WIRE-GRID POLARIZER MANUFACTURING METHOD AND LIQUID-CRYSTAL DISPLAY DEVICE

摘要

Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a wire-grid polarizer that has a high degree of polarization and a high transmittance of p-polarized light. One surface of said wire-grid polarizer has a high transmittance of s-polarized light and the other surface has a low transmittance of s-polarized light. Also disclosed is a high-brightness liquid-crystal display device that exhibits reduced contrast loss. In the disclosed wire-grid polarizer (10), a plurality of ridges (12) are formed at a prescribed pitch, parallel to each other with intervening flat areas (13), on the surface of a light-transmitting substrate (14). The wire-grid polarizer (10) is also provided with first coating layers (20), each comprising a metal layer (22) and a metal oxide layer (21), on first surfaces (16) of the ridges (12). The maximum thickness of each coating layer (20) within the section from the base of that ridge (12) to the half-height point of that ridge (12) is less than the maximum thickness of that coating layer (20) within the section from the half-height point of that ridge (12) to the apex (19) of that ridge. In the disclosed method for manufacturing the aforementioned wire-grid polarizer (10), aluminum is deposited to form the metal layers (22), and to form the metal oxide layers (21), aluminum is deposited in the presence of oxygen such that oxygen vacancies occur in said metal oxide layers (21).