Polarizing member, illuminator and liquid-crystal display device

Abstract

There is provided a polarizing member having a sheet-like member formed so that linearly polarized light can be obtained as transmitted light through the sheet-like member after natural light is incident on a rear surface of the sheet-like member, wherein the sheet-like member exhibits a transmittance difference of not larger than 6% between transmitted light components within a 20 nm-wide wavelength region in a transmission spectrum of light in a wavelength range of from 520 to 640 nm when natural light is incident on the sheet-like member at any angle ranging from an angle viewing from a line normal to a surface of the sheet-like member to an elevation angle of 80 degrees. There is provided an illuminator having a planar light source including a reflection layer on a rear surface side of the planar light source, and a polarizing member defined above and disposed on a front surface side of the planar light source. There is also provided a liquid-crystal display device having an illuminator defined above, and a liquid-crystal cell disposed on a light exit side of the illuminator through the polarizing member of the illuminator.