Abstract: A combiner that displays display light from a light source as a display image by reflecting or diffracting the display light in a direction of an observer, the combiner comprising: a base material of a first thermoplastic resin; and an outer layer material of a second thermoplastic resin having a hardness higher than a hardness of the first thermoplastic resin and that covers part of a surface of the base material.

Abstract: An aspect of the invention is directed to a method for manufacturing a glass substrate for an information recording medium including: a polishing step of polishing a surface of a raw glass plate, with use of a polishing solution containing a polishing agent and water; and a chemically reinforcing step of reinforcing the polished surface of the raw glass plate which has undergone the polishing step, with use of a chemically reinforcing treatment solution. The polishing step is a step of using, as the polishing agent, a polishing agent containing CeO2, and of performing polishing in such a manner that the effective amount of CeO2 per unit area of the surface of the raw glass plate to be used in the polishing is in the range of from 0.05 to 0.5 ?g/cm2.

Abstract: An objective lens causes birefringence, which causes wave aberration in outgoing light from the objective lens. A coated objective lens has a dielectric multilayer film that can reduce astigmatism component of the wave aberration to 5 m? rms or smaller when 10 m? rms or larger astigmatism component of wave aberration is generated.

Abstract: An objective lens causes birefringence, which causes wave aberration in outgoing light from the objective lens. A coated objective lens has a dielectric multilayer film that can reduce astigmatism component of the wave aberration to 5 m? rms or smaller when 10 m? rms or larger astigmatism component of wave aberration is generated.

Abstract: A polarizing beam splitter having a film made of a high-refractivity material and a film made of a low-refractivity material alternately stacked on a substrate. When an incidence angle with respect to a film surface in a particular wavelength is set as ? (°), the following conditional expressions are satisfied in the range of 40???50(°):0.99?Rs(45)/Rs(?)?1.04, 0.96?Tp(45)/Tp(?)?1.05, where Rs(?): reflectivity of polarized light s at a ? incidence; Tp(?) transmissivity of polarized light p at a ? incidence angle; Rs(45): reflectivity of polarized light s at a 45° incidence angle; and, Tp(45) transmissivity of polarized light p at a 45° incidence angle. The transmissivity of the polarized light p does not decrease and the reflectivity of the polarized light s is nearly 100% with respect to even a broad angle region.

Abstract: A washing method has a nonaqueous washing process of washing an object to be washed using a nonaqueous solution, an intermediate washing process of washing the object to be washed using a solution having solubility relative to both an aqueous solution and the nonaqueous solution after said nonaqueous washing process; and an aqueous washing process of washing the object to be washed with the aqueous solution after said intermediate washing process. When an intermediate washing process is performed between the nonaqueous washing process and the aqueous washing process, the nonaqueous solution adhered to the object to be washed in the nonaqueous washing process is removed in the intermediate washing process, and replaced by a solution having solubility relative to both the nonaqueous solution and the aqueous solution, so as to prevent the nonaqueous solution from being introduced into the aqueous solution used in the aqueous washing process.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing optical elements, having the following steps: preparing a plural number of glass planar plates, each of the planar plates having a light-separating coating on one surface; laminating the planar plates and boding the planar plates together by a translucent first adhesive so as to make a laminate; cutting the laminate in a first direction inclining at a specified angle at a specified pitch so as to make a plural number of laminate divisions; polishing both cut surfaces of each of the laminate divisions; stacking the laminate divisions such that the polished surfaces face each other and temporarily bonding the stacked laminate divisions together by a second adhesive; cutting the temporarily bonded stack of laminate divisions in a second direction perpendicular to surfaces of the stack so as to make a plural number of temporarily bonded plates; polishing both surfaces of each of the temporarily bonded plates; removing the second adhesive so as to make a plural number of long chains of o

Abstract: A reflecting optical element has a phase difference adjusting reflective film, which is formed on an interface between a medium optically denser than air and air and reflects light in the medium. The phase difference adjusting reflective film reflects incident light with a predetermined wavelength without substantially changing a phase difference between polarized light components of the incident light perpendicular to each other.

Abstract: A washing method has a nonaqueous washing process of washing an object to be washed using a nonaqueous solution, an intermediate washing process of washing the object to be washed using a solution having solubility relative to both an aqueous solution and the nonaqueous solution after said nonaqueous washing process; and an aqueous washing process of washing the object to be washed with the aqueous solution after said intermediate washing process. When an intermediate washing process is performed between the nonaqueous washing process and the aqueous washing process, the nonaqueous solution adhered to the object to be washed in the nonaqueous washing process is removed in the intermediate washing process, and replaced by a solution having solubility relative to both the nonaqueous solution and the aqueous solution, so as to prevent the nonaqueous solution from being introduced into the aqueous solution used in the aqueous washing process.

