3m Innovative Properties Company

Kristopher J Derks

Carl A Stover

Timothy J Hebrink

Timothy J Nevitt

Michael F Weber

Stephen A Johnson

Gilles J Benoit

Kevin M Hamer

Zhaohui Yang

Andrew John Ouderkirk

John Allen Wheatley

Rolf W Biernath

David G Freier

Jeffery N Jackson

Robert D Taylor

Shandon Dee Hart

William Ward Merrill

Adam D Haag

Matthew B Johnson

Craig R Schardt

David T Yust

Charles David Hoyle

William J Bryan

Fuming B Li

Kenneth A Epstein

Mark J Pellerite

Michael L Steiner

Raghunath Padiyath

Tri Dinh Pham

Tao Liu

Robert M Biegler

Richard Yufeng Liu

Timothy J Lindquist

Martin E Denker

Richard J Thompson

Yufeng Liu

Jeffrey A Peterson

Bert T Chien

James E Lockridge

Joan M Strobel

William B Black

Gregory L Bluem

John P Purcell

Jeffrey W Hagen

Edward J Kivel

Terence D Neavin

William T Fay

Barry S Rosell

Myron K Jordan

Michael J Schiesl

Anna A Kobilansky

Nathaniel K Naismith

Derek W Patzman

Victor Ho

John F Van Derlofske, Iii

David J Lamb

Brent A Hedding

Benjamin J Forsythe

Shannon L Siefken

Hang K Loi

Kevin T Huseby

Stephen J Strauss

Anna A Wetzels

James B Svacha

Karl A Stover

John F Iii Van Derlofske

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

An optical film () includes a microstructured surface () comprising a plurality of prismatic structures (), the microstructured surface () defining a reference plane (-) and a thickness direction () perpendicular to the reference plane; wherein the plurality of prismatic structures includes a plurality of facets (), each facet having a facet normal direction forming a polar angle with respect to the thickness direction and an azimuthal angle along the reference plane, and wherein the microstructured surface has a surface azimuthal distribution of the plurality of facets that is substantially uniform, and wherein the microstructured surface has a surface polar distribution of the plurality of facets that has an off-axis peak polar distribution.

Faceted microstructured surface

A display system includes an extended illumination source, a first liquid crystal assembly disposed on the extended illumination source, and a second liquid crystal assembly disposed on the first liquid crystal display assembly. The first liquid crystal assembly includes a bottom reflective polarizer, a top reflective polarizer, and a bottom liquid crystal panel disposed between the top and bottom reflective polarizers. The second liquid crystal assembly includes a top absorbing polarizer, and a top liquid crystal panel disposed between the top absorbing polarizer and the first liquid crystal assembly.

Display system

A substrate including a self-supporting tri-layer stack is described. The tri-layer stack includes first and second outer layers and a biaxially oriented layer disposed between and in direct contact with the first and second outer layers. The biaxially oriented layer may include a first polyester having greater than 45 mole percent naphthalate units and greater than 45 mole percent ethylene units. Each of the first and second outer layers includes a second polyester which may include 40 to 50 mole percent naphthalate units, at least 25 mole percent ethylene units, and 10 to 25 mole percent of branched or cyclic C4-C10 alkyl units.

Substrate including a self-supporting tri-layer stack

Multilayer optical film reflective polarizers previously considered to have excessive off-axis color can provide adequate performance in an LC display in an 'on-glass' configuration, laminated to a back absorbing polarizer of the display, without any light diffusing layer or air gap in such laminate. The reflective polarizer is a tentered-one-packet (TOP) multilayer film, having only one packet of microlayers, and oriented using a standard tenter such that birefringent microlayers in the film are biaxially birefringent. The thickness profile of optical repeat units (ORUs) in the microlayer packet is tailored to avoid excessive perceived color at normal and oblique angles. Color at high oblique angles in the white state of the display is reduced by positioning thicker ORUs closer to the absorbing polarizer, and by ensuring that, with regard to a boxcar average of the ORU thickness profile, the average slope from an ORU(600) to an ORU(645) does not exceed 1.8 times the average slope from an ORU(450) to the ORU(600).

Single packet reflective polarizer with thickness profile tailored for low color at oblique angles

A polarizer stack including an absorbing polarizer and a multilayer polymeric reflective polarizer bonded together is described. The absorbing polarizer has a first block axis and the reflective polarizer has a second block axis substantially parallel to the first block axis. The reflective polarizer may be substantially free of micro-wrinkling when the polarizer stack adhered to a glass layer is heated at 95&#xb0; C. for 100 hours.

