Broadband iridium wire grid polarizer for UV applications

In this Letter, we present an iridium wire grid polarizer with a large spectral working range from IR down to the UV spectral region. The required grating period of 100 nm for an application below a wavelength of 300 nm was realized using a spatial frequency doubling technique based on ultrafast electron beam writing. The optical performance of the polarizer at a wavelength of 300 nm is a transmittance of almost 60% and an extinction ratio of about 30 (15 dB). Furthermore, the oxidation resistance is discussed. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America