Including Curved Mirror Surfaces In Series Patents (Class 359/858)
  • Patent number: 11194242
    Abstract: An image display device according to an embodiment of the present technology includes a light source, an image generator, and a projection optical system. The image generator modulates a light beam emitted by the light source and generates image light. The projection optical system includes a first lens system, a first reflection optical system, a second lens system, and a second reflection optical system. The first lens system has a positive refractive power as a whole, and refracts the generated image light. The first reflection optical system includes two or more reflection surfaces, each reflection surface being a surface off which the image light refracted by the first lens system is reflected. The second lens system has a positive refractive power as a whole, and refracts the image light reflected off the first reflection optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jun Nishikawa
  • Patent number: 11153556
    Abstract: Methods and systems may provide for 3D volumetric displays. Such 3D volumetric displays may include a transparent enclosed volume holding a gas as a stationary gain medium. A scanning mirror may direct a light beam from a light source. A voxel projector may receive the light beam from the scanning mirror and may project an expanded beam into a volume of the stationary gain medium. Changes in the X and Y orientation between the light beam from the scanning mirror and the voxel projector results in relatively larger changes in the X and Y dimension of the expanded beam that is projected into the volume of the stationary gain medium to produce a 3D image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean Rodrigues, Ercan Dede
  • Patent number: 11028670
    Abstract: A battery of shock waves applicators positioned on a support beam having an elliptical or spherical shape in a common device wherein focused shock waves from the applicators combine to provide pseudo-planar waves over a far field distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: SANUWAVE INC.
    Inventors: Iulian Cioanta, Cary McGhin
  • Patent number: 10656400
    Abstract: An imaging optical unit for projection lithography has a plurality of mirrors for guiding imaging light from an object field into an image field. The object field is spanned by two object field coordinates, with a normal coordinate being perpendicular thereto. Imaging light propagates in a first imaging light plane through at least one first plane intermediate image of the imaging optical unit. In a second imaging light plane, the imaging light propagates through at least one second plane intermediate image of the imaging optical unit. The number of first plane intermediate images and the number of second plane intermediate images differ from one another. An imaging optical unit with reduced production costs emerges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventor: Markus Schwab
  • Patent number: 10527831
    Abstract: A cloaking device includes an object-side, an image-side and an apex axis extending from the object-side to the image-side. An object-side cloaking region (CR) planar reflection boundary having an outward facing mirror surface and an inward facing surface, and an image-side CR planar reflection boundary having an outward facing mirror surface and an inward facing surface, are included. A cloaking region is bounded by inward facing surfaces of the object-side CR planar reflection boundary and the image-side CR planar reflection boundary. At least one exterior curved reflection boundary with an inward facing mirror surface is spaced apart from the object-side CR planar reflection boundary and the image-side CR planar reflection boundary. A centrally positioned planar reflection boundary with an outward facing mirror surface is positioned between the objects-side and image-side CR planar reflection boundaries and faces the inward facing mirror surface of the at least one exterior curved reflection boundary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Kyu-Tae Lee, Debasish Banerjee
  • Patent number: 10488258
    Abstract: A spectrometer cell can include a spacer, at least one end cap, and at least one mirror with a reflective surface. The end cap can be positioned proximate to a first contact end of the spacer such that the end cap and spacer at least partially enclose an internal volume of the spectrometer cell. The mirror can be secured in place by a mechanical attachment that includes attachment materials that are chemically inert to at least one reactive gas compound. The mechanical attachment can hold an optical axis of the reflective surface in a fixed orientation relative to other components of the spectrometer cell and or a spectrometer device that comprises the spectrometer cell. The mirror can optionally be constructed of a material such as stainless steel, ceramic, or the like. Related methods, articles of manufacture, systems, and the like are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: SpectraSensors, Inc.
