3m Innovative Properties Company

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovation Properties Company

3m Innovative Properties

Carl A Stover

Michael F Weber

Andrew John Ouderkirk

Timothy J Nevitt

James M Jonza

Robert D Taylor

Richard C Allen

Kristopher J Derks

Arthur L Kotz

Gilles J Benoit

Timothy J Hebrink

Adam D Haag

William Ward Merrill

Matthew B Johnson

Zhaohui Yang

Olester Benson, Jr

Sanford Cobb, Jr

Bharat R Acharya

David L Wortman

Jeffery N Jackson

Martin E Denker

William Blake Kolb

Matthew S Stay

Tri Dinh Pham

David T Yust

Kevin M Hamer

Ryan T Fabick

Shandon Dee Hart

Stephen A Johnson

Mark B O'Neill

Zhisheng Yun

Timothy L Wong

Gary Timothy Boyd

Gregg A Ambur

William L Kausch

Jo Anne Etter

William F Edmonds

Terence D Neavin

Biswaroop Majumdar

Lockwood W Carlson

Quinn D Sanford

Benjamin J Forsythe

Matthew E Sousa

Lin Zhao

Anthony M Renstrom

Joan M Strobel

Matthew S Cole

Jason S Petaja

Jeremy O Swanson

William B Black

David A Rosen

Richard J Thompson

Gregory L Bluem

Joseph P Attard

John P Purcell

Barry S Rosell

Qunyi Chen

Lisa A DeNicola

Laurence R Gilbert

Kristy A Gillette

Matthew R D Smith

Anna A Kobilansky

Elisa M Cross

Susan L Kent

Bruce A Nerad

James A Olson

Guy M Kallman

David I Wortman

Matthew Rd Smith

Yu Hsin Lu

Robert W Horn

Anna A Wetzels

Yaoqi Joe Liu

An optical film includes a plurality of polymeric layers arranged along at least a portion of a thickness of the optical film. Each polymeric layer has an average thickness less than about 300 nm. The plurality of polymeric layers includes a first polymeric layer having a largest average thickness among the plurality of polymeric layers, and a second polymeric layer disposed between a third polymeric layer and the first polymeric layer. The first and second polymeric layers are separated by N1 polymeric layers where 2≤N1≤10. The second and third polymeric layers are separated by N2 polymeric layers where N2≥10. The first, second and third polymeric layers have respective average thicknesses t1, t2 and t3, where t1 is greater than t2 by at least 10%, and t2 is greater than t3 by at most 2%.

Optical film

Optical films are disclosed that include a plurality of interference layers. Each interference layer reflects or transmits light primarily by optical interference. The total number of the interference layers is less than about 1000. For a substantially normally incident light in a predetermined wavelength range, the plurality of interference layers has an average optical transmittance greater than about 85% for a first polarization state, an average optical reflectance greater than about 80% for an orthogonal second polarization state, and an average optical transmittance less than about 0.2% for the second polarization state.

High contrast optical film and devices including the same

Multi-layer optical films that can be utilized as polarizer or mirror films and can be incorporated into optical stacks. The optical film includes a plurality of alternating polymeric first and second interference layers numbering greater than 50 and disposed between, and integrally formed with, first and second skin layers, each of the first and second interference layers has an average thickness less than 250 nm. The first and second interference layers and the first and second skin layers are compositions that include polyester.

Polarizer film

A display system for sensing a finger of a user applied to the display system includes a display panel; a sensor for sensing the finger; a sensing light source configured to emit a first light having a first wavelength W1; and a reflective polarizer disposed between the display panel and the sensor. For a substantially normally incident light, an optical transmittance of the reflective polarizer versus wavelength for a first polarization state has a band edge such that for a first wavelength range extending from a smaller wavelength L1 to a greater wavelength L2 and including W1, where 30 nm≤L2−L1≤50 nm and L1 is greater than and within about 20 nm of a wavelength L3 corresponding to an optical transmittance of about 50% along the band edge, the optical transmittance has an average of greater than about 75%.

Display system with finger sensing

Optical films are described. In particular, optical films including a reflective polarizer portion and an infrared portion, with no adhesive between these two portions, are described. These optical films may be particularly suitable for combiner applications, including automotive heads up display applications with demanding ambient environments.

Optical film including infrared reflector and multilayer reflective polarizer with crystalline low index layers

An optical stack for reflecting and transmitting light in a predetermined wavelength range includes stacked first and second optical films, the predetermined wavelength range defining a first wavelength range and a remaining wavelength range. For normally incident light and for each wavelength in a first wavelength range, the first optical film substantially reflects light having a first polarization state, and substantially transmits light having a second polarization state. For each of the first and second polarization states, for wavelengths in the first wavelength range, the second optical film has a maximum optical transmittance Tfor light incident at a first incident angle, and an optical transmittance T/2 for light incident at a second incident angle, where the second incident angle is greater than the first incident angle by less than about 50 degrees. For wavelengths in the remaining wavelength range, the second optical film reflects at least 80% of light.

