Moxtek, Inc.

Moxek, Inc.

Bradley R Williams

R Stewart Nielson

Bob West

Shaun Patrick Ogden

Anubhav Diwan

Mathew Free

Benjamin Downard

Eric W Gardner

Ted Wangensteen

Daniel Bacon-Brown

Fred Lane

Jeffrey H Rice

Michael Black

D Brent Willamson

Jim Pierce

Matthew R Linford

Matthew C George

Optical metasurfaces can manipulate a light wavefront without traditional lenses. They can include pillars with subwavelength dimensions on a substrate. The pillars can vary in size, shape, and spacing across a surface of the substrate. Each pillar size and shape can diffract incident light and provide a unique electromagnetic response. The metasurface can provide desired light wavefront manipulation without the thickness of traditional lenses. The metasurface can overcome the aberration problem of traditional lenses. An overcoat layer can be located at a distal-end of the pillars. Pillar pitch can be adjusted for uniform spacing between pillars, and uniform overcoat coverage. The overcoat layer can protect the pillars. An alternative to the overcoat layer is a solid fill-material filling gaps between the pillars.

Metasurface with overcoat and equal pillar spacing

A wire grid polarizer (WGP) can include an array of support-ribs on a substrate. Sides of the support-ribs can be inclined to one side. A wire can be applied on an upper-side and distal end of each support-rib, each wire being separate from wires on adjacent support-ribs. The WGP can be made with reduced or no etching.

Wire grid polarizer with slanted support-ribs

A method of making a polarizer can include applying a liquid with solid inorganic nanoparticles dispersed throughout a continuous phase, then forming this into a different phase including a solid, interconnecting network of the inorganic nanoparticles. This method can improve manufacturability and reducing manufacturing cost. This method can be used to provide an antireflective coating, to provide a protective coating on polarization structures, to provide thin films for optical properties, or to form the polarization structures themselves.

Polarizer nanoimprint lithography

A reflective wire grid polarizer (WGP) can include an array of wireson a face of a substrate, with channelsbetween adjacent wires. The wirescan have certain characteristics for WGP performance, such as index of refraction, alternating high/low index continuous thin films, thickness of layer(s), duty cycle, reflective rib shape, a curved side of transparent ribsor, aspect ratio, or combinations thereof.

Reflective wire grid polarizer with shaped ribs

An optical device can comprise wireson a face of a substrate, with channel(s)between adjacent wires. Each wirecan include embedded organic moieties. Each wirecan include multiple ribs. Part or all of the wire, the substrate, or both can have a high refractive index n and a low extinction coefficient k. The optical device can have reduced separation of layers of different materials during flexing and temperature changes. The optical device can be manufactured by a method designed for improved manufacturability.

Optical device with wires and organic moieties

Reflective wire grid polarizer with transparent cap

Each wire of a wire grid polarizer (WGP) can include the following layers moving outwards from the substrate: a high-index-layer, a low-index-layer, and a reflective-layer. Each wire can have a distal-end, farthest from the substrate, with a convex shape. These layers and the convex shape can be combined for a more stable and improved Rs.

High index, curved cap wire grid polarizer

A wire grid polarizer (WGP) can be durable and have high performance. The WGP can comprise an array of wireson a substrate. An overcoat layercan be located at distal ends of the array of wiresand can span channelsbetween the wires. A conformal-coat layercan coat sidesand distal endsof the wiresbetween the wiresand the overcoat layer. The overcoat layer can comprise aluminum oxide. An antireflection layercan be located over the overcoat layer

Overcoat wire grid polarizer having overcoat layer spanning air-filled channels

A wire grid polarizer (WGP) can include a heat-dissipation layer. The heat-dissipation layer can enable the WGP to be able to endure high temperatures. The heat-dissipation layer can be located (a) over an array of wires and farther from a transparent substrate than the array of wires; or (b) between the array of wires and the transparent substrate. The heat-dissipation layer can be a continuous layer. The heat-dissipation layer can have a high electrical resistivity and a high coefficient of thermal conductivity.

Wire grid polarizer heat sink having specified reflective layer, absorptive layer, and heat-dissipation layer

A wire grid polarizer and method of making a wire grid polarizer can protect delicate wires of the wire grid polarizer from damage. The wire grid polarizer can include a protective-layer located on an array of wires. The array of wires can further be protected by a chemical coating on an inside surface of the air-filled channels, closed ends of the air-filled channels, damaged wires of the array of wires in a line parallel to an edge of the wire grid polarizer, or combinations thereof. The method can include (i) providing the wire grid polarizer, (ii) applying the protective-layer, by physical vapor deposition or chemical vapor deposition but excluding atomic layer deposition, onto the array of wires, (iii) cutting the wire grid polarizer wafer into multiple wire grid polarizer parts, then (iv) protecting the array of wires.

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Pocatello, ID, United States of America

Bradley R Williams