    Inventors: Lutz Keller, Alfred Feitisch, Peter Scott, Mathias Schrempel, Nathan St. John
  • Patent number: 10421402
    Abstract: A cloaking device includes an object-side, an image-side, a cloaked region (CR) between the object-side and the image-side, and a reference optical axis extending from the object-side to the image-side. An object-side CR reflection boundary, an object-side half-mirror, and an object-side color filter are positioned on the object side and an image-side CR reflection boundary, an image-side half-mirror, and an image-side color filter are positioned on the image-side. The object-side half-mirror and the object-side color filter are spaced apart from and positioned generally parallel to the object-side CR reflection boundary, and the image-side half-mirror and the image-side color filter are spaced apart from and positioned generally parallel to the image-side CR reflection boundary. Light from an object located on the object-side of the cloaking device and obscured by the CR propagates via three optical paths to form an image of the object on the image-side of the cloaking device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Kyu-Tae Lee, Chengang Ji, Debasish Banerjee
  • Patent number: 10264632
    Abstract: A direct type backlight unit disposed under a liquid crystal panel includes a backlight module including a printed circuit board including blocks arranged in an M×N matrix, in which M and N are natural numbers of 2 or greater, light emitting devices disposed on the printed circuit board such that at least one light emitting device is disposed in each block, each of the light emitting devices including light emitting cells disposed on a single substrate, and optical members disposed on the light emitting devices, each of the optical members being configured to change a light beam distribution of a corresponding light emitting device, and a backlight control module configured to control dimming levels of the light emitting devices and to independently control the light emitting devices disposed in different blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young Jun Song, Hyuck Jung Choi, Il Kyung Suh
  • Patent number: 10219333
    Abstract: A direct type backlight unit disposed under a liquid crystal panel includes a backlight module including a printed circuit board including blocks arranged in an M×N matrix, in which M and N are natural numbers of 2 or greater, light emitting devices disposed on the printed circuit board such that at least one light emitting device is disposed in each block, each of the light emitting devices including light emitting cells disposed on a single substrate, and optical members disposed on the light emitting devices, each of the optical members being configured to change a light beam distribution of a corresponding light emitting device, and a backlight control module configured to control dimming levels of the light emitting devices and to independently control the light emitting devices disposed in different blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young Jun Song, Hyuck Jung Choi, Il Kyung Suh
  • Patent number: 10190746
    Abstract: An example lighting device has illumination light sources, each configured to be independently driven. The device further includes an optical lens positioned over the illumination light sources. The optical lens has a number of aspheric or spheric convex surfaces, including an input surface and an output surface. The input surface includes an input peripheral portion and an input central portion. The input peripheral portion extends from the illumination light sources and curves from a region of the illumination light sources towards the input central portion. The input central portion curves towards the illumination light sources. The output surface includes an output lateral portion, an output shoulder portion, and an output body portion. Another example uses optical-to-electrical transducers, e.g. light detector or photovoltaic devices, in combination with the optical lens, for light reception transducer applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: ABL IP HOLDING LLC
    Inventors: An Mao, Gregory Malone, Robert M. Krass, David P. Ramer, Rashmi Kumar Rogers, James Michael Phipps, Steve Lyons
  • Patent number: 10139734
    Abstract: An imaging optical unit for imaging an object field in an image field is disclosed. The imaging optical unit has an obscured pupil. This pupil has a center, through which a chief ray of a central field point passes. The imaging optical unit furthermore has a plurality of imaging optical components. A gravity center of a contiguous pupil obscuration region of the imaging optical unit lies decentrally in the pupil of the imaging optical unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Alexander Epple, Ralf Mueller, Hans-Juergen Rostalski
  • Patent number: 9939733
    Abstract: There is provided a reflective imaging optical system forming an image of a first plane onto a second plane, wherein the numerical aperture with respect to a first direction on the second plane is greater than 1.1 times a numerical aperture with respect to a second direction crossing the first direction on the second plane. The reflecting imaging optical system has an aperture stop defining the numerical aperture on the side of the second plane, and the aperture stop has an elliptic-shaped opening of which size in a major axis direction is greater than 1.1 times that in a minor axis direction. The reflective image-forming optical system is applicable to an exposure apparatus using, for example, EUV light and capable of increasing numerical aperture while enabling optical path separation of light fluxes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Hideki Komatsuda
  • Patent number: 9853189
