Abstract: An optical element includes a phosphor layer containing a phosphor which is excited by light of a first wavelength and radiates light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, a first optical member provided on a first surface of the phosphor layer and configured to concentrate light in the phosphor layer, and a second optical member provided on the first surface of the phosphor layer or the same side to which the first surface faces, or on a second surface opposite to the first surface, and configured to convert light radiated from the phosphor layer into parallel light.

Abstract: A superluminescent diode has, above a substrate, a layered portion including at least a first cladding layer, a luminescent layer, and a second cladding layer in this order, and an optical waveguide having a refractive-index guiding structure is provided in the layered portion. The optical waveguide includes: a first mesa portion formed by processing the second cladding layer into the first mesa portion having a first width; and a second mesa portion formed by processing the first cladding layer, the luminescent layer, and the second cladding layer into the second mesa portion having a second width greater than the first width.

Abstract: A fluorescent film according to the present invention includes a transparent resin layer which dispersively holds semiconductor nanocrystals. The semiconductor nanocrystals are quantum dot phosphors having fluorescence excitation spectra that differ depending on particle size of the quantum dot phosphors. The transparent resin layer is either water soluble or water dispersible. This makes it possible to uniformly disperse the semiconductor nanocrystals in a highly dense and highly uniform state, which contributes to implementing a thin fluorescent film having high reliability, high efficiency, and high color rendering properties.

Abstract: A semiconductor light emitting device includes: a package which is made of a resin and includes a recess; a lead frame exposed to a bottom of the recess; a semiconductor light emitting element connected to the lead frame in the recess; a resin layer in contact with the lead frame in the recess and over the bottom of the recess; and a quantum dot phosphor layer above the resin layer and the semiconductor light emitting element, in which the resin layer includes a ceramic fine particle, and the quantum dot phosphor layer includes at least one of semiconductor fine particles having an excitation fluorescence spectrum which differs according to a particle size, and a resin holding the semiconductor fine particles dispersedly.

Abstract: A nitride semiconductor light-emitting device having an optical waveguide includes, in the following order, at least: a first cladding layer; an active layer; and a second cladding layer, wherein the second cladding layer includes (i) a transparent conductive layer comprising a transparent conductor and (ii) a nitride semiconductor layer comprising a nitride semiconductor, the nitride semiconductor layer being formed closer to the active layer than the transparent conductive layer.

Abstract: A semiconductor light-emitting element includes: a substrate; a semiconductor stacked film including a first cladding layer of a first conductivity type formed on the substrate, a light-emitting layer formed on the first cladding layer, and a second cladding layer of a second conductivity type formed on the light-emitting layer, and having an optical waveguide; a first electrode formed so as to be electrically connected to the first cladding layer; and a second electrode formed so as to be electrically connected to the second cladding layer. The light-emitting layer generates guided light that is guided in the optical waveguide, and non-guided light that is not guided in the optical waveguide, and the non-guided light is emitted from one of the substrate side and the semiconductor stacked layer side to the outside.

Abstract: A semiconductor light emitting device includes: a package which is made of a resin and includes a recess; a lead frame exposed to a bottom of the recess; a semiconductor light emitting element connected to the lead frame in the recess; a phosphor layer over the bottom of the recess; and a second resin layer above the phosphor layer and the semiconductor light emitting element, in which the phosphor layer contains a semiconductor fine particle having an excitation fluorescence spectrum which changes according to a particle size, and the phosphor layer includes a water-soluble or water-dispersible material.

Abstract: To provide a glass frit for forming an electrode, to be used for forming a light-receiving surface electrode for a solar cell, which has suitable glass fluidity and Si reactivity required to form a light-receiving surface electrode and a sufficient water resistance. A glass frit for forming an electrode to be used for forming a light-receiving surface electrode 12 for a solar cell 1, which comprises from 3 mol % to 20 mol % of SiO2, from 10 mol % to 40 mol % of Bi2O3, from 15 mol % to 45 mol % of B2O3, from 10 mol % to 60 mol % of ZnO and from 2 mol % to 10 mol % of Ti2O, wherein the total content of Bi2O3 and ZnO is from 35 mol % to 70 mol %.

Abstract: An optical irradiation apparatus includes: a light-emitting device configured to emit a plurality of light beams whose optical axes extend in a substantially identical direction; a collimator part configured to convert the light beams into parallel light beams; and a light condensing part configured to collect the parallel light beams. The light-emitting device includes a super luminescent diode array in which a plurality of waveguides are provided on a substrate. Each of the waveguides has a light-emitting facet including a light emission point from which an associated one of the light beams is emitted. The light emission points are located in a plane. The plane including the light emission points is orthogonal to a direction of an optical axis of the collimator part.

Abstract: To provide a glass frit for forming an electrode, to be used for forming a light-receiving surface electrode for a solar cell, which has suitable glass fluidity and Si reactivity required to form a light-receiving surface electrode and a sufficient water resistance. A glass frit for forming an electrode to be used for forming a light-receiving surface electrode 12 for a solar cell 1, which comprises from 3 mol % to 20 mol % of SiO2, from 10 mol % to 40 mol % of Bi2O3, from 15 mol % to 45 mol % of B2O3, from 10 mol % to 60 mol % of ZnO and from 2 mol % to 10 mol % of Ti2O, wherein the total content of Bi2O3 and ZnO is from 35 mol % to 70 mol %.

Abstract: A semiconductor light emitting device includes a nitride semiconductor layer including a first cladding layer, an active layer, and a second cladding layer, and a current blocking layer configured to selectively inject a current into the active layer. The second cladding layer has a stripe-shaped ridge portion. The current blocking layer is formed in regions on both sides of the ridge portion, and is made of zinc oxide having a crystalline structure.

