Abstract: A light receiver array according to the present invention is constituted by array-aligning plural receivers having slow light waveguides of photonic crystals, and a LiDAR device according to the present invention is constituted by linearly arranging a light receiver array and a transmitter. An arranging relationship of plural receivers of the light receiver array is an array-like element formed by array-aligning plural receivers having the slow light waveguides of photonic crystals, and the array alignment is defined by alignment for defining a position relationship between the plural receivers constituting the light receiver array, and orientation for defining a direction of each receiver. A relationship p=?/sin ??r is satisfied between the alignment pitch p, wavelength ? of the reception light, and an arrival angle ??r when a phase difference between reception lights received by waveguide ends of adjacent receivers is one wavelength.

Abstract: In a light deflection device and a lidar device, a parallel operation can be realized with a simple constitution, so as to avoid enlargement or complication of a system. The reflection angle of the light deflection device depends on a wavelength and a refractive index, so that light beams with respective wavelengths different from each other are simultaneously and parallelly deflected in directions of deflection angles each defined by the wavelength and the refractive index. The light beams with the plural wavelengths different from each other are deflected at the different deflection angles each defined by each wavelength and the refractive index, so that they can be deflected simultaneously and parallelly. The plural deflected light beams can be distinguished from each other based on the difference in the wavelength and the deflection angle of the light, even in the simultaneous and parallel operation.

Abstract: A disclosed loop heat pipe includes an evaporator configured to absorb heat from outside by a wall to evaporate a working fluid from a liquid phase to a gas phase; a condenser configured to condense a gas phase working fluid introduced from the evaporator into a liquid phase; an elastic wick configured to contact an inner wall of the evaporator by an elastic force from the elastic wick; and a wick deformation member configured to deform the elastic wick increase a contact pressure of the elastic wick against the inner wall of the evaporator.

Abstract: A prism lens includes a prism lens body and at least one cylindrical lens. The prism lens body has a set of facing planes a mutual distance of which decreases or increases from one end to another end. The cylindrical lens is integral to at least one plane of the set of planes. The cylindrical lens is formed such that a cross section shape thereof at a plane perpendicular to a direction of a slope of a plane of the prism lens body having the cylindrical lens thereon with respect to the other plane of the set of planes has a certain curved shape to be convex against the plane having the cylindrical lens thereon.

Abstract: An optical deflection device that achieve both high beam quality and wide angular range of deflection and compatibility with an optical integration technology of silicon photonics. The optical deflection device is a silicon photonics device including a periodic structure of a refractive index. The optical deflection device includes two configurations, which are (1) a configuration in which an optical propagation part where light propagates is a microstructure formed on silicon, and (2) a configuration in which the microstructure constituting the optical propagation part includes a periodic structure that generates slow light and a periodic structure that radiates light. The microstructure formed on the silicon of (1) makes it possible to employ the optical integration technology of silicon photonics and form the optical deflection device. The two periodic structures of (2) make it possible to form a light beam with high beam quality and a wide angular range of deflection.

Abstract: In a light deflection device, the radiation efficiency of radiated light beams is to be improved. The light deflection device is configured by a photonic crystal waveguide having a lattice array with low refractive index parts periodically arrayed in a surface of a high refractive-index member. The lattice array has a dual-periodic structure consisting of a first periodic array and a second periodic array which differ from each other in periodic arrangement of the low refractive index parts. A line defect where no low refractive index parts are arrayed constitutes a waveguide core for propagating incident light. The cross section of at least either the first periodic array or the second periodic array constituting the periodic arrays of the dual-periodic structure is asymmetrical in the thickness direction of the low refractive index parts.

Abstract: An evaporator for use in a loop heat pipe includes an evaporator body, a heat receiving portion, an inflow portion, a discharge portion, a wick, and a partition. The evaporator body includes an internal space. The heat receiving portion forms an outer surface of the evaporator body to receive heat from an outside of the evaporator body. A working fluid condensed into a liquid phase by a condenser flows into the inflow portion in the internal space. The discharge portion is in the internal space, to discharge a gas-phase working fluid evaporated by the heat received by the heat receiving portion. The working fluid flowing into the inflow portion permeates into the wick in the internal space. The partition partitions the internal space into the inflow portion and the discharge portion with the wick. The wick is sandwiched between a surface of the partition and the heat receiving portion.

