Abstract: An improved electronic camera is disclosed which enables higher light-detecting efficiency of the electronic image pick-up device and reduces focusing errors in the periphery of the image field. The present invention arranges the detectors of an optical pick-up device on a surface that is non-planar. In this way, the surface of the optical pick-up device can be made to correspond with the actual image surface of the camera optical system. Further, each detecting element of the optical pick-up device is illuminated by light rays that are normal to its surface, thereby increasing the light detecting efficiency of the optical pick-up device in the periphery of the image field while decreasing focusing errors that occur at the periphery of the image field.

Abstract: A microlens array having a resin layer forming convex lenses, wherein the resin layer comprises a cured product of a polycarbodiimide resin represented by formula: wherein R represents a diisocyanate residue; R1 represents a monoisocyanate residue; and n represents an integer of 1 to 100.

Abstract: A processing technique of a semiconductor substrate which can improve a capability of a solid immersion lens in case of processing the semiconductor substrate and forming the solid immersion lens on its surface is provided.

Abstract: In a projection optical system for projecting and transferring a pattern on a projection original R onto a photosensitive substrate W, one or a plurality of lenses having an in-homogeous radial refractive index about the optical axis are used, while one or a plurality of aspheric surfaces for correcting the aberration resulting from the in-homogeousness in refractive index of lenses are provided.

Abstract: In order to provide a micro-lens sheet in which unit lenses are disposed in highly accurate pitch so as to control the light diffusing characteristics of the light emission direction not only in a horizontal direction but also over 360 degrees by using the lens function of one piece of lens sheet, a micro-lens sheet has a micro-lens array section in which unit lenses are disposed in approximate matrix in a second dimensional manner on at least one surface of a base board, and the micro-lens array section is formed on only one surface of the base board, the micro-lens array section includes the unit lens having an aspherical shape, and disposition pitch of neighboring unit lenses is 200 &mgr;m or shorter.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical device for focusing a substantially elliptical laser beam comprising: means for collimating a substantially elliptical laser beam so to generate a collimated beam of substantially elliptical profile; means for circularizing the collimated beam so to generate a beam of substantially circularized profile; and means for focusing the circularized beam. The device according to the invention allows on one side to achieve better results in terms of increasing the depth of focus and overall efficiency of the system, and on the other side to allow reading of optical codes also when these are tilted with respect to the scan direction of an angle up to 45° (tilt angle).

Abstract: This endoscope apparatus utilizes a phenomenon called “curvature of field” of a lens to satisfactorily bring a shape, into focus, of an object to be observed such as unevenness especially during enlargement in accordance with a shape of unevenness or the like of the object. For example, there is provided an objective lens group having two movable lenses, and variable-power is performed and field curvature characteristics are changed by moving these movable lenses. This change in the field curvature characteristics is performed by operating an image surface curving switch and driving the movable lenses through the use of an actuator or the like. Also, information on differences in height on the image central part to the peripheral part is operated from the amount of field curvature changed by the objective lens group to display the information on differences in height on the monitor.

Abstract: Telecentric projection lenses for use with pixelized panels (PP) are provided. The projection lenses have a negative first unit (U1) which has at least one negative meniscus element (N1) having at least one aspheric surface and a positive second unit (U2) which has at least one positive element (P1) having at least one aspheric surface. The lens' aperture stop (AS) is located between the two units, and a third lens unit (U3) may be used in the vicinity of the aperture stop to improve the correction of axial color. The lenses have small forward vertex distances, small clear apertures, and long back focal lengths which make them particularly well-suited for use in the manufacture of compact projection systems.

Abstract: An optical system includes a nonspherical outer dome that is rotationally symmetric about a central axis, a detector system, and an optical corrector positioned in an optical path between the outer dome and the detector system. At least one light baffle is positioned in the optical path between the outer dome and the detector system and is fixed in space relative to the central axis. There are typically from one to three baffles, each affixed to either the inter surface of the outer dome or to the optical corrector. Each baffle is a frustoconical tube that is rotationally symmetric about the central axis. A set of fins may be supported on one of the baffles, with each fin extending radially outwardly from an outer surface of the baffle and parallel to the central axis. The baffles combine to reduce stray light that otherwise would enter the optical system.

