Diffractive selectively polarizing beam splitter and beam routing prisms produced thereby
US6426837B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 21, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jul 30, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 21, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B27/4261
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A diffractive having a grating period that exhibits significant polarization selectivity is used as a polarizing beamsplitter for obliquely incident polarized light. The grating is preferably a subwavelength of the illuminating beam and is preferably designed to substantially transmit transverse magnetic mode (TM) polarized light and to substantially reflect transverse electric mode (TE) polarized light at certain wavelengths or angles of incidence. Due to ease of manufacture, the polarizing beamsplitter may be integrated along with other optical elements, such as a subwavelength retarder, to form a polarization beam router, a dichroic beam combiner, a beam splitter on a curved surface, or an optical pickup using an optical beam splitter and router.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.