A dual view display for an automotive vehicle comprises a spatial light modulator and a polar control retarder comprising a switchable liquid crystal retarder arranged between a first pair of polarisers. The switchable liquid crystal retarder comprises a polarisation-switch retarder and a polar control retarder with an average director that is directed towards an off-axis viewing location. In a first temporal phase of operation, the spatial light modulator and polar control retarder are arranged to direct light comprising a first image towards a first direction and in a second temporal phase of operation to direct light comprising a second image towards a second direction.

Provided is a liquid crystal display device that can achieve high-speed response in both rise time and fall time and has a high transmittance, a high contrast ratio, and excellent viewing angle characteristics. The liquid crystal display device provides color display using a field sequential driving system where each frame period includes subframe periods and includes: a liquid crystal display panel; a light source that irradiates the liquid crystal display panel with lights of multiple colors; and a controller that drives the light source to time-divisionally irradiate the liquid crystal display panel with the lights of multiple colors. The liquid crystal display panel includes, sequentially in the following order: a first substrate including pixel electrodes; a first alignment film; a liquid crystal layer; a second alignment film; and a second substrate including a common electrode.

The liquid crystal display panel sequentially includes: a first polarizing plate; a first substrate; a first alignment film; a liquid crystal layer containing liquid crystal molecules; a second alignment film; a second substrate; and a second polarizing plate. The liquid crystal display panel is a normally black liquid crystal display panel capable of shifting into a transparent display state. The first alignment film and the second alignment film have been subjected to alignment treatment such that a first domain and a second domain in which alignment vectors are different from each other are arranged side by side in a column direction. In a plan view, a liquid crystal alignment axis of the first domain and a liquid crystal alignment axis of the second domain obliquely intersect a polarization axis of the first polarizing plate and a polarization axis of the second polarizing plate and are parallel to each other.

Provided is a liquid crystal display device including: a liquid crystal panel; and a control circuit. The liquid crystal panel sequentially includes an active matrix substrate, a first alignment film, a liquid crystal layer containing liquid crystal molecules having a negative anisotropy of dielectric constant, a second alignment film aligning the liquid crystal molecules at an angle of 10° or greater and 30° or smaller, and a counter substrate. The active matrix substrate includes a first substrate, and a first electrode and a second electrode that are stacked via a first insulating layer or that face each other on the first substrate. The counter substrate sequentially includes a second substrate, a third electrode, a second insulating layer, and a fourth electrode. The control circuit is configured to switch between application of alternating voltage and application of constant voltage to the third and/or fourth electrode according to a display mode.

An optical device, comprising: —a first electrode layer; —a second electrode layer provided at a distance from the first electrode layer; —the first and second electrode layer being light transmitting; wherein the optical device further comprises, in between the first and the second electrode layers: o a diffractive optical element adjacent to the first electrode layer and comprising at least one sloped surface; and o a liquid crystalline material filling a space between the sloped surface and the second electrode layer; the liquid crystalline material having a pretilt that compensates for a slope angle of the at least one sloped surface.

A liquid crystal display includes: a first substrate; a second substrate overlapping the first substrate and spaced apart therefrom; a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate and including liquid crystal molecules; a first alignment layer between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer; and a plurality of protrusions between the first alignment layer and the liquid crystal layer, wherein the first alignment layer includes a photoinitiator, wherein the plurality of protrusions include a polymerization product of the photoinitiator, a reactive mesogen, and a vertical alignment additive, and the vertical alignment additive may be less reactive than the photoinitiator.

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal display device of the present invention comprises a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal composition disposed between said first substrate and said second substrate, wherein said first substrate and said second substrate are disposed in parallel and opposite to each other; alignment layers are disposed on the sides of said first and second substrates that are close to said liquid crystal composition; and said alignment layers are provided with vertical alignment films that allow liquid crystal molecules in said liquid crystal composition to be arranged roughly perpendicular to said first and second substrates, with said liquid crystal molecules having a pretilt angle of 88.5° to 89.5°.

In this liquid crystal display device, a plurality of pixels 30 are arranged in a display region. The liquid crystal display device comprises a first substrate 11 in which a pixel electrode 15 having slits 15a is provided, a second substrate disposed face to the first substrate 11, a liquid crystal layer 13 containing liquid crystal molecules that have negative dielectric anisotropy, a first alignment film 22, and a second alignment film 23. The slits 15a are positioned in each alignment region of a plurality of alignment regions in the pixels 30, and have oblique slit parts extending in an oblique direction with respect to sides of the pixels 30. The angle γ formed by the direction in which the oblique slit parts extends and a liquid crystal projection direction is 15 degrees or more and 85 degrees or less.

An optical element is provided. The optical element includes an optical film including a birefringent material having a chirality. Optically anisotropic molecules of the birefringent material disposed adjacent a first surface of the optical film are configured with a first pretilt angle in a range of greater than 10° and less than 80°, or in a range of greater than −80° and less than −10°. Optically anisotropic molecules of the birefringent material disposed adjacent a second surface of the optical film opposing the first surface are configured with a second pretilt angle in the range of greater than 10° and less than 80°, or in the range of greater than −80° and less than −10°.

A tunable liquid crystal (LC) device includes an LC layer between a pair of reflectors forming an optical cavity. The reflectors include conductive layers for applying an electrical signal to the LC layer. One of the conductive layers may include an array of conductive pixels for spatially selective control of the effective refractive index of the LC layer. The phase delay introduced by the LC layer may be greatly increased or magnified by placing the LC layer into the optical cavity. This enables a substantial reduction of the LC layer thickness, which in its turn enables very tight pitches of the LC pixels, with a reduced inter-pixel crosstalk caused by fringing electric fields, as well as faster switching times. A tight-pitch, fast LC device may be used as a configurable hologram or a spatial light modulator.