Tilted C-plate retarder compensator and display systems incorporating the same

1. A liquid crystal display projector comprising: a light source; an optical illumination system for converging light emitted by the light source to an optical path having a principal axis; a liquid crystal display panel, oriented in a panel plane and having a slow-axis and a fast-axis therein, for optically modulating the light converged by the optical illumination system; a projection lens for magnifying and projecting the light modulated by the liquid crystal display panel; a first polarizing means, disposed to accept the light converged by the optical illumination system, for transmitting a first linearly polarized light having a first linear polarization axis onto the liquid crystal display panel with on-axis incidence; a second polarizing means, disposed to accept the light optically modulated by the liquid crystal display panel, for transmitting a second linearly polarized light having a second linear polarization axis to the projection lens; and a retardance compensating plate having a uniaxial C-symmetry, rotated away from the panel plane by an acute tilt angle about an axis of rotation and disposed between the liquid crystal display panel and at least one of the first and second polarizing means, wherein the axis of rotation is parallel to the panel plane; wherein one of a slow and a fast axis of the retardance compensating plate is aligned with the axis of rotation; wherein the axis of rotation is non-parallel to the first and second linear polarization axes, and wherein a retardance profile of the tilted retardance compensating plate having uniaxial C-symmetry substantially matches that of the liquid crystal display panel, and wherein the retardance compensating plate includes a dielectric thin-film form-birefringent coating having a plurality of inorganic transparent layers, the dielectric design tailored such that the retardance compensating plate substantially compensates for residual on- axis and off-axis retardance of the liquid crystal display panel.

2. The liquid crystal display projector according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid crystal display panel is a transmissive liquid crystal display panel.

3. The liquid crystal display projector according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid crystal display panel is a reflective liquid crystal display panel;

wherein the first and second polarizing means are incorporated in a polarizing beamsplitter with a beam-splitting surface oriented at about 45 degrees from the principal axis, arranged in transmission and reflection respectively; and

wherein the first and second linear polarization axes are orthogonal.

4. The liquid crystal display projector according to claim 3 , wherein the liquid-crystal display panel is a vertically-aligned nematic Liquid Crystal on Silicon (VAN-LCoS) panel.

5. The liquid crystal display projector according to claim 1 , wherein the axis of rotation is aligned non-parallel to the slow-axis or the fast-axis of the liquid crystal display panel.

6. The liquid crystal display projector according to claim 1 , wherein the azimuthal orientation of the axis of rotation about the principal axis is chosen such that an image generated in the liquid-crystal display panel has an optimum contrast at an exit side of the second polarizing means.

7. The liquid crystal display projector according to claim 1 , wherein the slow axis of the retardance compensating plate angle is 45 degrees or 135 degrees from the first linear polarization axis.

8. The liquid crystal display projector according to claim 1 , wherein the retardance compensating plate is sandwiched between two wedged prisms, each with a wedge angle that is about equal to the tilt angle, such that the two wedged prisms and the retardance compensating plate form an optical element with plane parallel faces.

9. The liquid crystal display projector according to claim 1 , wherein the axis of rotation is oriented such that the slow axis of the retardance compensating plate is in a quadrant neighboring the slow-axis of the liquid crystal display panel.

10. A liquid crystal display projector comprising:

a light source;

an optical illumination system for converging light emitted by the light source to an optical path having a principal axis;

a liquid crystal display panel, oriented in a panel plane and having a slow-axis and a fast-axis therein, for optically modulating the light converged by the optical illumination system;

a projection lens for magnifying and projecting the light modulated by the liquid crystal display panel;

a first polarizing means, disposed to accept the light converged by the optical illumination system, for transmitting a first linearly polarized light having a first linear polarization axis onto the liquid crystal display panel with on-axis incidence;

a second polarizing means, disposed to accept the light optically modulated by the liquid crystal display panel, for transmitting a second linearly polarized light having a second linear polarization axis to the projection lens; and

