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Improving infra-red polarized imaging efficiency in a bilayer wire-grid polarizer
Jiyeon Jeon1, Byong Sun Chun1, Youryang Seo1,2
1Division of Interdisciplinary Materials Measurement Institute, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science Daejeon 34113 Republic of Korea sjlee@kriss.re.kr.
Nanoscale Advances
|February 9, 2023
Summary
Researchers enhanced wire-grid polarizers for infrared imaging by using a bilayer structure and Ar ion milling. This significantly boosted polarization efficiency, achieving a record extinction ratio for improved high-resolution infrared polarized imaging systems.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Infrared Technology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Infrared polarized systems offer superior performance for imaging applications.
- Wire-grid polarizers are crucial for achieving high polarization efficiency in infrared devices.
- Existing wire-grid polarizers have limitations in extinction ratio and performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To theoretically and experimentally investigate methods for improving wire-grid polarizer efficiency.
- To demonstrate a high-performance wire-grid polarizer for mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) applications.
- To enhance the extinction ratio (ER) of wire-grid polarizers through structural modifications.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a wire-grid polarizer using a bilayer structure with dielectric material.
- Optimization of surface roughness using Ar ion milling.
- Theoretical analysis and experimental verification of polarization efficiency and extinction ratio.
Main Results:
- A bilayer wire-grid polarizer achieved a maximum extinction ratio (ER) of 355 in the MWIR region, a fourfold increase over monolayer structures.
- Ar ion milling to improve surface smoothness further enhanced the ER to 1255.
- Transmittance measurements confirmed the role of the Fabry-Perot (F-P) phenomenon and surface smoothness in the ER improvement.
Conclusions:
- Bilayer structures and dielectric materials significantly enhance wire-grid polarizer performance.
- Surface smoothing via Ar ion milling is a viable method to further boost extinction ratios.
- The developed wire-grid polarizer design enables high-performance infrared polarized imaging systems.
