Provided are a liquid crystal diffraction element which exhibits low scattering and high sharpness of diffracted light, and a method for producing the same. A liquid crystal diffraction element having an alignment film which has a periodic pattern and also having a cholesteric liquid crystal layer, in which: the periodic pattern is imparted to the alignment film as a result of alignment elements having different tilt angles being periodically arranged in the alignment film or the alignment elements being arranged in a manner such that the azimuth direction thereof swings in one in-plane direction; the direction of the molecular axis of a liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating and in at least one in-plane direction on at least one main surface among the pair of main surfaces of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer; the molecular axis of the liquid crystal compound is tilted with respect to the main surfaces of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer; and an arrangement direction of bright portion and dark portion derived from the cholesteric liquid crystalline phase observed by a scanning electron microscope in a cross section perpendicular to the main surfaces is tilted with respect to the main surfaces of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer.

A device is provided. The device includes a first birefringent film including a calamitic liquid crystal (“LC”) material configured with a first helical structure. The device also includes a second birefringent film stacked with the first birefringent film and including a discotic LC material configured with a second helical structure.

An object is to provide: an optical member with which an image display apparatus where multiple images are suppressed can be obtained; and an image display apparatus including the optical member. The optical member includes: a light guide element that includes a light guide plate, first and second incidence diffraction elements, and first and second emission diffraction elements; a wavelength selective retardation layer that functions as a retardation layer with respect to a specific wavelength range, the wavelength selective retardation layer changing a polarized state of light diffracted by the first or second emission diffraction element; and a polarizer, in which the first and second emission diffraction elements are polarization diffraction elements and diffract light components such that the diffracted light components are polarized light components having opposite properties, the first and second emission diffraction elements, the wavelength selective retardation layer, and the polarizer are provided to overlap each other in a main surface of the light guide plate, and the wavelength selective retardation layer is provided between the light guide element and the polarizer.

A display device includes a display module that includes a plurality of light emitting areas and a non-light emitting area that surrounds the light emitting areas, a first polarizer disposed on the display module, a second polarizer disposed on the first polarizer, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first polarizer and the second polarizer. A plurality of openings are defined in the first polarizer or the second polarizer, and the openings overlap the light emitting areas. The display device is switchable between public and private viewing modes via an external input, in which a viewing angle of the display device in the private viewing mode is narrower than in the public viewing mode.

The optical element is an optical element comprising a first optically anisotropic layer which is a cured layer of a liquid crystal composition containing a first disk-like liquid crystal compound, in which the optical element has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which an optical axis of the first disk-like liquid crystal compound is parallel to a surface of the first optically anisotropic layer, the first optically anisotropic layer is disposed along at least one direction in a plane of the first optically anisotropic layer, and orientation of the optical axis of the first disk-like liquid crystal compound rotationally changes continuously, and the orientation of the optical axis rotates by 180° with a period of 0.5 μm to 5 μm.

An optical device is provided. The optical device includes a first optical element configured to output an elliptically polarized light having one or more predetermined polarization ellipse parameters. The optical device also includes a second optical element including a birefringent material with a chirality, and configured to receive the elliptically polarized light from the first optical element and reflect the elliptically polarized light as a circularly polarized light.

A display device includes a display module that includes a plurality of light emitting areas and a non-light emitting area that surrounds the light emitting areas, a first polarizer disposed on the display module, a second polarizer disposed on the first polarizer, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first polarizer and the second polarizer. A plurality of openings are defined in the first polarizer or the second polarizer, and the openings overlap the light emitting areas. The display device is switchable between public and private viewing modes via an external input, in which a viewing angle of the display device in the private viewing mode is narrower than in the public viewing mode.

A transmittance-variable device is disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the transmittance-variable device includes a retardation film, a liquid crystal alignment film, and a liquid crystal layer configured to implement a twist orientation mode, wherein the retardation film, the liquid crystal alignment film and the liquid crystal layer are sequentially arranged, wherein a twist angle (T) is in a range of 50 degrees to 180 degrees, and wherein the smallest angle A between a slow axis of the retardation film and an alignment direction of the liquid crystal alignment film satisfies Equation 1 when a product (Δnd) of a refractive index anisotropy (Δn) and a thickness (d) is 0.7 μm or less, and satisfies Equation 2 when the product (Δnd) is more than 0.7 μm. The transmittance-variable device can be applied to various applications without causing problems such as a crosstalk phenomenon, a rainbow phenomenon or a mirroring phenomenon.

A transmittance-variable device is provided in the present application. The present application provides a transmittance-variable device, which can be applied to various applications without causing problems such as a crosstalk phenomenon, a rainbow phenomenon or a mirroring phenomenon, while having excellent transmittance-variable characteristics.

Systems and methods for providing a polarization recycling structure for use in applications, such as display systems that include a liquid crystal display assembly. The polarization recycling structure may include a first spatially varying polarizer spaced apart from a second spatially varying polarizer. The first spatially varying polarizer may include a lens array that receives light from a light source and focuses light of a first polarization state and passes light of a second polarization state. The second spatially varying polarizer receive light from the first spatially varying polarizer, passes the focused light of the first polarization state, and transforms the light of the second polarization state into the first polarization state, thereby providing only light of the first polarization state at the output of the polarization recycling structure. The polarization recycling structures improve the efficiency of lighting subsystems, thereby reducing power consumption, cost, space requirements, and providing other advantages.