Abstract: A combination of a semiconductor member and a metal member is selected appropriately from a view point of increasing an enhancement factor of a near-field light. A device (1) has a semiconductor member (101) and a metal member (102), a near-field light is generated at the metal member when an energy is supplied to the semiconductor member, the metal member is made of an alloy including a first metal and a second metal, a condition of Rm1<Rs<Rm2 is satisfied, wherein a resonance wavelength of the first metal is Rm1, a resonance wavelength of the second metal is Rm2, and a resonance wavelength of the semiconductor member is Rs.

Abstract: A combination of a semiconductor member and a metal member is selected appropriately from a view point of increasing an enhancement factor of a near-field light. A device (1) has a semiconductor member (101) and a metal member (102), a near-field light is generated at the metal member when an energy is supplied to the semiconductor member, the metal member is made of an alloy including a first metal and a second metal, a condition of Rm1<Rs<Rm2 is satisfied, wherein a resonance wavelength of the first metal is Rm1, a resonance wavelength of the second metal is Rm2, and a resonance wavelength of the semiconductor member is Rs.

Abstract: Provided is a light-emitting element having high luminance and high directivity and emitting light in a controlled polarization state. The light-emitting element comprises substrate 3 and light emitting part 10 disposed on substrate 3 for emitting light in which light intensity of a polarization component in first direction x parallel to substrate 3 is higher than light intensities of polarization components in other directions. Light emitting part 10 includes active layer 12 for generating light and a plurality of structural bodies 14a disposed on a light-emitting side of light emitting part 10 with respect to active layer 12 and arrayed two-dimensionally along a surface substantially parallel to active layer 12. Each of structural bodies 14a has width w1 along first direction x and width w2 along second direction y perpendicular to first direction x, width w1 along first direction x and width w2 along second direction y being different from each other in a cross section parallel to active layer 12.

Abstract: The light emitting element includes and active layer that produces light; a polarizer layer having a first region that allows a polarization component in a first direction in the light produced in the active layer to pass through and reflects other polarization components, and a second region that allows a polarization component in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to pass through and reflects other polarization components; a wave plate layer having a third region and a fifth region that the light exiting from the first region enters, and a fourth region and a sixth region that the light exiting from the second region enters, the wave plate layer causing the lights that have entered the third to sixth regions to exit as lights in the same polarized state; and a reflective layer that reflects the lights reflected by the first region and the second region.

Abstract: The present invention is intended to realize a light emitting element which is easy to fabricate, is efficient, and is able to emit light in a uniform polarization state enabling the achievement of high luminance.

Abstract: Provided is a wavelength plate that can increase incident angle tolerance. The wavelength plate in which a high refractive index layer and a low refractive index layer are alternately stacked, each layer having a concave-convex structure the period of which is equal to or shorter that a wavelength in one direction within a plane, includes, as periods in the thickness direction of the high refractive index layer and the low refractive index layer: a first period defined so that a used wavelength can belong to the first band of a photonic band structure; and a second period defined so that the used wavelength can belong to a wavelength side longer than the center wavelength of the second band of the photonic band structure.

Abstract: The present invention provides a light emitting element which emits linearly polarized light, has high efficiency, can show a higher luminance and has also adequate productivity.

Abstract: A light emitting element which can emit light in a uniform polarization state at a high efficiency and a higher luminance level is realized. The light emitting element of the present invention is a light emitting element including an active layer for generating light, the light emitting element including: a polarizer layer including a first region that transmits polarized light in a first direction and reflects other light from among the light generated at the active layer, and a second region that transmits polarized light in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and reflects other light; a wave plate layer including a third region and a fourth region that allow the lights exited from the first region and the second region to enter, and to exit as light in the same polarization state; and a reflection layer that reflects the lights reflected at the first region and the second region.

Abstract: The invention realizes a light emitting element having high efficiency, capable of increasing the luminance and capable of emitting linearly polarized light in which the light distribution characteristic has good symmetry.

Abstract: Provided is a wavelength plate that can increase incident angle tolerance. The wavelength plate in which a high refractive index layer and a low refractive index layer are alternately stacked, each layer having a concave-convex structure the period of which is equal to or shorter that a wavelength in one direction within a plane, includes, as periods in the thickness direction of the high refractive index layer and the low refractive index layer: a first period defined so that a used wavelength can belong to the first band of a photonic band structure; and a second period defined so that the used wavelength can belong to a wavelength side longer than the center wavelength of the second band of the photonic band structure.

Abstract: Provided is a light source unit that can solve a problem, namely, the inability to emit polarized light having high directivity. Active layer 12B generates light. Reflective layer 11 reflects the light from active layer 12B. Opening array layer 13 is formed on a side opposite reflective layer 11 with respect to active layer 12B. Opening array layer 13 includes mirror unit 13A that reflects the light from active layer 12B, and opening 13B that transmits a polarized light component of a predetermined polarizing direction included in the light and reflects a polarized light component orthogonal to the predetermined light direction. Angle conversion unit 14 converts the traveling direction of the light transmitted through opening 13B.

