Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspecting masks and reticles by simplifying rotational alignment thereof so as to shorten alignment time is proposed wherein a rotational angle representing a rotational error between a reference substrate and a substrate to be inspected is measured in advance, the substrate to be inspected being provided with the same circuit patterns as those of the reference substrate in one-to-one correspondence, a position of a stage having these substrates thereon is automatically measured, and a measurement error caused by the rotational error can be automatically corrected, thereby providing accurate measured values.

Abstract: An apparatus for moving a driven member, such as a stage, in response to inclination of an operating member, such as a joy stick, produces signals that are transformed between different coordinate systems, such as rectangular and polar coordinate systems, one of the signal transformations being nonlinear. By virtue of the invention, the velocity of the driven member, which is dependent upon the inclination of the operating member, does not depend on the direction of inclination of the operating member, and the direction of movement of the driven member corresponds accurately to the direction of inclination of the operating member.

Abstract: A camera body is constructed in a manner that two different types of AF lenses can be detachably attached thereto and the camera body can properly operate these types of AF lenses.The camera body detects the type of the attached one of the AF lenses and generates a corresponding detection signal according to a detection result.In addition, the camera body is designed to selectively generate at least two different voltages according to the detection result.

Abstract: An exposure method for photolithography comprises the steps of forming a pattern on a substrate by the use of a first exposure apparatus including a first imaging optical system having a reduction magnification 1/.beta.1 and an image circle of a diameter .phi.1, and forming a second pattern on the substrate on which the first pattern has been formed, by the use of a second exposure apparatus including a second imaging optical system having a reduction magnification 1/.beta.2 different from the reduction magnification 1/.beta.1 and an image circle of a diameter .phi.2, wherein when N is an integer, the conditions that .beta.1.times..phi.1=.beta.2.times..phi.2 and .phi.1=N.times..phi.2 are satisfied.

Abstract: A bracketing exposure control camera is structured in such a manner that a preset number of frames for bracketing photography is compared with the actual number of frames exposed so far in bracketing photography and exposure control operation is forcibly stopped upon detecting that the preset number of frames has been exposed. The bracketing exposure control camera can perform bracketing photography of a plurality of frames with a motor drive device, and will not waste film when the operator continues to depress the shutter release button after bracketing photography has been completed.

Abstract: A fast telephoto lens has a longer focal length of 300 to 400 mm, and an F-number of about 2.0 to 2.8, which does not utilize a floating mechanism, has a small deviation in aberration when the lens is focused on an object, and has a simple construction for shifting only one lens group. The fast telephoto lens is of internal focusing type and comprises positive, negative and positive lens groups from the object side, and only the negative (second) lens group is shifted to obtain an in-focus state.

Abstract: An apparatus for recording information on concentric circular recording tracks on a rotatable magnetic recording medium and/or reproducing the information from the recording tracks comprises a magnetic head provided in opposed relationship with the recording medium, a rotatable member, a driving device for intermittently rotating the rotatable member by a predetermined angle, a lever having a pivot shaft and intermittently pivoting in a predetermined direction about the pivot shaft by a unit pivot angle corresponding to the predetermined angle in response to the rotatable member, and a mechanism for intermittently moving the magnetic head in one direction on a straight line passing through the center of rotation of the recording medium in response to the pivoting lever, the head moving mechanism converting the pivotal displacement of the pivoting lever into rectilinear displacement.

Abstract: An optical apparatus for precisely measuring the dimensions of an object comprises an objective lens for forming an enlarged image of the object, a screen member onto which the enlarged image by the objective lens is projected and which is movable in a direction parallel to one direction on the image plane of the enlarged image, the screen member including a slit formed perpendicularly to the one direction, and a reflecting surface which is provided in an area including the surroundings of the slit and onto which the enlarged image is projected, observation optical means for observing therethrough the enlarged image on the reflecting surface, the observation optical means having a relay lens, and a field lens provided in opposed relationship with the reflecting surface of the screen member, the imaging light beam of the object from the objective lens passing through the field lens onto the reflecting surface of the screen member, the imaging light beam of the object reflected by the reflecting surface of the

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the precision measurement of positions, dimensions, etc., of a pattern or mark formed on the surface of a flat object such as a photographic mask or reticle. The amount of vertical deviation of the object with respect to a reference plane is detected at each of a plurality of measuring points and the incline of the surface of the object with respect to the reference plane at each of the measuring points is determined in accordance with the amounts of deviation and the distance between the measuring points. The coordinate positions of each of the measuring points in the reference plane are measured in accordance with the amount of movement of the object parallel to the reference plane and the coordinate positions are corrected in accordance with the corresponding incline.

Abstract: A projection optical apparatus comprises illuminating means providing for an illuminating light beam, a projection optical system including optical elements disposed across the illuminating light beam and having an imaging plane, and detecting mean including temperature sensor means provided on at least one of the optical elements and producing an output corresponding to the temperature of the one optical element.

