Optical component and optical element

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical component having a novel configuration capable of converting only circularly polarized light in a specific wavelength range into circularly polarized light having an opposite turning direction. The optical component of the present invention includes, in the following order, a first λ/4 plate, an optical laminate, and a second λ/4 plate, in which the optical laminate includes two or more liquid crystal layer sets in a thickness direction, the liquid crystal layer set each consisting of a first liquid crystal layer which is formed by immobilizing a liquid crystal compound twist-aligned in the thickness direction and a second liquid crystal layer which is formed by immobilizing a liquid crystal compound twist-aligned in the thickness direction, in which a twisted direction of the liquid crystal compound in the second liquid crystal layer is opposite to a twisted direction of the liquid crystal compound in the first liquid crystal layer, in the liquid crystal layer set, an alignment direction of the liquid crystal compound in a surface of the first liquid crystal layer on the second liquid crystal layer side is parallel to an alignment direction of the liquid crystal compound in a surface of the second liquid crystal layer on the first liquid crystal layer side, and a twisted angle of the liquid crystal compound in the first liquid crystal layer is equal to a twisted angle of the liquid crystal compound in the second liquid crystal layer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.