Polarization state in retro-reflective arrays may be controlled throughout the optical path of a retro-reflective retro-imaging setup to enhance system efficiency. A polarization beam splitter layer and a retarder layer placed in front of the retro-reflector array may be oriented such that polarized light is used as source, source input light is efficiently reflected at the polarization beam splitter layer toward the retro-reflective layer, and polarization is converted to circular upon first pass through retarder layer. The polarization may also be oriented at or near 45° with respect to input polarization state, light may be retro-reflected and reconverged at the retro-reflective layer, and converted to linear polarization state. The light may then be rotated about 90° with respect to input linear state, and/or passed through the polarization beam splitter layer upon second pass to form the reconvergent image.

The liquid crystal composition has the nematic phase and contains a specific compound having large positive dielectric anisotropy as a first component, and a specific compound having small viscosity as a second component, and may contain a specific compound having large positive dielectric anisotropy as a third component, a specific compound having a high maximum temperature or large positive dielectric anisotropy as a fourth component, or a specific compound having negative dielectric anisotropy as a fifth component, and a liquid crystal display device includes the composition.

A switchable window includes an electro-optical layer of or including an anisotropic gel of polymer stabilized highly chiral liquid crystal, for example, blue phase liquid crystal, encapsulated in, for example, a mesogenic polymer inclusive shell, that forms a self-assembled, three-dimensional photonic crystal that remains electro-optically switchable under a moderate applied voltage (e.g., electric field). The liquid crystal (LC) arrangement may be achieved via a polymer assembled blue phase liquid crystal system having a substantially continuous polymer structure case surrounding well-defined discrete bodies of liquid crystal material arranged in a cellular manner These assembled structures globally connect to form a matrix. This provides for reduction of angular birefringence of highly chiral LC systems, which advantageously reduces haze in applications such as switchable windows.

To provide a liquid crystal display device having excellent liquid crystal vertical alignment properties, good transparency when a voltage is applied and good scattering properties when no voltage is applied, and good adhesion with the liquid crystal layer. The liquid crystal display device has a liquid crystal layer formed by irradiating and curing with ultraviolet rays a liquid crystal composition containing a liquid crystal and a polymerizable compound disposed between a pair of substrates provided with electrodes, and at least one of the substrates is provided with a liquid crystal alignment film to vertically align a liquid crystal. The liquid crystal composition contains a compound represented by the formula [1], and the liquid crystal alignment film is obtained from a liquid crystal alignment treating agent containing a polymer having a side chain structure represented by the following formula [2-1] or formula [2-2], and a side chain structure represented by the following formula [3]:

X.sup.1—X.sup.2—X.sup.3—X.sup.4—X.sup.5—X.sup.6x.sup.7.sub.pX.sup.8   [1]

(X.sup.1: the formula [1-a] to formula [1-g], etc., X.sup.2, X.sup.3, X.sup.4 and X.sup.6: a single bond, etc., X.sup.5 and X.sup.7: a benzene ring, etc., X.sup.8: a C.sub.1-18 alkyl group, etc.),

##STR00001##

(X.sup.A: H, etc., X.sup.B: a benzene ring, etc., X.sup.C: a C.sub.1-18 alkyl group, etc.),

—Y.sup.1—Y.sup.2—Y.sup.3—Y.sup.4Y.sup.5.sub.nY.sup.t   [2-1]

(Y.sup.1, Y.sup.2 and Y.sup.3: a single bond, etc., Y.sup.4 and Y.sup.5: a benzene ring, etc., Y.sup.6: a C.sub.1-18 alkyl group, etc.,

—Y.sup.7—Y.sup.8   [2-2]

(Y.sup.7: a single bond, Y.sup.8: a C.sub.8-22 alkyl group, etc.).

An optical device includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a refractive index adjustment layer, and a textured layer. The first electrode is light-transmissive. The second electrode is light-transmissive and electrically paired with the first electrode. The refractive index adjustment layer is provided between the first electrode and the second electrode and has a refractive index that is adjustable in an arbitrary wavelength band from the visible light range to the near-infrared range. The textured layer gives the refractive index adjustment layer an uneven surface and is in the form of a film. The refractive index adjustment layer is variable between a transparent state and a state of distributing incident light.

A display includes a display modulation layer, a backlight unit configured to generate light for illumination of the display modulation layer, and a filter film disposed between the backlight unit and the display modulation layer. The filter film includes a plurality of Bragg grating sets. Each Bragg grating set is configured to reflect the light in a wavelength-selective and angular-selective manner rearward toward the backlight unit.

An object is to improve the drive capability of a semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a first transistor and a second transistor. A first terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a first wiring. A second terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a second wiring. A gate of the second transistor is electrically connected to a third wiring. A first terminal of the second transistor is electrically connected to the third wiring. A second terminal of the second transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the first transistor. A channel region is formed using an oxide semiconductor layer in each of the first transistor and the second transistor. The off-state current of each of the first transistor and the second transistor per channel width of 1 μm is 1 aA or less.

The embodiment of the present invention discloses a display panel, a manufacturing method thereof, and a display device. In the embodiment of the present invention, a liquid crystal layer of the display panel includes a plurality of dichroic dye liquid crystal microcapsules, a dichroic dye in dichroic dye liquid crystal microcapsules can absorb incident light such that when the display panel performs no signal transmission, the dichroic dye polymer network liquid crystal can effectively absorb incident light to lower a dark state transmittance of the display panel to further enhance contrast of the display panel and improve optical characteristics thereof.

A smart glass uses a guided self-assembled photonic crystal, including a photonic crystal layer that is interposed between a pair of conductive glass plates. The smart glass includes a first material and a second material having a different refractive index from the first material and surrounding the first material. Thereby, the smart glass has a color, even when a dye is not included, by strongly reflecting light in a specific wavelength range incident to the photonic crystal layer. This is because the first material is formed regularly to have a constant distance by guided self-assembly, and the smart glass thereby may obtain a target color by randomly adjusting the distance between the first materials.

According to one embodiment, a display device comprises substrates, a liquid crystal layer containing stringy polymers, a display area with first and second pixels and a light source. In a spatial frequency spectrum obtained by performing FT on a pattern of the polymers which overlap the pixels with respect to first and second frequency components, when an outline in a plane defined by the components in an area having a value of 75% or more of the maximum value is defined as an evaluation circle, and a value obtained by dividing a length of a major axis of the circle by that of a minor axis is defined as an evaluation value, the evaluation value of the first pixel is greater than that of the second pixel.