Patterned submicrometer-thick optical polarizing films using stretched silver island multilayers

Kazutaka Baba; Yoshinori Sato; Tsutomu Yoshitake; Mitsunobu Miyagi

doi:10.1117/12.382806

17 April 2000 Patterned submicrometer-thick optical polarizing films using stretched silver island multilayers

Kazutaka Baba, Yoshinori Sato, Tsutomu Yoshitake, Mitsunobu Miyagi

Proceedings Volume 3937, Micro- and Nano-photonic Materials and Devices; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.382806
Event: Symposium on Integrated Optoelectronics, 2000, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

We demonstrate a patterned submicrometer-thick optical polarizing film in which non-polarizing areas are formed where the light transmits insensitively to polarization. The polarizing film is fabricated by stretching a silver island multilayer consisting of thin glass layers and silver island layers composed of silver nanoclusters of high density. By stretching the silver island multilayer at a temperature higher than the glass annealing point, the silver islands are elongated along the stretching direction and the large optical anisotropy is induced in the silver island multilayer. In this optical polarizing film, the non- polarizing areas can be easily formed by laser irradiation with high power density as the optical anisotorpy is reduce das the elongated silver islands become spherical ones from the thermal deformation in the irradiated area. We have successfully patterned the optical polarizing films fabricated for the wavelength of 800 nm by laser writing with a 1 W-class carbon dioxide laser. In order to confirm that the optical anisotropy is reduced in the laser written are, the optical characteristics of that area have been measured. In most commercially available optical polarizers including a polarization beam splitter and various polarizing prisms, it is difficult to form the transparent non-polarizing areas. Therefore, the demonstrated patterned optical polarizing films are useful for switchable spatial modulators and filters.

Citation Download Citation

Kazutaka Baba, Yoshinori Sato, Tsutomu Yoshitake, and Mitsunobu Miyagi "Patterned submicrometer-thick optical polarizing films using stretched silver island multilayers", Proc. SPIE 3937, Micro- and Nano-photonic Materials and Devices, (17 April 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.382806

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