Abstract: A projection lens arranged to project an image formed on a display panel onto a screen includes a plurality of lens units movable along an axis for varying magnification, wherein at least one of lenses constituting the plurality of lens units has at least one lens surface of shape having no symmetry with respect to the axis, so that the trapezoidal deformation which tends to occur when the image formed on the display panel is projected onto the screen is corrected well.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a projection optical system having a large numerical aperture in which the maximum effective diameter of lens of the optical system is satisfactorily small.

Abstract: An optical system has an outer dome and a detector system with an optical train and a sensor disposed to receive an optical ray passing sequentially through the outer dome and the optical train. The optical train includes a solid catadioptric imaging lens which is symmetric about a lens axis. The solid catadioptric imaging lens has a bore therethrough coincident with the lens axis, to prevent stray light from reaching the sensor. The bore is desirably filled with an opaque material or has a ground glass wall.

Abstract: A dive mask having a configuration of reverse Galilean telescopes. The reverse Galilean telescopes are tilted relative to each other. This configuration achieves panoramic true-sized vision underwater, instead of vision that exhibits the magnification effects experienced with flat dive masks.

Abstract: When a projection lens system used for a rear projection type image display apparatus has a first lens group having an aspherical lens surface, a second lens group, a third lens group sharing almost all the positive refractive power of the overall system, a fourth lens group having an aspherical lens surface, a fifth lens group, and a sixth lens group including a lens having a profile of aspherical surface in which the concave surface thereof faces the screen side and the refractive power in the marginal area is weaker than the refractive power around the optical axis, a projection lens system having a large aperture ratio (low F-number), high focus, wide field angle, and sufficient marginal light amount ratio can be realized at a low cost. When a predetermined opening portion is formed in the projection lens and lens barrel, the lens elements are cooled by air suction and exhaust and the lowering of the lens performance due to temperature change can be prevented.

Abstract: Optical systems are corrected for a variety of aberrations by a microlens array where an optical property of the individual microlenses varies as a function of position in the array. For example, the microlenses can be configured so that the focal length varies to correct field curvature. Representative environments for the microlens array may be characterized by a pixellated source (array of individual sources) in an object plane or a pixellated detector (array of individual detectors) in an image plane, or both.

Abstract: An aberration correcting apparatus and an optical pickup apparatus using this apparatus, in which a spherical aberration based on a thickness error of an optical disc substrate can be preferably eliminated and a thickness error permission range of the optical disc substrate can be widened even if an objective lens of a high numerical aperture is used.

Abstract: The invention proposes a method of predicting the curvature radius of the microlens. By adjusting a spin speed of spin coating and exposure energy during a photolithography step, a volume of the patterned microlens material layer is controlled. Then a lens-forming step is performed to transform the patterned microlens material layer into a microlens. After measuring a diameter of the microlens, the volume of the microlens material layer is multiplied by a contraction coefficient to calculate a volume of the microlens. Then the diameter and the volume of the microlens are used to calculate a curvature radius.

Abstract: Projection lens systems (13) for use in CRT projection televisions (10) are provided. From the screen side, the systems have three lens units (U1, U2, U3), the first two units (U1, U2) forming a retrofocus lens and the third unit (U3) being associated with the CRT during use and serving to correct field curvature. At its screen end, the first lens unit (U1) has a negative element (E1) which has a screen surface (S1) which is concave to the screen. The second lens unit (U2) has two positive subunits (US1, US2), the first subunit (US1) being a color correcting doublet composed of glass and the second subunit having a positive lens element (E2) at its screen end. The projection lens systems are fully color corrected, have f/#'s of 1.0 for an infinite conjugate, have half fields of view of at least 25°, and are economical to manufacture.

Abstract: A prism-type objective lens is provided for use in the pickup head of an optical disc drive capable of driving two types of optical discs such as a CD and a DVD. The prism-type objective lens allows the pickup head to be made more compact in size with reduced structural complexity, and also allows the pickup head to read data from two different types of optical discs. The prism-type objective lens includes a prism having a cross section substantially in the shape of a right triangle, a front aspherical plano-convex lens, and a rear aspherical plano-convex lens, where the planar surface of each lens is attached to one or the other of the leg sides of the prism. The hypotenuse side of the prism can be formed with two aperture areas where different reflective layers are coated. Alternatively, the hypotenuse side of the prism can be formed with a reflective HOE layer that allows the laser beam incident on it and reflected from it to be diffracted into two beams which are focused at different points.