Abstract: A washing method has a non aqueous washing process of washing an object to be washed using a non aqueous solution, an intermediate washing process of washing the object to be washed using a solution having solubility relative to both an aqueous solution and the non aqueous solution after said non aqueous washing process; and an aqueous washing process of washing the object to be washed with the aqueous solution after said intermediate washing process. When an intermediate washing process is performed between the non aqueous washing process and the aqueous washing process, the non aqueous solution adhered to the object to be washed in the non aqueous washing process is removed in the intermediate washing process, and replaced by a solution having solubility relative to both the non aqueous solution and the aqueous solution, so as to prevent the non aqueous solution from being introduced into the aqueous solution used in the aqueous washing process.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a prism that comprises a first and a second substrate, both translucent, bonded together with an optical thin film interposed at the interface in between and that is used with the interface inclined relative to the optical axis of incident laser light of a wavelength of 420 nm or shorter includes the step of bonding together the first and second substrates of which the difference ?N1 in refractive index at the wavelength of the laser light fulfills the condition: ?N1?|1/(0.3×104×NA×t)|, where t represents the thickness of the first and second substrates cemented together as measured along the optical axis of the laser light, and NA represents the numerical aperture of the incident laser light.

Abstract: According to a method of adjusting the phase shift of s-polarized light reflected from a polarization beam splitter film having a multiple-layer construction, in a desired range of incidence angles and in a desired range of wavelengths, when the reflection-induced phase shift of s-polarized light is not linear with respect to the incidence angle thereof, the layers are arranged in reverse order.

Abstract: In a polarization beam splitter film formed on a transparent substrate, in a desired range of incidence angles and in a desired range of wavelengths, the reflection-induced phase shift of s-polarized light varies linearly with respect to the variation of the incidence angle thereof.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polarizing beam splitter comprised of a film made of a high-refractivity material and a film made of a low-refractivity material alternately stacked on a substrate. When an incidence angle with respect to a film surface in a particular wavelength is set to be ? (°), conditional expressions: 0.99?Rs(45)/Rs(?)?1.04, 0.96?Tp(45)/Tp(?)?1.05 {Rs(?): reflectivity of polarized light s at an incidence angle of ?, Tp(?): transmissivity of polarized light p at an incidence angle of ?, Rs(45): reflectivity of polarized light s at the incidence angle of 45°, Tp(45): transmissivity of polarized light p at the incidence angle of 45°} are satisfied in an entire range of 40???50 (°). According to the configuration, the transmissivity of the polarized light p can be prevented from decreasing while maintaining the reflectivity of the polarized light s at nearly 100% with respect to even a broad angle region, where a divergence angle of an incident light is ±5° or above.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a prism that comprises a first and a second substrate, both translucent, bonded together with an optical thin film interposed at the interface in between and that is used with the interface inclined relative to the optical axis of incident laser light of a wavelength of 420 nm or shorter includes the step of bonding together the first and second substrates of which the difference &Dgr;N1 in refractive index at the wavelength of the laser light fulfills the condition: &Dgr;N1≦|1/(0.3×104×NA×t)|, where t represents the thickness of the first and second substrates cemented together as measured along the optical axis of the laser light, and NA represents the numerical aperture of the incident laser light.

Abstract: A washing method has a nonaqueous washing process of washing an object to be washed using a nonaqueous solution, an intermediate washing process of washing the object to be washed using a solution having solubility relative to both an aqueous solution and the nonaqueous solution after said nonaqueous washing process; and an aqueous washing process of washing the object to be washed with the aqueous solution after said intermediate washing process. When an intermediate washing process is performed between the nonaqueous washing process and the aqueous washing process, the nonaqueous solution adhered to the object to be washed in the nonaqueous washing process is removed in the intermediate washing process, and replaced by a solution having solubility relative to both the nonaqueous solution and the aqueous solution, so as to prevent the nonaqueous solution from being introduced into the aqueous solution used in the aqueous washing process.

Abstract: A method for washing an object, such as an optical element, includes the steps of dipping the object to be washed in a heated liquid and taking the object to washed from the heated liquid used in the dipping process, wherein the resistivity of the heated liquid is 0.5 to 5.0M.OMEGA..multidot.cm. In one embodiment, the heated liquid is pure water having a resistivity of 0.5M.OMEGA..multidot.cm, and the temperature of the pure water is 40.degree. C., and the pure water has a 0.3 .mu.m diameter particle count of not greater than 100 particles/ml.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a prism that comprises a first and a second substrate, both translucent, bonded together with an optical thin film interposed at the interface in between and that is used with the interface inclined relative to the optical axis of incident laser light of a wavelength of 420 nm or shorter includes the step of bonding together the first and second substrates of which the difference ?N1 in refractive index at the wavelength of the laser light fulfills the condition: ?N1?|1/(0.3×104×NA×t)|, where t represents the thickness of the first and second substrates cemented together as measured along the optical axis of the laser light, and NA represents the numerical aperture of the incident laser light.