Optical bodies made with a birefringent polymer

• US 6,449,093 B2
• Filed: 10/12/1999
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/1999
• 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., Condo, Peter D., Merrill, William W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spyrou, Cassandra
• Assistant Examiner(s): Curtis, Craig
• Application Number:
  US09/416,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20020005986A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 252/585, 359/497, 359/487, 359/488, 359/490, 359/493, 359/498, 359/500, 428/1, 428/212, 428/213, 428/220, 428/221, 428/332, 524/503, 524/603, 525/58
• US Class Current: 359/489.15
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/42 Polarizing, birefringent, filtering
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2367/00 Polyesters, e.g. PET, i.e. polyethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2551/00 Optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/36 comprising polyesters
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0841 comprising organic materials, e.g. polymers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0866 incorporating one or more organic, e.g. polymeric layers
• 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: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2495 Thickness [relative or absolute]

Abstract

A optical body has at least two polymeric materials forming a reflective interface for at least one polarization of light. One optical body is a multilayer optical film that includes birefringent first optical layers and second optical layers interleaved with the first optical layers. Each first optical layer is formed using a polymer, such as a copolymer of polyethylene naphthalate. The second optical layers are formed so that they have a lower in-plane birefringence than the first optical layers for 632.8 nm light. Optical bodies can be used as, for example, polarizers and mirrors. The optical bodies can be formed using polymers that provide better index matching and are more easily protected from UV light without coloring the optical body.

Claims

1. A multilayer optical body, comprising:

a plurality of birefringent first optical layers, each first optical layer comprising a copolymer of polyethylene naphthalate with less than 70 mol % of the carboxylate subunits of the copolymer being naphthalate subunits; and

a plurality of second optical layers interleaved with the first optical layers, the second optical layers having a lower in-plane birefringence than the first optical layers for 632.8 nm light.

2. The multilayer optical body of claim 1, wherein each first optical layer has an in plane birefringence of at least 0.19 for 632.8 nm light.

3. The multilayer optical body of claim 1, wherein the copolymer of polyethylene naphthalate is a random copolymer.

4. The multilayer optical body of claim 1, wherein the copolymer of polyethylene naphthalate is a block copolymer.

5. The multilayer optical body of claim 1, wherein each of the first optical layers comprises a copolymer of polyethylene naphthalate with about 25 to 65 mol % of the carboxylate subunits of the copolymer being naphthalate subunits.

6. The multilayer optical body of claim 1, wherein the second optical layers have an in-plane birefringence of no more than about 0.04 for 632.8 nm light.

7. The multilayer optical body of claim 1, wherein each of the second optical layers comprises a copolymer of polyethylene terephthalate.

8. The multilayer optical body of claim 7, wherein the copolymer of polyethylene terephthalate contains terephthalate subunits, ethylene glycol subunits, and comonomer subunits derived from at least one compound selected from the group consisting of aliphatic diacids and aliphatic diols.

9. The multilayer optical body of claim 1, wherein the copolymer of polyethylene naphthalate transmits substantially more light in the range of 380 to 400 nm than polyethylene naphthalate.

10. The multilayer optical body of claim 1, wherein the copolymer of polyethylene naphthalate is orientable at a temperature that is no greater than a glass transition temperature of the copolymer to produce an in-plane birefringence of at least 0.19 for 632.8 nm light.

11. A multilayer optical body, comprising:

a plurality of birefringent first optical layers, each first optical layer comprising a polymer configured so as to yield an in-plane birefringence of at least about 0.16 at 632.8 nm after orientation at a temperature that is about the glass transition temperature of the polymer or lower; and

a plurality of second optical layers interleaved with the first optical layers, wherein the second optical layers have a lower in-plane birefringence than the first optical layers for 632.8 nm light.

12. The multilayer optical body of claim 11, wherein the polymer of the first optical layers is a copolymer of polyethylene naphthalate.

13. The multilayer optical body of claim 11, wherein the copolymer of polyethylene naphthalate is a random copolymer.

14. The multilayer optical body of claim 11, wherein the polymer of each first optical layer has an in-plane birefringence of at least about 0.16 for 632.8 nm light.

15. The multilayer optical body of claim 11, wherein the polymer capable of yielding an in-plane birefringence of at least 0.19 at 632.8 nm after orientation at a temperature that is about the glass transition temperature of the copolymer or lower.

16. A multilayer optical body, comprising:

a plurality of birefringent first optical layers, each first optical layer comprising a copolymer of polyethylene naphthalate having. no more than about 20% crystallinity as determined using differential scanning calorimetry; and

a plurality of second optical layers interleaved with the first optical layers, the second optical layers having a lower in-plane birefringence than the first optical layers for 632.8 nm light.

17. The multilayer optical body of claim 16, wherein each first optical layer has an in-plane birefringence of at least 0.19 for 632.8 nm light.

18. The multilayer optical body of claim 16, wherein the copolymer of polyethylene naphthalate is capable of orientation to give an in-plane birefringence of at least 0.19 for 632.8 nm light.

19. A multilayer optical body, comprising:

a plurality of polymeric first optical layer, each first optical layer having an optical efficacy of no more than about 0.10, and wherein each of the first optical layers comprises a copolymer of polyethylene naphthalate; and

a plurality of polymeric second optical layers interleaved with the first optical layer, the second optical layers having a lower in-plane birefringence than the first optical layers for 632.8 nm light.