Patent ID: 7800823

Claim:
A polarization device configured to polarize and further control light incident on the device, comprising: an optical stack with a diffraction grating and a wire grid polarizer with one disposed over the other and configured to be disposed in the light, the wire grid polarizer including an array of elongated, parallel conductive wires in accordance with P WGP <λ/2 where P WGP is a period of the wires and λ is a wavelength of the light, to polarize the light by substantially reflecting light having an s-polarization orientation and substantially transmitting light having a p-polarization orientation, and the diffraction grating including an array of elongated parallel dielectric ribs in accordance with P DG >λ/2 where P DG is a period of the ribs, to substantially diffract light with s-polarization orientation of non-zero order at a non-orthogonal angle, so that the diffraction grating and the wire grid polarizer together pass light having p-polarization orientation while diffracting light having s-polarization orientation.