Fabrication techniques and characteristics of ultra-thin optical polarizing films using gold island films

Fabrication techniques of ultra-thin optical polarizing films using gold island films have been investigated for the near-infrared region. The polarizing films are fabricated by stretching the periodic multilayers consisting of gold island layers and glass layers. We have experimentally investigated the optimum fabricating conditions necessary to induce large optical anisotropy into the gold island layers and have formed submicrometer-thick polarizing films with an extinction ratio of greater than or equal to 20 dB in a near-infrared region longer than 800 nm. These polarizing films could be useful micro-polarizers for fiber-embedded in-line optical devices, micro-optics, and hybrid integrated optics.