Patents by Inventor Shunichi Sato

Shunichi Sato has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20130015920
    Abstract: An atomic oscillator is disclosed, including an Alkaline metal cell, a light source illuminating a laser beam to the Alkaline metal cell, and a light detector detecting light passing through the Alkaline metal cell. The Alkaline metal cell includes a first member, a second member, a cell internal portion, and an Alkaline metal raw material. In the first member, a first glass substrate is bonded on a second surface of a first substrate where a first opening part is formed. In the second member, a second glass substrate is bonded to a fourth surface of a second substrate where a second opening part is formed. The cell internal portion is formed by the first opening part and the second opening part by bonding the first surface to the third surface. The Alkaline metal raw material is enclosed by the cell internal portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Publication date: January 17, 2013
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Shunichi SATO, Akihiro ITOH, Yukito SATO
  • Patent number: 8340148
    Abstract: A surface-emission laser device comprises an active layer, cavity spacer layers provided at both sides of the active layer, reflection layers provided at respective sides of the cavity spacer layers, the reflection layers reflecting an oscillation light oscillated in the active layer and a selective oxidation layer. The selective oxidation layer is provided between a location in the reflection layer corresponding to a fourth period node of the standing wave distribution of the electric field of the oscillating light and a location in the reflection layer adjacent to the foregoing fourth period node in the direction away from the active layer and corresponding to an anti-node of the standing wave distribution of the electric field of the oscillation light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Jikutani, Shunichi Sato
  • Publication number: 20120314147
    Abstract: The microscope apparatus includes a light source which outputs linear polarization having a first wavelength, a polarization conversion element which includes a liquid crystal layer, and by causing linear polarization to pass the liquid crystal layer, converts linear polarization to radial polarization, an objective lens which focuses the radial polarization onto an object surface, a condenser lens which collimates the light reflected from the object surface, a light receiving element which receives light collimated by the condenser lens and outputs signal in accordance with the intensity of light, and a controller which applies electric voltage in accordance with the first wavelength to the liquid crystal layer of the polarization conversion element. The polarization conversion element is disposed in the pupil plane of the objective lens on the light source side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2011
    Publication date: December 13, 2012
    Applicant: Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunichi Sato, Yuichi Kozawa, Hiroyuki Yokoyama, Tomomi Nemoto, Terumasa Hibi, Nobuyuki Hashimoto, Makoto Kurihara
  • Patent number: 8325777
    Abstract: A surface-emitting laser device is disclosed that includes a substrate connected to a heat sink; a first reflective layer formed of a semiconductor distributed Bragg reflector on the substrate; a first cavity spacer layer formed in contact with the first reflective layer; an active layer formed in contact with the first cavity spacer layer; a second cavity spacer layer formed in contact with the active layer; and a second reflective layer formed of a semiconductor distributed Bragg reflector in contact with the second cavity spacer layer. The first cavity spacer layer includes a semiconductor material having a thermal conductivity greater than the thermal conductivity of a semiconductor material forming the second cavity spacer layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunichi Sato
  • Publication number: 20120294652
    Abstract: A surface emitting laser diode comprises a substrate, a lower reflector formed over the substrate, an active layer formed over the lower reflector, an upper reflector formed over the active layer, a current restrict structure including a current confinement region surrounded by insulation region. The current restrict structure is disposed in an upper reflector or between an active layer and the upper reflector, and an upper electrode formed over the upper reflector includes an aperture which corresponds to an emission region from which light is emitted in a first direction perpendicular to a surface of a substrate. The emission region and the current restrict structure including the current confinement region are selectively configured to obtain high single transverse mode, stabilized polarization direction, isotropic beam cross section and small divergence angle, while allowing the device to he manufactured with high yield rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro ITOH, Kazuhiro Harasaka, Shunichi Sato, Naoto Jikutani
  • Patent number: 8293555
    Abstract: A semiconductor light-emitting device has a semiconductor layer containing Al between a substrate and an active layer containing nitrogen, wherein Al and oxygen are removed from a growth chamber before growing said active layer and a concentration of oxygen incorporated into said active layer together with Al is set to a level such that said semiconductor light-emitting device can perform a continuous laser oscillation at room temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Takahashi, Morimasa Kaminishi, Shunichi Sato, Akihiro Itoh, Naoto Jikutani
  • Publication number: 20120263206
    Abstract: A surface-emission laser diode includes a GaAs substrate, a cavity region, and upper and lower reflectors provided at a top part and a bottom part of the cavity region, the upper reflector and/or the lower reflector including a semiconductor Bragg reflector, at least a part of the semiconductor distributed Bragg reflector includes a semiconductor layer containing Al, Ga and As as major components, there being provided, between the active layer and the semiconductor layer that contains Al, Ga and As as major components, a semiconductor layer containing Al, In and P as major components adjacent to the semiconductor layer that contains Al, Ga and As as major components, with an interface formed coincident to a location of a node of electric strength distribution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD
