| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small and compact constitution of a polarizing illuminator of high optical using efficiency obtained by combining an integrator optical system and a polarization conversion optical system. SOLUTION: The polarization illuminator 1 consists of a light source part 2 for emitting light of a random polarizing direction, a first lens plate 3 consisting of a plurality of rectangular condensing lenses having rectangular outlines and condensing light emitted from the light source for forming a plurality of secondary light source images, and a second lens plate 4 placed in the neighborhood of a position where the plurality of secondary light source images is formed and having a condensing lens array, a polarization separating prism array 420, a λ/2 phase difference plate 430 and an emitting-side lens 440. At a step where a minute secondary light source image is generated by the first lens plate 3 constituting the integrator optical system, a polarized light is separated. Thus, since the spatial expansion of an optical path with the separation of the polarized light can be suppressed, the polarizing illuminator can be miniaturized in spite of being provided with a polarization conversion optical system. |
