Cost-effective mid-infrared micropolarizer fabricated on common silicon by soft nanoimprint lithography

We fabricated a cost-effective mid-IR micropolarizer on a common Si substrate. To improve the transmittance of Si, we performed a double oxidation on the silicon substrate. The SiO₂-Si-SiO₂ structure improved the transmittance of Si from 54% to 63%-83%. Then, the mid-IR micropolarizer with multidirectional gratings was fabricated using a soft nanoimprint process followed by the thermal evaporation of Al. Experimental measurements showed a transverse magnetic transmittance in the range of 61%-80% at wavelengths of 4-5 μm, and the extinction ratio was greater than 19 dB.