An optical switching device comprising: a switching liquid crystal phase panel (2,3) comprising a single laminate or multiple laminates stacked in the same direction, the single laminate or each of the multiple laminates comprising a parallel plate liquid crystal panel and a polarization grating plate, the polarization grating plate being bonded to one of the parallel surfaces of the parallel plate liquid crystal panel, wherein the parallel plate liquid crystal panel is formed by opposingly disposing two substrates that are transparent in a predetermined optical wavelength region, a thin film electrode that is transparent in the predetermined optical wavelength region is formed on at least one surface of each of the substrates so that the thin film electrodes form facing parallel electrodes over a desired gap, whereby the parallel plate liquid crystal panel comprises a blue-phase liquid crystal stabilized by a photopolymerized polymer and the polymer-stabilized blue-phase liquid crystal is inserted beween the thin film electrodes, and wherein the polarization grating plate comprises a birefringent medium and J has a thickness such that it acts as a half-wave plate at a predetermined usage wavelength within the predetermined optical wavelength region and the birefringence axis of the birefringent medium rotates in-plane with a given period Λ, the optical switching device further comprising two wedge-shaped substrates that are formed from a material having a greater index of refraction than the substrates, whereby each wedge-shaped substrate has a right-triangular cross section and each wedge-shaped substrate comprises a sloped surface and an end surface intersecting the sloped surface, wherein the switching liquid crystal phase panel is sandwiched between the sloped surfaces of the two right-triangular cross-sectioned wedge-shaped substrates so that the axis about which the birefringence axis of the birefringent medium rotates in-plane is orthogonal to the sloped sides of the wedge-shaped substrates and so that the end surfaces of the wedge-shaped substrates are parallel to each other, and wherein incoming light (14,15) entering the end surface of the wedge-shaped substrate not adjacent to the polarization grating plate emitted with a desired polarization from the end surface of the other wedge-shaped substrate. a switching liquid crystal phase panel (2,3) comprising a single laminate or multiple laminates stacked in the same direction, the single laminate or each of the multiple laminates comprising a parallel plate liquid crystal panel and a polarization grating plate, the polarization grating plate being bonded to one of the parallel surfaces of the parallel plate liquid crystal panel, wherein the parallel plate liquid crystal panel is formed by opposingly disposing two substrates that are transparent in a predetermined optical wavelength region, a thin film electrode that is transparent in the predetermined optical wavelength region is formed on at least one surface of each of the substrates so that the thin film electrodes form facing parallel electrodes over a desired gap, whereby the parallel plate liquid crystal panel comprises a blue-phase liquid crystal stabilized by a photopolymerized polymer and the polymer-stabilized blue-phase liquid crystal is inserted beween the thin film electrodes, and wherein the polarization grating plate comprises a birefringent medium and J has a thickness such that it acts as a half-wave plate at a predetermined usage wavelength within the predetermined optical wavelength region and the birefringence axis of the birefringent medium rotates in-plane with a given period Λ, the optical switching device further comprising two wedge-shaped substrates that are formed from a material having a greater index of refraction than the substrates, whereby each wedge-shaped substrate has a right-triangular cross section and each wedge-shaped substrate comprises a sloped surface and an end surface intersecting the sloped surface, wherein the switching liquid crystal phase panel is sandwiched between the sloped surfaces of the two right-triangular cross-sectioned wedge-shaped substrates so that the axis about which the birefringence axis of the birefringent medium rotates in-plane is orthogonal to the sloped sides of the wedge-shaped substrates and so that the end surfaces of the wedge-shaped substrates are parallel to each other, and wherein incoming light (14,15) entering the end surface of the wedge-shaped substrate not adjacent to the polarization grating plate emitted with a desired polarization from the end surface of the other wedge-shaped substrate.