A liquid crystal device includes a reflection-type liquid crystal panel in which a first substrate provided with a reflective layer and a second substrate having light-transmissivity face each other via a liquid crystal layer. In the liquid crystal device, a λ/4 phase difference plate is arranged in an optical path in which light incident from the second substrate side is reflected by the reflective layer and emitted from the second substrate side, and a phase difference compensation layer such as a C plate and O plate provided integrally with the liquid crystal panel is provided in the optical path. The λ/4 phase difference plate is an inorganic material film provided on a second end surface facing the second substrate in the polarized light separating element. The phase difference compensation layer is an inorganic material film provided on a surface of the second substrate opposite to the liquid crystal layer.

An improvement in image quality is achieved by compensating for a phase difference occurring in tilted light to achieve an improvement in contrast while suppressing luminance irregularity when in black display. An optical compensation device includes: a first optical compensation unit configured to generate a phase difference that has a substantially equal amount and a reverse sign in light with each incidence angle within a predetermined incidence angle range on a vertical alignment type liquid crystal panel with respect to a phase difference occurring from the liquid crystal panel; and a second optical compensation unit configured to generate a phase difference in an in-plane direction. The first optical compensation unit can appropriately compensate for a phase difference occurring in tilted light passing through a liquid crystal panel and the second optical compensation unit can suppress luminance irregularity when in black display.

Provided is a liquid crystal display panel, including: first and second substrates; a liquid crystal layer between the first and second substrates; a first linear polarizer provided at a side of the first substrate facing away from the liquid crystal layer and having an absorption axis extending along a first direction; a second linear polarizer provided at a side of the second substrate facing away from the liquid crystal layer and having an absorption axis extending along a direction perpendicular to the first direction; a first quarter-wave plate provided at the side of the first substrate facing away from the liquid crystal layer; a second quarter-wave plate between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer; and a first half-wave plate provided at the side of the first substrate facing away from the liquid crystal layer, and/or a second half-wave plate between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer.

An improvement in contrast is achieved by suitably offsetting a phase difference produced by oblique light in a liquid-crystal panel. An optical compensation apparatus includes a negative C-plate and two O-plates, an amount of a composite phase difference between the two O-plates and the negative C-plate in a tilt-direction cross section is substantially same as an amount of a phase difference produced by light having each of incident angles in a predetermined incident-angle range in the liquid-crystal panel, and a sign of the composite phase difference is opposite to a sign of the phase difference, the tilt-direction cross section being a cross section parallel to a tilt direction of the liquid crystal in a vertical-alignment-type liquid-crystal panel.

A compound retarder that creates independent control of R.sub.e and R.sub.th. This can be done by forming a three-layer compound retarder, including a pair of matched −A-plates, combined with single +A-plate. The +A-plate is typically an MD-stretched film, with retardation that is specific to the in-plane requirements (R.sub.e) of the application. The pair of −A-plates have their optic axes crossed, such that R.sub.e=0, with an optic axis aligned parallel to the +A-plate. A single retardation value for the −A-plate can produce improved field-of-view performance over a broad range of R.sub.e values, making it a very practical means of universal compensation. While R.sub.th is typically associated with a single retarder, retarder stacks with a diverse range of optic-axis orientations can be considered to have a compound (or composite) R.sub.th value (R.sub.th.sup.c). The three-layer compound retarder has the practical benefit of enabling field-of-view compensation across a broad range of normal-incidence polarization transformations.

A compound retarder that creates independent control of R.sub.e and R.sub.th. This can be done by forming a three-layer compound retarder, including a pair of matched −A-plates, combined with single +A-plate. The +A-plate is typically an MD-stretched film, with retardation that is specific to the in-plane requirements (R.sub.e) of the application. The pair of −A-plates have their optic axes crossed, such that R.sub.e=0, with an optic axis aligned parallel to the +A-plate. A single retardation value for the −A-plate can produce improved field-of-view performance over a broad range of R.sub.evalues, making it a very practical means of universal compensation. While R.sub.this typically associated with a single retarder, retarder stacks with a diverse range of optic-axis orientations can be considered to have a compound (or composite) R.sub.th value (R.sub.th.sup.C). The three-layer compound retarder has the practical benefit of enabling field-of-view compensation across a broad range of normal-incidence polarization transformations.

A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel including a light reflective portion, a first polarizing plate located on a display surface-facing side, a half-wavelength plate and a first quarter-wavelength plate disposed between the liquid crystal display panel and the first polarizing plate. A liquid crystal layer corresponding to the light reflective portion exhibits a retardation which is less than one-half of a retardation of the half-wavelength plate. The first quarter-wavelength plate has a slow axis which intersects a liquid-crystal molecular orientation axis at a time of no electric field application. The expression nx1>nz1>ny1 is satisfied, where nx1, ny1 and nz1 are the refractive indices at each orientation of the half-wavelength plate, and the expression nx2>nz2=ny2 is satisfied, where nx2, ny2 and nz2 are the refractive indices at each orientation of the first quarter-wavelength plate.

A display apparatus including a backlight module, first and second electrically-controlled elements, electrically-controlled first and second polarizers, a half-wave plate, and a display panel is provided. An included angle between first and second alignment directions of first and second alignment layers of the first electrically-controlled element is between 75 degrees and 105 degrees. An included angle between third and fourth alignment directions of third and fourth alignment layers of the second electrically-controlled element is between 165 degrees and 195 degrees. A first absorption axis of the first polarizer disposed between the backlight module and the first electrically-controlled element is perpendicular to a second absorption axis of the second polarizer disposed between the first and second electrically-controlled elements. The half-wave plate is disposed between the second polarizer and the second electrically-controlled element. The display panel is disposed on the second electrically-controlled element. A method of driving the display apparatus is provided.

A reflective-type liquid crystal display device includes: a first substrate including a light-reflective first electrode; a second substrate including a light-transmissive second electrode; a liquid crystal layer that is provided between the first electrode and the second electrode and takes a generally vertical alignment during black display; a polarizing layer provided on a viewer side of the second substrate; and a first retardation layer, a second retardation layer and a third retardation layer that are arranged in this order from a side of the polarizing layer, wherein 40°≤|θ3−2×θ2+2×θ1|≤50°, 130°≤|θ3−2×θ2+2×θ1|≤140°, 220°≤|θ3−2×θ2+2×θ1|≤230° or 310°≤|θ3−2×θ2+2×θ1|≤320° is satisfied, where θ1 denotes an angle formed between an absorption axis or a transmission axis of the polarizing layer and a slow axis of the first retardation layer, θ2 an angle formed between the absorption axis or the transmission axis of the polarizing layer and the slow axis of second retardation layer, and θ3 an angle formed between the absorption axis or the transmission axis of the polarizing layer and the slow axis of the third retardation layer.

An optical element is provided. The optical element includes a positive-C film including a liquid crystal (“LC”) layer. The optical element also includes a positive-A film. The optical element also includes a negative biaxial retardation film disposed between the positive-A film and the positive-C film.