Patent ID: 8023189

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a retardation compensation element capable of generating negative retardation in light passing the retardation compensation element the method comprising: providing a plurality of transparent substrates and at least two materials in a vacuum chamber; depositing particles released from the at least two materials onto the plurality of transparent substrates to form a retardation compensation layer having a multilayer structure in which at least two types of thin layers that have different refractive indices from each other are alternately stacked on each of the transparent substrates, wherein the plurality of transparent substrates include a pair of substrates on each of which the retardation compensation layer having a substantially same thickness is formed; and taking out the pair of substrates from the vacuum chamber and joining the pair of substrates with each other so that retardation distribution characteristics for azimuth angles of light incident on the respective substrates are rotated at substantially 90 degrees relative to each other.