Abstract: A reduction in utilization efficiency of laser beams emitted from laser emission portions of illumination means is limited and an exposure surface is exposed by beam spots with desired spot diameters and spot forms. At an exposure head, first microlenses are arranged in a two dimensional manner so as to correspond to micromirrors at a DMD, and apertures are arranged in a two dimensional manner at back side focusing positions of the first microlenses. With this exposure head, light source images, which are formed to be very small at back side focusing positions of the first microlenses by the first microlenses, are projected onto the exposure surface, and these light source images serve as beam spots BS and expose the exposure surface.

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 a laser-light source: submounts each being made of a material having a thermal expansion coefficient of 3.5 to 6.0×10−6/° C. and having a thickness of 200 to 400 micrometers are separately formed on a heat-dissipation block made of copper or copper alloy; a single-cavity nitride-based semiconductor laser chips are respectively mounted junction-side-down on the corresponding submounts; an optical condenser system collects laser beams emitted from the semiconductor laser chips, and couples the collected laser beams to a multimode optical fiber. A bonding surface of each semiconductor laser chip is bonded to a bonding surface of a corresponding submount through a metalization layer and an Au—Sn eutectic solder layer each of which is divided into areas.

Abstract: A writing device is provided which, in simple processes, can write in two dimensions and three dimensions, and which can form highly accurate patterns. An exposure head, a conductive material discharging head, and an insulating material discharging head are disposed at one scanning stage. At the one scanning stage, a pattern can be formed on a printed board which is on the scanning stage. As a result, processes can be simplified, time between patternings can be shortened, and pattern formation can be made to be faster. Moreover, positional offset of the exposure head and the discharging heads with respect to the printed board does not arise. Thus, it is easy to increase a density of a pattern, and a highly accurate pattern is formed.

Abstract: A laser annealer has a laser light source with at least one GaN-type semiconductor laser and is configured so as to form emission points that emit laser beams having a wavelength of 350 to 450 nm, and a scanning device for scanning an annealing surface with the laser beams. The laser annealer may have a spatial light modulator for modulating the laser beams, and in which pixel portions whose light modulating states change in accordance with control signals are arranged on a substrate. The invention is applied to a laser thin-film forming apparatus. The apparatus has a laser source that has at least one semiconductor laser and is configured so as to form emission points, and an optical system for focusing laser beams into a single beam in the width direction of a substrate.

Abstract: In the present invention provides, in order to obtain a desired focal depth t in a range &agr; of an acceptable increased amount of beam diameter, an exposure head is designed so that the ratio D/W of an output beam width D to a beam width W at the position where a DMD is placed satisfies the following relational formula.

Abstract: Provided are an optical correcting system which can form a linear image or illuminating light having a substantially uniform light intensity distribution without reducing the efficiency of use of light, and an exposure head which can perform excellent exposure by using the linear image or the illuminating light. Light flux from a light source is collimated by the function of a collimator lens, and the collimated light flux enters into an optical correcting system for correcting light intensity distribution. The optical correcting system for correcting light intensity distribution changes the width of the light flux at the exit position at which each collimated light flux exits so that the light intensity distribution of a linear image is uniform when the collimated light flux is formed into the linear image.

Abstract: In a disclosed laser module, a usage amount of organic adhesive is set to no more than 1.0 g/ml. Thus, an equilibrium density of outgas components from the adhesive after an air removal treatment is less than 1000 ppm. In another laser module, a heat sink at which a semiconductor laser element is adhered on a submount, an electrode terminal wire-connected with the laser element, a photodiode wire-connected with the electrode terminal, and a zeolite adsorbent are fixedly provided on a stem. These are ring-welded in a container in a dry air atmosphere (80% nitrogen, 20% oxygen). In still another laser module, sixteen multiplexed lasers are disposed in a container. The container is connected with an air circulation apparatus, which is provided with a filter for removing contaminants, a rotary pump for circulating inert gas, and a valve for controlling replenishment of the gas.

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: A process for the production of fine powder of metallic nickel which comprises a first step of dissolving nickel carbonate and/or nickel hydroxide in aqueous ammonia or in an aqueous solution of ammonia and at least one selected from the group consisting of ammonium carbonate, ammonium hydrogencarbonate, a carbonate of an alkali metal and a hydrogencarbonate of an alkali metal to prepare an aqueous solution of a nickel salt; converting the aqueous solution of a nickel salt to a W/O emulsion, and then removing volatile components including ammonia from the droplets to form precipitates of nickel carbonate in the droplets, thereby providing fine spherical particles of nickel carbonate; and a second step of heating the particles of nickel carbonate in the presence of a fusion preventive agent that is a compound of at least one element selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth elements, aluminum, silicon and rare earth elements in an atmosphere of hydrogen, thereby reducing the nickel carbonate to meta

Abstract: A cooling device for laser diodes comprising a stem which comprises a 2 mm thick Cu substrate having thereon an array of grooves extending to the resonator length of a laser diode device with a width of 50 &mgr;m and a depth of 300 &mgr;m and a 100 &mgr;m thick Cu cover plate for hermetically sealing the grooved surface by, e.g. soldering. The groove contains a working fluid of deionized water filled under reduced pressure, forming a heat pipe. A plurality of heat pipes is created to form a heat pipe array. Forty GaN laser diode devices each having five light-emitting areas, each of which has an optical power of 100 mW, are mounted with junction-down on the upper surface of cover plate, forming a bar laser with a total output of approximately 20 W.