a retardance compensating plate having a uniaxial C-symmetry, rotated away from the panel plane by an acute tilt angle about an axis of rotation and disposed between the liquid crystal display panel and at least one of the first and second polarizing means,

wherein the axis of rotation is parallel to the panel plane;

wherein one of a slow and a fast axis of the retardance compensating plate is aligned with the axis of rotation;

wherein the axis of rotation is non-parallel to the first and second linear polarization axes,

wherein a retardance profile of the tilted retardance compensating plate having uniaxial C-symmetry substantially matches that of the liquid crystal display panel, and

wherein the retardance compensating plate includes a dielectric thin-film form-birefringent coating having a plurality of inorganic transparent layers, the dielectric thin-film form-birefringent coating deposited on at least one of an entrance surface and an exit surface, the dielectric design tailored such that the retardance compensating plate substantially compensates for residual on-axis and off-axis retardance of the liquid crystal display panel.

11. The liquid crystal display projector according to claim 10 , wherein the dielectric thin-film form-birefringent coating is a dielectric thin-film form-birefringent anti-reflective coating and has either a +C-plate retardance or a −C-plate retardance.

12. A liquid crystal display projector comprising: a light source; an optical illumination system for converging light emitted by the light source to a an optical path having a principal axis; a reflective liquid crystal display panel, oriented in a panel plane and having a slow- axis and a fast-axis therein, for optically modulating the light converged by the optical illumination system; a projection lens for magnifying and projecting the light modulated by the liquid crystal display panel; a polarizing beamsplitter with a beam-splitting surface oriented at about 45 degrees from the principal axis, disposed to accept the light converged by the optical illumination system and to transmit a first linearly polarized light having a first linear polarization axis onto the liquid crystal display panel with on-axis incidence; and to accept the light optically modulated by the liquid crystal display panel, and to transmit a second linearly polarized light having a second linear polarization axis, to the projection lens; wherein the first and second linear polarization axes are orthogonal; a first linear polarizer incorporated between the optical illumination system and the polarizing beamsplitter for enhancing a polarization extinction ratio of the first linearly polarized light; a second linear polarizer incorporated between the polarizing beamsplitter and the projection lens for enhancing a polarization extinction ratio of the second linearly polarized light; and a retardance compensating plate having a uniaxial C-symmetry, rotated away from the panel plane by an acute tilt angle about an axis of rotation and disposed between the liquid crystal display panel and the polarizing beamsplitter, wherein the axis of rotation is parallel to the panel plane; wherein one of a slow and a fast axis of the retardance compensating plate is aligned with the axis of rotation; wherein the axis of rotation is non-parallel to the first and second linear polarization axes, and wherein the retardance compensating plate includes a dielectric thin-film form-birefringent coating having a plurality of inorganic transparent layers, the dielectric design tailored such that the retardance compensating plate substantially compensates for residual on- axis and off-axis retardance of the liquid crystal display panel.

13. The liquid crystal display projector according to claim 12 , wherein the reflective liquid-crystal display panel is a vertically-aligned nematic Liquid Crystal on Silicon (VAN-LCoS) panel.

14. The liquid crystal display projector according to claim 13 , wherein the retardance compensating plate is sandwiched between two wedged prisms, each with a wedge angle that is about equal to the tilt angle, such that the two wedged prisms and the retardance compensating plate form an optical element with plane parallel faces.

15. The liquid crystal display projector according to claim 14 , wherein the optical element with plane parallel faces is coated at least on one of the plane parallel faces with a second dielectric thin-film form-birefringent anti-reflective coating having either a +C-plate retardance or a −C-plate retardance.

16. The liquid crystal display projector according to claim 12 , wherein the retardance compensating plate is sandwiched between two wedged prisms, each with a wedge angle that is about equal to the tilt angle, such that the two wedged prisms and the retardance compensating plate form an optical element with plane parallel faces.

17. The liquid crystal display projector according to claim 16 , wherein the optical element with plane parallel faces is coated at least on one of the plane parallel faces with a second dielectric thin-film form-birefringent anti-reflective coating having either a +C-plate retardance or a −C-plate retardance.