Kuraray Co., Ltd.

Hayashi Telempu Co., Ltd.

Nippon Hoso' Kyokai

Toshiba Corporation

Masao Uetsuki

Nobuhiro Kawatsuki

Takeya Sakai

Nobuhiko Kawatsuki

Katsuya Fujisawa

Keishiro Igi

Hiroshi Narukawa

Yoshifumi Murata

Kenji Shirano

Satoshi Bando

Shuji Kawai

Yoshihiro Fujita

Ichiro Matsuzaki

Satoshi Hirofuji

Yasuaki Nishida

Yasuhira Takeuchi

Junji Nakagawa

Shigeo Yoshikawa

Masao Fujiwara

Takashi Tsunematsu

Yoshihiro Kawatsuki

The invention relates primarily to a retardation film and a process for producing the retardation film, wherein a layer formed of a mixture of a photosensitive polymer and a low molecular weight compound is irradiated with linear polarized ultraviolet ray, ultraviolet ray including a perfectly polarized light component and a non-polarized light component, or a non-polarized ultraviolet ray to orient molecules thereby developing a retardation and the direction of the optical axis arbitrarily in the layer formed of a mixture.

Retardation film and process for producing the same

The invention relates primarily to a retardation film and a process for producing the retardation film, wherein a layer formed of a mixture of a photosensitive polymer and a low molecular weight compound is irradiated with linear polarized ultraviolet ray, ultraviolet ray including a perfectly polarized light component and a non-polarized light component, or a non-polarized ultraviolet ray to orient molecules thereby developing a retardation and the direction of the optical axis arbitrarily in the layer formed of a mixure.

An alignment layer is obtained by applying a polymer having a mesogen structure onto a substrate and irradiating this applied polymer with ultraviolet light. According to the invention, there can be provided an alignment layer capable of conferring alignment functions on liquid crystals by a non-rubbing treating means in a simple optical alignment device without generating fine dusts or causing an electric discharge by static electricity, as well as a liquid crystal display using the same.

Alignment layer and a liquid crystal display using the same

A polarizing screen 20 for presenting images in response to receipt of imagewise rays of light 22 projected from, for example, a video projector. The polarizing screen 20 is made of a woven polarizing fabric 1 which has front and rear surfaces D and E opposite to each other and which is woven in a satin fashion including warps of one of polarizing and non-polarizing threads 12 and 11 and wefts of the other of the polarizing and non-polarizing threads 12 and 11. The front surface D of the woven polarizing fabric 1 has a relatively large portion of the polarizing threads 12 being exposed therefrom and the rear surface E thereof has a relatively large portion of the non-polarizing threads 11 exposed therefrom. The polarizing threads 12 of the woven polarizing fabric 1 have their lengthwise direction oriented substantially perpendicular to a horizontal plane and, therefore, the horizontal viewing angle is increased. Also, the front surface D of the woven polarizing fabric 1 where the relatively large portion of the polarizing threads 12 are exposed is oriented so as to confront the viewers 23 so that the woven polarizing fabric 1 can exhibit an enhanced function of a polarizing filter.

Polarizing screen

A screen of reflection-type operable with linearly polarized imagewise rays of light projected thereon for presenting a projected image, carried by the linearly polarized imagewise rays of light (8), to viewers occupying a position in front of the screen. The screen comprises a polarizing film (6) having first and second surfaces, a metal layer (4) formed on the second surface of the polarizing film (6) for reflecting the linearly polarized imagewise rays of light (8), and an indentation structure formed on both of the metal layer (4) and the polarizing film (6) for reflecting the imagewise rays of light (8) uniformly at a desired angle of reflection. The linearly polarized imagewise rays of light (8) enter the polarizing film (6) through the first surface thereof while the linearly polarized rays of light (8) have a plane of vibration of an electric field or a magnetic field in a direction required to exhibit a maximum light transmissivity. The screen may also be operable with a bundle of imagewise rays of light (8) projected from a projector (1) in the form of a cone of light as spherical waves onto the screen or a bundle of imagewise rays of light (8) projected from a projector as plane or approximately plane waves onto the screen.

