SBIR Phase II: High Performance Cholesteric Liquid Crystal-Based Wide Angle Broadband Polarizers for Practical Applications

这一小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目的任务是对Reveo专有的基于胆甾相液晶(CLC)的薄膜偏振器的反射偏振特性进行大入射角性能增强，以消除几种高市场吸引力技术的最后商业化障碍。在第一阶段，Reveo通过更好地了解基本材料特性找到了解决这一障碍的方法，并开发了几种意想不到的新型偏振器技术。在第二阶段，Reveo建议将这些解决方案应用于其超高亮度LCD、节能窗口和可切换隐私窗口技术的偏振器组件，利用之前私营部门战略合作伙伴投资的250万美元，迅速将这些原本已为市场准备好的技术商业化。这种早期的私营部门投资是对这些技术巨大的市场吸引力的戏剧性证据。偏光镜性能将针对每种应用的特定需求进行调整和优化，可制造性问题将集中在本文开发的偏光镜增强功能上解决。在将这些技术商业化时，Reveo将遵循其极为成功的战略伙伴关系SBIR商业化战略，该战略伙伴关系利用了4笔SBIR第二阶段赠款，吸引了3700万美元，迄今创造了65个就业机会。由该计划产生的CLC偏振器在成本和性能上优于任何其他现有或建议的薄膜反射偏振器，并且启用的增强型亮度LCD、节能窗口和可切换隐私窗口技术同样具有卓越的商业潜力。此外，前所未有的低成本宽带45‘反射式偏振器是一种新的使能技术。

The mission of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to implement the large-incident-angle performance enhancement of the reflective polarizing properties of Reveo's proprietary cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC)-based thin film polarizer to eliminate the last commercialization obstacle for several high market-pull technologies. In Phase I, Reveo discovered solutions to this obstacle through a greater understanding of the fundamental material properties, and several unexpected novel polarizer technologies were also developed. In Phase II, Reveo proposes to apply these solutions to the polarizer components of its ultrahigh-brightness LCD, energy conservation window, and switchable privacy window technologies, leveraging $2.5 million in prior private sector strategic partner investments to rapidly commercialize these otherwise market-ready technologies. This early private sector investment is dramatic evidence for the substantial market pull for these technologies. The polarizer performance will be adapted and optimized for the specific needs of each application, and manufacturability issues will be addressed focusing on the polarizer enhancement features developed herein. In commercializing these technologies, Reveo will follow its highly successful SBIR commercialization strategy of strategic partnerships that has leveraged 4 SBIR Phase II grants to attract $37,000,000 and create 65 jobs to date. The CLC polarizers resulting from this program are superior in cost and performance to any other existing or proposed thin film reflective polarizer, and the enabled enhanced brightness LCD, energy conservation window, and switchable privacy window technologies are similarly of superior commercial potential. In addition, unprecedented low cost broadband 45' reflective polarizers are a resulting newly enabled technology.technology.