Abstract: An imaging lens for an image pickup device consists of two lens components that may each consist of a lens element. In order from the object side, these lens components have negative and positive refractive power, with each lens component having two aspheric surfaces. A stop is positioned between the lens components so as to be closer to the image-side lens component. Specified conditions are satisfied in order to miniaturize the imaging lens, reduce manufacturing and assembly costs, and improve imaging performance.

Abstract: In an exposure apparatus of the invention, for a spatial light modulator, each of a plurality of pixel portions fewer than the total number of the pixel portions is controlled with a control signal generated according to exposure information. Namely, a part of the pixel portions is controlled without controlling a whole of the pixel portions on the substrate. Thus, the number of pixels in the pixel portions is decreased, and transfer time of the control signal becomes short. This enables modulation speed of the laser beam to be increased and the high-speed exposure to be performed. An incorporated laser light source, in which the laser beams are incorporated and struck on the optical fiber, is preferable to the laser device. By adopting the incorporated laser light source, high brightness and high output can be obtained, and it is preferable to the exposure of the spatial light modulator. Since the fiber array is obtained with few optical fibers, it is low cost.

Abstract: An image scanning lens includes four lens components that may include five lens elements as follows: a first lens element having negative refractive power and a meniscus shape with its convex surface on the object side, a second lens element having positive refractive power and a meniscus shape with its convex surface on the object side, a stop, a third biconcave lens element cemented to a fourth biconvex lens element, and a fifth lens element having negative refractive power and a meniscus shape with its concave surface on the object side. The image scanning lens satisfies certain conditions related to the focal lengths of the first, second, and third lens components of the image scanning lens and to the anomalous dispersion of the second lens element. An image scanning device, such as an image scanner, with an image pickup device, such as a CCD, uses the image scanning lens.

Abstract: A condensing lens is integrally formed with collimator-lens portions which respectively collimate light beams and a condensing lens portion which makes the collimated light beams converge at a common point. In addition, an optically-multiplexed-laser-light source is constituted by semiconductor lasers, a multimode optical fiber, and the above condensing lens, where the collimator-lens portions in the condensing lens are respectively arranged in correspondence with the semiconductor lasers, and the condensing lens portion couples the light beams collimated by the collimator-lens portions, to the multimode optical fiber.

Abstract: An optical fiber of a bundled fiber light source is an optical fiber whose core diameter is uniform but whose emission end cladding diameter is smaller than an incidence end cladding diameter thereof, and a light emission region thereof is made smaller. An angle of luminous flux from this higher luminance bundled fiber light source, which passes through a lens system and is incident on a DMD, is smaller, i.e., an illumination NA is made smaller. Thus, an angle of flux which is incident on a surface that is to be exposed is smaller. That is, a minute image formation beam can be obtained without increasing the image formation NA, focal depth is lengthen.

Abstract: An optical fiber of a bundled fiber light source is an optical fiber whose core diameter is uniform but whose emission end cladding diameter is smaller than an incidence end cladding diameter thereof, and a light emission region thereof is made smaller. An angle of luminous flux from this higher luminance bundled fiber light source, which passes through a lens system and is incident on a DMD, is smaller, i.e., an illumination NA is made smaller. Thus, an angle of flux which is incident on a surface that is to be exposed is smaller. That is, a minute image formation beam can be obtained without increasing the image formation NA, focal depth is lengthen.

Abstract: An optical fiber of a bundled fiber light source is an optical fiber whose core diameter is uniform but whose emission end cladding diameter is smaller than an incidence end cladding diameter thereof, and a light emission region thereof is made smaller. An angle of luminous flux from this higher luminance bundled fiber light source, which passes through a lens system and is incident on a DMD, is smaller, i.e., an illumination NA is made smaller. Thus, an angle of flux which is incident on a surface that is to be exposed is smaller. That is, a minute image formation beam can be obtained without increasing the image formation NA, focal depth is lengthen.