Reflection-type screen

A polarizing screen for visually presenting a picture in response to receipt of projected imagewise rays of light having a polarizing fabric overlaying a first surface of the screen base facing a viewer and operable to pass therethrough the projected imagewise rays of light having the first polarizing direction, but absorb rays of light having a second polarizing direction. The polarizing fabric includes a plurality of juxtaposed polarizing fibers and a plurality of juxtaposed non-polarizing fibers interlaced with the juxtaposed polarizing fibers so as to extend perpendicular to said juxtaposed polarizing fibers. Instead of the polarizing fabric, a non-woven sheet having the polarizing fibers juxtaposed thereon may be used. With this polarizing screen including the polarizing fabric or the polarizing fibers capable of polarizing rays of light having a polarizing direction conforming to the polarizing direction of the projected rays of light, the picture projected on the polarizing screen can be kept at a high contrast. The polarizing fabric 2 or the polarizing fibers can easily be prepared not only in a large flat shape, but also in a curved shape.

Polarizing screen and projector using the same

A polarizing optical element which comprises a first substrate having a first surface formed with first and second gratings so as to cross relative to each other at a predetermined crossing angle, each of which first and second gratings has a grating pitch equal to or smaller than the wavelength of a laser beam which may be incident upon the polarizing optical element. A magneto-optical head system of a type comprising a laser source for emitting and projecting a laser beam on a magneto-optical recording medium and utilizing a magneto-optical effect for reading information, recorded on the magneto-optical recording medium, by the utilization of reflected or transmitted laser beams reflected from or transmitted through the magneto-optical recording medium and utilizing the polarized optical element is also disclosed.

Polarizing optical element and device using the same

An optical low pass filter for use in an imaging device including an objective lens and a solid state image sensor forming a plurality of picture elements thereon, which filter comprises a diffraction grating disposed between the objective lens and the solid state image sensor. The diffraction grating is of a type which the periodicity of an image of the diffraction grating projected onto the solid state image sensor by the objective lens is selected to be twice or 1/n of the periodicity of the picture element, wherein n represents an integer. The applicable imaging device may be of a type comprising an objective lens, a solid state image sensor forming a plurality of picture elements thereon, and a color filter array disposed on the solid state image snesor and including a plurality of sets of different color filter elements, or of a type comprising a single tube type color imaging device having an evacuated glass envelope, an objective lens and a color filter array including a plurality of sets of different color filter elements.

Optical low pass filter

The present invention provides a process for producing a blazed diffraction grating by using a transmission modulation diffraction grating as a photomask in photolithography. The photomask is composed of a relief modulation diffraction grating (A) made of a transparent material and a blazed diffraction grating (B) made of a material containing a ray absorbing agent. The diffraction grating (A) and the diffraction grating (B) are mated with each other through their grating surfaces.

Transmittance modulation photomask, process for producing the same, and

A method for manufacturing a combination pattern-refraction modification type phase grating comprises the steps of (1) forming a thin film of composition which includes a photosensitive acrylic acid or methacrylic acid group polymer including double bonds between carbons and at least one of compounds selected from aromatic aldehyde and aromatic ketone which have a substituent or a no-substituent (2) irradiating the thin film in a regularly arranged pattern with ultraviolet rays and (3) removing the non-reacted compound.

Method for manufacturing phase gratings of a combination

A combination pattern-refraction modification type phase grating comprises dual grating elements which are regularly arranged and each includes convex and concave portions which have respectively different thickness and are formed of material respectively different in refractive index so as to combine respective characteristics of a pattern and a refraction modification type phase grating.

Phase gratings of a combination pattern-refraction modification type

A thin film waveguide path comprises a waveguide path layer overlying a substrate but separated therefrom by at least one intermediate layer. The waveguide path layer comprises a first transparent high molecular material. The at least one intermediate layer comprises a second organic high molecular material having a solubility different from that of the first material and a lower refractive index lower than that of the first material, the substrate comprises a third high molecular material different from the first and second materials for supporting the waveguide path and intermediate layers.

Thin film waveguide device and manufacturing method for making same

An aluminum atom- and monocarboxylic acid residue-containing polyester is provided. Using the polyester as an adhesive or a base, laminates and laminated hollow vessels which comprise, as the constituent elements, the polyester and an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer can be produced. The laminates and laminated hollow vessels are suitable for use as packaging materials or containers for food and drink.

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Kurashiki, Japan

Masao Uetsuki