Abstract: A laser sintering apparatus for realizing high-speed and high-precision forming. When a first position of an exposure unit is decided by an XY-positioning mechanism, a micromirror of a DMD is turned on and off in accordance with image data in a region corresponding to the first position and a laser beam in a predetermined region including ultraviolet is supplied to the DMD and modulated for each pixel in accordance with image data. A laser beam reflected in the direction of a reflection mirror is reflected therefrom in the direction of a surface of a powdered body. A region having a predetermined area on the surface of the powdered body is exposed by the laser beam, and the exposed portion is thereby cured. Similarly, by repeating movement of and exposure with the exposure unit, the entire surface of the powdered body is exposed.

Abstract: A plurality of multi-cavity laser diode chips, each having a plurality of light emitting points, are fixed side by side and form a laser diode array.

Abstract: The present invention provides an optical modeling method capable of inhibiting distortion in an object to be modeled and modeling with higher precision. A square exposure region is divided into a plurality of pixels which are further divided into first and second pixel sub-groups, the first pixel sub-group is exposed such that neighboring pixels or more are not exposed at one time, and then unexposed pixels incorporated in the second pixel sub-group are exposed two neighboring pixels or more are not exposed at one time. A photo-curable resin is exposed twice, and then cured in an amount of one photo-curable resin layer. Accordingly, the neighboring pixels are not exposed at one time, the producing of curing shrinkage is limited within one pixel, and distortion due to the curing shrinkage does not spread to the pixels neighboring the one pixel, whereby distortion in the object to be modeled can be inhibited significantly, and modeling with higher precision is made possible.

Abstract: When a first position of an exposure unit is determined by an XY positioning mechanism, a micromirror of a digital micromirror device is on/off controlled in accordance with image data within a region of a predetermined area including the first position, a light beam emitted from a light source enters the digital micromirror device, through an optical fiber and a homogenizer optical system, and modulated per each data in accordance with image data. A light beam transmitted to a reflective mirror is condensed by a condensing lens, then reflected from the reflected mirror onto a surface of a photo-curable resin, a portion within a region of a predetermined area of the photo-curable resin surface is exposed by the light beam, and the exposed portion is cured. In the same manner, the entire resin surface is exposed by repeating movement and/or exposure of the exposure unit.

Abstract: A color laser display apparatus which contains a laser light source which emits ultraviolet laser light, a modulation unit which modulates the ultraviolet laser light, a display unit which includes a fluorescent screen, and a scanning unit which two-dimensionally scans the fluorescent screen with the ultraviolet laser light. The fluorescent screen includes, for each pixel, red fluorescent material which emits red light in response to the ultraviolet laser light, green fluorescent material which emits green light in response to the ultraviolet laser light, and blue fluorescent material which emits blue light in response to the ultraviolet laser light. The laser light source may be, for example, a semiconductor laser or a fiber laser.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a multiplex laser light source equipped with a plurality of semiconductor lasers, a single multi-mode optical fiber, and a light-collecting optics system for collecting laser beams emitted from the plurality of semiconductor lasers and then coupling the collected laser beams to the multi-mode optical fiber.

Abstract: The invention provides a process for production of fine spherical particles of a carbonate or a hydroxide of nickel, cobalt or copper which comprises: dissolving a carbonate or a hydroxide of nickel, cobalt or copper having the general formula (I) M(CO3)x/2.(OH)y wherein M represents Ni, Co or Cu, and x and y are numerals satisfying the followings: 0≦x≦2, 0≦y≦2 and x+y=2, in aqueous ammonia, converting the resulting solution to a W/O emulsion containing droplets of the solution in a non-aqueous medium, and then removing volatile components including ammonia from within the droplets, thereby precipitating a basic carbonate or a hydroxide of a metal selected from nickel, cobalt and copperin the droplets.

Abstract: Regeneration of an ozone decomposing reactor which comprises:a catalyst structure composed of a carrier having at least one passage extending therethrough for allowing an ozone containing fluid to pass through the catalyst structure and a catalyst and an electroconductive material carried in or on the carrier; andelectrodes attached to the catalyst structure to electrify the structure, whereby to decompose ozone at elevated temperatures and regenerating deactivated structure by electrifying and heating.The carrier is either a ceramic honeycomb mold or a fiber board.

Abstract: A catalyst for ozone decomposition which comprises:(a) at least one selected from the group consisting of clay and carbon;(b) manganese dioxide; and optionally(c) titanium dioxide; and/or(d) at least one oxide of a metal selected from the group consisting of Cu, Co, Fe, Ni and Ag.A further catalyst for ozone decomposition which comprises:(a) at least one oxide of a metal selected from the group consisting of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals;(b) manganese dioxide; and optionally(c) titanium dioxide; and/or(d) at least one selected from the group consisting of clay and carbon.