A novel metal oxide or a novel sputtering target is provided. A sputtering target includes a conductive material and an insulating material. The insulating material includes an oxide, a nitride, or an oxynitride including an element M1. The element M1 is one or more kinds of elements selected from Al, Ga, Si, Mg, Zr, Be, and B. The conductive material includes an oxide, a nitride, or an oxynitride including indium and zinc. A metal oxide film is deposited using the sputtering target in which the conductive material and the insulating material are separated from each other.

Provided is an optical apparatus that is capable of switching between a state in which the optical apparatus can reflect light and a state in which the optical apparatus can output light and suppressing deterioration of display quality of a light reflection image. The optical apparatus includes: a light emitting device having a light emitting surface; an absorption type polarizing plate disposed opposite to the light emitting surface of the light emitting device; a liquid crystal optical element disposed between the light emitting device and the absorption type polarizing plate; a reflection type polarizing plate disposed between the light emitting device and the liquid crystal optical element; and an adhesive layer disposed on a surface of the reflection type polarizing plate that faces the light emitting device.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a display substrate. The display substrate includes a driver backplane, and a reflective structure and a pixel electrode on the driver backplane. Reflective structure and the pixel electrode are disposed sequentially away from the driver backplane along a thickness direction of the driver backplane. The pixel electrode is connected to the driver backplane through the reflective structure. A surface of the reflective structure away from the driver backplane is a reflective surface comprising a plurality of arc surfaces, and each of the plurality of arc surfaces is convex protruding towards a direction away from the driver backplane. The plurality of the arc surfaces are continuously arranged, and any two adjacent arc surfaces of the plurality of the arc surfaces are connected to each other.

An image projector includes a spatial light modulator (SLM) with a two dimensional array of pixel elements controllable to modulate a property of light transmitted or reflected by the pixel elements. An illumination arrangement delivers illumination to the SLM. A collimating arrangement collimates illumination from the SLM to generate a collimated image directed to an exit stop. The illumination arrangement is configured to sequentially illuminate regions of the SLM, each corresponding to a multiple pixel elements. A controller synchronously controls the pixel elements and the illumination arrangement so as to project a collimated image with pixel intensities corresponding to a digital image.

Architecture and designs of modulating both amplitude and phase at the same time in spatial light modulation are described. According to one aspect of the present invention, light propagation is controlled in two different directions (e.g., 0 and 45 degrees) to perform both amplitude modulation and phase modulation at the same time in liquid crystals. In one embodiment, a mask is used to form a pattern, where the pattern includes an array of alignment cells or embossed microstructures, a first group of the cells are aligned in the first direction and a second group of the cells are aligned in the second direction. Depending on applications, two cells from the first group and the second group may correspond to a single pixel or two neighboring pixels, resulting in amplitude modulation and phase modulation within the pixel or within an array of pixels.

A distance information acquisition apparatus includes a plurality of light sources configured to emit light of different wavelengths, a beam steering device including a plurality of nano-antennas and configured to form an effective grating and steer a traveling direction of light incident from the plurality of light sources at an angle of incidence by modulating a phase by displacement of the effective grating, a plurality of photodetectors respectively corresponding to the plurality of light sources and configured to detect light that is steered by the beam steering device and reflected from an object, and a processor configured to control the beam steering device to acquire distance information by steering a traveling direction of light

A display device includes a first region and a second region adjacent to the first region. A display element included in the first region has a function of reflecting visible light and a function of emitting visible light. A display element included in the second region has a function of emitting visible light. In an electronic device including the display device, the first region is located on a first surface (e.g., top surface) on which a main image is displayed, and the second region is located on a second surface (e.g., side surface) on which an auxiliary image is displayed.

A display device includes a first region and a second region adjacent to the first region. A display element included in the first region has a function of reflecting visible light and a function of emitting visible light. A display element included in the second region has a function of emitting visible light. In an electronic device including the display device, the first region is located on a first surface (e.g., top surface) on which a main image is displayed, and the second region is located on a second surface (e.g., side surface) on which an auxiliary image is displayed.

A spatial light modulator and a method for forming the spatial light modulator. The spatial light modulator may include a first reflector. The spatial light modulator may also include a second reflector. The spatial light modulator may further include a liquid crystal layer between the first reflector and the second reflector. The first reflector may include a first electrode. The second reflector may include a second electrode. At least one reflector selected from the first reflector and the second reflector may be or may include a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). The first reflector and the second reflector may form a Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity.

An optical arrangement for light beam shaping in a light microscope has a first and a second liquid crystal region, each of which has a plurality of independently switchable liquid crystal elements with which a phase of incident light is changeable in a settable manner. A first polarization beam splitter is arranged in such a way that incident light is split in a polarization-dependent manner into reflection light, which is reflected in the direction of the first liquid crystal region, and transmission light, which is transmitted in the direction of the second liquid crystal region. The first or a second polarization beam splitter is arranged such that the reflection light and transmission light are combined onto a common beam path after phase modulation by means of the liquid crystal regions.