Apparatus for increasing a polarization component, light guide unit, liquid crystal display and polarization method

TLDR: In this paper, the efficiency of utilizing light for obtaining polarization is enhanced by making at least part of the polarized component available that has formerly been unused, by changing the polarized direction of either the reflected light or the transmitted light.

Abstract: The efficiency of utilizing light for obtaining polarization is enhanced by making at least part of the polarized component available that has formerly been unused. Due to a mutual difference in reflection/transmission characteristic between the s-wave component and p-wave component, the reflected light 205 (s-wave (x 1 %), p-wave (y 1 %)) and the transmitted light 206 (s-wave (x 2 %), p-wave (y 2 %)) have the respective s-wave polarized and p-wave polarized components at a different ratio (x 1 ≠x 2 , y 1 ≠y 2 ). By further changing the ratio of s-wave polarized and p-wave components by means 213 for changing the polarized direction of either the reflected light 205 or the transmitted light 206, and changing the course of light by means 212 for changing the traveling direction of light into such a direction as to enable both the reflected light 205 and the transmitted light 206 to be simultaneously utilized, light having a different ratio of s-wave and p-wave polarized components from that of the incident light 204 (s-wave (x 0 %), p-wave (y 0 %)) can be utilized.