Abstract: Provided are a liquid crystal diffraction element having a high diffraction efficiency irrespective of diffraction angles, an optical element including the liquid crystal diffraction element, and an image display unit, a head-mounted display, a beam steering, and a sensor including the liquid crystal diffraction element or the optical element.

Abstract: Provided is a transmissive liquid crystal diffraction element that can diffract different polarized light components in the same direction and has high diffraction efficiency with respect to unpolarized light.

Abstract: Provided are a light absorbing material-containing film which contains quantum dots or the like and is capable of suppressing in-plane luminance unevenness and chromaticity unevenness; and a backlight unit. The light absorbing material-containing film includes a light absorbing material-containing layer that has a plurality of cylindrical or polygonal prism-shaped resin portions discretely disposed and a light absorption region contain light absorbing bodies and formed between the plurality of resin portions; a first substrate film that is laminated on one main surface of the light absorbing material-containing layer; and a second substrate film laminated on the other main surface of the light absorbing material-containing layer, where the light absorption region contains at least one phosphor that serves as the light absorbing body, and a binder.

Abstract: An object is to provide an exposure method of a photoalignment layer in which an alignment pattern having no disorder can be formed. The exposure method of a photoalignment layer includes an exposure step of disposing an exposure mask and a substrate that includes a coating film including a compound having a photo-aligned group such that the exposure mask and the coating film face each other, irradiating the coating film with light to which the compound is photosensitive from the exposure mask side, and exposing the coating film to form an alignment pattern, in which the light is circularly polarized light having an ellipticity of 0.7 to 1.

Abstract: An object is to provide an exposure method of a photoalignment layer in which an alignment pattern having no disorder can be formed.

Abstract: There is provided a liquid crystal diffraction element in which chromatic aberration is small and diffraction efficiency is high in the liquid crystal diffraction element, and an image display apparatus and a head mounted display which use this diffraction element. The liquid crystal diffraction element includes an optically anisotropic layer that is formed of a liquid crystal composition containing a liquid crystal compound, where the optically anisotropic layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from the liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating along at least one in-plane direction, and the optically anisotropic layer has at least a curved surface portion.

Abstract: Provided are a beam combiner that can obtain a fine and clear interference pattern, a method of forming an alignment film in which a fine and clear alignment pattern can be obtained, and a method of manufacturing an optical element including a fine and clear liquid crystal alignment pattern. The beam combiner includes: a beam combiner element that emits light where light transmitted through a first surface and light reflected from a second surface are combined; a light control element that is provided on an upstream side of the beam combiner; and a polarization conversion layer that converts polarized light of the light emitted from the beam combiner element, in which an absolute value of an ellipticity of light emitted from the polarization conversion layer is 0.7 or more.

Abstract: An optically anisotropic film is formed of a liquid crystal composition including a liquid crystal compound and has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from the liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction of the optically anisotropic film, and the optically anisotropic film satisfies predetermined requirements.

Abstract: A transmissive liquid crystal diffraction element includes a rod-like liquid crystal layer where a rod-like liquid crystal compound is aligned and a disk-like liquid crystal layer where a disk-like liquid crystal compound is aligned that are alternately laminated, in which each of the liquid crystal layers has a predetermined liquid crystal alignment pattern, rotation directions of optical axes in the liquid crystal alignment patterns are the same, single periods of the liquid crystal alignment patterns are the same, a thickness direction retardation |Rth| of each of the liquid crystal layers is 65 nm or less, and at an interface between the liquid crystal layers, longitudinal directions of the liquid crystal compounds match with each other.

Abstract: The present invention provides a light absorption anisotropic film excellent in adhesiveness to an adjacent layer, and a laminate and an image display device, in which the light absorption anisotropic film is used. The light absorption anisotropic film is formed from a liquid crystal composition that contains a high-molecular weight liquid crystal compound and a dichroic substance, and is a light absorption anisotropic film in which regarding a signal derived from the dichroic substance detected by a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, a relationship between a maximum intensity Imax in a thickness direction of a film and an intensity Isur on at least one surface of the film satisfies Expression (I-1) 2?Imax/Isur.

