Polarization device to polarize and further control light

Abstract

A polarization device includes an optical stack with a diffraction grating and a wire grid polarizer with one disposed over the other. The wire grid polarizer includes an array of elongated, parallel conductive wires. The diffraction grating includes an array of elongated parallel dielectric ribs.

1 . A polarization device configured to polarize and further control visible 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 with a period less than 0.21 microns 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 with a period greater than 0.21 microns 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.   
     
     
         2 . A device in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the period of the diffraction grating is approximately five times greater than the period of the wire grid polarizer. 
     
     
         3 . A device in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the diffraction grating is stacked over the wire grid polarizer with the incident light incident on the diffraction grating; and wherein the diffraction grating diffracts reflected light with the s-polarization orientation of non-zero order. 
     
     
         4 . A device in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the wire grid polarizer is stacked over the diffraction grating with the incident light incident on the wire grid polarizer; and wherein the diffraction grating diffracts transmitted light with p-polarization. 
     
     
         5 . A device in accordance with  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a continuous layer disposed between the wire grid polarizer and the diffraction grating, and having a refractive index less than a refractive index of a supporting substrate.   
     
     
         6 . A device in accordance with  claim 1 , further comprising:
 at least two continuous layers disposed between the wire grid polarizer and the diffraction grating, including an upper layer with a refractive index greater than a refractive index of a lower layer.   
     
     
         7 . A device in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the ribs of the diffraction grating are split into a pair of ribs so that the diffraction grating includes a periodic array of rib pairs. 
     
     
         8 . A device in accordance with  claim 1 , further comprising an imaging system including:
 a spatial light modulator including a liquid crystal material; and   a polarization beam splitter.   
     
     
         9 . A polarization device configured to control light of a light beam incident on the device, the device comprising:
 an optical stack with a diffraction grating stacked over a wire grid polarizer, with the light beam incident on the diffraction grating at substantially an orthogonal orientation,   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 the wavelength of the light beam, to polarize the light beam 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.   
     
     
         10 . A device in accordance with  claim 9 , wherein the period of the diffraction grating is approximately five times greater than the period of the wire grid polarizer. 
     
     
         11 . A device in accordance with  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a continuous layer disposed between the wire grid and the diffraction grating, and having a refractive index less than a refractive index of a supporting substrate.   
     
     
         12 . A device in accordance with  claim 9 , further comprising:
 at least two continuous layers disposed between the wire grid polarizer and the diffraction grating, including an upper layer with a refractive index greater than a refractive index of a lower layer.   
     
     
         13 . A device in accordance with  claim 12 , wherein the lower layer extends into spaces between the wires of the wire grid polarizer. 
     
     
         14 . A device in accordance with  claim 9 , wherein the array of conductive wires of the wire grid and the array of dielectric ribs of the diffraction grating are parallel with one another. 
     
     
         15 . A device in accordance with  claim 9 , wherein the device substantially transmits light with p-polarization orientation and substantially diffracts light with s-polarization orientation of non-zero order, without substantially back reflecting light with s-polarization orientation of zero order. 
     
     
         16 . A device in accordance with  claim 9 , wherein the ribs of the diffraction grating are split into two ribs. 
     
     
         17 . A device in accordance with  claim 9 , wherein the period of the wires is less than about 0.21 microns; and wherein the period of the ribs is greater than 0.21 microns and less than 0.7 microns. 
     
     
         18 . A device in accordance with  claim 9 , further comprising an imaging system including:
 a spatial light modulator including a liquid crystal material; and   a polarization beam splitter.   
     
     
         19 . An image system, comprising:
 a light source capable of producing a light beam;   a polarizing beam splitter disposable in the light beam and capable of reflecting or transmitting a polarized light beam;   a spatial light modulator disposable in the polarized beam and capable of encoding image information on the polarized beam to create an encoded image beam;   the polarizing beam splitter also being disposable in the encoded image beam and capable of reflecting or transmitting an image beam; and   a polarization device disposable in the image beam and including a diffraction grating stacked over a wire grid polarizer, with the image beam incident on the diffraction grating at substantially an orthogonal orientation, the wire grid polarizer including an array of elongated, parallel conductive wires with a period less than about 0.21 microns, the diffraction grating including an array of elongated parallel dielectric ribs with a period greater than 0.21 microns and less than 0.7 microns.