Polarization tunable transmitted full-color display enabling switchable bright and dark states

Abstract

Although structural colors based on nanostructures have attracted many researchers’ attentions due to their superior durability and high resolution, most previous reports focused on the static and dynamic structural colors in reflection mode and few researchers focus on the static and dynamic transmission colors for high-saturation RGB models. Here, the hybrid Al-Si3N4 nanogratings with the top SiO2 capping layer and the bottom MgF2 layer that can switch full-hue and high-saturation transmitted structural colors on and off completely by changing the polarization state are theoretically demonstrated. Meanwhile, the hybrid Al-Si3N4 nanogratings with the top capping layer and the bottom layer also achieve the transmittance spectra with the full width at half maximum of ∼58 nm and the transmittance efficiency of over 70% in the on state. The added top capping layer and bottom layer can suppress the sideband of transmittance spectra in the on state and maintain the near-zero transmittance in the off state, thus improving the switching performance between bright and dark states. The realizable high-saturation colors in the on state can take up 125% sRGB space and 80% Adobe sRGB space. More interestingly, with the incident angle varying from 0° to 50°, full-hue color can be also realized in the on state and nearly black color can be also maintained in the off state. The strategy will provide potential applications in advanced color encryption and multichannel imaging.