Patent ID: 8179501

Claim:
An elliptical polarizer comprising: a polarizer; a first optical anisotropic layer; and a second optical anisotropic layer, laminated in this order, the first optical anisotropic layer satisfying the requirements [1] and [2] below and being disposed so that the slow axis thereof is orthogonal to the absorption axis of the polarizer, the second optical anisotropic layer being a liquid crystal film having a retardation value in the plane of 30 to 150 nm with respect to a 550 nm wavelength light and fixed in a nematic hybrid alignment wherein the average tilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules of a liquid crystalline polymer exhibiting a positive optical uniaxiality is from 5° to 50° and being disposed so that the aligned direction of the second optical anisotropic layer is parallel to the absorption axis of the polarizer, and the elliptical polarizer being used in a twisted nematic (TN) type liquid crystal display device so that the second optical anisotropic layer is disposed on the liquid crystal cell side of the device: 0.8≦NZ1≦1.6 [1] 120≦Re1≦250 [2] wherein NZ1=(nx1−nz1)/(nx1−ny1), Re1 indicates the retardation value in the plane of the first optical anisotropic layer defined by Re1=(nx1−ny1)xd1[nm]wherein d1 indicates the thickness [nm] of the first optical anisotropic layer, nx1 and ny1 indicate the main refractive indices in the plane of the first optical anisotropic layer with respect to a 550 nm wavelength light, nz1 indicates the main refractive index in the thickness direction of the first optical anisotropic layer with respect to a 550 nm light, and nx1>ny1.