Polarization-based optical angle-filters disclosed herein can be engineered to transmit a prescribed amount of light as a function of incidence angle and azimuth. Such filters can transmit light without introducing artifacts, making them suitable for the image-path of an optical system. One example may include an angle-filter having an input circular polarizer, an analyzing circular polarizer, and a retarder positioned between the circular polarizers, the retarder having a thickness-direction retardation. The thickness-direction retardation of the retarder (R.sub.th) is selected to produce a prescribed angle-of-incidence dependent transmission function, and the circular polarizers reduce the amount of azimuth-dependence in the transmission function.

Provided are a phase difference film that has a small change in tint in a case where the phase difference film is combined with a polarizer and then applied as a circularly polarizing plate to a display device, and the display device is observed from an oblique direction at all azimuthal angles; as well as a circularly polarizing plate and a display device. The phase difference film includes a first optically anisotropic layer, a second optically anisotropic layer, a third optically anisotropic layer, and a fourth optically anisotropic layer in this order, in which the first optically anisotropic layer is a C-plate, the second optically anisotropic layer is an A-plate, the third optically anisotropic layer is a layer formed by fixing a liquid crystal compound twist-aligned along a helical axis extending in a thickness direction, and the first, second third, and fourth optically anisotropic layers have a predetermined configuration.

This application relates to a liquid crystal display which comprises: an upper polarizer; a lower polarizer; and a liquid crystal panel provided between the upper polarizer and the lower polarizer, in which the upper polarizer and the lower polarizer are provided so that absorption axes of the upper and lower polarizers are parallel to each other, a first half wave plate, a positive C plate, and a second half wave plate are sequentially comprised between the upper polarizer and the liquid crystal panel, and the liquid crystal panel is a vertical alignment liquid crystal mode.

A birefringence film is provided with a plurality of birefringence layers including a hybrid-aligned liquid crystalline polymer. The plurality of birefringence layers is stacked in a state in which the alignment directions of the liquid crystal polymer are identical, and the rising directions of the tilt angle of the liquid crystal polymer are identical.

A compensation film for a liquid crystal film includes a first layer including splayed rod-shaped nematic liquid crystal material and a second layer disposed on a surface of the first layer and including at least one of a biaxial layer and an A-plate.

A switchable privacy display comprises a spatial light modulator (SLM), a first switchable liquid crystal (LC) retarder and first passive retarder between a first pair of polarisers and a second switchable LC retarder and second passive retarder between a second pair of polarisers. The first switchable LC retarder comprises two homeotropic alignment layers and the second switchable LC retarder comprises two homogeneous alignment layers. In privacy mode, on-axis light from the SLM is directed without loss, whereas off-axis light has reduced luminance to reduce visibility to off-axis snoopers. The display may achieve privacy operation in landscape and portrait orientations. Further, display reflectivity may be reduced for on-axis reflections of ambient light, while reflectivity may be increased for off-axis light to achieve increased visual security. In public mode, the LC retardance is adjusted so that off-axis luminance and reflectivity are unmodified. The display may switch between day-time and night-time operation.

According to an aspect, a semi-transmissive liquid crystal display device includes a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, a plurality of reflective electrodes, a counter electrode facing the reflective electrode, and a liquid crystal layer. The reflective electrodes are provided for each of the pixels, and each of them includes a plurality of electrodes, with a combination of the areas of which area coverage modulation is performed by using n bits. The electrodes are configured such that a ratio of the sum of the perimeter(s) of electrode(s) corresponding to each bit of the n bits satisfies 1:2: . . . :2.sup.n−1. The liquid crystal layer is provided between the reflective electrode and the counter electrode. The semi-transmissive liquid crystal display device is configured to carry out reflective display using the reflective electrode and carry out transmissive display using at least a space of the reflective electrode between the pixels.

The present application relates to a liquid crystal display comprising: an upper polarizer; a lower polarizer; and a liquid crystal panel provided between the upper polarizer and the lower polarizer, in which the upper polarizer and the lower polarizer are provided such that the absorption axes thereof are parallel to each other, a wavelength plate is comprised between the upper polarizer and the liquid crystal panel which rotates linear polarized light at 85 to 90 degrees, and the liquid crystal panel is a horizontally aligned liquid crystal mode.

Embodiments relate to an optical film and a liquid crystal display device comprising the same. More specifically, the embodiments relate to an optical film that is excellent in optical characteristics and has no polarization unevenness since it comprises a base layer that has a low in-plane retardation and a low thickness direction retardation and has an excellent adhesiveness by virtue of a proper level of surface tension, a process for preparing the same, and a liquid crystal display device comprising the same.

A liquid crystal display panel is described. In an embodiment, the liquid crystal display panel includes: a first substrate; a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer; a first linear polarizer disposed at a side of the first substrate away from the liquid crystal layer; a first quarter-wave plate disposed between the first substrate and the first linear polarizer, where an angle between a slow axis of the first quarter-wave plate and an absorption axis of the first linear polarizer is 45° or 135°; a first retardation film disposed between the liquid crystal layer and the first quarter-wave plate; a second quarter-wave plate disposed between the liquid crystal layer and the first substrate, where slow axes of the first and second quarter-wave plates are perpendicular; and a second linear polarizer disposed at a side of the second substrate away from the liquid crystal layer, where absorption axes of the first and second linear polarizers are perpendicular.