| 摘要 |
<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a polarizing element which allows incident light to be efficiently taken out as linearly polarized light of the same polarized component without requiring electric power at all and has a simple structure and can be easily manufactured. <P>SOLUTION: A polarized light separating layer 1 is made of a lamination of an isotropic layer 2 and a refractive index anisotropic layer 3 of which the refractive index for linearly polarized light parallel with a slow axis 3a is lower than that of the layer 2 and the refractive index for linearly polarized light parallel with a fast axis 3b is equal to that of the layer 2, and the interface of the layers is formed to a shape having a plurality of elongate lens surfaces 5 arrayed, which allow the polarized component a parallel with the slow axis 3a out of two orthogonal linear polarized components of light impinging from the outside surface of the layer 3 to be refracted in the direction of narrowing the luminous flux and be transmitted and allow the polarized component parallel with the fast axis 3b to be transmitted without being refracted. A partial retardation layer 6 having a plurality of λ/2 retardation parts 7 and non-retardation parts 8 alternately formed is arranged on the exit surface side of the layer 1 so that center parts in the breadthwise direction of non-retardation parts 8 may be opposed to those of elongate lens surfaces. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI |
