Patent ID: 8203673

Claim:
An elliptical polarizer comprising at least a first polarizer, a first optical anisotropic layer, a second optical anisotropic layer, and a third optical anisotropic layer, laminated in this order, wherein the first optical anisotropic layer satisfies requirement [1] below 50 ≦Re 1≦500 [1] wherein Re 1 denotes the retardation value in the plane of the first optical anisotropic layer and is defined by Re 1 =(Nx 1 −Ny 1 )×d 1 [nm] wherein d 1 indicates the thickness of the first optical anisotropic layer, Nx 1 and Ny 1 indicate the main refractive indices in the plane of the first optical anisotropic layer with respect to a light of a wavelength of 550 nm, Nz 1 indicates the main refractive index in the thickness direction of the first optical anisotropic layer with respect to a light of a wavelength of 550 nm, and Nx 1 >Nz 1 ≧Ny 1 ; the second optical anisotropic layer satisfies requirements [2] and [3] below 0 ≦Re 2≦20 [2] −500 ≦Rth 2≦−30 [3] wherein Re 2 and Rth 2 indicate the retardation values in the plane of the second optical anisotropic layer and in the thickness direction of the second optical anisotropic layer, respectively and are defined by Re 2 =(Nx 2 −Ny 2 )×d 2 [nm] and Rth 2 ={(Nx 2 +Ny 2 )/2−Nz 2 }×d 2 [nm], respectively wherein d 2 indicates the thickness of the second optical anisotropic layer, Nx 2 and Ny 2 indicate the main refractive indices in the plane of the second optical anisotropic layer with respect to a light of a wavelength of 550 nm, Nz 2 indicates the main refractive index in the thickness direction of the second optical anisotropic layer with respect to a light of a wavelength of 550 nm, and Nz 2 >Nx 2 ≧Ny 2 ; and the third optical anisotropic layer satisfies requirement [4] below 100 ≦Re 3≦180 [4] wherein Re 3 indicates the retardation value in the plane of the third optical anisotropic layer and is defined by Re 3 =(Nx 3 −Ny 3 )×d 3 [nm] wherein d 3 indicates the thickness of the third optical anisotropic layer, Nx 3 and Ny 3 indicate the main refractive indices in the plane of the third optical anisotropic layer with respect to a light of a wavelength of 550 nm, Nz 3 indicates the main refractive index in the thickness direction of the third optical anisotropic layer with respect to a light of a wavelength of 550 nm, and Nx 3 >Ny 3 >Nz 3 .