Abstract: An optical fiber of a bundled fiber light source is an optical fiber whose core diameter is uniform but whose emission end cladding diameter is smaller than an incidence end cladding diameter thereof, and a light emission region thereof is made smaller. An angle of luminous flux from this higher luminance bundled fiber light source, which passes through a lens system and is incident on a DMD, is smaller, i.e., an illumination NA is made smaller. Thus, an angle of flux which is incident on a surface that is to be exposed is smaller. That is, a minute image formation beam can be obtained without increasing the image formation NA, focal depth is lengthen.

Abstract: In an exposure apparatus of the invention, for a spatial light modulator, each of a plurality of pixel portions fewer than the total number of the pixel portions is controlled with a control signal generated according to exposure information. Namely, a part of the pixel portions is controlled without controlling a whole of the pixel portions on the substrate. Thus, the number of pixels in the pixel portions is decreased, and transfer time of the control signal becomes short. This enables modulation speed of the laser beam to be increased and the high-speed exposure to be performed. An incorporated laser light source, in which the laser beams are incorporated and struck on the optical fiber, is preferable to the laser device. By adopting the incorporated laser light source, high brightness and high output can be obtained, and it is preferable to the exposure of the spatial light modulator. Since the fiber array is obtained with few optical fibers, it is low cost.

Abstract: In an exposure apparatus of the invention, for a spatial light modulator, each of a plurality of pixel portions fewer than the total number of the pixel portions is controlled with a control signal generated according to exposure information. Namely, a part of the pixel portions is controlled without controlling a whole of the pixel portions on the substrate. Thus, the number of pixels in the pixel portions is decreased, and transfer time of the control signal becomes short. This enables modulation speed of the laser beam to be increased and the high-speed exposure to be performed. An incorporated laser light source, in which the laser beams are incorporated and struck on the optical fiber, is preferable to the laser device. By adopting the incorporated laser light source, high brightness and high output can be obtained, and it is preferable to the exposure of the spatial light modulator. Since the fiber array is obtained with few optical fibers, it is low cost.

Abstract: An image scanning lens includes four lens components that may include five lens elements as follows: a first lens element having negative refractive power and a meniscus shape with its convex surface on the object side, a second lens element having positive refractive power and a meniscus shape with its convex surface on the object side, a stop, a third biconcave lens element cemented to a fourth biconvex lens element, and a fifth lens element having negative refractive power and a meniscus shape with its concave surface on the object side. The image scanning lens satisfies certain conditions related to the focal lengths of the first, second, and third lens components of the image scanning lens and to the anomalous dispersion of the second lens element. An image scanning device, such as an image scanner, with an image pickup device, such as a CCD, uses the image scanning lens.

Abstract: In an exposure apparatus of the invention, for a spatial light modulator, each of a plurality of pixel portions fewer than the total number of the pixel portions is controlled with a control signal generated according to exposure information. Namely, a part of the pixel portions is controlled without controlling a whole of the pixel portions on the substrate. Thus, the number of pixels in the pixel portions is decreased, and transfer time of the control signal becomes short. This enables modulation speed of the laser beam to be increased and the high-speed exposure to be performed. An incorporated laser light source, in which the laser beams are incorporated and struck on the optical fiber, is preferable to the laser device. By adopting the incorporated laser light source, high brightness and high output can be obtained, and it is preferable to the exposure of the spatial light modulator. Since the fiber array is obtained with few optical fibers, it is low cost.

Abstract: In an exposure apparatus of the invention, for a spatial light modulator, each of a plurality of pixel portions fewer than the total number of the pixel portions is controlled with a control signal generated according to exposure information. Namely, a part of the pixel portions is controlled without controlling a whole of the pixel portions on the substrate. Thus, the number of pixels in the pixel portions is described, and transfer time of the control signal becomes short. This enables modulation speed of the laser beam to be increased and the high-speed exposure to be performed. An incorporated laser light source, in which the laser beams are incorporated and struck on the optical fiber, is preferable to the laser device. By adopting the incorporated laser light source, high brightness and high output can be obtained, and it is preferable to the exposure of the spatial light modulator.

