Patent ID: 8304017

Claim:
A method of producing a patterned birefringent product, comprising at least steps (I) to (III) in this order: (I) providing a birefringent pattern builder having an optically anisotropic layer containing a polymer having unreacted reactive groups, which is a layer formed by coating and drying a solution including a liquid crystalline compound having two or more kinds of reactive groups having different polymerization conditions, to thereby form a liquid crystal phase, and then polymerizing and fixing the compound by applying heat or irradiating ionizing radiation; (II) heating a region of the birefringent pattern builder at 180 to 260° C., thereby to transform the optically anisotropic layer into a patterned optically anisotropic layer; and (III) subjecting the birefringent pattern builder to a process that reacts at least a part of the unreacted reactive groups in the optically patterned anisotropic layer.