Abstract: A beam shaping device, consists of a polarization beam splitter interface (PBS interface), four light surfaces and at least one light processing surface, as well as various entities are described. The PBS interface passes light in P polarization and reflects light in S polarization; two of the four light surfaces are light I/O surfaces, and the other two of them are light surfaces for processing (LSFP); the light processing surface is arranged and oriented to retro-reflect, or close to retro-reflect light beam coming from said PBS interface and back it to where it comes from, and, in the meantime, physically rotate the reflected light beam around its propagating direction by 90°, or close to 90°. The invention works for light beam in any polarization status including non-polarized beam.

Abstract: A plasma shutter forming apparatus for forming a plasma shutter used in a system configured to generate and accelerate radiations by irradiating a target with a laser pulse and generating a high-density plasma for blocking the laser pulse which is returned as a feedback light to upstream of the system without being absorbed by the high-density plasma, including a plasma shutter generating target, and a plasma shutter triggering laser irradiator, wherein the laser pulse from the plasma shutter triggering laser irradiator is directed to the plasma shutter generating target to generate the high-density plasma and form the plasma shutter, thereby blocking the laser pulse which is returned as the feedback light. Optics are prevented from becoming damaged by feedback light reflecting when generating the high-density plasma in a laser-driven radiation generating system and returning back to the upstream of the laser system.

Abstract: A light scanner includes a light reflection part having light reflectivity, a movable part having the light reflection part and being rotatable around a first rotation center axis and a second rotation center axis, a pair of movable beams extending from the movable part, a displacement part connected to the movable beams and rotating the movable part around the first rotation center axis, a first drive part that drives the displacement part, a pair of drive beams extending from the displacement part in parallel to the light reflection surface and orthogonal to an extension direction of the movable beams, a support frame that supports the drive beams, and a second drive part that rotates the movable part around the second rotation center axis, and the movable beam has a bending part that bendingly deforms due to displacement of the displacement part.

Abstract: A lens cleaning mechanism according to the present invention comprises: a cleaning unit (1a) that covers a standby area being a part of the surface of a front lens element (11), as the standby area is pressed, the cleaning unit (1a) being rotationally moved along the surface of the front lens element (11) to slide over the entire surface of the front lens element (11), including a remaining part of the surface and the standby area; a drive unit (3) connected to a holding member (1b); and a control unit (2) for rotationally moving the cleaning unit (1a) by driving the drive unit (3).

Abstract: A light control film includes two transparent electroconductive resin substrates each having a transparent electroconductive film and a transparent resin substrate; and a light control layer sandwiched between the transparent electroconductive film sides of the two transparent electroconductive resin substrates. The transparent electroconductive film of one transparent electroconductive resin substrate having a primer layer is cut through a cutting line to have a shape of a picture or character, and the cutting line is in a form that a start point for the cutting and an end point for the cutting make a closed region. The closed region of the picture of character is electrically insulated from the transparent electroconductive film around the shape of the picture or character. The light control film enables to improve adhesiveness between film matrix and substrates and to provide stable control function.

Abstract: A concentrating solar energy collector comprises a linearly extending receiver comprising solar cells, a plurality of linearly extending reflective elements arranged in side-by-side rows, oriented parallel to a long axis of the receiver, and fixed in position with respect to each other and with respect to the receiver to form a linearly extending reflector, and a linearly extending support structure supporting the receiver and the reflector and pivotally mounted to accommodate rotation of the support structure, the reflector, and the receiver about a rotation axis parallel to the long axis of the receiver.

Abstract: There is provided an exposure device including: a light-emitting element array in which plural light-emitting elements are arrayed in a predetermined direction; and a hologram element array in which plural hologram elements are multiplex-recorded, in correspondence with the plural light-emitting elements, at a recording layer that is disposed above the light-emitting element array such that collected-light points, that are formed on a surface to be exposed by converging of diffracted lights that exit due to illumination of lights from the plural light-emitting elements, are aligned in the predetermined direction, and such that intersection points between optical axes of reference lights and optical axes of signal lights that record the plural hologram elements respectively are not aligned in the predetermined direction.

Abstract: A microscope system stores, for each objective, the movement control information including a type flag indicating the type of an objective depending on the presence/absence of a soak or a type of the soak and a save distance for saving the stage or the objective switch unit by a predetermined distance. When a switch direction of objectives is input, and when there is a change in the type of the objective after the switch, the system stops an operation after the stage or the objective switch unit is moved according to the save distance, and recovers the stage or the objective switch unit to an original position after the operation direction input unit inputs an operation direction for the stage and the objective switch unit.

Abstract: An optical device that includes a wavelength-sensitive optical component, which has an associated thermal time constant, is described. Note that an operating wavelength of the wavelength-sensitive optical component is a function of several physical parameters including temperature. Moreover, the optical device includes a heating mechanism that provides heat to the wavelength-sensitive optical component. Furthermore, the optical device includes a driver circuit that provides a pulse-width modulated signal to the heating mechanism. Note that an average pulse-width modulated heat provided by the heating mechanism, and which corresponds to the pulse-width modulated signal, thermally tunes the wavelength-sensitive optical component to a target operating wavelength. Additionally, note that the target operating wavelength corresponds to a target operating temperature of the wavelength-sensitive optical component.

Abstract: When it is detected that a solid immersion lens comes into contact with the semiconductor device, the lens is caused to vibrate by a vibration generator unit. Next, a reflected light image from the lens is input to calculate a reflected light quantity of the reflected light image, and it is judged whether a ratio of the reflected light quantity to an incident light quantity is not greater than a threshold value. When the ratio is greater than the threshold value, it is judged that optical close contact between the lens and the semiconductor device is not achieved, and the lens is again caused to vibrate. When the ratio is not greater than the threshold value, it is judged that optical close contact between the lens and the semiconductor device is achieved, and an observed image of the semiconductor device is acquired.

Abstract: A blade speed adjustable mechanism includes: a board having an opening; a shutter blade opening or closing the opening; a drive lever supported by the board and bringing the shutter blade into an overlapped operation or an expanded operation; a biasing member engaging the drive lever and biasing the shutter blade in an overlapped direction or in an expanded direction; a ratchet member engaging the biasing member and having ratchet teeth; an engagement member holding the ratchet member at a desired stop position and adjusting an biasing force of the biasing member by changing the stop position. The engagement member has a plurality of pawl portions different from each other in length. The pawl portion engages the ratchet tooth to hold the ratchet member at the stop position. A difference in length between the pawl portions is shorter than a distance corresponding to a pitch of the ratchet teeth.

Abstract: An optical scanner includes: a light reflecting section having a light reflecting surface; a supporting section supporting the light reflecting section; a movable section supporting the supporting section; at least a pair of movable beams extending from the movable section and disposed in such a way that the movable beams face each other; a displacement section connected to the movable beam; two drive beams each extending from the displacement section; and a supporting frame supporting the drive beams, wherein the movable beams each include a bending section which is bent and deformed in a thickness direction of the supporting frame, and an end on the side of the movable section of the supporting section is fixed in a position more distant from the light reflecting section than an end face on the side of the light reflecting section of the movable section.