OPTICAL ELEMENT AND OPTICAL DEVICE

摘要

Provided are an optical element and an optical device using the optical element to which a manufacturing process for manufacturing a wire-grid structure can be basically applied, and besides, in which a higher polarization contrast ratio than that of a wire-grid element can be obtained. A wobbled wire element in an embodiment has a feature that a periodic structure having a period equal to or larger than a wavelength of an incident light wave is formed in a y direction. In this manner, in a wobbled wire element in a first embodiment, a polarization contrast ratio can be significantly improved.

主权项

1. An optical element comprising:
(a) a transparent substrate transparent to an incident electromagnetic wave; and (b) a plurality of metal wires formed on a main surface of the transparent substrate and arranged at a first periodic interval in a first direction, wherein each of the plurality of metal wires extends while having a periodic structure in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and, when a wavelength of the electromagnetic wave is assumed to “λ” and a refractive index of the transparent substrate is assumed to “n”,a period of the periodic structure is λ/n or larger.