Performance optimization of polarized-light-emitting source based on aluminum metal grid for display application

Abstract The effective polarized light, i.e., the amount of light participating in an actual liquid-crystal-display operation, was enhanced using a metal polarizer on a conventional nitride-based light-emitting-diode (LED) package. The optimal structure of the metal wire grid was demonstrated using finite-difference time-domain simulations; its performance was evaluated in terms of the polarization ratio and transmittance. In addition, a feasible structure of polarized light source was proposed to maximize the performance of displays in terms of energy efficiency. When an aluminum (Al) wire grid with a line width of 51 nm, aspect ratio of 3.5, and duty cycle of 0.37 was applied on top of an encapsulated LED package, an approximately 70% larger effective polarized light could be achieved. These results are promising to reduce the total power consumption of a display.