Abstract: Three process flows for manufacturing the micro-lens array substrates are disclosed. The process flows consist of two main parts. The first part of the process flows involves fabrication of a master mold. The first two process flows utilize photolithography means to print and dry etch the micro-lens array pattern on the substrate, which is covered by a oxidation or a wet etch stopping layer. The desired surface curvature corresponding to the desired size, shape, and pattern of the micro-lens array is created by either oxidizing the exposed silicon layer (in the first process flow) or to wet-etch the exposed SiO2 by using HF solutions (in the second process flow). The third process flow creates damaged areas by using a focused laser light at first. Then, the damaged areas are preferably etched by solutions, leaving the desired surface curvature.

Abstract: A method for producing a lens system is provided in which an exact field curvature (EFC) value is determined for at least one principal ray, the EFC value being given by:EFC=-.SIGMA.(n'-n)c/nn'the summation being taken over the surfaces of the system, and for each of the surfaces, n is the index of refraction on the object side of the surface, n' is the index of refraction on the image side of the surface, and c is the curvature of the surface at the intersection of the surface with the principal ray, c being positive if the center of curvature is on the image side of the surface.

Abstract: A projection apparatus in which in order that an original image, which is compressed in a horizontal direction, may be projected onto a screen at a predetermined location by a master lens, the original image is disposed with the center thereof deviated relative to the optical axis of the master lens and in which an anamorphic lens having an optical axis inclined with respect to the optical axis of the master lens and having refractive power in a horizontal direction is disposed on the screen side of the master lens.

Abstract: A projection lens unit using the principles of liquid-cooled, optical coupling is disclosed. In particular, the present invention automatically re-focusses a lens unit that is being exposed to high temperature operating conditions. The temperature rise of the optical coupling liquid changes the refractive index of the liquid, thereby changing the focussing distance of the projection lens. As a result, the picture projected onto the screen becomes unfocussed. The present invention provides a countermeasure for automatically re-focussing the picture projected on the screen. An optical coupling lens, which is one of the lens element group of the projection lens, is movably coupled to an OC housing to move along the optical axis. The volume expansion caused by the temperature rise of the optical coupling liquid is converted to a pressure change. The pressure change is used for controlling the movement of the optical coupling lens.

Abstract: An optical system for scanning a light beam across an object where the light beam is double reflected by the reflection surfaces of a rotating polygonal mirror. Beam expander optics are included in the light path for the light beam following the first reflection by the polygonal mirror to magnify the beam diameter to fill the length of the reflective surface of the polygonal mirror at the second reflection. The beam expander optics further include lenses for demagnifying scan angle in the light beam following the first reflection. The lenses of the beam expander optics are formed with a Petzval curvature (third order Seidel aberration) to correct for the distortion induced in the optics image plane by the longitudinal shift in the entrance pupil position at the first reflection as the polygonal mirror rotates.

Abstract: A field curvature corrector is provided which has a positive power and a positive exact field curvature (EFC) value for at least one principal ray, where the EFC value is given by:EFC=-.SIGMA.(n'-n)c/nn'the summation being taken over the surfaces of the corrector, and for each of the surfaces, n is the index of refraction on the object side of the surface, n' is the index of refraction on the image side of the surface, and c is the curvature of the surface at the intersection of the surface with the principal ray, c being positive if the center of curvature is on the image side of the surface. By means of the corrector, the field curvature of a positive lens system can be corrected without the use of negative lens elements.

Abstract: An objective lens assembly provides up to 60 degrees field of view for the NVIS image intensifier goggle. A first lens subassembly positioned on the focal axis faces a external view and substantially corrects pupil aberrations in an aperture stop located after the first subassembly. A second lens subassembly is then located after the aperature stop on the focal axis. Color and field aberration corrections is provided while maintaining substantially high quality focus by a third lens subassembly. A lens element after the third lens subassembly on the focal axis flattens the image plane over the intensifier image format such that there results a format of up to 25 mm with a photocathode resolution for up to a 60 degree field of view.

Abstract: An optical system for scanning a light beam across an object where the light beam is double reflected by the reflection surfaces of a rotating polygonal mirror. Beam expander optics are included in the light path for the light beam following the first reflection by the polygonal mirror to magnify the beam diameter to fill the length of the reflective surface of the polygonal mirror at the second reflection. The beam expander optics further include lenses for demagnifying scan angle in the light beam following the first reflection. The lenses of the beam expander optics are formed with a Petzval curvature (third order Seidel aberration) to correct for the distortion induced in the optics image plane by the longitudinal shift in the entrance pupil position at the first reflection as the polygonal mirror rotates.