Abstract: In a light deflection device, the radiation efficiency of radiated light beams is to be improved. The light deflection device is configured by a photonic crystal waveguide having a lattice array with low refractive index parts periodically arrayed in a surface of a high refractive-index member. The lattice array has a dual-periodic structure consisting of a first periodic array and a second periodic array which differ from each other in periodic arrangement of the low refractive index parts. A line defect where no low refractive index parts are arrayed constitutes a waveguide core for propagating incident light. The cross section of at least either the first periodic array or the second periodic array constituting the periodic arrays of the dual-periodic structure is asymmetrical in the thickness direction of the low refractive index parts.

Abstract: A light receiver array according to the present invention is constituted by array-aligning plural receivers having slow light waveguides of photonic crystals, and a LiDAR device according to the present invention is constituted by linearly arranging a light receiver array and a transmitter. An arranging relationship of plural receivers of the light receiver array is an array-like element formed by array-aligning plural receivers having the slow light waveguides of photonic crystals, and the array alignment is defined by alignment for defining a position relationship between the plural receivers constituting the light receiver array, and orientation for defining a direction of each receiver. A relationship p=?/sin ??r is satisfied between the alignment pitch p, wavelength ? of the reception light, and an arrival angle ??r when a phase difference between reception lights received by waveguide ends of adjacent receivers is one wavelength.

Abstract: A disclosed loop heat pipe includes an evaporator configured to absorb heat from outside by a wall to evaporate a working fluid from a liquid phase gas phase; a condenser configured to condense a gas phase working fluid introduced from the evaporator into a liquid phase; an elastic wick configured to contact an inner wall of the evaporator by an elastic force from the elastic wick; and a wick deformation member configured to deform the elastic wick increase a contact pressure of the elastic wick against the inner wall of the evaporator.

Abstract: In a light deflection device and a lider device, a parallel operation can be realized with a simple constitution, so as to avoid enlargement or complication of a system. The reflection angle of the light deflection device depends on a wavelength and a refractive index, so that light beams with respective wavelengths different from each other are simultaneously and parallelly deflected in directions of deflection angles each defined by the wavelength and the refractive index. The light beams with the plural wavelengths different from each other are deflected at the different deflection angles each defined by each wavelength and the refractive index, so that they can be deflected simultaneously and parallelly. The plural deflected light beams can be distinguished from each other based on the difference in the wavelength and the deflection angle of the light, even in the simultaneous and parallel operation.

Abstract: An optical deflection device that achieve both high beam quality and wide angular range of deflection and compatibility with an optical integration technology of silicon photonics. The optical deflection device is a silicon photonics device including a periodic structure of a refractive index. The optical deflection device includes two configurations, which are (1) a configuration in which an optical propagation part where light propagates is a microstructure formed on silicon, and (2) a configuration in which the microstructure constituting the optical propagation part includes a periodic structure that generates slow light and a periodic structure that radiates light. The microstructure formed on the silicon of (1) makes it possible to employ the optical integration technology of silicon photonics and form the optical deflection device. The two periodic structures of (2) make it possible to form a light beam with high beam quality and a wide angular range of deflection.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a fixing member to be heated and a pressure-contacting member for pressure contacting the fixing member. The fixing apparatus directs and conveys a recording member through a nip formed between the fixing member and pressure applying member in such a manner that a toner image carried on a recording member contacts the fixing member in order to be fixed thereto with heat and pressure. The fixing apparatus is configured to direct a tip margin of the recording member toward the pressure applying member across a virtual linear extension line drawn from a downstream end to upstream end of the nip when only the tip margin exits from the nip. A fixing member side separation device may be separately provided from the surface of the fixing apparatus so as to separate the recording member exiting from the nip. A gap formed between the downstream end of the nip and the tip of the fixing member side separation device is set smaller than the width of the tip margin.

