Seiko KATO^*, Takaaki TAKEISHI, Takaaki NOZAKI, and Masafumi IDE

Development Division, CITIZEN Holdings Co., Ltd., Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-8511, Japan

(Received May 31, 2012; Accepted August 31, 2012)

Crosstalk is one of the most important factors affecting the image quality of polarization switching three-dimensional (3D) projectors. The variation in the phase difference of a polarization switch owing to dispersion degrades crosstalk performance. We propose a novel multistage circular polarization switch comprising liquid crystal devices using a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) in-plane fast switch and a thick nematic liquid crystal (NLC) retarder. In this paper, we present a proof-of-concept model of a 3D laser pico projector using a scanning MEMS head in combination with the polarization switch. We also evaluate the crosstalk and 3D performance of the projector.

Key words: polarization switch, 3D pico projector, chromatic dispersion

^*E-mail address: katohs@citizen.co.jp