Abstract: A wavelength conversion member suppresses peeling at an edge at cutting; and is used with a backlight unit and a liquid crystal display device. The wavelength conversion member includes a first substrate, a wavelength conversion layer, and a second substrate, in which each of the first and second substrates includes a support, a barrier layer, and an organic layer, where each of the barrier layers contains at least aluminum and phosphorus, each of the organic layers is formed of a composition containing a polymer A having a glass transition temperature of 50° C. or lower and a polymer B having an acryloyl or methacryloyl group in a molecule thereof, and the wavelength conversion layer is a layer in which at least one selected from the group consisting of a quantum dot, a phosphor particle, and a phosphor coloring agent is dispersed in a matrix made of an acrylic resin.

Abstract: Provided is a transmissive liquid crystal diffraction element having a large diffraction angle and a high diffraction efficiency.

Abstract: Provided are a liquid crystal diffraction element having a high diffraction efficiency irrespective of diffraction angles, an optical element including the liquid crystal diffraction element, and an image display unit, a head-mounted display, a beam steering, and a sensor including the liquid crystal diffraction element or the optical element.

Abstract: An object is to provide a liquid crystal diffraction element that has small wavelength dependence of diffraction efficiency and diffracts light having the same wavelength at the same angle, an optical element including the liquid crystal diffraction element, and an image display unit, a head-mounted display, a beam steering, and a sensor including the liquid crystal diffraction element or the optical element.

Abstract: Provided are an image display unit and a head-mounted display where the size is small, the light utilization efficiency is high, and a decrease in image quality is small. The image display unit includes: an image display apparatus; a polarization diffraction element that diffracts light emitted from the image display apparatus; and a polarizing plate that allows transmission of the polarized light diffracted by the polarization diffraction element and absorbs light not diffracted by the polarization diffraction element, in which the polarization diffraction element is a polarization diffraction lens having a lens function, and in a case where a focal length of the polarization diffraction lens is represented by f and a distance between the image display apparatus and the polarization diffraction lens is represented by d, d?f is satisfied.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a display device capable of achieving both an effect of preventing reflection of external light and improvement in utilization efficiency of light emitted from a light emitting element. An electroluminescent display device includes a substrate having a plurality of light emitting elements using electroluminescence, a ?/4 wavelength plate, and a polarizing plate including a patterned polarizing layer in this order, in which the patterned polarizing layer has a region A having a polarization degree of less than 80% and a region B having a polarization degree of 80% or more, and further, a position of the region A of the patterned polarizing layer corresponds to a position of the light emitting element of the electroluminescent substrate.

Abstract: A transmissive liquid crystal diffraction element includes a rod-like liquid crystal layer where a rod-like liquid crystal compound is aligned and a disk-like liquid crystal layer where a disk-like liquid crystal compound is aligned that are alternately laminated, in which each of the liquid crystal layers has a predetermined liquid crystal alignment pattern, rotation directions of optical axes in the liquid crystal alignment patterns are the same, single periods of the liquid crystal alignment patterns are the same, a thickness direction retardation |Rth| of each of the liquid crystal layers is 65 nm or less, and at an interface between the liquid crystal layers, longitudinal directions of the liquid crystal compounds match with each other.

Abstract: An optically anisotropic film is formed of a liquid crystal composition including a liquid crystal compound and has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from the liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction of the optically anisotropic film, and the optically anisotropic film satisfies predetermined requirements.

Abstract: Provided is an image display device including an optical laminate having, in order, a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, a specific laminate including an alignment layer and an optically anisotropic layer which are adjacent to each other, and another pressure-sensitive adhesive layer in this order, in which the pressure-sensitive adhesive layers are adjacent to the two surfaces of the specific laminate. The specific laminate has a thickness of 15 ?m or less, the optically anisotropic layer has a thickness of 5 ?m or less, and a thickness d of the alignment layer and an elastic modulus E of the alignment layer satisfy Expression (1): ?E+0.45×d+3.6>0 (1), where d is in units of ?m, and E is in units of GPa.

Abstract: An optical element includes an optically-anisotropic layer that is formed of a liquid crystal composition including a liquid crystal compound having a polymerizable group, in which a ratio of a bend elastic constant K33 to a splay elastic constant K11 in the liquid crystal composition satisfies 0.8?K33/K11?1.2 at any temperature of a nematic temperature range, and the optically-anisotropic layer has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from the liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction.