Patent ID: 8042960

Claim:
An illumination device for providing a polarized light beam, the device comprising: a light source having a light emitting surface arranged to emit unpolarized light substantially in a plane (X-Y) and having a shaping optic; a first polarizing reflector arranged to enclose a light emitting surface of said light source in said plane, and adapted to receive said light, reflect light of a first elliptical polarization in a target direction (Z) and transmit light of an opposite, second elliptical polarization; and a second reflector arranged to enclose said first polarizing reflector in said plane and adapted to receive transmitted light from the first polarizing reflector and reflect elliptical polarized light in the target direction (Z); wherein said second reflector phase-shifts a field a component of said transmitted light from said first polarizing reflector by about one-half wave length to create substantially circular polarized light with equal field components having two plane waves of equal amplitude phase shifted relative to each other by 90 degrees.