A display may include illumination optics, a ferroelectric liquid crystal on silicon (fLCOS) panel, and a waveguide. A twisted nematic cell may be optically interposed between the fLCOS panel and the waveguide. A birefringent crystal may be optically interposed between the cell and the waveguide. The cell may have a first state in which the cell transmits the image light with a first polarization and a second state in which the cell transmits the image light with a second polarization. The crystal may transmit the image light within spatially offset beams based on polarization. In another arrangement, a quarter waveplate may be optically interposed between the cell and the waveguide and a geometric phase grating may be optically interposed between the quarter waveplate and the waveguide. Control circuitry may toggle the cell between the first and second states to maximize the effective resolution of images at an eye box.

Provided is a liquid crystal display device having high luminance and high CR in a front direction and especially useful as a head-mounted liquid crystal display device, for example. The liquid crystal display device includes: a liquid crystal panel; an optical element; and a backlight, arranged in this order from a viewing surface side. The optical element includes a first polarizer, a retardation layer, and a second polarizer. The first polarizer, the retardation layer, and the second polarizer are arranged in this order from the viewing surface side. The first polarizer and the second polarizer are reflection polarizers. A reflection axis of the first polarizer and a reflection axis of the second polarizer are parallel to each other. In oblique directions at azimuths of 0°, 45°, and 90° at a polar angle of 60°, a polarization state of light incident on the first polarizer is elliptical polarization.

The liquid crystal display device includes: a first polarizer having a first transmission axis; a liquid crystal panel; a second polarizer having a second transmission axis; a biaxial retarder having a slow axis parallel to the second transmission axis; a third polarizer having a third transmission axis parallel to the second transmission axis; and a backlight, a back side polarizer portion that includes the second polarizer, the biaxial retarder, and the third polarizer satisfying the following formula (1): ΔYI.sub.2=YI.sub.2′− YI.sub.2<0 (1) wherein YI.sub.2′ represents a yellowness index in observation from an oblique direction, YI.sub.2 represents a yellowness index in observation from a front direction, and ΔYI.sub.2 represents a difference between YI.sub.2′ and YI.sub.2, wherein the front direction represents a direction at a 0° polar angle and the oblique direction represents a direction at a 60° polar angle and a 45° azimuth.

The liquid crystal display device includes: a first polarizer having a first transmission axis; a liquid crystal panel; a second polarizer having a second transmission axis; a biaxial retarder having a slow axis parallel to the second transmission axis; a third polarizer having a third transmission axis parallel to the second transmission axis; and a backlight, a back side polarizer portion that includes the second polarizer, the biaxial retarder, and the third polarizer satisfying the following formula (1): ΔYI.sub.2=YI.sub.2′− YI.sub.2<0 (1) wherein YI.sub.2′ represents a yellowness index in observation from an oblique direction, YI.sub.2 represents a yellowness index in observation from a front direction, and ΔYI.sub.2 represents a difference between YI.sub.2′ and YI.sub.2, wherein the front direction represents a direction at a 0° polar angle and the oblique direction represents a direction at a 60° polar angle and a 45° azimuth.

A liquid crystal display apparatus having improved viewing angle characteristics in a region vertically asymmetrical. A liquid crystal display apparatus of the present invention includes: a liquid crystal cell including a liquid crystal layer containing liquid crystal molecules aligned in homogeneous alignment under a state in which an electric field is absent; a first polarizer arranged on a viewer side of the liquid crystal cell; a second polarizer arranged on a back surface side of the liquid crystal cell; a first optical compensation layer arranged between the liquid crystal cell and the first polarizer; and a second optical compensation layer arranged between the liquid crystal cell and the first optical compensation layer. A refractive index nz.sub.1 in a thickness direction of the first optical compensation layer is less than 1.5187, and a refractive index nz.sub.2 in a thickness direction of the second optical compensation layer is less than 1.5340.

A display device includes an electrically controlled viewing angle switching device including two polarizers and a liquid crystal cell disposed between the two polarizers. The liquid crystal cell includes two alignment layers and a liquid crystal material layer disposed between the two alignment layers and including a plurality of liquid crystal molecules. A direction of an optical axis of the liquid crystal molecules and a viewing angle control direction of the display device have an included angle θ1 of 70-110 degrees. Two alignment directions of the two alignment layers and the viewing angle control direction have an included angle of 90±20 degrees and an included angle of 270±20 degrees, respectively. Included angles between directions of transmission axis of the two polarizers and alignment directions of the two alignment layers are selected from one of 0±5 degrees and 90±5 degrees.

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.

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.

The present invention aims to provide a liquid crystal display device highly suppressing occurrence of rainbow interference pattern in displayed images. The present invention is a liquid crystal display device including: a back light source, a liquid crystal cell, a color filter, a polarizer, and a polarizer protective film arranged in the stated order, wherein the polarizer protective film has a retardation of not less than 6000 nm, and a difference (nx−ny) of not less than 0.05 between a refractive index (nx) in a slow axis direction that is a highest refractive index direction and a refractive index (ny) in a fast axis direction that is orthogonal to the slow axis direction, and an absorption axis of the polarizer and the slow axis of the polarizer protective film are arranged to form an angle within a range of 0°±30° or 90°±30°.

A phase difference compensation element, including: a transparent substrate; a first optical anisotropic layer that is a birefringent body including an inorganic material, where an optic axis of the birefringent body is orthogonal to the transparent substrate; and a second optical anisotropic layer that is a birefringent layer obtained by depositing an inorganic material, where an angle formed between a direction along which the inorganic material is deposited in the birefringent layer and a surface of the transparent substrate is other than 90°, wherein the phase difference compensation element is disposed to face a liquid crystal panel, and is configured to compensate a residual retardance of the liquid crystal panel, and wherein the phase difference compensation element satisfies the following formula (1):

0.5<A/B<1.5   Formula (1).