Polarizer stack

Multilayer optical film reflective polarizers previously considered to have excessive off-axis color can provide adequate performance in an LC display without any high haze light diffusing layer or air gap between the reflective polarizer and the back absorbing polarizer of the display. The reflective polarizer has only one packet of microlayers, and is oriented using a standard tenter such that birefringent microlayers in the film are biaxially birefringent. The microlayers in the packet have a layer thickness profile suitably tailored to avoid excessive perceived color at normal and oblique angles. A laminate made by combining this type of reflective polarizer with an absorbing polarizer, without an air gap or any high haze light diffusing layer or structure between the polarizers, can be used and incorporated into a liquid crystal display or the like with adequate color performance both at normal incidence and oblique incidence up to a polar angle of 60 degrees.

Display laminate with single packet biaxially birefringent reflective polarizer

A polarizer stack including an absorbing polarizer and a multilayer polymeric reflective polarizer bonded together is described. The absorbing polarizer has a first block axis and the reflective polarizer has a second block axis substantially parallel to the first block axis. The reflective polarizer has a shrinkage in a range of 0.4 percent to 3 percent along the second block axis when the reflective polarizer is heated at 95&#xb0; C. for 40 minutes.

Multilayer optical film reflective polarizers previously considered to have excessive off-axis color can provide adequate performance in an LC display in an 'on-glass' configuration, laminated to a back absorbing polarizer of the display, without any light diffusing layer or air gap in such laminate. The reflective polarizer is a tentered-one-packet (TOP) multilayer film, having only one packet of microlayers, and oriented using a standard tenter such that birefringent microlayers in the film are biaxially birefringent. The thickness profile of optical repeat units (ORUs) in the microlayer packet is tailored to avoid excessive perceived color at normal and oblique angles. Color at high oblique angles in the white state of the display is reduced by positioning thicker ORUs closer to the absorbing polarizer, and by ensuring that, with regard to a boxcar average of the ORU thickness profile, the average slope from an ORU() to an ORU() does not exceed 1.8 times the average slope from an ORU() to the ORU().

Glazing articles that reduce glare include a glazing substrate, and a reflective polarizing film article attached to the glazing substrate. The reflective polarizing film article includes a reflective polarizing film, and a reflection inhibitor layer. The reflective polarizing film articles reduce transmission of polarized light with a polarization block axis that is horizontal, and reduce horizontally polarized light to 90% or less of the horizontally polarized incident visible light. The reflective polarizing film may include a multi-layer film construction. The reflection inhibitor layer may include a tinted layer or an absorptive polarizer layer. Glazing units that reduce glare include at least one glazing substrate, at least one reflective polarizing film, and at least one reflection inhibitor layer. The glazing substrate, reflective polarizing film, and reflection inhibitor layer may or may not be in contact with one another.

Glare reducing glazing articles

The present disclosure is directed to optical bodies including a first optical film, a second optical film and one or more strippable boundary layers disposed between the first and second optical films. Each major surface of a strippable boundary layer may be disposed adjacent to an optical film or another strippable boundary layer. At least one of the first and second optical films may include a reflective polarizer. The present disclosure is also directed to methods of processing such optical bodies.

Optical bodies including strippable boundary layers

A sheet comprising: (1) a core member comprising one or more layers and having a first major surface and (2) a slip control layer disposed on at least a portion of the first major surface, wherein the slip control layer comprises: (i) a footing layer disposed on at least a portion of the first major surface of the core member, (ii) a binder layer disposed on the footing layer, and (iii) an array of particles disposed in the binder layer and footing layer and protruding therefrom, wherein the average diameter of the particles is greater than the combined thickness of the foot layer and binder layer. A process for making such a sheet comprising: (1) providing a core member; (2) forming a footing layer on at least a portion of the first major surface of the core member, wherein the footing layer is viscoelastic and has a Tthat is lower than either the Tor the Tof the polymer at the first major surface of the core member; (3) applying a binder layer composition comprising a film forming polymer and particles to the surface of the footing layer; then (4) tentering the assembly under sufficient heat to soften the footing layer such that the particles sink into the footing layer, wherein the average diameter of the particles is greater than the combined thickness of the footing layer and binder layer.

Articles with binder-deficient slip coating and method for making same

Growing community of inventors

Woodbury, MN, United States of America

Kristopher J Derks