Wire grid polarizer having wires with silicon core and silicon dioxide ribs

A wire grid polarizer comprising:

• an array of wires on a substrate with a channel between each pair of adjacent wires;
• each wire including a core and a pair of ribs, the core including ≥90 mass percent silicon, each rib including ≥90 mass percent silicon dioxide;
• the core including a proximal end nearest the substrate, a distal end farthest from the substrate, and a pair of sidewalls extending between the proximal end and the distal end, each sidewall facing a channel;
• the core sandwiched between the pair of ribs, each rib adjacent to a sidewall of the core;
• a rib width is ≥4 nm, the rib width measured perpendicular to an axis of the core extending from the proximal end to the distal end of the core at a center of the core;
• and
• wherein 4≤AR12≤60, where AR12 is a core aspect ratio, defined as a core thickness divided by a core width, the core width measured perpendicular to the axis of the core, and 8≤AR13≤60, where AR13 is a rib aspect ratio, defined as a rib thickness divided by the rib width, the core thickness and the rib thickness measured parallel to the axis of the core, both widths measured half-way between the proximal end and the distal end.

A wire grid polarizer comprising:

• an array of wires on a substrate with a channel between each pair of adjacent wires;
• each wire including a core and a pair of ribs, the core including ≥90 mass percent silicon, each rib including ≥90 mass percent silicon dioxide;
• the core including a proximal end nearest the substrate, a distal end farthest from the substrate, and a pair of sidewalls extending between the proximal end and the distal end, each sidewall facing a channel;
• the core sandwiched between the pair of ribs, each rib adjacent to a sidewall of the core;
• a rib width is ≥4 nm, the rib width measured perpendicular to an axis of the core extending from the proximal end to the distal end of the core at a center of the core;
• a cap at the distal end of the core, the cap connecting the pair of ribs, the cap including ≥90 mass percent silicon dioxide;
• and
• wherein T14/W13≥2, where T14 is a thickness of the cap, measured parallel to the axis of the core, and W13 is a width of the rib measured half-way between the proximal end and the distal end.

A wire grid polarizer comprising:

• an array of wires on a substrate with a channel between each pair of adjacent wires;
• each wire including a core and a pair of ribs, the core including >90 mass percent silicon, each rib including ≥90 mass percent silicon dioxide;
• the core including a proximal end nearest the substrate, a distal end farthest from the substrate, and a pair of sidewalls extending between the proximal end and the distal end, each sidewall facing a channel:
• the core sandwiched between the pair of ribs, each rib adjacent to a sidewall of the core;
• a rib width is ≥4 nm, the rib width measured perpendicular to an axis of the core extending from the proximal end to the distal end of the core at a center of the core;
• and
• wherein each wire adjoins the substrate or the air on all sides, and each wire comprises ≥90 mass percent silicon and oxygen.

A wire grid polarizer comprising:

• an array of wires on a substrate with a channel between each pair of adjacent wires;
• each wire including a core and a pair of ribs, the core including ≥90 mass percent silicon, each rib including ≥90 mass percent silicon dioxide;
• the core including a proximal end nearest the substrate, a distal end farthest from the substrate, and a pair of sidewalls extending between the proximal end and the distal end, each sidewall facing a channel;
• the core sandwiched between the pair of ribs, each rib adjacent to a sidewall of the core;
• a rib width is ≥4 nm, the rib width measured perpendicular to an axis of the core extending from the proximal end to the distal end of the core at a center of the core;
• and
• the substrate comprises silicon dioxide and a density of the pair of ribs is less than a density of the substrate.

A wire grid polarizer comprising:

• an array of wires on a substrate with a channel between each pair of adjacent wires;
• each wire including a core, a pair of ribs, and a cap, the core including ≥90 mass percent silicon, each rib and the cap including ≥90 mass percent silicon dioxide;
• the core including a proximal end nearest the substrate, a distal end farthest from the substrate, and a pair of sidewalls extending between the proximal end and the distal end, each sidewall facing one of the channels;
• the core sandwiched between the pair of ribs, each rib adjacent to a sidewall of the core;
• the cap located at the distal end of the core, connecting the pair of ribs;
• and
• a density of the pair of ribs and the cap is less than a density of the substrate.