High-throughput fabrication of compact and flexible bilayer nanowire grid polarizers for deep-ultraviolet to infrared range

The authors present the design and fabrication of a bilayer metallic wire-grid polarizer with a period of 80nm on a flexible polymeric substrate optimized for broadband operation ranging from the infrared down to the deep-ultraviolet range. Their high-throughput fabrication over large areas is realized by nanoimprint lithography by producing the imprint master stamps using extreme ultraviolet interference lithography. Optical measurements show that the fabricated bilayer polarizer covers a broad spectral range, starting from wavelength of 280 nm. Transverse magnetic transmission of 70% and an extinction ratio of 30 dB were realized. (C) 2014 American Vacuum Society.