Abstract: An objective optical system includes a diffractive optical element on the light source side of an objective lens for focusing incident light of three different wavelengths with two different numerical apertures onto three different optical recording media. The diffractive optical element is formed of two lens elements made of different materials that are cemented together at a diffractive surface. Three conditions are satisfied so as to achieve optimum imaging. The diffractive surface may be shaped so that the order of the diffracted light of the shortest wavelength ?2 having the largest diffracted intensity is different from the order of the diffracted light of the second wavelength ?2 having the largest diffracted intensity, and the order of the diffracted light of the first wavelength ?1 having the largest diffracted intensity is also different from the order of the diffracted light of the third wavelength ?3 having the largest diffracted intensity.

Abstract: In an exposure apparatus of the invention, for a spatial light modulator, each of a plurality of pixel portions fewer than the total number of the pixel portions is controlled with a control signal generated according to exposure information. Namely, a part of the pixel portions is controlled without controlling a whole of the pixel portions on the substrate. Thus, the number of pixels in the pixel portions is decreased, and transfer time of the control signal becomes short. This enables modulation speed of the laser beam to be increased and the high-speed exposure to be performed. An incorporated laser light source, in which the laser beams are incorporated and struck on the optical fiber, is preferable to the laser device. By adopting the incorporated laser light source, high brightness and high output can be obtained, and it is preferable to the exposure of the spatial light modulator. Since the fiber array is obtained with few optical fibers, it is low cost.

Abstract: An imaging lens for an image pickup device is formed of only two lens components that are lens elements. An aperture diaphragm is on the object side of the object-side lens component. All four lens component lens surfaces are aspheric. The lens surface configuration near the optical axis of the object-side lens surface of the second lens component is convex. The lens surface configuration near the optical axis of at least one of the other three lens surfaces is concave. In various different embodiments, the lens surface configuration near the optical axis and the lens surface configuration near the periphery of a lens surface are different; the lens surface configuration of the intermediate portion of a lens surface differs from the other lens surface configurations; the Abbe numbers of the two lens elements satisfy a certain relationship; and a diffractive optical surface is used as one lens surface.

Abstract: A condensing lens is integrally formed with collimator-lens portions which respectively collimate light beams and a condensing lens portion which makes the collimated light beams converge at a common point. In addition, an optically-multiplexed-laser-light source is constituted by semiconductor lasers, a multimode optical fiber, and the above condensing lens, where the collimator-lens portions in the condensing lens are respectively arranged in correspondence with the semiconductor lasers, and the condensing lens portion couples the light beams collimated by the collimator-lens portions, to the multimode optical fiber.

Abstract: A laser array imaging lens is disclosed that is formed of, in order from the light-source side: a first lens component with or without a stop positioned at a specified distance on the image plane side of the first lens component, and a second lens component. At least one surface of the laser array imaging lens is an aspheric surface. In addition, one or more anamorphic, aspheric surfaces may be provided and a diffractive optical element (DOE) that is defined by a phase function may be provided, either superimposed on the at least one aspheric surface or formed on another surface of the laser array imaging lens. Preferably, a specified Condition (3) is satisfied so as to reduce aberrations while maintaining the laser array imaging lens so as to be substantially telecentric on the light-source side.

Abstract: A laser array imaging lens formed of a single lens component with or without a stop on the image side of the single lens component is disclosed. At least one surface of the single lens component is an anamorphic, aspheric surface. A diffractive optical element that is defined by a phase function may be provided, either superimposed on the anamorphic, aspheric surface or formed on another surface of the single lens component.

Abstract: An imaging lens for an image pickup device consists of two lens components that may each consist of a lens element. In order from the object side, these lens components have negative and positive refractive power, with each lens component having two aspheric surfaces. A stop is positioned between the lens components so as to be closer to the image-side lens component. Specified conditions are satisfied in order to miniaturize the imaging lens, reduce manufacturing and assembly costs, and improve imaging performance.