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a backlight module using MJT LEDs and a backlight unit including the same. More specifically, embodiments of the disclosure provide a backlight module, which includes MJT LEDs configured to increase an effective light emitting area of each of light emitting cells and optical members capable of uniformly dispersing light emitted from the MJT LEDs. In addition, embodiments of the disclosure provide a backlight unit using the backlight module, thereby reducing the number of LEDs constituting the backlight unit while allowing operation at low current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young Jun Song, Hyuck Jung Choi, Il Kyung Suh
  • Patent number: 9797574
    Abstract: An obstruction light is disclosed herein. The obstruction light can include a reflector having a first parabolic portion and a second parabolic portion. The obstruction light can also include a light assembly having at least one array of light sources disposed adjacent to the reflector between the first parabolic portion and the second parabolic portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Cooper Technology Company
    Inventors: Yi Yang, Patrick Stephen Blincoe, Kantesh Vittal Agnihotri
  • Patent number: 9772560
    Abstract: A light source apparatus including a light source configured to emit a light flux from an emission region having a predetermined size and a rotationally symmetrical emission intensity distribution; and a condenser configured to condense the light flux to allow the light flux to exit to the outside. The condenser is rotationally symmetrical about an optical axis and is disposed to surround the emission region, and has four or more reflection mirrors each having a reflecting surface for reflecting the light flux emitted from the emission region. The reflection mirrors include elliptical surface reflection mirrors where the reflecting surface is elliptical and spherical surface reflection mirrors where the reflecting surface is spherical, and are alternately arranged in the direction of the optical axis, and a light flux reflected by one spherical surface reflection mirror is further reflected by one elliptical surface reflection mirror oppositely disposed across the emission region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Haruna Kawashima
  • Patent number: 9671085
    Abstract: A reflector for reflecting light emitted by an LED light source and a method of forming the same are provided. The reflector has a unitary silicone body having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The unitary silicone body has an inner surface extending between the first and second ends. The inner surface defines a first aperture at the first end for receiving the LED light source. The inner surface defines a second aperture at the second end for permitting light emitted from the LED light source to escape the unitary silicone body. The inner surface has a maximum inner diameter between the first and second ends. The inner surface has an inner diameter at the second end that is less than the maximum inner diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: DOW CORNING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Harold W. Brunt, Jr., Emil Radkov, Wei Rong, Jacob William Steinbrecher, Michael Raymond Strong
  • Patent number: 9618181
    Abstract: A light emitting module includes a circuit board, a light emitting device mounted on the circuit board, and a lens dispersing light emitted from the light emitting device. The lens includes a lower surface formed with a concave section defining a light incident surface through which light enters the lens, an upper surface through which light exits the lens, and legs coupled to the circuit board and disposed farther outside the lens than an area of the upper surface. The light emitting device is disposed within the concave section of the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sung Ki Hwang, Eun Ju Kim, Jung Doo Kim
  • Patent number: 9039196
    Abstract: An image displaying apparatus including a light source, an image displaying element configured to control exiting of incident light to display an image, an illumination optical system configured to illuminate the image displaying element with light exiting from the light source, and a projection optical system configured to project an image displayed on a display surface of the image displaying element, to provide an enlarged display. The projection optical system includes a lens optical system, a first mirror configured to reflect light transmitted through the lens optical system, and a second mirror configured to reflect light reflected from the first mirror toward the surface to be projected onto, and one of the mirrors is arranged at a position conjugate to the image displaying element, and wherein an optical surface of the one mirror is arranged to face vertically downward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Hirakawa, Hibiki Tatsuno, Takanobu Osaka, Yasuyuki Shibayama, Kiichiro Nishina
  • Patent number: 9016880
    Abstract: An advantageous optical apparatus with relatively large field viewing of an image to the rear of an observer is disclosed. The apparatus has two mirrors having cylindrical symmetry where the mirrors are positioned so that a plane of symmetry for each mirror is substantially coincident. The mirrors are further configured so that the apparatus has an astigmatism less than 0.0035, and a ratio between the far field and the near field magnification of less than 0.9. The apparatus is fabricated, in one embodiment, by using force to conform a thin polymer mirror onto an appropriate surface configuration on a monolithic block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Inventor: Ronald Joseph Schutz
  • Patent number: 8975571
    Abstract: An off-axial three-mirror system includes a primary mirror, a secondary mirror, a tertiary mirror, and an image sensor. The secondary mirror is located on a reflective optical path of the primary mirror. The tertiary mirror is located on a reflective optical path of the secondary mirror. The image sensor is located on a reflecting optical path of the tertiary mirror. The primary mirror and the tertiary mirror are formed as one piece. The surface type of both the primary mirror and the tertiary mirror is a freeform surface. The primary mirror is a convex mirror, and the tertiary mirror is a concave mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2015
