Wire Grid Polarizer With Patterned Light Absorbing Layers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wire grid polarizers and display panels face issues with damage and pollution, leading to a reduction in extinction ratio and compromised display quality due to direct contact between the surface covering layer and wire grids, which affects the transmission of light and overall image contrast.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating patterned light absorbing layers with gaps between them, closer to the external light incidence direction, and a surface covering layer that contacts these layers but not the wire grids, to protect the wire grids and maintain a high extinction ratio by preventing direct contact and forming optical resonant cavities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the surface covering layer directly contacts the wire grids, then the wire grids are protected from external damage, but the extinction ratio is lowered due to pollution and damage of the wire grids
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces patterned light absorbing layers as intermediary structures between the surface covering layer and the wire grids. These intermediary layers absorb light and prevent direct contact between the surface covering layer and wire grids, thereby protecting the wire grids from pollution and damage while maintaining the extinction ratio. The patterned structure of these intermediary layers ensures that they do not interfere with the optical performance of the wire grid polarizer.
2Strength
If the surface covering layer contacts the wire grids, then structural support is provided, but the transmission of polarized light is affected and image contrast is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patterned light absorbing layers serve as intermediary structures that provide structural support while maintaining optical performance. The patterned structure allows light to pass through effectively while the material absorbs unnecessary light, thus supporting the surface covering layer without interfering with the transmission of polarized light through the wire grid polarizer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating patterned light absorbing layers with specific geometric patterns that are localized at the wire grid interfaces. These patterns are designed to absorb light locally at the wire grid locations while leaving the rest of the structure transparent, thus providing structural support where needed without affecting the overall light transmission and image contrast.
3Reliability
If the surface covering layer is added to protect wire grids, then damage and pollution are reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the protective function with the optical function by integrating the patterned light absorbing layers into the existing wire grid polarizer structure. These layers are positioned at the wire grid interfaces and serve dual purposes: protecting the wire grids from damage and pollution while also functioning as part of the optical system to maintain extinction ratio and light transmission. This integration avoids adding separate protective components that would increase device complexity.
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 configuration enhances the protection of wire grids, reduces the lowering of extinction ratio, and improves the overall contrast and quality of the display image by maintaining a high transmittance of polarized light while minimizing the contact of the surface covering layer with the wire grids.
Implementation Method 1
forming optical resonant cavities
Implementation Method 2
patterned light absorbing layers
Implementation Method 3
allows the horizontal components of unpolarized light be transmitted, while the vertical components of the unpolarized light are absorbed
Data Source
AI summary
A wire grid polarizer and a display panel using the same are provided. The wire grid polarizer includes a substrate, a plurality of wire grids, a plurality of patterned light absorbing layers, and a surface covering layer. The plurality of wire grids are disposed on the substrate, wherein there are a plurality of gaps between every two wire grids. The plurality of patterned light absorbing layers are disposed corresponding to and overlapping the wire grids respectively, wherein every two of the patterned light absorbing layers have one of the gaps. The surface covering layer is disposed on the patterned light absorbing layers and directly contacts the patterned light absorbing layers.