POLARIZED LIGHT SEPARATOR, METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME, AND PROJECTION DISPLAY

摘要

The invention provides a plate-shaped polarized light separation device that has a repetitive structure of polarized light separation film surfaces and reflective film surfaces arranged alternately at a fine pitch, along with a projection display apparatus that uses this polarized light separation device. In the process of manufacturing the polarized light separation device, first a glass block is formed by alternately pasting together plate glass with a polarized light separation film made up of a multi-layer thin film of inorganic material upon its surface and plate glass with a reflecting film upon its surface, and this glass block is cut obliquely to the pasted surfaces. A projection that is usable at the time of the positioning of the polarization beam splitter may be provided on at least one side of this plate-shaped block that is thus cut out. By providing a lambda /2 phase plate on portions of the light exit surface of this polarized light separation device, one obtains a polarized light separation device that takes light from a light source and emits it as a light flux having only one direction of polarization, either S-polarized light or P-polarized light. Such a polarized light separation device can be used in a projection display apparatus.