    Assignees: Tsinghua University, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wei Hou, Jun Zhu, Guo-Fan Jin, Shou-Shan Fan
  • Patent number: 8967817
    Abstract: The disclosure generally relates to imaging optical systems that include a plurality of mirrors, which image an object field lying in an object plane in an image field lying in an image plane, where at least one of the mirrors has a through-hole for imaging light to pass through. The disclosure also generally relates to projection exposure installations that include such imaging optical systems, methods of using such projection exposure installations, and components made by such methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventor: Hans-Juergen Mann
  • Publication number: 20150029477
    Abstract: An optical system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus has an optical axis, at least one mirror arrangement having a plurality of mirror elements that are adjustable independently of one another for altering an angular distribution of the light reflected by the mirror arrangement, and a deflection device which includes, relative to the optical beam path downstream of the mirror arrangement, at least one deflection surface at which a deflection of the optical axis occurs. The at least one deflection surface has refractive power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2014
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventors: Michael Patra, Johannes Eisenmenger, Markus Schwab
  • Publication number: 20150022799
    Abstract: An imaging optical system includes a plurality of mirrors configured to image an object field in an object plane of the imaging optical system into an image field in an image plane of the imaging optical system. An illumination system includes such an imaging optical system. The transmission losses of the illumination system are relatively low.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2014
    Publication date: January 22, 2015
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Armin Schoeppach, Johannes Zellner
  • Patent number: 8908269
    Abstract: A catadioptric projection objective for imaging a pattern provided in an object plane of the projection objective onto an image plane of the projection objective has a first, refractive objective part for imaging the pattern provided in the object plane into a first intermediate image; a second objective part including at least one concave mirror for imaging the first Intermediate imaging into a second intermediate image; and a third, refractive objective part for imaging the second intermediate imaging onto the image plane; wherein the projection objective has a maximum lens diameter Dmax, a maximum image field height Y?, and an image side numerical aperture NA; wherein COMP1=Dmax/(Y?·NA2) and wherein the condition COMP1<10 holds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: David R. Shafer, Wilhelm Ulrich, Aurelian Dodoc, Rudolf M. von Buenau, Hans-Juergen Mann, Alexander Epple, Susanne Beder, Wolfgang Singer
  • Patent number: 8894226
    Abstract: A method for producing a multiple surface system that may be a two-mirror surface. The method involves first finding from a given primary curve an appropriate secondary curve. The method then uses ideas from exterior differential systems to grow from the primary curve and the secondary curve, primary and secondary mirror surfaces. The Cartan-Kähler theorem gives a strong indication of the existence of such solution surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignees: Drexel University, The Trustees of The University of Pennsylvania
    Inventors: Robert Andrew Hicks, Christopher Croke
  • Publication number: 20140334023
    Abstract: An optical delay device comprises a multi-pass optical cell including first and second facing curved mirrors defining an optical cavity. One curved mirror includes a spatially extended aperture, such as a wedge-shaped notch aperture formed into the perimeter of the curved mirror. One curved mirror is split into two component mirrors one of which is tilted to define a swirling reflection pattern on the curved mirror that includes the spatially extended aperture. The optical time delay introduced to a light ray by the multi-pass optical cell depends on the input location of the light ray into the spatially extended aperture. The optical delay device may include two such multi-pass optical cells and a mirror that optically couples the two said multi-pass optical cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Inventors: Yu Shi, Betty Lise Anderson
  • Publication number: 20140300876
    Abstract: The invention relates to an optical arrangement comprising: at least one optical element comprising an optical surface and a substrate, wherein the substrate is formed from a material whose temperature-dependent coefficient of thermal expansion at a zero crossing temperature ?TZC=TZC?Tref related to a reference temperature Tref is equal to zero, wherein the optical surface has, during the operation of the optical arrangement, a location-dependent temperature distribution ?T(x, y) that is dependent on a local irradiance (5a), is related to the reference temperature Tref and has an average temperature ?Tav, a minimum temperature ?Tmin and a maximum temperature ?Tmax, wherein the average temperature ?Tav is less than the average value 1/2 (?Tmax+?Tmin) formed from the minimum temperature ?Tmin and the maximum temperature ?Tmax, and wherein the zero crossing temperature ?TZC is greater than the average temperature ?Tav.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2014
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Inventors: Norman Baer, Toralf Gruner, Ulrich Loering
  • Publication number: 20140268381
