Image display apparatus

An image display apparatus comprising:

• a surface light source device;
• a diffraction grating disposed above said surface light source device;
• micro-lenses forming a micro-lens array disposed above said diffraction grating;
• and
• a liquid crystal display panel having pixels and being disposed above said micro-lens array, a plurality of said pixels optically corresponding to each of said micro-lenses;
• light from said surface light source device making incidence obliquely onto said diffraction grating, being diffracted by said diffraction grating into different directions according to colors, and being converged by said micro-lenses on those of said pixels corresponding to the colors;
• wherein said surface light source device comprises:
• a single light conducting plate having a light incident side surface which is perpendicular to an incident direction, a light emitting surface and an opposite surface which is opposite to said light emitting surface;
• a light source disposed adjacent to said light incident side surface of said light conducting plate, at least one surface of said light conducting plate being shaped with a deflection pattern serving to deflect light from said light source inside said light conducting plate gradually toward a perpendicular direction to said light emitting surface and to diffuse light from said light source inside said light conducting plate more strongly in a transverse direction, which is parallel to both said light incident side surface and said light emitting surface, than in said incident direction;
• and
• a converging pattern serving to cause emitted light from said light emitting surface to be converged in said transverse direction and to thereby improve directionality of said emitted light;
• said deflection pattern being on at least either of said light emitting surface and said opposite surface, and said converging pattern being on at least either of said light emitting surface and said opposite surface.