Patent ID: 7477348

Claim:
A retarder comprising: a transparent support substrate; a prism layer including a plurality of microprisms arranged on one of main surfaces of the transparent support substrate, each of the microprisms having a sloped prism face formed at the same slope angle with respect to the one main surface in the same direction; an optical anisotropic medium layer disposed on the sloped prism face so that an optic axis of the optical anisotropic medium layer is directed in one of a direction of the maximum sloped prism face of the microprisms and a direction perpendicular to the direction of the maximum sloped prism face; and a planarizing layer disposed on the transparent support substrate so as to embed the optical anisotropic medium layer therein, the planarizing layer being formed from a material having an index of refraction that is substantially the same as that of the microprisms.