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optical module for a lens, especially a microlithographic apparatus, comprising a first holding device with an inner circumference that extends in a first circumferential direction, and at least one first supporting device which is fastened to the inner circumference of said first holding device and is used for supporting a first optical element, an annular circumferential first assembly space being defined by displacing the first supporting device once in a revolving manner along the first circumferential direction. At least one second supporting device which is fixed to the inner circumference of the first holding device is provided for supporting a second optical element, an annular circumferential second assembly space being defined by displacing the second supporting device once in a revolving manner along the first circumferential direction. The first assembly space intersects the second assembly space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Jens Kugler, Franz Sorg, Yim-Bun Patrick Kwan
  • Publication number: 20140254036
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optical module for a lens, especially a microlithographic apparatus, comprising a first holding device with an inner circumference that extends in a first circumferential direction, and at least one first supporting device which is fastened to the inner circumference of said first holding device and is used for supporting a first optical element, an annular circumferential first assembly space being defined by displacing the first supporting device once in a revolving manner along the first circumferential direction. At least one second supporting device which is fixed to the inner circumference of the first holding device is provided for supporting a second optical element, an annular circumferential second assembly space being defined by displacing the second supporting device once in a revolving manner along the first circumferential direction. The first assembly space intersects the second assembly space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Jens Kugler, Franz Sorg, Yim-Bun Patrick Kwan
  • Patent number: 8824042
    Abstract: Raman signal amplification apparatus comprises an ellipsoidal reflector providing a first real focus f1, and second real or virtual focus f2, both foci being situated within a sample volume. When an input laser excitation beam having an initial numerical aperture (NA) is focused onto one of the foci, the beam is reflected by the reflector and refocused onto alternating foci, such that the NA of the reflected optical path progressively increases for higher efficiency collection of Raman emissions from the multiple foci. The ellipsoidal reflector may be a half section providing a single real focus f1, with a flat reflector producing a mirror image of the ellipsoidal reflector, such that f2 is a virtual focus occupying the same point as f1. Alternatively, the ellipsoidal reflector may have a first half section with a first real focus f1 and a second half section with a second real focus f2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Kaiser Optical Systems
    Inventors: James M. Tedesco, Joseph B. Slater
  • Patent number: 8823702
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating volumetric images viewable without 3D eyewear. The apparatus includes an image display assembly displaying a first image at a first display time and a second image at a second display time (e.g., a number of planar or 2D images on a display screen/surface). The apparatus includes a flexible two-way mirror element (a varifocal beamsplitter). During operations, the first and second images from the display assembly are directed toward and then reflected from the back side of the mirror element. The apparatus also includes a hoop-shaped frame supporting a peripheral edge of the mirror element. A driver shakes the frame to resonate the mirror element between convex and concave shapes while it is used for reflecting the first and second images. The apparatus also includes a concave mirror positioned relative to the mirror element to receive the reflected first and second images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Quinn Smithwick, Lanny Smoot, Daniel Reetz
  • Publication number: 20140168803
    Abstract: An advantageous optical apparatus with relatively large field viewing of an image to the rear of an observer is disclosed. The apparatus has two mirrors having cylindrical symmetry where the mirrors are positioned so that a plane of symmetry for each mirror is substantially coincident. The mirrors are further configured so that the apparatus has an astigmatism less than 0.0035, and a ratio between the far field and the near field magnification of less than 0.9. The apparatus is fabricated, in one embodiment, by using force to conform a thin polymer mirror onto an appropriate surface configuration on a monolithic block.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Inventor: Ronald Joseph Schutz
  • Publication number: 20140132941
    Abstract: An imaging optical system has a plurality of mirrors. These image an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. In the imaging optical system, the ratio of a maximum angle of incidence of imaging light) on reflection surfaces of the mirrors and an image-side numerical aperture of the imaging optical system is less than 33.8°. This can result in an imaging optical system which offers good conditions for a reflective coating of the mirror, with which a low reflection loss can be achieved for imaging light when passing through the imaging optical system, in particular even at wavelengths in the EUV range of less than 10 nm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Wilheim Ulrich, Stephan Muellender, Hartmut Enkisch
  • Publication number: 20140124649