Display optical film and backlight unit

A backlight including a front reflector disposed on a back reflector and defining a cavity therebetween. For a visible wavelength range and for a first incident angle of less than 5 degrees, the front reflector has an average transmittance of less than 20% for the incident light polarized along a first direction, and an average transmittance of between 20% and 85% for the incident light polarized along an orthogonal second direction. For a visible wavelength range and for a second incident angle of greater than 40 degrees, the front reflector has an average transmittance of less than 40% for each of the first and second directions. For at least a first wavelength in an infrared wavelength range, the front reflector has a transmittance of greater than about 40% for each of the first and second incident angles and for each of the first and second directions. For each of the first and second incident angles, for the incident light polarized along each of the first and second directions, the back reflector has a transmittance of greater than 30% for the first infrared wavelength, and an average transmittance of less than 20% in the visible range.

Backlight with collimating reflective polarizer

Polarizer stacks are described. More particularly, polarizer stacks that include an absorbing polarizer and multiple reflective polarizers, including at least one collimating reflective polarizer are described. Such polarizer stacks are capable of emitted light that is both collimated and color neutral. Backlights incorporating such polarizer stacks are also described.

Absorbing, reflecting and collimating polarizer stack and backlights incorporating same

Multilayer reflective polarizers are described. In particular, multilayer reflective polarizers that include both crystalline high index layers and low index layers are disclosed. These reflective polarizers may be particularly suitable for automotive, architectural, and industrial applications.

Multilayer reflective polarizer with crystalline low index layers

An optical system including a first optical element having a curved first major surface and an optical stack bonded and conforming to the curved first major surface of the first optical element is described. The optical stack includes a reflective polarizer substantially transmitting light having a first polarization state and substantially reflecting light having an orthogonal second polarization state and a non-adhesive flexible optical layer bonded to the reflective polarizer and comprising substantially parallel opposing first and second major surfaces. At least one location on the non-adhesive flexible optical layer has an optical retardance of less than about 100 nm or greater than about 200 nm at a wavelength of about 550 nm.

Optical components and optical systems

A display system for sensing a finger of a user applied to the display system includes a display panel; a sensor for sensing the finger; a sensing light source configured to emit a first light having a first wavelength W; and a reflective polarizer disposed between the display panel and the sensor. For a substantially normally incident light, an optical transmittance of the reflective polarizer versus wavelength for a first polarization state has a band edge such that for a first wavelength range extending from a smaller wavelength Lto a greater wavelength Land including W, where 30 nm≤L−L≤50 nm and Lis greater than and within about 20 nm of a wavelength Lcorresponding to an optical transmittance of about 50% along the band edge, the optical transmittance has an average of greater than about 75%.

An optical construction includes a reflective polarizer and an optically diffusive film disposed on the reflective polarizer. The reflective polarizer includes an outer layer including a plurality of first particles partially protruding from a first major surface thereof to form a structured major surface. A first optically diffusive layer is conformably disposed on the structured major surface. The optically diffusive film includes a second optically diffusive layer including a plurality of nanoparticles dispersed therein, and a structured layer including a structured major surface. For a substantially normally incident light and a visible wavelength range from about 450 nm to about 650 nm and an infrared wavelength range from about 930 nm to about 970 nm, the second optically diffusive layer has an average specular transmittance Vs in the visible wavelength range and an average specular transmittance Is in the infrared wavelength range, where Is/Vs≥2.5.

Optical construction and display system

A reflective polarizer has a transmittance for a first polarization state having a band edge separating a first wavelength range extending at least from about 450 nm to about 900 nm and a second wavelength range extending at least from about 1100 nm to about 1300 nm. For the first polarization state, the reflective polarizer has an average transmittance in the first wavelength range less than about 10% and an average transmittance in the second wavelength range greater than about 80%; and for a second polarization state, the reflective polarizer has an average transmittance in the first wavelength range greater than about 40% and an average transmittance in the second wavelength range greater than about 80%. A display system includes the reflective polarizer and an infrared light source configured to emit an infrared light having a wavelength W1. The band edge has a band edge wavelength W2>W1.

Reflective polarizer and display system including same

An optical stack for reflecting and transmitting light in a predetermined wavelength range includes stacked first and second optical films, the predetermined wavelength range defining a first wavelength range and a remaining wavelength range. For normally incident light and for each wavelength in a first wavelength range, the first optical film substantially reflects light having a first polarization state, and substantially transmits light having a second polarization state. For each of the first and second polarization states, for wavelengths in the first wavelength range, the second optical film has a maximum optical transmittance Tmax for light incident at a first incident angle, and an optical transmittance Tmax/2 for light incident at a second incident angle, where the second incident angle is greater than the first incident angle by less than about 50 degrees. For wavelengths in the remaining wavelength range, the second optical film reflects at least 80% of light.

Growing community of inventors

Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

Carl A Stover