Thick film multilayer reflector with tailored layer thickness profile
First Claim
1. A multilayer reflector that substantially reflects light over the visible spectrum for at least one polarization state, the reflector comprising:
- a stack of light-transmissive polymer layers comprising at least a first and second alternating polymer material, the first and second materials having different refractive indices along at least one in-plane axis, the polymer layers having an average optical thickness of at least about 2λ
0, where λ
0 is a visible wavelength of interest, the polymer layers contributing substantially to the reflectivity of the multilayer reflector;
wherein the polymer layers in the stack have a non-linear distribution of optical thicknesses along a thickness axis of the reflector.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A multilayer reflector useable to reflect or transmit light over the visible wavelength range includes optically thick constituent layers. The optical thickness of the constituent layers through the thickness of the reflector defines a layer thickness profile. The layers are arranged so that the thickness profile has a tailored non-uniform distribution, such as a graded distribution or a randomized distribution. The layers desirably have an optical thickness in a range from about one to five or one to ten design wavelengths. The reflector can be a polarizer, reflecting only one normally incident polarization state, or a mirror, reflecting two normally incident orthogonal polarization states.
40 Citations
32 Claims
-
1. A multilayer reflector that substantially reflects light over the visible spectrum for at least one polarization state, the reflector comprising:
-
a stack of light-transmissive polymer layers comprising at least a first and second alternating polymer material, the first and second materials having different refractive indices along at least one in-plane axis, the polymer layers having an average optical thickness of at least about 2λ
0, where λ
0 is a visible wavelength of interest, the polymer layers contributing substantially to the reflectivity of the multilayer reflector;wherein the polymer layers in the stack have a non-linear distribution of optical thicknesses along a thickness axis of the reflector. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
-
24. A multilayer reflector that substantially reflects light over the visible spectrum for at least one polarization state, the reflector comprising:
-
a stack of light-transmissive polymer layers comprising at least a first and second alternating polymer material, the first and second materials having different refractive indices along at least one in-plane axis, the polymer layers having an average optical thickness of at least about ( 5/4)λ
0, where λ
0 is a visible wavelength of interest, the polymer layers contributing substantially to the reflectivity of the multilayer reflector;wherein the polymer layers in the stack have a non-uniform distribution of optical thicknesses along a thickness axis of the reflector; wherein the first polymer material is substantially birefringent and the second polymer material is substantially isotropic; and wherein the polymer layers of the first material are thinner than the polymer layers of the second material.
-
-
25. A multilayer reflector that substantially reflects light over the visible spectrum for at least one polarization state, the reflector comprising:
-
a stack of light-transmissive polymer layers comprising at least a first and second alternating polymer material, the first and second materials having different refractive indices along at least one in-plane axis, the polymer layers having an average optical thickness of at least about ( 5/4)λ
0, where λ
0 is a visible wavelength of interest, the polymer layers contributing substantially to the reflectivity of the multilayer reflector;wherein the polymer layers in the stack have a non-uniform distribution of optical thicknesses along a thickness axis of the reflector; wherein the refractive index difference along an in-plane x-axis is Δ
nx and a refractive index difference along an in-plane y-axis perpendicular to the x-axis is Δ
ny, and where |Δ
nx|>
|Δ
ny|. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
-
-
30. A multilayer reflector that substantially reflects light over the visible spectrum for at least one polarization state, the reflector comprising:
-
a stack of light-transmissive polymer layers comprising at least a first and second alternating polymer material, the first and second materials having different refractive indices along at least one in-plane axis, the polymer layers having an average optical thickness that is greater than a maximum wavelength of light in the visible spectrum, the polymer layers contributing substantially to the reflectivity of the multilayer reflector; wherein the polymer layers in the stack have a non-linear distribution of optical thicknesses along a thickness axis of the reflector. - View Dependent Claims (31)
-
-
32. A multilayer reflector that substantially reflects light over the visible spectrum for at least one polarization state, the reflector comprising:
-
a stack of light-transmissive polymer layers comprising at least a first and second alternating polymer material, the first and second materials having different refractive indices along at least one in-plane axis, the polymer layers having an average optical thickness of at least about 2λ
0, where λ
0 is a visible wavelength of interest, the polymer layers contributing substantially to the reflectivity of the multilayer reflector;wherein the polymer layers in the stack have a non-uniform distribution of optical thicknesses along a thickness axis of the reflector; wherein the refractive index difference along an in-plane x-axis is Δ
nx and a refractive index difference along an in-plane y-axis perpendicular to the x-axis is Δ
ny, and where |Δ
nx|≈
|Δ
ny|.
-
Specification