Abstract: An active area includes a photonic-crystal optical waveguide formed by periodically arranging a plurality of holes in a primary plane direction of an active-area core layer in an active-area growth portion. A passive area includes a passive optical waveguide formed in a passive-area growth portion. An effective refractive index of a growth structure of the active-area growth portion is larger than an effective refractive index of a growth structure of the passive-area growth portion, and an active layer has a gain at a zero group-velocity point positioned on a high-frequency side of a dispersion curve of the photonic-crystal optical waveguide.

Abstract: A light emitting device with an increased light extraction efficiency includes a two-dimensional periodic structure in a surface thereof and has two layers that together form an asymmetric refractive index distribution with respect to the active layer, which is in between the two layers. The light emitting device includes a substrate layer, a first layer, an active layer and a second layer that are stacked sequentially. The first layer includes at least one layer, including a semiconductor cladding layer of a first conductivity type. At least one layer of the first layer has a refractive index that is lower than a refractive index of the active layer and lower than a refractive index of a layer of the second layer that is adjacent to the active layer. Each constituent layer of the second layer has a refractive index that is lower than the refractive index of the active layer.

Abstract: The fixing unit satisfies following three conditions. That is, (1) 2.4×103×d/(TC×t)<T0, where d is a thickness of the unfixed toner layer in meters, TC is a thermal conductivity of toner in W/mK, and t is the fixing time in seconds; (2) a temperature Ttop of a topmost layer of the toner layer is not greater than the minimum temperature TOFF at which the hot offset of the surface of the first fixing member occurs when the fixing time is set to 1 seconds; and (3) a temperature Tbot of a bottommost layer of the toner layer that is in contact with the recording medium is not less than the lower limit temperature TMIN for fixing of the surface of the first fixing member when the fixing time is set to 1 second.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a fixing member to be heated and a pressure-contacting member for pressure contacting the fixing member. The fixing apparatus directs and conveys a recording member through a nip formed between the fixing member and pressure applying member in such a manner that a toner image carried on a recording member contacts the fixing member in order to be fixed thereto with heat and pressure. The fixing apparatus is configured to direct a tip margin of the recording member toward the pressure applying member across a virtual linear extension line drawn from a downstream end to upstream end of the nip when only the tip margin exits from the nip. A fixing member side separation device may be separately provided from the surface of the fixing apparatus so as to separate the recording member exiting from the nip. A gap formed between the downstream end of the nip and the tip of the fixing member side separation device is set smaller than the width of the tip margin.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a surface-emitting semiconductor laser having a structure in which the single horizontal mode of high power is stably maintained is provided. A scattering-loss-structure portion composed of a low refractive-index region is disposed around a main current path in a surface-emitting semiconductor laser, namely around a cavity structure portion; the low refractive-index region is disposed at intervals; and the shape of the tip portion opposing to the center portion is set to be a tapered shape, for example, at an acute angle. Accordingly, in the cavity structure portion, the loss of light-emitting laser of a high-order mode localized in the outer circumferential portion becomes large, so that a surface-emitting semiconductor laser that oscillates the single-mode laser with favorable performance is constructed.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a fixing member to be heated and a pressure-contacting member for pressure contacting the fixing member. The fixing apparatus directs and conveys a recording member through a nip formed between the fixing member and pressure applying member in such a manner that a toner image carried on a recording member contacts the fixing member in order to be fixed thereto with heat and pressure. The fixing apparatus is configured to direct a tip margin of the recording member toward the pressure applying member across a virtual linear extension line drawn from a downstream end to upstream end of the nip when only the tip margin exits from the nip. A fixing member side separation device may be separately provided from the surface of the fixing apparatus so as to separate the recording member exiting from the nip. A gap formed between the downstream end of the nip and the tip of the fixing member side separation device is set smaller than the width of the tip margin.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, includes an image forming mechanism configured to form an image, and a fixing unit configured to fix a toner image formed on a recording medium. The fixing unit includes a fixing device having a first endless moving member configured to rotate, and a second endless moving member configured to rotate to form a nip area together with the first endless moving member to fix, at the nip area, a toner image disposed on the recording medium onto the recording medium with heat and pressure, the second endless moving member including a surface layer having a universal hardness HU and a maximum nip surface pressure P each within a predetermined range.