Method for fabricating pixelated, multicolor polarizing films

Pixelated, multicolor polarizing filters--of potential use in full-color displays--were produced by what we believe to be a novel method, i.e., masked evaporation of silver and gold onto glass substrates partially covered with separated sub-micrometer-wide strips of oriented poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE), prepared by friction deposition. The evaporated metal films preferentially nucleated at the glass surface and, consequently, formed parallel arrays in between the PTFE strips. The structures thus produced feature a strong angle-dependent absorption of polarized visible light, allowing for optical switching between red and blue and between green and yellow.