Patent ID: 7570424
Filing Date: 2009-08-04
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. A wire-grid polarizer device for polarizing light, comprising: a) a substrate; b) a wire-grid layer, disposed over the substrate, the wire-grid layer including an array of elongated metal elements having lengths longer than a wavelength of the light and a period less than half the wavelength of the light and defining gaps between the elements; c) at least three continuous thin film layers, disposed between the substrate and the wire-grid layer and extending between the gaps, the thin film layers having different refractive indices with respect to one another; d) the refractive index of at least one of the three thin film layers being greater than a refractive index of the substrate; and e) at least one of the thin film layers includes a dielectric grid including an array of non-metal elements, the non-metal and metal elements of the arrays being oriented substantially parallel with one another, and the arrays having substantially equal periods.