Display element, display device, and projection display device

Abstract

The present invention includes light valve section (10) having a plurality of shutter mechanisms (14) that switch between a transmitting state and a shading state of light emitted from light emitting element (25); and substrate (16) through which light that exits plurality of shutter mechanisms (14) is transmitted. The display element also has plasmon coupling section (11) that causes plasmon coupling to occur with light that exits the light valve section (10). Plasmon coupling section (11) includes carrier generation layer (17) that generates carriers with incident light that exits light valve section (10), plasmon excitation layer (19) that has a higher plasma frequency than the frequency of light that is generated in carrier generation layer (17) excited with the light emitted from light emitting element (25), and wave number vector conversion layer (22) that converts the light or surface plasmons generated in plasmon excitation layer (19) into light having a predetermined exit angle. Plasmon excitation layer (19) is sandwiched between first dielectric constant layer (18) and second dielectric constant layer (22).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.