Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus includes a plurality of unit pixels with associated microlenses arranged in a two-dimensional array. Each microlens includes a distributed index lens with a modulated effective refractive index distribution obtained by including a combination of a plurality of patterns having a concentric structure, the plurality of patterns being divided into line widths equal to or shorter than a wavelength of an incident light. At least one of the plurality of patterns includes a lower light-transmitting film having the concentric structure and a first line width and a first film thickness, and an upper light-transmitting film having the concentric structure configured on the lower light-transmitting film having a second line width and a second film thickness. The distributed index lens has a structure in which a refractive index material is dense at a center and becomes sparse gradually toward an outer side in the concentric structure.

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: Provided is a solid-state imaging device which is able to achieve reductions in size and in thickness of the device, while being also able to have an auxiliary function of imaging lenses, an infrared cut filter, an antireflection function, a dust preventing function for downsizing of packaging, and an infrared light imaging function for capturing images at night. The solid-state imaging device includes: a light-collecting element which collects incident light; and a transparent thin film formed above the light-collecting element, and an air gap is formed between the light-collecting element and the transparent thin film. On the transparent thin film, the auxiliary function of imaging lenses, the infrared cut filter, the antireflection function, the dust preventing function for downsizing of packaging, and the infrared light imaging function for capturing images at night are integrated.

Abstract: It is realized a high sensitive solid-state imaging apparatus which corresponds to an optical system having a short focal length (an optical system having a large incident angle ?). Each pixel (2.8 mm square in size) includes a distributed refractive index lens (1), a color filter (2) for green, Al wirings (3), a signal transmitting unit (4), a planarized layer (5), a light-receiving element (Si photodiode) (6), and an Si substrate (7). The concentric circle structure of the distributed index lens is made of four types of materials having different refractive indexes such as TiO2 (n=2.53), SiN (n=2.53), SiO2 (n=2.53), and air (n=1.0). In the concentric structure, a radial difference of outer peripheries of adjacent circular light-transmitting films is 100 nm. Furthermore, the film thickness is 0.4 ?m.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device which includes a color filter having excellent color reproduction, a manufacturing method thereof and a camera are provided. A color filter in a solid-state imaging device 1 having an optical film thickness of approximately ¼ of a set wavelength ?, being sandwiched by a third layer and a fourth layer which are spacer layers in which only 3 layers are laminated and which consist of two types of layers (first layers and a second layer) with different refractive indexes, and further, having a structure that is sandwiched by a film, a first layer, which has a film thickness approximately equal to the above ?/4. Between the two types of layers having different refractive indexes, the first layers are composed of high refractive index material, and the second layer is composed of low refractive index material.

Abstract: According to the present invention, a first p-side electrode 7A made of metal which is provided with regularly arranged holes 10 having a diameter smaller than a laser oscillation wavelength and a second p-side electrode 7B arranged around the periphery of the first p-type electrode 7A are used as a p-side mirror of a surface-emitting laser. Light in a resonator formed of a p-side electrode 7 and an n-type mirror 2 is first converted to a surface plasmon and then reconverted to the light by the p-side electrode 7A, and then emitted outside the resonator.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser device includes: an active layer formed on a substrate and including an AlGaAs layer; and an upper spacer layer formed at least one of above and below the active layer and including AlaGabIn1-a-bP (where 0?a?1, 0?b?1, and 0?a+b?1). The upper spacer layer has a composition enough to serve as a barrier layer against electrons injected into the active layer.

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: The phase shift mask according to the present invention is a phase shift mask for manufacturing a semiconductor device. The phase shift mask includes a light-blocking portion, a light-transmitting portion, a phase shift portion, and an auxiliary pattern portion, the light-blocking portion, the light-transmitting portion, the phase shift portion, and the auxiliary pattern portion being concentrically arranged, wherein a width of the auxiliary pattern portion in a radius direction is less than a width of the light-transmitting portion and a width of the phase shift portion in a radius direction. Furthermore, it is possible that a phase of exposure light which passes through an auxiliary pattern portion is opposite to a phase of exposure light which passes through a light-transmitting portion or a phase shift portion, the light-transmitting portion or the phase shift portion being the closest to the auxiliary pattern portion.

