High-contrast polarizer
AssigneeMoxtek, Inc.
InventorLiang Gao
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A polarizer can have high contrast. This high contrast polarizer can be useful in applications requiring minimal leakage of an undesired polarization through the polarizer. The high contrast polarizer can include a substrate sandwiched between a reflective polarizer and an absorptive polarizer. The high contrast polarizer can include a reflective polarizer sandwiched between a substrate and an absorptive polarizer. The high contrast polarizer can include an absorptive polarizer sandwiched between reflective polarizers.
Claims13
A high-contrast polarizer comprising:
- a substrate, an array of reflective wires, and a polymer film polarizer, the array of reflective wires sandwiched between the polymer film polarizer and the substrate;
- the array of reflective wires consists of reflective materials, transparent materials, or both, where:
- each reflective material has k>0.1 and R>0.6 across a wavelength range of 450 nm to 700 nm;
- each transparent material has k≤0.1 across the wavelength range of 450 nm to 700 nm;
- R is calculated from the equation:
- =[(n−1)2+k2]/[(n+1)2+k2];
- and
- n is a real part and k is an extinction coefficient of a refractive index of each transparent material and of each reflective material.
An image projector comprising:
- A high-contrast polarizer including a substrate, an array of reflective wires, and a polymer film polarizer, the array of reflective wires sandwiched between the polymer film polarizer and the substrate;
- a light source capable of emitting a beam of light;
- the high-contrast polarizer located to receive the beam of light with the polymer film polarizer facing the light source, the high-contrast polarizer configured to transmit at least a portion of the beam of light, forming a transmitted beam;
- a cube polarizing beam splitter comprising the high-contrast polarizer and a pair of prisms, the high-contrast polarizer sandwiched between the pair of prisms;
- and
- a spatial light modulator:
- located to receive at least part of the transmitted beam;
- having a plurality of pixels, each pixel capable of receiving a signal and rotating a polarization of at least part of the transmitted beam based on the signal;
- capable of forming an imaged beam based on the signal of each pixel;
- and
- located and oriented to emit the imaged beam to the array of reflective wires of the high contrast polarizer.
A high-contrast polarizer comprising a substrate, an array of reflective wires, and a polymer film polarizer, the array of reflective wires sandwiched between the polymer film polarizer and the substrate, the array of reflective wires adjoins both the polymer film polarizer and a first side of the substrate, and the array of reflective wires consists of reflective materials, transparent materials, or both, where:
- each reflective material has k>0.1 and R>0.6 across a wavelength range of 450 nm to 700 nm;
- each transparent material has k≤0.1 across the wavelength range of 450 nm to 700 nm;
- R is calculated from the equation:
- =[(n−1)2+k2]/[(n+1)2+k2];
- and
- n is a real part and k is an extinction coefficient of a refractive index of each transparent material and of each reflective material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.