Abstract: A nitride semiconductor light emitting diode includes a p-type layer 103 made of a p-type nitride semiconductor, a light emission layer 102 provided on a lower surface of the p-type layer 103, an n-type layer 101 made of an n-type nitride semiconductor provided on a lower surface of the light emission layer 102, and a bonding layer 114 provided, contacting the n-type layer 101. An uneven topography having a plurality of sloped surface is provided on a surface contacting the bonding layer 114 of the n-type layer 101. The bonding layer 114 is made of a metal made of Group III atoms or an alloy containing the Group III atoms.

Abstract: In an optical head operable to record to and read from an optical recording medium, a beam emitted by a light-emitting element is reflected toward the light-emitting element by a first reflective mirror, and this reflected beam is reflected toward the optical recording medium by a second reflective mirror and focused on a recording surface of the optical recording medium. In this case, the first reflective mirror blocks a principal ray of the beam traveling toward the optical recording medium from the second reflective mirror, and the second reflective mirror consists of a plurality of concentric annular mirrors centered on the principal ray of the beam and separated from each other by a predetermined interval.

Abstract: An optical head includes a fixed part, a movable part movably held by a plurality of wires fixed on the fixed part, and magnets fixed to the fixed part. The movable part includes a movable-part housing, a heatsink held by the movable-part housing, a light emitting element and a light receiving element both mounted on the heatsink, magnets provided to both sides of the movable-part housing to contact the heatsink, an objective lens held by the movable-part housing to allow an emitted laser beam from the light emitting element to focus, and a diffraction grating provided between the objective lens and the light emitting element and between the objective lens and the light receiving element. The gap between each coil and the adjacent magnet is filled with ferrofluid having a higher thermal conductivity than the atmosphere.

Abstract: A laser module includes a substrate 1, a first laser element 2 placed on the substrate 1, a second laser element 3 placed with an output surface opposed to the first laser element 2 on the substrate 1, and a mirror 7 placed between the first laser element 2 and the second laser element 3. The mirror 7 has a reflective surface capable of reflecting output light from the first laser element 2 or the second laser element 3 in a predetermined direction, and is placed so as to move or rotate between a first position capable of reflecting the output light from the first laser element 2 and a second position capable of reflecting the output light from the second laser element 3. Thus, a laser module can be provided in which high precision, low cost, and miniaturization can be realized.

Abstract: An optical pickup having a light-emitting element, an objective lens unit, a reflecting mirror and a light-receiving element, emits a beam onto an optical recording medium and uses a reflected beam to read recorded information. In the objective lens unit, a central part of a surface, facing the light-emitting element, of an objective lens disposed so that an optical axis is substantially aligned with a chief ray of the beam emitted by the light-emitting element, is a transmissive diffraction grating, and a central part of a surface of the objective lens that will face the optical recording medium is a convex mirror which bulges toward the light-emitting element. The reflecting mirror, which is annular and encompasses the optical axis of the objective lens, reflects toward the objective lens the beam from the light-emitting element that has passed through the transmissive diffraction grating and been reflected by the convex mirror.

Abstract: A laser module includes a substrate 1, a first laser element 2 placed on the substrate 1, a second laser element 3 placed with an output surface opposed to the first laser element 2 on the substrate 1, and a mirror 7 placed between the first laser element 2 and the second laser element 3. The mirror 7 has a reflective surface capable of reflecting output light from the first laser element 2 or the second laser element 3 in a predetermined direction, and is placed so as to move or rotate between a first position capable of reflecting the output light from the first laser element 2 and a second position capable of reflecting the output light from the second laser element 3. Thus, a laser module can be provided in which high precision, low cost, and miniaturization can be realized.

Abstract: To provide a manufacturing method for an optical pickup in which a movable member carrying an objective lens is supported by a fixed member through a pair of elastic support member groups, which are each made up of a plurality of parallel elastic support members, so as to be movable in focusing and tracking directions. In a suspension unit forming step, two holding members are formed from a synthetic resin by insert molding at different positions of each elastic support member group in a lengthwise direction of the elastic support members, thereby forming a pair of suspension units. In a connecting step, the pair of suspension units are opposed with an arrangement direction of the elastic support members being substantially the same as the focusing direction, and one holding member of each suspension unit is connected to the movable member and the other holding member to the fixed member.

Abstract: An optical pickup having a light-emitting element, an objective lens unit, a reflecting mirror and a light-receiving element, emits a beam onto an optical recording medium and uses a reflected beam to read recorded information. In the objective lens unit, a central part of a surface, facing the light-emitting element, of an objective lens disposed so that an optical axis is substantially aligned with a chief ray of the beam emitted by the light-emitting element, is a transmissive diffraction grating, and a central part of a surface of the objective lens that will face the optical recording medium is a convex mirror which bulges toward the light-emitting element. The reflecting mirror, which is annular and encompasses the optical axis of the objective lens, reflects toward the objective lens the beam from the light-emitting element that has passed through the transmissive diffraction grating and been reflected by the convex mirror.

Abstract: An optical head includes a fixed part, a movable part movably held by a plurality of wires fixed on the fixed part, and magnets fixed to the fixed part. The movable part includes a movable-part housing, a heatsink held by the movable-part housing, a light emitting element and a light receiving element both mounted on the heatsink, magnets provided to both sides of the movable-part housing to contact the heatsink, an objective lens held by the movable-part housing to allow an emitted laser beam from the light emitting element to focus, and a diffraction grating provided between the objective lens and the light emitting element and between the objective lens and the light receiving element. The gap between each coil and the adjacent magnet is filled with ferrofluid having a higher thermal conductivity than the atmosphere.