Optical device with a dichroic polarizer and a multilayer optical film

• US 6,307,676 B1
• Filed: 07/10/2000
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Hebrink, Timothy J., Kausch, William L., Merrill, William W., Williams, Brian H.
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHUBERG, DARREN E
• Application Number:
  US09/634,832
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 359/483, 359/485, 359/487, 359/488, 359/490, 359/493, 359/497, 359/498, 359/500, 252/585
• US Class Current: 359/487.02
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3041 comprising multiple thin layers, e.g. multilayer stacks
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/305 including organic materials, e.g. polymeric layers

Abstract

An optical device includes a dichroic polarizer and a multilayer optical film, such as a reflective polarizer or mirror. The multilayer optical film is made using polymers which may allow for the simultaneous orientation of the dichroic and reflective polarizers. The multilayer optical film often contains a set of birefringent first layers and a set of second layers, which may have an isotropic index of refraction. The dichroic polarizers is a polyvinyl alcohol film with a dichroic dye. The multilayer optical film and dichroic polarizer can be stretched at temperatures of 130° C. or less to orient the two films without substantial cracking of the dichroic polarizer. When an optional second polymer is combined with the polyvinyl alcohol, the multilayer optical film and dichroic polarizer can be stretched at temperatures of about 160° C. without substantial cracking of the dichroic polarizer.

Claims

1. An optical polarizer comprising:

a dichroic polarizer, and

a reflective polarizer positioned in the same optical path as the dichroic polarizer, the reflective olarizer comprising

a plurality of first optical layers comprising a first copolyester, the copolyester being semicrystalline and birefringent, and

a plurality of second optical layers comprising a second copolyester having an in-plane birefringence of about 0.04 or less, at 632.8 nm, after the optical polarizer has been formed, the second copolyester comprising carboxylate subunits and glycol subunits, wherein 0.01 to 2.5 mol % of the combined carboxylate and glycol subunits are derived from compounds with three or more carboxylate or ester functional groups, compounds with three of more hydroxy functional groups, or a combination thereof.

2. The optical polarizer of claim 1, wherein the first copolyester comprises carboxylate subunits and glycol subunits,

wherein 70 to 100 mol % of the carboxylate subunits are first carboxylate subunits, 0 to 30 mol % of the carboxylate subunits are first comonomer carboxylate subunits, 70 to 100 mol % of the glycol subunits are first glycol subunits, and 0 to 30 mol % of the glycol subunits are first comonomer glycol subunits, and

wherein at least 0.5 mol % of the combined carboxylate and glycol subunits of the first copolyester are first comonomer carboxylate subunits, first comonomer glycol subunits, or a combination thereof.

3. The optical polarizer of claim 2, wherein the second copolyester has an intrinsic viscosity of about 0.4 dL/g or greater,

the glycol subunits of the second copolyester being derived from 70 to 99 mol % C2-C4 diols and about 1 to 30 mol % comonomer glycol subunits derived from 1,6-hexanediol, and

the carboxylate subunits of the second copolyester being 5 to 99 mol % naphthalate subunits, 1 to 95 mol % terephthalate or isophthalate subunits or mixtures thereof, and 0 to 30 mol % of comonomer carboxylate subunits derived from phthalic acid, t-butyl-isophthalic acid, lower alkyl esters of these acids, or a combination thereof.

4. An optical polarizer cormprising:

a dichroic polarizer, and

a reflective polarizer positioned in the same optical path as the dichroic polarizer, the reflective polarizer comprising

a plurality of birefringent first layers comprising a first copolyester having naphthalate subunits;

a plurality of second layers comprising a second copolyester, the second copolyester comprising between about 0.01 to 5 mol % comonomer subunits which are derived fom compounds having three or more carboxylate, ester, or hydroxy functional groups.

5. The optical polarizer of claim 4, wherein the optical polarizer further comprises

one or more non-optical layers, the non-optical layers having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.5 dL/g or greater.