    Inventors: Shunichi SATO, Akihiro Itoh, Naoto Jikutani
  • Publication number: 20120251182
    Abstract: An optical device includes a surface-emitting laser array having a plurality of light-emitting portions; a package member on which the surface-emitting laser array is disposed; and a transparent member retained on the package member and disposed on an optical path of a light beam emitted by the surface-emitting laser array. The transparent member includes an incident plane on which the light beam emitted by the surface-emitting laser array is incident. The incident plane is inclined with respect to an emitting surface of the surface-emitting laser array at a first inclination angle which is smaller than a second inclination angle at which the light emitted by one of the light-emitting portions is incident on another, most-distant one, of the light-emitting portions via reflection by the transparent member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2010
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.,
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Adachi, Shunichi Sato, Satoru Sugawara, Toshihiro Ishii
  • Patent number: 8279519
    Abstract: An integrated semiconductor optical-emitting device includes a surface-emission laser diode and an EA-type semiconductor optical modulator integrated commonly on a GaAs substrate in a direction perpendicular to the GaAs substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Takahashi, Shunichi Sato
  • Patent number: 8208511
    Abstract: A disclosed surface emitting laser is capable of being manufactured easily, having a higher yield and a longer service lifetime. In the surface emitting laser, a selectively-oxidized layer is included as a part of a low refractive index layer of an upper semiconductor distribution Bragg reflector; the low refractive index layer including the selectively-oxidized layer includes two intermediate layers adjoining the selectively-oxidized layer and two low refractive index layers adjoining the intermediate layers. Al content rate in the intermediate layers is lower than that in the selectively-oxidized layer, and Al content rate in the low refractive index layers is lower than that in the selectively-oxidized layer. This configuration enables providing more control over the thickness and oxidation rate of the oxidized layer, thereby enabling reducing the variation of the thickness of the oxidized layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunichi Sato, Akihiro Itoh, Takeshi Hino, Naoto Jikutani
  • Patent number: 8199788
    Abstract: A surface-emission laser diode comprises a cavity region over a semiconductor substrate and includes an active layer containing at least one quantum well active layer producing a laser light and a barrier layer, a spacer layer is provided in the vicinity of the active layer and formed of at least one material, an upper and lower reflectors are provided at a top part and a bottom part of the cavity region, the cavity region and the upper and lower reflectors form a mesa structure over the semiconductor substrate, the upper and lower reflectors being formed of a semiconductor distributed Bragg reflector having a periodic change of refractive index and reflecting incident light by interference of optical waves, at least a part of the semiconductor distributed Bragg reflector is formed of a layer of small refractive index of AlxGa1-xAs (0<x?1) and a layer of large refractive index of AlyGa1-yAs (0?y<x?1), the lower reflector is formed of a first lower reflector having a low-refractive index layer of AlAs an
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunichi Sato, Akihiro Itoh, Naoto Jikutani
  • Publication number: 20120121297
    Abstract: A surface-emitting laser includes a substrate; a lower semiconductor multilayer film reflector disposed on the substrate; a resonator structure including an active layer and disposed on the lower semiconductor multilayer film reflector; and an upper semiconductor multilayer film reflector disposed on the resonator structure. The second semiconductor multilayer film reflector includes a confinement structure in which a current passage region is surrounded by an oxidized portion of a selectively oxidized layer containing aluminum. An emission region includes a central portion and a peripheral portion, the peripheral portion being covered with a transparent dielectric film whose reflectivity is lower than a reflectivity of the central portion. The selectively oxidized layer has a thickness in a range from 30 nm to 40 nm. The temperature at which an oscillation threshold current is minimized is 60° C. or lower.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Publication date: May 17, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY ,LTD.,
    Inventors: Naoto Jikutani, Kazuhiro Harasaka, Satoru Sugawara, Shunichi Sato
  • Patent number: 8179414
    Abstract: A surface-emitting laser array includes a plurality of light emitting parts arranged in a two-dimensional formation having two orthogonal directions. When the plurality of light emitting parts are orthogonally projected on a virtual line parallel to one of the two orthogonal directions, a spacing between two of the plurality of light emitting parts along the virtual line is equal to an integral multiple of a predetermined value. The plurality of light emitting parts include a first light emitting part, a second light emitting part adjacent to the first light emitting part, and a third light emitting part adjacent to the second light emitting part, and a spacing between the first and second light emitting parts differs from a spacing between the second and third light emitting parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunichi Sato, Yoshinori Hayashi, Daisuke Ichii
  • Publication number: 20120069416
