High Performance Nano-Wire-Grid Wide-angle Broadband Polarizing Beamsplitters

This small business innovation research phase-I project will provide the design and the proof-of-principle demonstration of high-performance wide-angle, broadband (over the visible spectrum) polarizing beam-splitters. The proposed polarizing beam-splitters(PBSs) use nano-wire-grid as the polarization element, and hence is coined nano-wire-grid PBS (NWG-PBS). The proposed research will optimize the design of the geometry (size, pitch and shape) of the metal wire girds and supporting dielectric materials, aswell as the selection of these materials, to achieve the desired extinction ratio, splitting efficiency, and transmittance in the wavelength range from near-infrared down to 400 nm. The designs will be first tested using simulation tools, then will befabricated and characterized experimentally. The key tool of the fabrication is nanoimprint lithography, which can allow low-cost, high throughput patterning of sub-10 nm features over a large area- one of the expertise of Nanonex Corporation.The proposedNWG-PBS has many superior performances over existing PBSs, including (1) high polarization efficiency (> 99%) and high extinction ratio (> 100:1) for both s- and p- polarizations throughout the visible spectrum; (2) high transmission and reflectionefficiencies (both > 95%); (3) large working incident angle range (0¿¿45¿) and acceptance angle throughout the visible spectrum; (4) large clear working aperture (up to 5 inches in diameter); (5) ultra-thin active layer (< 0.5 micron); and (6) capabilityof integration with other devices. The proposed NWG-PBSs have many significant applications, which include projection TVs, liquid crystal displays & projectors, color copies/color printers, communications and computing components and vision systems. Thisproposed device, if successfully developed, would revolutionize the optics industry by significantly improving the performance of numerous optical & electro-optical products for both civilian and military applications.