Polarizing beam-splitting optical component

• US 5,962,114 A
• Filed: 10/28/1997
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Weber, Michael F., Ouderkirk, Andrew J., Stover, Carl A., Jonza, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Vivian
• Application Number:
  US08/958,328
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 428/480, 428/910, 428/212, 428/430, 359/487, 359/488, 359/493, 359/494, 359/495, 359/500, 359/580, 359/530, 359/583, 359/586
• US Class Current: 428/212
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 55/023 using multilayered plates or sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00 Producing optical elements, e.g. lenses or prisms grinding or polishing of optical elements B24B; constructional form of optical elements G02B; optical parts of spectacles G02C7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/00 Use of polyesters or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/003 Reflective
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0034 Polarising
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2038/0028 Stretching, elongating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2323/00 Polyalkenes
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2325/00 Polymers of vinyl-aromatic compounds, e.g. polystyrene
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2333/08 Polymers of acrylic acid esters, e.g. PMA, i.e. polymethylacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2367/00 Polyesters, e.g. PET, i.e. polyethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2551/08 Mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/302 comprising aromatic vinyl (co)polymers, e.g. styrenic (co)polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/308 comprising acrylic (co)polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/32 comprising polyolefins comprising vinyl (co)polymers or acrylic (co)polymers B32B27/30
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/36 comprising polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/023 Optical properties
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/283 used for beam splitting or combining
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3025 Polarisers, i.e. arrangements capable of producing a definite output polarisation state from an unpolarised input state G02B5/3008, G02B5/3016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/305 : including organic materials, e.g. polymeric layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3083 : Birefringent or phase retarding elements G02B5/3008, G02B5/3016 take precedence; systems for polarisation control G02B27/286; manufacturing phase modulating patterns by lithographic processes G03F7/001
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133536 : Reflective polarizers G02F1/13362 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133545 : Dielectric stack polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13362 : providing polarized light, e.g. by converting a polarisation component into another one
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/91 : Product with molecular orientation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 : including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/26 : Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component, the element or component having a specified physical dimension
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/261 : In terms of molecular thickness or light wave length
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31507 : Of polycarbonate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/3154 : Of fluorinated addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31616 : Next to polyester [e.g., alkyd]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31786 : Of polyester [e.g., alkyd, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31797 : Next to addition polymer from unsaturated monomers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31935 : Ester, halide or nitrile of addition polymer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31938 : Polymer of monoethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon

Abstract

A light beam-splitting optical component comprising an optical film formed from a layer of a first polymeric material and a layer of a second polymeric material wherein the refractive index of the first material in a first in-plane direction (x) is different from the refractive index of the second material in the first in-plane direction and wherein the difference in the refractive indices of the first material and the second material in a second in-plane direction (y) is the same sign as the difference in the refractive indices of the first material and the second material in the thickness direction (z), such that light polarized in the plane containing the x-axis is reflected from the component and light polarized in the plane containing the y-axis is transmitted through the component.

Claims

1. An optical component which splits at least a portion of light incident on the optical component into first and second polarized light beams, the optical component comprising a polymeric optical film comprising:

a first polymeric material having refractive indices n_1x, n_1y, and n_1z, along mutually orthogonal axes x, y and z, respectively; and

a second polymeric material disposed in alternating layers with the first polymeric material along the z axis, the second polymeric material having refractive indices n_2x, n_2y, and n_2z, along the x, y and z axes, respectively, the refractive index n_1x of the first polymeric material being different than the refractive index n_2x of the second polymeric material, any difference n_1y -n_2y in the refractive index n_1y of the first polymeric material and the refractive index n_2y of second polymeric material having a same sign as any difference n_1z -n_2z in the refractive index n_1z, of the first polymeric material and the refractive index n_2z of second polymeric material, the first polarized light beam being linearly polarized in a plane containing the x axis and being reflected from the optical component and the second polarized light beam being linearly polarized in a plane containing the y axis and being transmitted through the optical component.

2. An optical component as recited in claim 1, further comprising a substrate laminated to the polymeric optical film.

3. An optical component as recited in claim 2, further comprising an optical adhesive disposed between the substrate and the polymeric optical film.

4. An optical component as recited in claim 2, wherein the substrate comprises glass.

5. An optical component as recited in claim 4, further comprising an optical adhesive disposed between the glass substrate and the polymeric optical film.

6. An optical component as recited in claim 1, further comprising an antireflection coating disposed on a surface of the polymeric optical film.

7. An optical component as recited in claim 1, further comprising a glass or film layer laminated with a clear optical adhesive to a first side of the polymeric optical film and a glass or film layer laminated with a clear optical adhesive to a second side of the polymeric optical film.

8. An optical component as recited in claim 1, wherein the first polymeric material comprises a polyester or copolyester based on naphthalene dicarboxylic acid or an ester thereof.

9. An optical component as recited in claim 1, wherein the first polymeric material comprises a polyester or copolyester based on terephthalic acid or an ester thereof.