Claims
- 1. A single-element polarization-selecting optical device, comprising:a) a Porro prism having a plurality of faces to include a face in the shape of a rectangle at an input end, four side faces, each of said four side faces orthogonal to any one of said four side faces that touches it, two faces orthogonal to each other at an apex and immediately adjacent said four faces such that said two faces orthogonal to each other and disposed opposite said input end form an A-shaped roof when viewed with respect to said four faces and said input face, and a face cut at an angle less than 90° with respect to one side of said input end and disposed between said input end and said roof faces and immediately adjacent each of said four side faces; and b) a light polarizer, comprising a first thin film disposed on said face cut at an angle less than 90°, said first thin film comprising at least one layer.
- 2. The optical device of claim 1 wherein said Porro prism comprises an optically transparent material.
- 3. The optical device of claim 1 wherein said face cut at an angle less than 90° with respect to one side of said input face is cut at Brewster's angle.
- 4. The optical device of claim 1 wherein said face cut at an angle less than 90° with respect to one side of said input face is cut at about a 45° angle.
- 5. The optical device of claim 1 wherein said thin film comprises a flexible material.
- 6. The optical device of claim 1 wherein said polarizer comprises a plurality of thin films deposited on said face cut at an angle less than 90° with respect to one side of said input face, each of said plurality of thin films comprising at least one layer.
- 7. The optical device of claim 1 wherein said at least one layer comprises a dielectric material of a uniform thickness of about 0.1 to 40 microns.
- 8. The optical device of claim 1 wherein said thin film consists of at least two layers.
- 9. The optical device of claim 2 wherein said optically transparent material comprises an optical quality glass.
- 10. The optical device of claim 5 wherein said thin film is at least one material selected from the group comprising polyvinyl butaryl, an oxide of a metal, and a dielectric material.
- 11. The optical device of claim 6 wherein said each of said plurality of thin films comprises a flexible material.
- 12. The optical device of claim 7 wherein said dielectric material is selected from the group consisting of zirconium dioxide, hafnium dioxide, an oxide of a Group II metal, an oxide of a Group III metal, and an oxide of another Group IV metal.
- 13. The optical device of claim 7 wherein said dielectric material comprises a thin film on said face cut at an angle of less than 90°.
- 14. The optical device of claim 8 wherein said at least two layers comprise material having a high refractive index on at least one of said at least two layers inter stratified with material having a low refractive index on at least one of said at least two layers.
- 15. The optical device of claim 11 wherein said flexible material is at least one material selected from the group comprising polyvinyl butaryl, an oxide of a metal, and a dielectric material.
- 16. The optical device of claim 11 wherein said at least one layer of said flexible material comprises at least one oxide of a metal.
- 17. The optical device of claim 11 wherein said at least one layer of flexible material comprises at least one material selected from the group comprising: a synthetic plastic monomeric material, a crosslinked nitrocellulose material, and a melamine formaldehyde condensation polymer material.
- 18. The optical device of claim 17 wherein said at least one oxide of a metal comprises aluminum oxide.
GOVERNMENT RIGHTS
The United States Government has rights in this invention pursuant to Contract No. DEAC04-76DP00613, between the U.S. Department of Energy and AlliedSignal, Inc.
US Referenced Citations (9)