In a step toward more efficient, smaller, and higher-definition display screens, a University of Michigan professor has developed a color filter made of nano-thin sheets of metal with precisely spaced gratings. Sliced into metal-dielectric-metal stacks, the gratings act as resonators that trap and transmit light of a particular color, or wavelength, explains Jay Guo, PhD, associate professor in the department of electrical engineering and computer science. A dielectric is a material that does not conduct electricity. “Simply by changing the space between the slits, we can generate different colors,” Guo says. A paper on the research is published in Nature Communications.

Conventional liquid crystal displays (LCD) contain two layers of polarizers, a color filter sheet, and two layers of electrode-laced glass in addition to the liquid crystal layer, so only about 5% of their back-light travels through them and reaches our eyes, Guo says. Chemical colorants for red, green, and blue pixel components must be patterned in different regions on the screen in separate steps. Guo’s color filter acts as a polarizer simultaneously, eliminating the need for additional polarizer layers. Because the new displays contain fewer layers, they would be simpler to manufacture, according to Guo. The university is pursuing patent protection for the innovation and is seeking commercialization partners to help bring the technology to market.

Source: Science Blog

Posted September 1st, 2010 under Tech Transfer

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