A phase modulation device of the present disclosure includes: a light source; and an optical phase modulation element including a plurality of pixels in each of which liquid crystal molecules are arrayed, and including a plurality of pixel regions each including the plurality of pixels, the optical phase modulation element modulating, for each of the pixels, a phase of incident light entering the plurality of pixel regions from the light source. The optical phase modulation element includes, as the plurality of pixel regions, at least one first alignment region where an alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules is a first direction parallel with a polarization axis of the incident light, and at least one second alignment region where an alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules is a second direction parallel with the polarization axis of the incident light and different from the first direction by 180 degrees.

A polarized light irradiation device of the present disclosure has: a light source unit which continuously emits polarized light; a light shaping unit which shapes the polarized light emitted from the light source unit into a preset shape to irradiate an irradiation target object with the shaped polarized light; a transport mechanism which transports the irradiation target object relative to the light source unit; and an interlocking mechanism which periodically and continuously changes a direction of linearly polarized light applied to the irradiation target object or an azimuthal angle of elliptically polarized light applied to the irradiation target object according to an amount of transport of the irradiation target object relative to the light source unit by the transport mechanism.

A touch panel includes a first substrate, a liquid crystal layer, a second substrate, a first optical detection layer, and a black matrix. The first optical detection layer is over a light-emitting surface of the liquid crystal layer and includes a plurality of first optical detection components, whose orthographic projections on the first substrate are within an orthographic projection of the black matrix. A touch control can be determined based on a change of a first electric signal converted by each first optical detection component based on an intensity of a light transmitting through the liquid crystal layer. The light can be an infrared light. A plurality of second optical detection components can be further disposed over a light-incident surface of the liquid crystal layer to pairingly correspond to, and utilized to determine a touch control along with, the plurality of first optical detection components.

An object is to provide a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal layer in which an alignment film is repeatedly used and a liquid crystal compound in a liquid crystal layer can be sufficiently aligned. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal layer includes: an alignment film forming step of forming an alignment film on a support; a liquid crystal alignment film alignment step of laminating a first liquid crystal composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound on the alignment film and aligning the first liquid crystal composition; a liquid crystal alignment layer forming step of polymerizing the aligned first liquid crystal composition to form a liquid crystal alignment layer; a peeling step of laminating and immobilizing a surface of the liquid crystal alignment layer opposite to the alignment film on an adherend and peeling the liquid crystal alignment layer from the alignment film at an interface between the liquid crystal alignment layer and the alignment film; a liquid crystal layer alignment step of laminating a second liquid crystal composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound on a surface of the liquid crystal alignment layer from which the alignment film is peeled off and aligning the second liquid crystal composition; a liquid crystal layer forming step of polymerizing the aligned second liquid crystal composition to form a liquid crystal layer; and a liquid crystal layer separation step of separating the formed liquid crystal layer from the liquid crystal alignment layer, in which the liquid crystal layer alignment step to the liquid crystal layer separation step are repeated to repeatedly prepare the liquid crystal layer.

A spatial light modulator for suppressing a fringe field effect includes: a transparent electrode layer; a reflective electrode layer including a pixel electrode, in which a pixel area is surrounded by a boundary of the pixel electrode; a liquid crystal layer located between the transparent electrode layer and the reflective electrode layer to establish a pixel formed by the liquid crystal layer covering the pixel area in the pixel electrode; and an alignment film having a first pattern and a second pattern and covering the pixel area. The first pattern and the second pattern in the pixel area make liquid crystals in the liquid crystal layer of the pixel generate arrangements of a first azimuth angle and a second azimuth angle, respectively, and the first azimuth angle is different from the second azimuth angle.

A display device comprising a spatial light modulator having a display polariser arranged on one side of the spatial light modulator is provided with an additional polariser arranged on the same side as the display polariser and polar control retarders between the additional polariser and the display polariser. The polar control retarders include a liquid crystal retarder having two surface alignment layers disposed adjacent to a layer of liquid crystal material on opposite sides. The surface alignment layers provide alignment in the adjacent liquid crystal material with an in-plane component, wherein the angle of said in-plane component changes monotonically along a predetermined axis across the display device, providing reduction of luminance in directions that are offset from a viewing axis, increasing uniformity in the reduction of luminance in directions that are offset from a viewing axis.

In some embodiments, an augmented reality system includes at least one waveguide that is configured to receive and redirect light toward a user, and is further configured to allow ambient light from an environment of the user to pass therethrough toward the user. The augmented reality system also includes a first adaptive lens assembly positioned between the at least one waveguide and the environment, a second adaptive lens assembly positioned between the at least one waveguide and the user, and at least one processor operatively coupled to the first and second adaptive lens assemblies. Each lens assembly of the augmented reality system is selectively switchable between at least two different states in which the respective lens assembly is configured to impart at least two different optical powers to light passing therethrough, respectively. The at least one processor is configured to cause the first and second adaptive lens assemblies to synchronously switch between different states in a manner such that the first and second adaptive lens assemblies impart a substantially constant net optical power to ambient light from the environment passing therethrough.

A viewing angle switch module including a viewing angle limiting device and a first electrically controlled viewing angle switch device is provided. A plurality of first block walls of the viewing angle limiting device are arranged along a first direction and extended in a second direction. The first electrically controlled viewing angle switch device has a first liquid crystal layer, a first polarizer and a second polarizer. An angle of 90±20 degrees is included between an optical axis of the first liquid crystal layer and the first direction. The first polarizer and the second polarizer are respectively located at two opposite sides of the first liquid crystal layer. An absorption axis of the first polarizer and a, absorption axis of the second polarizer are parallel to or perpendicular to the first direction. A display apparatus adopting the viewing angle switch module is also provided.

A projector includes a beam homogenizer receiving light from a light source and creating a predetermined illumination, and a spatial light modulator including grating stages to receive the predetermined illumination. Each grating stage may include a plurality of pixels where corresponding pixels in the grating stages are aligned with one another. Each of the pixels may include a liquid crystal layer disposed between two substrates, where a pixel is switchable by applying a voltage thereto, with a grating period of the pixel selected such that, when the voltage is applied to the pixel and light is passed therethrough, optical energy from the light in plus and minus first orders is deflected toward sides of the pixel and optical energy from a zero order of the light is allowed to pass through the pixel, with a polarization state of the light maintained through the pixel.

The present application discloses a fringe field driven liquid crystal display panel. The fringe field driven liquid crystal display panel includes a first substrate having a first glass layer and a first alignment film on the first glass layer; a second substrate facing the first substrate and having a second glass layer and a second alignment film on the second glass layer; and a liquid crystal layer between the first alignment film and the second alignment film. A first main optical axis of the first glass layer and a second main optical axis of the second glass layer are non-parallel to each other and have an included angle α. The first alignment film and the second alignment film have non-parallel rubbing angles, configured to reduce light leakage and color shift in the fringe field driven liquid crystal display panel.