Optical device with a flexible, opaque-region

A flexible optical device comprising a flexible substrate, an opaque-region, and an optical region, wherein:

• the opaque-region and the optical region are located on a face of the flexible substrate;
• the opaque-region is adjacent to the optical region;
• the optical region comprises one or more of a lens, a polarizer, an aperture, a metalens, a diffraction grating, a phase mask, a retarder, or an optical filter;
• the opaque-region is capable of blocking ≥90% of ultraviolet light, ≥90% of visible light, ≥90% of near infrared light, or combinations thereof;
• the opaque-region includes a thin-film with multiple zones, and each zone is encircled and separated from adjacent zones by a groove;
• each zone has a cross shape;
• two intersecting bars form the cross shape;
• the cross shapes include a first orientation and a second orientation;
• and
• the second orientation is rotated with respect to the first orientation at an angle that is ≥20° and ≤70°.

A flexible optical device comprising a flexible substrate, an opaque-region, and wire grid polarizer regions, wherein:

• the opaque-region is adjacent to the wire grid polarizer regions;
• the opaque-region and the wire grid polarizer regions are located side-by-side on a face of the flexible substrate, such that the opaque-region is not between the wire grid polarizer regions and the flexible substrate and the wire grid polarizer regions are not between the opaque-region and the flexible substrate;
• an array of wires of one of the wire grid polarizer regions defines a first-array and an array of wires of another of the wire grid polarizer regions defines a second-array;
• wires of the first-array extend in a first-direction and wires of the second-array extend in a second-direction, the first-direction and the second-direction are different with respect to each other;
• the opaque-region is capable of blocking ≥90% of ultraviolet light, ≥90% of visible light, ≥90% of near infrared light, or combinations thereof;
• and
• the opaque-region includes a thin-film with multiple zones, and each zone is encircled and separated from adjacent zones by a groove.