# US 11,442,210 B2 · Polarizer substrate and manufacturing method thereof

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- Number: US 11,442,210 B2
- Document ID: US11442210B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/932,854
- Filed: 2020-07-20
- Published: 2021-08-19
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2020-02-13
- Assignees: Au Optronics Corporation
- Applicants: Au Optronics Corporation
- Inventors: Sheng-Kai Lin; Chia-Hsin Chung; Tsai-Sheng Lo; Sheng-Ming Huang; Ming-Jui Wang; Chih-Chiang Chen; Hui-Ku Chang; Cheng-Chan Wang; Chia-Po Lin; Jen-Kuei Lu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11442210B2

## CPC

- G02B 5/3058: {comprising electrically conductive elements, e.g. wire grids, conductive particles}
- G02F 1/133528: {Polarisers}
- B29D 11/00644: {polarizing}
- G02F 1/133536: {Reflective polarizers (G02F1/13362 takes precedence)}
- G02F 1/133545: {Dielectric stack polarisers}
- G02F 1/133548: {Wire-grid polarisers}
- G02F 1/13355: {Polarising beam splitters [PBS]}
- G02F 1/133555: {Transflectors}
- G02F 1/13362: {providing polarized light, e.g. by converting a polarisation component into another one}
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00)

## Abstract

A polarizer substrate includes a substrate, a reflective layer, and a metal pattern layer. The reflective layer is located on the substrate and has a transmission area and a reflective area. The metal pattern layer is located on the reflective layer and the substrate. The metal pattern layer includes a polarizer structure and a microstructure. The polarizer structure includes a plurality of grid lines overlapping the transmission area. A thickness of each of the grid lines is 200 nm to 500 nm, a width of each of the grid lines is 30 nm to 70 nm, and a distance between each adjacent two of the grid lines is 30 nm to 70 nm. The microstructure overlaps the reflective area, and a thickness of the microstructure is 20 nm to 500 nm.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A polarizer substrate, comprising:
a substrate;
a reflective layer, located on the substrate, the reflective layer having a transmission area and a reflective area; and
a metal pattern layer, located on the reflective layer and the substrate, and comprising:
a polarizer structure, comprising a plurality of grid lines overlapping the transmission area, wherein a thickness of each of the grid lines is 200 nm to 500 nm, a width of each of the grid lines is 30 nm to 70 nm, and a distance between each adjacent two of the grid lines is 30 nm to 70 nm; and
a microstructure, overlapping the reflective area, the microstructure having a thickness of 20 nm to 500 nm.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The polarizer substrate of claim 1, wherein the microstructure comprises a plurality of strip structures.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The polarizer substrate of claim 2, wherein a width of each of the stripe structures closer to the substrate is wider, and the width of each of the grid line closer to the substrate is wider.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The polarizer substrate of claim 2, wherein the metal pattern layer comprises:
an extension layer, located on the reflective layer, wherein the strip structures are directly connected on the extension layer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The polarizer substrate of claim 1, wherein the microstructure is directly connected on the reflective layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The polarizer substrate of claim 1, further comprising
a first planar layer, located in the transmission area, the polarizer structure overlapping the first planar layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The polarizer substrate of claim 6, wherein a thickness of the first planar layer is 40 nm to 140 nm, and a thickness of the reflective layer is 40 nm to 100 nm.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The polarizer substrate of claim 6, further comprising
a second planar layer, covering the reflective layer and the first planar layer, wherein the polarizer structure and the microstructure are directly connected on the second planar layer.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The polarizer substrate of claim 6, wherein the first planar layer is further located between the substrate and the reflective layer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The polarizer substrate of claim 1, wherein the thicknesses of the grid lines are greater than the thickness of the microstructure.

### Claim 11

A manufacturing method of a polarizer substrate, comprising:
forming a reflective layer on a substrate, wherein the reflective layer has a transmission area and a reflective area;
forming a metal material layer overlapping the reflective area and the transmission area; and
patterning the metal material layer to form a metal pattern layer, wherein the metal pattern layer comprises:
a polarizer structure, comprising a plurality of grid lines overlapping the transmission area, wherein a thickness of each of the grid lines is 200 nm to 500 nm, a width of each of the grid lines is 30 nm to 70 nm, and a distance between each adjacent two of the grid lines is 30 nm to 70 nm; and
a microstructure, overlapping the reflective area, the microstructure having a thickness of 20 nm to 500 nm.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The manufacturing method of the polarizer substrate of claim 11, further comprising:
forming a first planar material layer on the substrate;
forming a mask pattern on the first planar material layer;
patterning the first planar material layer with the mask pattern as a mask to form a first planar layer;
forming a reflective material layer to cover the mask pattern and the substrate; and
removing the mask pattern and a part of the reflective material layer located on the mask pattern to form the reflective layer.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The manufacturing method of the polarizer substrate of claim 12, wherein a material of the mask pattern comprises a photoresistor, and a method for removing the mask pattern and the part of the reflective material layer located on the mask pattern comprises a lift-off method.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The manufacturing method of the polarizer substrate of claim 12, further comprising:
forming a second planar layer to cover the reflective layer and the first planar layer, the second planar layer overlapping the reflective area and the transmission area; and
forming the metal material layer on the second planar layer.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The manufacturing method of the polarizer substrate of claim 11, further comprising:
forming a first planar material layer on the substrate;
forming a first mask pattern on the first planar material layer by a half-tone mask process;
patterning the first planar material layer with the first mask pattern as a mask to form a first planar layer;
forming a second mask pattern on the first planar material layer;
forming a reflective material layer to cover the second mask pattern and the first planar layer; and
removing the second mask pattern and a part of the reflective material layer located on the second mask pattern to form the reflective layer.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The manufacturing method of the polarizer substrate of claim 11, wherein a method for patterning the metal material layer comprises:
forming a photoresist material on the metal material layer;
patterning the photoresist material by an imprinting process to form a plurality of strip photoresists, wherein a part of the strip photoresists overlaps the reflective area, and another part of the strip photoresists overlaps the transmission area; and
etching the metal material layer with the strip photoresists as a mask to form the metal pattern layer.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The manufacturing method of the polarizer substrate of claim 16, wherein a height of the part of the strip photoresists overlapping the reflective area is different from a height of the another part of the strip photoresists overlapping the transmission area.