Abstract: The invention provides a night-vision imaging apparatus including: a light emission unit that emits infrared light; a solid-state imaging device that converts the infrared light into a first signal; a light-emission control unit that allows the light emission unit to emit the infrared light which is modulated according to a temporally pseudo-random first modulation; and an extraction unit that extracts, according to the first modulation, a signal corresponding to the infrared light emitted by the light emission unit from the first signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a solid-state imaging device which compensates a field curvature which occurs due to an aberration of the optical imaging system and surely receive light incident with a wide angle. Each pixel (pixel size of 2.2 ?m square) in a solid-state imaging device includes a light-transmitting film with the first effective refractive index distribution and a light-transmitting film with the second effective refractive index distribution, a light-receiving element, a wiring, a wavelength selection filter, and a Si substrate. A pixel (1) is a pixel placed an approximate center of the solid-state imaging device. A pixel (n) is a pixel placed in the periphery of the solid-state imaging device, and a pixel (n-x) is a pixel that are placed between the pixel (1) and the pixel (n). The light-transmitting film of each pixel has approximately same effective refractive index distribution. ?0, which is a main light angle on the light-receiving element side, is approximately same.

Abstract: An optical pickup records data in or reproduces data from optical recording media respectively having recording faces at different heights, and includes a semiconductor laser diode array having light emitting portions for respectively emitting laser beams of different wavelengths. A finite conjugate type object lens used in this optical pickup is designed so that the numerical aperture of the object lens can be controlled to be changed in accordance with switching between the different wavelengths for allowing a laser beam to be focused on each optical recording medium.

Abstract: In a semiconductor-device fabrication method, a plurality of recessed portions are first formed in the principal surface of a substrate. Then, a through hole, passing through the substrate in the front-to-back direction of the substrate, is formed under a portion of the bottom of each recessed portion in the substrate. Subsequently, a plurality of semiconductor elements in the form of chips are spread in a liquid, and the semiconductor-element-spread liquid is poured over the principal surface of the substrate, while passing the liquid through the through holes, so that the semiconductor elements fit into the recessed portions in a self-aligned manner. In this way, the semiconductor elements are disposed into the recessed portions in the substrate in a self-aligned manner.

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: In a semiconductor-device fabrication method, a plurality of recessed portions are first formed in the principal surface of a substrate. Then, a through hole, passing through the substrate in the front-to-back direction of the substrate, is formed under a portion of the bottom of each recessed portion in the substrate. Subsequently, a plurality of semiconductor elements in the form of chips are spread in a liquid, and the semiconductor-element-spread liquid is poured over the principal surface of the substrate, while passing the liquid through the through holes, so that the semiconductor elements fit into the recessed portions in a self-aligned manner. In this way, the semiconductor elements are disposed into the recessed portions in the substrate in a self-aligned manner.

Abstract: The present invention provides a contact-type solid-state imaging apparatus which realizes high resolution and high sensitivity, and also implements downsizing and lowering the cost of the contact-type solid-state imaging apparatus. Each pixel includes a protection glass plate, a light-collecting device, a light-receiving device, a semiconductor integrated circuit, a light emitting diode (LED) and a mounting package. The light-collecting apparatus has two kinds of distributed index lens (o lens and convex lens), and Sin (N=2) film, which is a two-stage concentric structure, is embedded in SiO2 (N=1.45) film.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a lens, in which the method includes exposing a photoresist to light using a phase shift mask. Here, the phase shift mask includes layout portions respectively corresponding to pixels and lens, in which each of the layout portions has: a light-blocking portion which has a shape of a substantially circle or a substantially concentric zone; a light-transmitting portion which has a shape of a substantially circle or a substantially concentric zone; a phase shift portion which has a shape of a substantially circle or a substantially concentric zone; and a light-blocking frame. Furthermore, the light-transmitting portion, the light-blocking portion and the phase shift portion are arranged alternately so as to form concentric circles, and the light-blocking frame corresponds to a whole or a part of a perimeter of the lens.

Abstract: The present invention provides a solid-state imaging apparatus and the like which is able to support an optical system whose incident angle is wide. Each pixel is 2.25 ?m square in size, and includes a distributed index lens 1, a color filter (for example, for green) 2, an Al interconnections 3, a signal transmitting unit 4, a planarized layer 5, a light-receiving device (Si photodiodes) 6, and an Si substrate 7. The two-stage concentric circle structure of the distributed index lens is formed by SiO2 (n=2) with the film thickness 1.2 ?m (“grey color”), the film thickness 0.8 ?m (“dots pattern”) and the film thickness of 0 ?m (“without pattern: white color”), and the medium surrounding the distributed index lens 1 is air (n=1).

Abstract: An inventive optical pickup includes: a base; a movable part; a fixed part; and a first yoke. The movable part, fixed part and first yoke are provided over the base. The movable part is provided with: a hologram element; a package equipped with a laser/photodetectors integrated element in which a semiconductor laser and photodetectors are integrated; and an objective lens. A magnet is provided on each of second yokes provided on the base, and a heat dissipating medium is provided in a gap between a package metal section of the package and another magnet.