    Abstract: An off-axial three-mirror system includes a primary mirror, a secondary mirror, a tertiary mirror, and an image sensor. The secondary mirror is located on a reflective optical path of the primary mirror. The tertiary mirror is located on a reflective optical path of the secondary mirror. The image sensor is located on a reflecting optical path of the tertiary mirror. The primary mirror and the tertiary mirror are formed as one piece. The surface type of both the primary mirror and the tertiary mirror is a freeform surface. The primary mirror is a convex mirror, and the tertiary mirror is a concave mirror.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Inventors: WEI HOU, JUN ZHU, GUO-FAN JIN, SHOU-SHAN FAN
  • Publication number: 20140124657
    Abstract: An off-axial three-mirror system includes a primary mirror, a secondary mirror, a tertiary mirror, and an image sensor. The secondary mirror is located on a reflective optical path of the primary mirror. The tertiary mirror is located on a reflective optical path of the secondary mirror. The image sensor is located on a reflecting optical path of the tertiary mirror. The primary mirror and the tertiary mirror are formed as one piece. The surface type of both the primary mirror and the tertiary mirror is a freeform surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Inventors: JUN ZHU, WEI HOU, GUO-FAN JIN, SHOU-SHAN FAN
  • Patent number: 8704822
    Abstract: A volumetric display system which enables user interaction is described. In an embodiment, the system consists of a volumetric display and an optical system. The volumetric display creates a 3D light field of an object to be displayed and the optical system creates a copy of the 3D light field in a position away from the volumetric display and where a user can interact with the image of the object displayed. In an embodiment, the optical system involves a pair of parabolic mirror portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: David Alexander Butler, Stephen E. Hodges, Shahram Izadi, Stuart Taylor, Nicolas Villar
  • Patent number: 8616712
    Abstract: A new family of truly nonsymmetric optical systems that exploit a new fabrication degree of freedom enabled by the introduction of slow-servos to diamond machining; surfaces whose departure from a sphere varies both radially and azimuthally in the aperture, and associated design method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: University of Rochester
    Inventors: Jannick P. Rolland, Kyle Fuerschbach
  • Publication number: 20130342821
    Abstract: The disclosure generally relates to imaging optical systems that include a plurality of mirrors, which image an object field lying in an object plane in an image field lying in an image plane, where at least one of the mirrors has a through-hole for imaging light to pass through. The disclosure also generally relates to projection exposure installations that include such imaging optical systems, methods of using such projection exposure installations, and components made by such methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventor: Hans-Juergen Mann
  • Publication number: 20130229722
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatuses for objectives are provided. An objective includes a body, a first concave mirrored surface on the body, a second concave mirrored surface on the body, and a central pathway. The first concave mirrored surface has a centrally located first opening. The second concave mirrored surface has a centrally located second opening. The first and second concave mirrored surfaces are oriented in opposition to each other and coupled together at the first and second openings. The central pathway extends from a first end of the body to a second end of the body, and an axis of symmetry of the body resides in the central pathway. The first and second concave mirrored surfaces focus/magnify light passing through the central pathway through the body. The objective may also include a mask that at least partially obscures the light passing through the central pathway through the body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2013
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Inventor: Steven Vogel
  • Publication number: 20130200272
    Abstract: An optical system for fluorescence detection includes two parabolic mirrors, a first parabolic mirror and a second parabolic mirror, and fluorescent light beams that are incident from different directions are reflected by the first parabolic mirror as parallel light beams to the second parabolic mirror and are converged at one point by the second parabolic mirror.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2013
    Publication date: August 8, 2013
    Applicant: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Sony Corporation
  • Publication number: 20130188246
    Abstract: An imaging optical system, in particular a projection objective, for microlithography, includes optical elements to guide electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength in a path to image an object field into an image plane. The imaging optical system includes a pupil, having coordinates (p, q), which, together with the image field, having coordinates (x, y) of the optical system, spans an extended 4-dimensional pupil space, having coordinates (x, y, p, q), as a function of which a wavefront W(x, y, p, q) of the radiation passing through the optical system is defined. The wavefront W can therefore be defined in the pupil plane as a function of an extended 4-dimensional pupil space spanned by the image field (x, y) and the pupil (p, q) as W(x, y, p, q)=W(t), with t=(x, y, p, q).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventor: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
  • Patent number: 8469528
