REFLECTION TYPE POLARIZER, LAMINATE OPTICAL MEMBER AND LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY UNIT

摘要

An optical member capable of enhancing the light utilization efficiency of a liquid crystal display unit by layering on a reflection type polarizer an optical layer exhibiting other optical functions, and a liquid crystal display unit being enhanced in backlight utilization efficiency by using this optical member layered with the reflection type polarizer. The reflection type polarizer is characterized in that a plurality of double-refraction bodies facing in the almost same direction are dispersed and arranged in a support medium, each double-refraction body consists of a polygonal prism or a cylinder that has a sectional shape, vertical to the major-axis direction, of a polygon or a substantially circle, an aspect ratio of at least 2, and the difference in refractive index between the major-axis direction and the minor-axis direction of at least 0.05, and the plurality of double-refraction bodies are, when the sectional shape vertical to the major-axis direction of the double-refraction bodies is a substantially circle, in contact with at least another two double-refraction bodies, that are in contact with each other at the side surfaces of cylinders, at the side surfaces of respective cylinders when any one of them is viewed at the above section.