Durable, high performance wire grid polarizer having barrier layer

A wire grid polarizer (WGP) comprising:

• an array of wires sandwiched between a bottom protection layer and a top protection layer;
• channels between adjacent wires, the channels being air filled;
• the top protection layer spans the channels;
• forms a continuous layer with the top protection layer on adjacent wires touching;
• and has permeable junctions, including a permeable junction between the top protection layer on adjacent wires;
• a lower barrier-layer:
• located on the wires and the bottom protection layer inside of the channels in a conformal layer;
• not located between the bottom protection layer and the wires;
• not located at an outermost surface of the top protection layer;
• and including a metal oxide;
• an upper barrier-layer:
• located on surfaces of the channels as an outermost layer of solid material;
• located on an outermost surface of the top protection layer as an outermost layer of solid material;
• and including a hydrophobic chemical;
• each wire of the array of wires includes a proximal end closest to the bottom protection layer and a distal end closest to the top protection layer;
• each channel extends beyond the proximal end into the bottom protection layer for a depth of between 10 nm and 200 nm;
• each channel extends beyond the distal end into the top protection layer for a depth of between 10 nm and 200 nm;
• and
• a ratio of the depth into the bottom protection layer to the depth into the top protection layer is between 0.5 and 2.

A wire grid polarizer (WGP) comprising:

• an array of wires sandwiched between a bottom protection layer and a top protection layer;
• channels between adjacent wires, the channels being air filled;
• the top protection layer spans the channels;
• forms a continuous layer with the top protection layer on adjacent wires touching;
• and has permeable junctions, including a permeable junction between the top protection layer on adjacent wires;
• a lower barrier-layer:
• located on the wires and the bottom protection layer inside of the channels in a conformal layer;
• not located between the bottom protection layer and the wires;
• not located at an outermost surface of the top protection layer;
• and including a metal oxide;
• an upper barrier-layer:
• located on surfaces of the channels as an outermost layer of solid material;
• located on an outermost surface of the top protection layer as an outermost layer of solid material;
• and including a hydrophobic chemical;
• the lower barrier-layer comprises two layers of different materials, including an oxidation-barrier and a moisture-barrier, with the oxidation-barrier between the moisture-barrier and the wires;
• the oxidation-barrier is distinct from the wires and includes aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbide, a rare earth oxide, or combinations thereof;
• and
• the moisture-barrier includes hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, a rare earth oxide different from the rare earth oxide of the oxidation-barrier, or combinations thereof.

A wire grid polarizer (WGP) comprising:

• an array of wires sandwiched between a bottom protection layer and a top protection layer;
• channels between adjacent wires;
• the bottom protection layer and the top protection layer each comprise aluminum oxide;
• a lower barrier-layer located at a surface of the wires in the channels, an exposed surface of the bottom protection layer in the channels, and between each wire and the top protection layer;
• the lower barrier-layer comprises two layers of different materials, including an oxidation-barrier and a moisture-barrier, the oxidation-barrier being between the moisture-barrier and the wires;
• the oxidation-barrier is distinct from the wires and includes aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbide, a rare earth oxide, or combinations thereof;
• and
• the moisture-barrier includes hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, a rare earth oxide different from the rare earth oxide of the oxidation-barrier, or combinations thereof.