    Abstract: An imaging optical system includes three reflecting mirrors having first to third reflection surfaces and is configured, such that in an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system using an optical axis at the center of the field of view as Z-axis, the optical axis at the center of the field of view and an optical axis of an image plane are in parallel to each other Assuming that along the path of the beam traveling along the optical axis at the center of the field of view a distance between the second reflection surface and the third reflection surface is L2, a distance between the third reflection surface and the image plane is L3 and fy1 and an equivalent F-number of the imaging optical system is represented as Fno, the relational expression 0.5<Fno(L2/L3)<1.3 is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Nalux Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norihisa Sakagami, Takahiro Fujioka, Kouei Hatade
  • Publication number: 20130114156
    Abstract: An all-reflective afocal optical system including an aspheric beam steering mirror positioned at an exit pupil of the afocal optical system. In one example, an all-reflective afocal optical imaging system includes a sensor, a afocal optical apparatus including a plurality of minors optically coupled together and configured to receive light rays through an entrance pupil of the afocal optical imaging system and to substantially collimate the light rays to provide a collimated optical beam to an exit pupil, and an aspheric beam steering mirror positioned at the exit pupil and configured to receive the collimated optical beam and to direct the collimated optical beam to the sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2011
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Applicant: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventor: Lacy G. Cook
  • Publication number: 20130083414
    Abstract: An optical system, used for scanning, forms an image using reflective optical surfaces. The system may be telecentric, and may form an image that is reduced in size as compared with the scanned original. Several image-forming optical channels may be combined to form a page-wide scanning array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Applicant: HEWLETT-PACKAD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventor: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
  • Patent number: 8384896
    Abstract: An optical slicer for generating an output spot comprising an image compressor which receives a substantially collimated input beam and compresses the beam, wherein the input beam, if passed through a focusing lens, produces an input spot; an image reformatter which receives the compressed beam to reformat the beam into a plurality of sliced portions of the compressed beam and vertically stacks the portions substantially parallel to each other; and an image expander which expands the reformatted beam to produce a collimated output beam which, if passed through the focusing lens, produces the output spot that is expanded in a first dimension and compressed in a second dimension relative to the input spot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Tornado Medical Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey T. Meade, Arsen R. Hajian, Bradford B. Behr, Andrew T. Cenko
  • Publication number: 20120327527
    Abstract: A means to increase both vertical and horizontal field of view for collimated display systems suitable for flight simulator display systems that use spherical metallised film mirrors of limited width as a reflecting surface. By joining additional material to both sides (top and bottom) of a length of metallised polymer film, the area of highest quality mirror surface is increased in both the vertical and horizontal directions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2011
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Inventors: Kevin Jarvis, Terrence Burns
  • Patent number: 8317345
    Abstract: In general, in one aspect, the invention features an objective arranged to image radiation from an object plane to an image plane, including a plurality of elements arranged to direct the radiation from the object plane to the image plane, wherein the objective has an image side numerical aperture of more than 0.55 and a maximum image side field dimension of more than 1 mm, and the objective is a catoptric objective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, David Shafer, Wilhelm Ulrich
  • Patent number: 8317344
    Abstract: Optical structure and design concepts are provided, using a Y-Zernike polynomial, and by which optical components, optical components and optical structures, can be designed and produced, to image at extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths, at a relatively high NA (e.g. 0.35), with a relatively large field of view (e.g. 26×2 mm). Moreover, an optical structure produced according to the principles of the present invention has a small amount of asymmetry, which enables the components of the optical structure to be manufactured with current manufacturing techniques.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: David M. Williamson, Daniel G. Smith
  • Publication number: 20120274919
    Abstract: A reflection mirror assembly for use in a catadioptric imaging optical system includes two curved reflection mirrors, each including a reflection surface expressed by equation (a), where y represents height in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis, z represents distance (sag amount) along the optical axis from a tangent plane at a vertex of the reflection surface to a position on the reflection surface at height y, r represents a vertex curvature radius, and R represents a conical coefficient; z=(y2/r)/[1+{1?(1+?)·y2/r2}1/2]??(a), wherein ?1<k<0.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventors: David Shafer, Wilhelm Ulrich, Aurelian Dodoc, Rudolf Von Buenau, Hans-Juergen Mann, Alexander Epple
  • Publication number: 20120243114
    Abstract: A new family of truly nonsymmetric optical systems that exploit a new fabrication degree of freedom enabled by the introduction of slow-servos to diamond machining; surfaces whose departure from a sphere varies both radially and azimuthally in the aperture, and associated design method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Applicant: UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
    Inventors: Jannick P. Rolland, Kyle Fuerschbach