Short-wavelength polarizing elements and the manufacture and use thereof

1. A polarizing element comprising:

a substrate transparent to ultraviolet light;

a polarization layer on said substrate;

said polarization layer having polarization characteristics for ultraviolet light with a wavelength below 300 nm;

said polarization layer including an anisotropic striped structure that mainly consists of silicon parallel to said substrate;

said striped structure having an average continuous distance of two or more times said light's wavelength in a longitudinal direction and having an average interval less than half of said light's wavelength in a transverse direction;

wherein said striped structure is formed such that a plurality of the stripes have their longitudinal directions lying in parallel along a surface of the transparent substrate; and

wherein said polarization layer has a plasma frequency higher than a frequency of said ultraviolet light having a wavelength below 300 nm.

2. The polarizing element of claim 1 , wherein said anisotropic striped structure includes wires spaced at an average interval of half said wavelength of said ultraviolet light or less.

3. The polarizing element of claim 2 , wherein said wires are spaced at an average interval of less than about one third the wavelength of an incident light.

4. The polarizing element of claim 1 , wherein said anisotropic striped structure includes wires spaced at intervals of less than about 100 nm.

5. The polarizing element of claim 4 , wherein the wires are spaced at intervals of less than about 50 nm.

6. The polarizing element of claim 1 , wherein said anisotropic striped structure includes wires having an average length of more than about 10 times said ultraviolet light wavelength.

7. The polarizing element of claim 6 , wherein said anisotropic striped structure includes wires having an average length of less than about 10 microns.

8. The polarizing element of claim 1 , wherein said anisotropic striped structure includes wires having a thickness of larger than about 10 nm.

9. The polarizing element of claim 1 , wherein said anisotropic striped structure includes wires that mainly consist of silicon.

10. The polarizing element of claim 1 , wherein said a polarization layer contains some contaminants but has a plasma frequency higher than a frequency of said ultraviolet light having a wavelength below 300 nm.

11. A polarizing element with a substrate transparent to incident light and a polarization layer having polarization characteristics for said incident light, said polarizing element comprising:

said polarization layer including an anisotropic striped structure parallel to said substrate:

said striped structure having an average continuous distance of two or more times said light's wavelength in a longitudinal direction and having an average interval less than half of said light's wavelength in a transverse direction;

a polarization layer including two layers of striped structures, with said two layers of striped structures oriented substantially parallel to and alternating transversely to each other, and wherein a distance between the two layers is smaller than an incident light wavelength;

wherein said one of said two layers is made with aluminum and the other of said two layers is made with silicon or a bilayer of silicon and aluminum;

wherein said two layers of striped structures are oriented in the same direction, and reflecting portions of said two layers are interdigitated; and

wherein said polarization layer has a plasma frequency higher than a frequency of ultraviolet light having a wavelength below 300 nm.

12. The polarizing element of claim 11 , wherein said other of said two layers that is made with silicon or a bilayer of silicon and aluminum includes wires that are made with silicon or a bilayer of silicon and aluminum, without silicon being in spaces between said wires.

13. A polarizing element with a substrate transparent to incident light and a polarization layer having polarization characteristics for said incident light, said polarizingelement comprising:

said polarization layer including an anisotropic striped structure parallel to said substrate;

said striped structure having an average continuous distance of two or more times said light's wavelength in a longitudinal direction and having an average interval less than half of said light's wavelength in a transverse direction;

said polarization layer including alternative striped structures;

wherein said alternative striped structures includes transversely alternative wires of aluminum and silicon; and

wherein said polarization layer has a plasma frequency higher than a frequency of ultraviolet light having a wavelength below 300 nm.

14. A method of manufacturing a polarizing element having polarization characteristics for incident ultraviolet light, comprising:

depositing silicon thin film on a transparent substrate; and

generating a striped pattern in the silicon thin film by a lithographic method such as to create a polarizing element with a striped pattern that mainly consists of silicon, wherein said polarization element has a plasma frequency higher than a frequency of ultraviolet light having a wavelength below 300 nm.

15. The method of manufacturing of claim 14 , wherein said lithographic method includes:

orienting cylindrical or lamellar microdomains of a block copolymer thin film on said substrate;

transferring said pattern of block copolymer microdomains into the silicon thin film on the substrate.

16. The method of manufacturing claim 14 , wherein said lithographic method includes:

forming a thin layer of an organic polymer on said transparent substrate;

forming a thin layer of an inorganic substance on said organic polymer layer or said transparent substrate; and

forming a thin layer of a block copolymer on said inorganic substance layer.