The recipient of the 2004 ACS Creative Invention Award is Dr. Andrew J. Ouderkirk.  Dr. Ouderkirk has received this award for his role as the principal inventor and project leader of the groundbreaking 3M™ Multilayer Optical Film (MOF) technology, a core technology within 3M’s Light Management platform. The MOF technology uses birefringent polymers in the manufacture of reflective film polarizers and high efficiency mirrors. Dr. Ouderkirk now holds the title of 3M Corporate Scientist in the 3M Company. In addition, he recently became a member of 3M’s prestigious Carlton Society in recognition of his pioneering work in the development of the optical film technology.

Dr. Ouderkirk received his Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from Northern Illinois University in 1978. He earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Northwestern University in 1983. After several years working at Universal Oil Products and DuPont, he joined 3M in 1985.  In his initial work at 3M, Dr. Ouderkirk diversified laser processing by leading a group which developed plasma, flashlamp and “hot can” intense thermal processing techniques for surface treatments of polymer films. He also organized a program in excimer laser micromachining of polymers. After his conception of the idea of using highly birefringent polymers to make optical interference filters, he then led the development of the necessary manufacturing technology.

Andy Ouderkirk, with his extraordinary leadership in the MOF technology development, has created a revolutionary product platform that utilizes polymer chemistry to manage light. Employing sophisticated computer modeling for products and manufacturing processes, new polymeric optical films with unique and extraordinary optical properties were created. The 3M MOF technology platform makes possible the development of numerous products in such diverse fields as handheld displays and financial transaction cards.  More than 60 patents related to MOF have been issued.

The 3M Multilayer Optical Films are typically composed of several hundred layers of two alternating polymers, usually one birefringent and one isotropic. These flexible optical films, made without a supporting substrate, are as thin as a sheet of paper.  Structured to reflect or transmit wavelengths in the ultraviolet, visible or near-infrared portions of the spectrum, they have unprecedented reflectivity characteristics. A 3M Multilayer Optical Film can reflect up to 99.5% of all visible light that strikes it from any angle. As a result, light can be transported at efficiencies never before possible and managed to an extent not previously achievable. These polymeric optical films have wide-ranging, innovative applications as light-polarizing products, ultra high efficiency light reflectors and light-separating products.

By combining the 3M Multilayer Optical Film technology platform with 3M’s other Light Management technologies, Dr. Ouderkirk’s foresight and leadership are continually fostering a wide range of innovative applications, which can be grouped in three product categories:

Light-Polarizing Products - An early MOF product, Dual Brightness Enhancement Film (DBEF), became the world’s first, commercially successful reflective film polarizer, enabling laptop computers to have brighter displays and wide-angle viewing with less power usage. Variations of DBEF are also used in hand-held computing devices.

Ultra High Efficiency Light Reflectors - Current and future reflective MOF products include: light transport tubes that transmit light from rooftops into lower-level rooms illuminating building interiors and saving energy costs; backlit signage and displays; mirrors for electronics applications; and telecommunications filters that use Multilayer Optical Films as ultra high efficiency reflectors.

Light-Separating Products - A clear 3M Multilayer Optical Film for automotive glass reflects infrared radiation while admitting visible light, helping keep vehicle interiors significantly cooler while reducing burdens on air conditioning and fuel consumption. Tests by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory show up to three percent improvement in fuel economy, which could result in annual fuel-consumption savings of as much as several hundred million gallons of gasoline. Other examples of light-separating MOF products are polarizing beamsplitters for LCD projection TVs, see-through infrared blocking films for financial transaction cards and an anti-counterfeiting label that features a color-changing film for security purposes. Ultraviolet MOF mirrors can be used as ophthalmic lens filters for improved eye protection, and can be used for enhancement of light detection from UV scintillators.  Optical filters for signal enhancement in medical imaging represent another MOF application.

The pioneering work of Dr. Ouderkirk and his team also represents a major advance in optics. Until recently, scientists took for granted a nearly 200-year-old limitation on the reflectivity of light. This concept was described in 1814 by the Scottish inventor David Brewster, in what is known as Brewster’s Law. It states that for every interface of two dielectric materials, there is an angle of incidence (Brewster’s angle) that produces no reflection for light having a particular polarization. This led to a general belief that there were fundamental restrictions on the reflectivity of light using dielectric materials. However, the restrictions are overcome in 3M Multilayer Optical Films, which use anisotropic polymers and 3M’s innovative Giant Birefringent Optic (GBO) design to dramatically extend performance. The performance breakthrough provided by GBO, developed by Dr. Ouderkirk and the team he led, was reported in the journal Science