A catadioptric lens includes at least two optical elements arranged along an optical axis. Both optical elements are configured as a mirror having a substrate and a highly reflective coating applied to an interface of the substrate. The highly reflective coating extends from the interface of the substrate along a surface normal. At least one of the highly reflective coatings has one or a plurality of layers. The optical total layer thickness of the one layer of the plurality of layers increases radially from the inner area outward.

Provided is an optically anisotropic film having favorable black tightness when the optically anisotropic film is disposed on a display element as a circularly polarizing plate in combination with a polarizer and an obtained display device is viewed from an oblique direction; as well as a circularly polarizing plate and a display device. The optically anisotropic film is formed of a composition containing a non-colorable lyotropic liquid crystal compound, in which an Nz factor of the optically anisotropic film satisfies a relationship of Expression (1) 0.40≤Nz factor≤0.60 and the optically anisotropic film satisfies a relationship of Expression (2) 0.60≤Re(450)/Re(550)≤0.90. In Expressions (1) and (2) Re(450) represents an in-plane retardation of the optically anisotropic film at a wavelength of 450 nm, and Re(550) represents the in-plane retardation of the optically anisotropic film at a wavelength of 550 nm.

An optical film, a polarizing plate including the same, and an optical display apparatus including the same are provided. An optical film includes a first layer and a second layer stacked on a lower surface of the first layer via a first primer layer, the first primer layer being formed of a first composition including a first urethane-based polymer and a first isocyanate-based curing agent, the first urethane-based polymer including a repeat unit derived from a first alicyclic isocyanate-based compound, and the first isocyanate-based curing agent including a first isocyanate trimer.

A monolithic optical retarder formed from a monolithic prism may include an input face for receiving a light beam, an output face aligned with an optical axis of the light beam prior to entering the input face, and three or more reflection faces. The three or more reflection faces may be oriented to provide an optical path for the light beam from the input face to the output face via reflection by the three or more reflection faces, where the monolithic optical retarder imparts a selected optical retardation on the light beam based on total internal reflection on at least one of the reflection faces. Further, the input face, the output face, and the three or more reflection faces may be oriented such that an optical axis of the light beam exiting the output face is equal to the optical axis of the light beam entering the input face.

An optical element includes a three-dimensional structure having a curved surface; and a retardation plate bent along the curved surface. The retardation plate includes a transparent substrate and a liquid crystal layer formed over the transparent substrate. The retardation plate has a slow axis and a fast axis. A glass-transition temperature, Tgne, in a slow axis direction of the retardation plate is higher than a glass-transition temperature, Tgno, in a fast axis direction of the retardation plate.

A broadband partial reflector includes a multilayer polymeric optical film having a total number of optical repeating units that monotonically increases in thickness value from a first side to a second side of the multilayer polymeric optical film. A baseline optical repeating unit thickness profile is defined by a first plurality of optical repeating units and having a first average slope, and a first apodized thickness profile of the multilayer polymeric optical film is defined by a second plurality of optical repeating units having a second average slope being at least 5 times greater than the first average slope. The second plurality of optical repeating units define the first side of the multilayer polymeric optical film and join the first plurality of optical repeating units. The second plurality of optical repeating units are in a range from 3-15% of the total number of optical repeating units.

The invention relates to a method for compensating at least one defect of an optical system which includes introducing an arrangement of local persistent modifications in at least one optical element of the optical system, which does not have pattern elements on one of its optical surfaces, so that the at least one defect is at least partially compensated.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an optical element including a layer comprising anisotropic optical function and alignment capability. The layer is formed from a composition comprising polymerizable liquid crystals and one or more photo-orientable substances. Alignment on top of the layer is achieved by exposure to linearly polarized light.

The present invention is related to 6,7-dihydrobenzimidazo[1,2-c]quinazolin-6-one derivatives of the general structural formula (I), the anisotropic optical film based on these derivatives with phase-retarding properties for displays, and method of producing thereof: ##STR00001##
where X is a carboxylic group COOH, m is 0, 1, 2 or 3; Y is a sulfonic group SO.sub.3H, n is 0, 1, 2 or 3; Z is an acid amide group L-NH.sub.2; p is 0, 1, 2 or 3; K is a counterion selected from the list comprising H.sup.+, NH.sub.4.sup.+, Na.sup.+, K.sup.+, Li.sup.+, Mg.sup.2+, Ca.sup.2+, Zn.sup.2+, and Al.sup.3+; s is the number of counterions providing neutral state of the molecule; R is a substituent selected from the list comprising CH.sub.3, C.sub.2H.sub.5, NO.sub.2, Cl, Br, F, CF.sub.3, CN, OH, OCH.sub.3, OC.sub.2H.sub.5, OCOCH.sub.3, OCN, SCN, NH.sub.2, and NHCOCH.sub.3; w is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; and R.sub.1 is a substituent selected from the list comprising H, CH.sub.3, C.sub.2H.sub.5, C.sub.3H.sub.7, i-C.sub.3H.sub.7, CH.sub.2CH.sub.2CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, CH(CH.sub.3)CH.sub.2CH.sub.3, CH.sub.2CH(CH.sub.3)CH.sub.3 and C(CH.sub.3).sub.3 and L is a linking group.

The invention relates to an optical system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, in particular for operation in the EUV, comprising a mirror arrangement composed of a plurality of mutually independently adjustable mirror elements, and at least one polarization-influencing arrangement arranged upstream of the mirror arrangement relative to the light propagation direction, wherein the polarization-influencing arrangement has a group of first reflection surfaces and a group of second reflection surfaces, wherein the first reflection surfaces are tiltable independently of one another, and wherein, during the operation of the optical system, light reflected at respectively one of the first reflection surfaces can be directed onto the mirror arrangement via respectively a different one of the second reflection surfaces depending on the tilting of the first reflection surface.