Patent ID: 7274411

Claim:
A liquid crystal display device including: a liquid crystal display element having: a liquid crystal light valve having one pair of substrates, a transparent electrode formed on one of said one pair of substrates, a reflection electrode formed on the other of said one pair of substrates, and a liquid crystal layer held between said one pair of substrates; and a retardation plate; a light source; and a polarizing optical element, said polarizing optical element being a polarizing beam splitter, wherein said retardation plate and said polarizing optical element are arranged between said liquid crystal light valve and said light source, and an optical axis of said retardation plate and a polarizing axis of the polarizing optical element are shifted from each other; and at least one of the liquid crystal alignment direction on the side of said one substrate on which the transparent electrode is formed and the liquid crystal alignment direction on the side of said other substrate on which the reflection electrode is formed is shifted from said polarizing axis such that said polarizing axis and said at least one of the liquid crystal alignment directions are not in parallel or orthogonal relation to each other; wherein the retardation of said retardation plate in said liquid crystal display element is in the range of 100 to 175 nm; wherein said liquid crystal layer in said liquid crystal element is the liquid crystal layer having the twisted nematic alignment; and wherein a twisted angle of said liquid crystal layer in said liquid crystal display element is in the range of 50 to 90 degrees, and the absolute value of an angle between the optical axis of said retardation plate and a polarizing axis of said polarizing optical element is larger than 0 degree, but is smaller than 10 degrees.