Abstract: An optical system is adapted to conjugate an object plane with an image spherical dome whose radius is less than its focal length and whose exit dioptric is a spherical dome on which the image spherical dome is substantially superimposed. The optical system can be used in an exposure device for modifying by physical-chemical treatment the power profile of an artificial optical lens made from a photopolymerizable material. The device comprises a source of radiation and between the source of radiation and the artificial optical lens to be irradiated a mask adapted to modulate the energy flux spatially. The exposure device comprises a curved field lens system formed by the optical system.

Abstract: A projection exposure apparatus is provided with an illumination optical system for illuminating a reticle having a predetermined pattern and a projection optical system having a predetermined numerical aperture for projecting the predetermined pattern of the reticle illuminated by the illumination optical system onto a wafer surface. The projection optical system is arranged so that, with respect to the focusing of an image of the reticle onto the wafer surface, spherical aberration, which depends on the numerical aperture of the projection optical system, shows a positive tendency corresponding to overcorrection in third-order spherical aberration and a negative tendency corresponding to undercorrection in fifth-order spherical aberration.

Abstract: A projection lens system for projecting an image from a cathode ray tube (CRT) onto a screen is provided which includes in order from the image end: a first lens unit (U1), a second positive lens unit (U2) which may include a color correcting doublet, a corrector lens unit (CR), and a third negative lens unit (U3) which is associated with the CRT during use. The first lens unit preferably has a hybrid construction and includes: a first lens element (L1) composed of glass and having spherical surfaces, a second lens element (L2) composed of plastic and having at least one aspherical surface, and a third lens element (L3) also composed of plastic and having at least one aspherical surface. L1 has substantially more optical power than either L2 or L3, e.g., .vertline.f.sub.L2 .vertline./f.sub.L1 and .vertline.f.sub.L3 .vertline./f.sub.L1 are each above 1.3. In this way, the lens system is easily fabricated and is relatively insensitive to changes in temperature of the lens elements.

Abstract: A projection lens system for a projection type television having a cathode-ray tube with a panel having a fluorescent inner surface for projecting an image onto a screen. The projection lens system includes a plurality of lens groups, the lens group positioned at a side nearest to the cathode-ray tube including, in successive order from a side toward the screen, a lens having a concave surface on the screenn side a transparent medium, and the cathode-ray tube panel having a fluorescent inner surface, the lens group attenuating at least a part of a wavelength region of the light emitted on the fluorescent surface so as to improve contrast while reducing observance of a ghost image due to multiple reflection without substantial impairment in at least one of brightness and luminance. More particularly, the attenuation is provided by the concave lens having at least one surface dyed in a predetermined color.

Abstract: A video color image projector which includes a block of crossed dichroic mirrors for combining the light rays from image rasters on respective monochrome image display devices and a projection lens for projecting the composite color rays so as to form an enlarged color image on a display screen. Each display device has a faceplace which is convex on the interior surface thereof and having thereon an interference filter in the form of an internal angularly reflecting coating (IARC). Each faceplate is liquid - coupled to a negative power lens element, so that the faceplate, coupling liquid (or gel) and such lens element effectively constitute a single negative power field flattener lens at each entrance side of the dichroic block. The composite color rays at the exit side of the dichroic block are projected on the display screen by an assembly of lens elements which includes at least one optically positive lens element.

Abstract: A projection lens system having a first positive lens group which includes a positive lens having a strongly convex surface facing the enlarged side and a negative lens, a seond negative lens group which includes a positive lens and a lens in the form of a negative meniscus lens having a concave surface facing the enlarged side, a third lens group which includes a lens in the form of a meniscus lens, wherein at least one lens surface is aspherical, having a concave surface facing the enlarged side, and a diaphragm is arranged between the first positive lens group and the second negative lens group, and wherein said projection lens system is standardized by the conditional expression to form compactly.

Abstract: A fiber optic elment is used to correct or reverse a field curvature distortion in an optical system having two imaging elements. The fiber optic element has fibers arranged in parallel with their first ends along a curvature corresponding to the expected field curvature of the image from the first imaging element, and second ends along another curvature for producing a correct output image. In the two-element optical system, the fiber optic array has its second ends arranged to provide an input object to the second imaging element with a reversed field curvature such that a correct output image is obtained from the second imaging element.