Abstract: The present invention provides a light emitting element which emits linearly polarized light, has high efficiency, can show a higher luminance and has also adequate productivity.

Abstract: Provided is a light-emitting element having high luminance and high directivity and emitting light in a controlled polarization state. The light-emitting element comprises substrate 3 and light emitting part 10 disposed on substrate 3 for emitting light in which light intensity of a polarization component in first direction x parallel to substrate 3 is higher than light intensities of polarization components in other directions. Light emitting part 10 includes active layer 12 for generating light and a plurality of structural bodies 14a disposed on a light-emitting side of light emitting part 10 with respect to active layer 12 and arrayed two-dimensionally along a surface substantially parallel to active layer 12. Each of structural bodies 14a has width w1 along first direction x and width w2 along second direction y perpendicular to first direction x, width w1 along first direction x and width w2 along second direction y being different from each other in a cross section parallel to active layer 12.

Abstract: A light emitting element which can emit light in a uniform polarization state at a high efficiency and a higher luminance level is realized. The light emitting element of the present invention is a light emitting element including an active layer for generating light, the light emitting element including: a polarizer layer including a first region that transmits polarized light in a first direction and reflects other light from among the light generated at the active layer, and a second region that transmits polarized light in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and reflects other light; a wave plate layer including a third region and a fourth region that allow the lights exited from the first region and the second region to enter, and to exit as light in the same polarization state; and a reflection layer that reflects the lights reflected at the first region and the second region.

Abstract: An optical information recording/reproducing device includes a liquid optical element containing a liquid crystal polymer layer in an optical head. A liquid crystal optical element drive unit drives a liquid crystal optical element having a first pattern electrode divided into a plurality of region at one side of the liquid crystal polymer layer in the optical axis direction. The first pattern electrode includes a first region arranged to surround the optical axis and second to ninth regions arranged outside the first regions in such a manner that the circumference is divided eight portions. The liquid crystal optical element drive unit applies an effective voltage to each region. The voltage applied to the respective regions of the pattern region of the liquid crystal optical element is decided in a short time so as to optimize the quality of the reproduction signal.

Abstract: The present invention is intended to realize a light emitting element which is easy to fabricate, is efficient, and is able to emit light in a uniform polarization state enabling the achievement of high luminance.

Abstract: An optical unit is provided with a light source; a light dividing means for dividing light emerging from the light source into a first light and a second light; a light converging means for converging the first and second lights at the same position in the recording layer in the manner that they face each other; a polarization state switching means for switching the polarization states of the first and second lights at the convergence point in the recording layer; and a light irradiation state switching means for switching between the state in which the optical cording medium is irradiated with both the first light and the second light and the state in which the optical recording medium is irradiated with only one of the first and second lights.

Abstract: An optical information recording/reproducing device includes a liquid optical element containing a liquid crystal polymer layer in an optical head. A liquid crystal optical element drive unit drives a liquid crystal optical element having a first pattern electrode divided into a plurality of region at one side of the liquid crystal polymer layer in the optical axis direction. The first pattern electrode includes a first region arranged to surround the optical axis and second to ninth regions arranged outside the first regions in such a manner that the circumference is divided eight portions. The liquid crystal optical element drive unit applies an effective voltage to each region. The voltage applied to the respective regions of the pattern region of the liquid crystal optical element is decided in a short time so as to optimize the quality of the reproduction signal.

Abstract: An optical information recording/reproducing device includes a liquid optical element containing a liquid crystal polymer layer in an optical head. A liquid crystal optical element drive unit drives a liquid crystal optical element having a first pattern electrode divided into a plurality of region at one side of the liquid crystal polymer layer in the optical axis direction. The first pattern electrode includes a first region arranged to surround the optical axis and second to ninth regions arranged outside the first regions in such a manner that the circumference is divided eight portions. The liquid crystal optical element drive unit applies a first effective voltage to the first region, a second effective voltage to the second and the sixth region, a third effective voltage to the third and the seventh region, a fourth effective voltage to the fourth and the eighth region, and a fifth effective voltage to the fifth and the ninth region.

Abstract: To provide an optical head device, which can detect an excellent focus error signal for a dual layer optical recording medium, and optical information recording/reproducing device. Reflected light from a dual layer optical recording medium is diffracted by a diffractive optical element divided into four regions, and is received by a photodetector. Optical spots are equivalent to negative first order diffracted light from the four regions of the diffractive optical element, and are received by four dual-divided light receiving sections, respectively, to be used for detection a focus error signal by a Foucault's method. The four dual-divided light receiving sections are provided with positive component light receiving sections for outputting the received light as a positive component of the focus error signal and negative component light receiving sections for outputting the received light as a negative component of the focus error signal, respectively.