Abstract: An information display device comprises a scale display including segments arranged in a line in one direction in the display area and a character display arranged in the display area for displaying characters and/or numerals. The character display includes display elements arranged along the same line of the scale display and at least a portion of the display elements of the character display are arranged between segments of the scale display.

Abstract: An automatic focus adjustment apparatus of this invention is constituted by: position detector for detecting the position of a photographing lens to be driven to the in-focus position in accordance with the state of focus; a memory section for storing therein a given position of the photographing lens which is specified by an operator; a command generator for generating a command for the photographing lens to be shifted to the thus-stored position; a difference calculating circuit for calculating the difference between the thus-stored position and the current focus position of the photographing lens; and a drive controller for controlling a drive motor so that the drive motor may drive the photographing lens to the stored position in response to the command from the command generator and in accordance with the thus-calculated difference. The command generator issues a command in correspondence with a desired focus position of the photographing lens.

Abstract: An optical path length compensating device comprises a first objective having one focus coincident with a two-dimensional plane and provided for movement along the two-dimensional plane, a second objective having one focus coincident with a predetermined focal plane, first and second reflecting means provided in the optical path between the first objective and the second objective for movement along the optical path, the first reflecting means including at least one reflecting surface for turning the optical path from the first objective by a predetermined angle in a plane parallel to the two-dimensional plane, the second reflecting means including at least one pair of reflecting surfaces for directing the light from the first reflecting means to the second objective, means for moving the first objective and the first reflecting means in operative association with each other, and means for moving the second reflecting means so that the other focus of the first objective and the other focus of the second objec

Abstract: An optical apparatus for detecting the position of an object by projecting a light image onto the object through a transparent plate and detecting the reflected light from the object through the transparent plate is disclosed. The projection optical system includes a first objective lens for forming the light image. The optical axis of the projection is disposed inclined to the above-said transparent plate. The detection optical system includes a second objective lens for refocusing the light reflected from the object. The optical axis of the reflection light detection between the second object lens and the object is disposed inclined to the transparent plate. The apparatus further comprises plane parallel optical members mounted obliquely so as to cancel the asymmetric aberrations generated by the above-said transparent plate.

Abstract: A camera having a continuous photographing mode in which an exposure operation and a one frame-wind-up operation of a film are repeatedly carried out, comprising RAM, CCD, A/C convertor, a motor, encoder and AF lens control device. CCD and A/D convertor detect a defocus distance of a photographing lens and forming a data representing. The detected defocus distance and stores said data into the RAM. Motor drives the photographing lens. Encoder detects a driven distance of the photographing lens driven by the motor to generate a detection signal and the motor drives the photographing lens such that the drive distance represented by the detection signal coincides with the defocus distance represented by the data of the RAM.

Abstract: A process and an apparatus for positioning a substrate provided with at least an alignment mark (reference pattern) and other patterns irrelevant to the alignment such as circuit patterns, are featured by obtaining photoelectric signals corresponding to the pattern distribution in a scanning area extending over a determined length in a scan direction crossing said reference pattern at a determined angle and containing the reference pattern, identifying that a photoelectric signal satisfying at least a condition in the scan direction is generated by the reference pattern and aligning the substrate according to thus identified photoelectric signal.

Abstract: In a camera having a photo-taking lens barrel displaceable in the direction of the optic axis, the lens barrel includes a photo-taking optical system, a lens barrier blade disposed forwardly of the optical system and movable in a plane orthogonal to the optic axis of the optical system between a closed position for covering the front of the optical system and an opened position for exposing the front of the optical system, a shutter blade serving also as a diaphragm, the shutter blade being disposed rearwardly of the optical system and opened and closed to expose a film to light, an outer shell surrounding the optical system, the barrier blade and the shutter blade, and a shutter blade driving device disposed in a space rearward of the barrier blade when in the opened position and surrounding the optical system, the driving device driving the shutter blade.

Abstract: A zoom lens assembly comprises an optical system forming an optic axis and having at least one lens group moved along the optic axis for zooming and for focusing on an object to be photographed at a close-up distance less than a normal object distance. A barrel member is coupled to the lens group and is rotatable about the optic axis to move the lens group along the optic axis. An operating member is moved along the optic axis for a zooming operation and is rotated about the optic axis for a focusing operation. The operating member has a close-up operation area in which the operating member is rotated during focusing on an object at less than normal object distance. The barrel member is rotated in response to the zooming operation of the operating member. A connecting device is provided between the barrel member and the operating member and couples the barrel member to the operating member for rotation therewith when the operating member is rotated into the close-up operation area.

Abstract: A focus detecting apparatus for a camera has a charge storage type image sensor for controlling focusing on the basis of output from the image sensor. In the apparatus, object information having comparatively high correlation with focus detection precision is detected and charge storage time of a photoelectric conversion element is controlled in accordance with the detected object, whereby charge storage time is optimally controlled irrespective of object luminance distribution even if an object luminance level varies in a wide range, thereby performing high-speed, stable focus detection.