizing plates
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 decreases the processing cost of fabricating polarizing members and improves light transmittance in liquid crystal display devices, enhancing the user experience by allowing more light to be transmitted and reducing the loss of light emitted from the light source.
Implementation Method 1
forming a wire grid polarizing unit in the display area by etching the metal layer using the preliminary pattern and the mask pattern as a polarizing pattern
Data Source
AI summary
A method of fabricating a polarizing member includes: sequentially disposing a metal layer and a preliminary pattern layer on a base substrate including a display area and a non-display area; forming a patterned resin layer on the preliminary pattern layer in the display area, the patterned resin layer including patterns formed on a surface of the patterned resin layer; surface-treating the preliminary pattern layer and the patterned resin layer; forming a mask pattern including a photoresist material on the preliminary pattern layer disposed in the non-display area; forming preliminary patterns on the preliminary pattern layer using the patterned resin layer; and forming a wire grid polarizing unit in the display area by etching the metal layer using the preliminary pattern and the mask pattern as a polarizing pattern.