Patent ID: 7630133

Claim:
An inorganic, dielectric grid polarizer device configured to polarize and further control light incident on the device, comprising: an optical stack with a diffraction grating and an inorganic, dielectric grid polarizer with one disposed over the other; the inorganic, dielectric grid polarizer including: a stack of film layers, each film layer being formed of a material that is both inorganic and dielectric; adjacent film layers having different refractive indices; at least one of the film layers being discontinuous to form a form birefringent layer with an array of parallel ribs in accordance with P GP <λ/2 where P GP is the period of the ribs of the grid polarizer and λ is the wavelength of the light, to polarize any light incident on the grid polarizer by substantially reflecting the light incident on the grid polarizer with s-polarization orientation and substantially transmitting the light incident on the grid polarizer with p-polarization orientation; the diffraction grating including an array of elongated parallel dielectric ribs in accordance with P DG >λ/2 where P DG is the period of the ribs of the diffraction grating, to substantially diffract any light incident on the diffraction grating with the s-polarization orientation of non-zero order at a non-orthogonal angle, so that the diffraction grating and the grid polarizer together substantially pass the light incident on the device having the p-polarization orientation while substantially diffracting light incident on the device having the s-polarization orientation.