    Abstract: A surface-emission laser array comprises a plurality of surface-emission laser diode elements arranged in the form of a two-dimensional array, wherein a plurality of straight lines drawn perpendicularly to a straight line extending in a first direction from respective centers of the plurality of surface emission laser diode elements aligned in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, are formed with generally equal interval in the first direction, the plurality of surface-emission laser diode elements are aligned in the first direction with an interval set to a reference value, and wherein the number of the surface-emission laser diode elements aligned in the first direction is smaller than the number of the surface-emission laser diode elements aligned in the second direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Shunichi SATO, Akihiro ITOH, Hiroyoshi SHOUJI, Yoshinori HAYASHI, Daisuke ICHII, Kei HARA, Mitsumi FUJII
  • Publication number: 20120057902
    Abstract: A disclosed method of manufacturing a surface emitting laser includes laminating a transparent dielectric layer on an upper surface of a laminated body; forming a first resist pattern on an upper surface of the dielectric layer, the first resist pattern including a pattern defining an outer perimeter of a mesa structure and a pattern protecting a region corresponding to one of the relatively high reflection rate part and the relatively low reflection rate part included in an emitting region; etching the dielectric layer by using the first resist pattern as an etching mask; and forming a second resist pattern protecting a region corresponding to an entire emitting region. These steps are performed before the mesa structure is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2010
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Applicant: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.,
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Shouji, Shunichi Sato, Akihiro Itoh, Kazuhiro Harasaka
  • Publication number: 20120040515
    Abstract: A semiconductor light-emitting device has a semiconductor layer containing Al between a substrate and an active layer containing nitrogen, wherein Al and oxygen are removed from a growth chamber before growing said active layer and a concentration of oxygen incorporated into said active layer together with Al is set to a level such that said semiconductor light-emitting device can perform a continuous laser oscillation at room temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2011
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Inventors: Takashi Takahashi, Morimasa Kaminishi, Shunichi Sato, Akihiro Itoh, Naoto Jikutani
  • Patent number: 8111725
    Abstract: A disclosed surface-emitting laser includes a substrate and multiple semiconductor layers stacked on the substrate. A normal of the principal plane of the substrate is inclined with respect to one of crystal orientations <1 0 0> toward one of crystal orientations <1 1 1>. The semiconductor layers include a resonator structure including an active layer; and a semiconductor multilayer mirror stacked on the resonator structure. The semiconductor multilayer mirror includes a confined structure where a current passage area is surrounded by an oxidized area including at least an oxide generated by oxidation of a part of a selective oxidation layer containing aluminum. A strain field caused by the oxidation is present at least in a part of the vicinity of the oxidized area. In the strain field, the amount of strain in a first axis direction is different from the amount of strain in a second axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshihiro Ishii, Kengo Makita, Naoto Jikutani, Kazuhiro Harasaka, Shunichi Sato, Satoru Sugawara
  • Publication number: 20120026297
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes: a plurality of imaging elements; a plurality of solid lenses that form images on the plurality of imaging elements; a plurality of optical axis control units that control the directions of the optical axes of light that is incident to each of the plurality of imaging elements; a plurality of video processing units that convert photoelectric converted signals output from each of the plurality of imaging elements to video signals; a stereo image processing unit that, by performing stereo matching processing based on the plurality of video signals converted by the plurality of video processing units, determines the amount of shift for each pixel, and generates compositing parameters in which the shift amounts that exceed the pixel pitch of the plurality of imaging elements are normalized to the pixel pitch; and a video compositing processing unit that generates high-definition video by compositing the video signals converted by the plurality of video processing units, based on the
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2010
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Inventor: Shunichi Sato
  • Patent number: 8106648
    Abstract: There is provided a non-contact rotational detecting sensor comprising a ring-shaped permanent magnet which rotates integrally with a detection object of a rotational angle and of which a magnetic pole changes along the circumferential direction, a ring-shaped inside magnetic flux collecting yoke for surrounding an outer peripheral surface of the ring-shaped permanent magnet in a constant gap, a ring-shaped outside magnetic flux collecting yoke for surrounding an outer peripheral surface of the ring-shaped inside magnetic flux collecting yoke in a constant gap, and a hole IC arranged in a gap formed in the ring-shaped inside magnetic flux collecting yoke, wherein an axial height of the ring-shaped inside magnetic flux collecting yoke is changed along a circumferential direction of the ring-shaped inside magnetic flux collecting yoke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Niles Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunichi Sato
  • Patent number: 8089498
    Abstract: A surface-emission laser array comprises a plurality of surface-emission laser diode elements arranged in the form of a two-dimensional array, wherein a plurality of straight lines drawn perpendicularly to a straight line extending in a first direction from respective centers of the plurality of surface emission laser diode elements aligned in a second direction crossing the first direction, are formed with generally equal interval in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunichi Sato, Akihiro Itoh, Hiroyoshi Shouji, Yoshinori Hayashi, Daisuke Ichii, Kei Hara, Mitsumi Fujii