Reflective optical polarizer device with controlled light distribution and liquid crystal display incorporating the same

A reflective dispersing polarizer device for generally separating a source light beam within the visible or near visible spectrum into two generally orthogonally polarized beams and reflecting a majority of one of the beams in more than one angular orientation, the device comprising:

• a generally parallel arrangement of a plurality of thin, elongated, spaced-apart elements configured for disposition in the source light beam, spacing of the elements being narrower than the wavelength of visible light and providing means for interacting with electromagnetic waves of the source light beam to generally (i) transmit light having a polarization orientation perpendicular to the elements and defining a transmitted beam of a first polarization, and (ii) reflect light having a polarization orientation parallel with the elements and defining a reflected beam of a second polarization,
• each elongated element having an exposed surface that together with the exposed surfaces of the other elements form a plurality of component surfaces which form a textured structure, a majority of the component surfaces respectively having an elevated portion defining a peak and lowered portion defining a valley, each component surface having a diameter, a majority of the textured surface being formed by component surfaces with respective diameters greater than the wavelength of visible or near visible light, to thereby reflect the reflected beam in more than one angular orientation.

A reflective dispersing polarizer device for generally separating a source light beam within the visible or near visible spectrum into two generally orthogonally polarized beams and reflecting a majority of one of the beams in more than one angular orientation, the device comprising:

• a substrate configured for disposition in the source light beam and having a surface;
• a plurality of generally parallel, thin, elongated, separate elements disposed on the surface of the substrate and spaced apart from one another, each elongated element having an exposed surface that together with the exposed surfaces of the other elements form a plurality of elevational contours with respect to an effective mean height which defines a textured reflective surface, a majority of the textured surface being formed by contours having a length parallel with the elongated elements which is greater than approximately the wavelength of light in the visible or near visible spectrum, spacing of the elements being narrower than the wavelength of visible light and providing means for interacting with electromagnetic waves of the source light beam to generally (i) transmit light having a polarization orientation perpendicular to the elements and defining a transmitted beam of a first polarization, and (ii) reflect light having a polarization orientation parallel with the elements and defining a reflected beam of a second polarization, to thereby direct the reflected beam in more than one angular orientation.

A reflective polarizer device for generally separating a source light beam within the visible or near visible spectrum into two generally orthogonally polarized beams and reflecting a majority of one of the beams in a non-specular manner with respect to a reference plane, the device comprising:

• a generally parallel arrangement of a plurality of thin, elongated, spaced-apart elements configured for disposition in the source light beam, spacing of the elements being narrower than the wavelength of visible light and providing means for interacting with electromagnetic waves of the source light beam to generally (i) transmit light having a polarization orientation perpendicular to the elements and defining a transmitted beam of a first polarization, and (ii) reflect light having a polarization orientation parallel with the elements and defining a reflected beam of a second polarization,
• each elongated element having an exposed surface that together with the exposed surfaces of the other elements form a plurality of component surfaces, a majority of the arrangement of elongated elements sharing a common general orientation with a reference plane and a common reference axis normal with respect to the reference plane, the component surfaces each having a component axis generally normal with respect to the associated component surface, a majority of the component axes having a similar orientation with respect to the reference axis, but a different angular value from the reference axis to reflect a majority of the light of the second polarization in a non-specular manner with respect to the reference plane.