Abstract:
An objective lens for recording data to and/or reproducing data from first and second optical discs. The objective lens is provided with at least one surface including a plurality of annular zones divided by steps. The steps has functions of phase shifting a wavefront of light passing through the plurality of annular zones so that a beam spot formed at a converging point of an average wavefront of the wavefront phase shifted by the steps is used for the first and second optical discs. The plurality of annular zones of the at least one surface includes at least one annular zone structure which includes first and second annular zone groups, each of which has at least three steps for phase shifting the wavefront in a first direction, and a first return step which is a step formed at a boundary between the first and second annular zone groups. The first return step phase shifts the wavefront in a second direction opposite to the first direction. An absolute value |Δψ1| of a phase shifting amount of the first light beam given by the first return step satisfies a condition: 6π
Abstract:
The invention provides a sample observation method capable of understanding the three-dimensional shape of a sample in a wider range. The observation method of the invention calculates heights (height differences) in the whole domain of an image, from plural sheets of images of different field-of-view angles, being in focus over the whole image, attained by means of the focal depth expanding function to thereby create a map (Z map) of the height information by each pixel, and displays a three-dimensional image as a bird's-eye view. The method also displays to superpose a Z map attained from image signals reflecting the surface structure on a Z map attained from image signals reflecting the composition information with different colors, which makes it possible to clearly understand the spatial distribution of a substance of unique composition inside the sample.
Abstract:
A single element objective lens for an optical disc drive converges a laser beam, which is emitted by a laser source, on a data recording surface of an optical disc through a protective layer of the optical disc. One surface of the objective lens is divided into a central area including an optical axis thereof and a peripheral area surrounding the central area. The peripheral area is provided with a diffraction lens structure formed by a plurality of concentric annular zones including minute steps. The central area is a continuous surface having no stepped portions. The diffraction lens structure compensates for variation of converging characteristic of the objective lens due to a change of a temperature.
Abstract:
A scanning drawing apparatus includes a light source, a beam separator for dividing the laser beam into a drawing beam and a monitor beam. A drawing optical path through which the drawing beam travels, and a monitor optical path through which the monitor beam travels are defined. The drawing beam passed through the drawing optical path and the monitor beam passed through the monitor optical path are combined by a beam combiner, and then deflected by a scanning deflector. The deflected beams pass through a scanning lens to form beam spots on an image surface and a monitor scale that is equivalent to the image surface, respectively. The monitor optical path has a different optical path length from the drawing optical path and/or effective diameters of optical elements in the monitor optical path is different from effective diameters of optical elements in the drawing optical path. A deviation of the beam spot of the drawing beam on the image surface due to an inclination or a shift of the light source is equal to a deviation of the beam spot of the monitor beam on the monitor scale in terms of directions and amounts.
Abstract:
An RFID tag includes an inlet on which an antenna pattern serving as an antenna for communication and an IC chip electrically connected to the antenna pattern are mounted. The RFID tag also includes an exterior body that encloses the inlet from outside and a hollow space that is formed by the inlet and the exterior body and that is filled with gas or a gel material.
Abstract:
There is provided an optical disc drive, which includes a light source emitting a light beam, a beam dividing element that divides the light beam into main and sub-beams, an objective lens, an astigmatism producing unit that gives astigmatism to the main and sub-beams, a signal generation unit that has sensors for the beams and generates a focus error signal based on output signals of the sensors; and an optical element that has a function of adjusting intensity distribution of the main beam such that the main beam incident on the optical disc has a predetermined intensity distribution where a maximum intensity level is positioned at a predetermined height within a range of 70% of a pupil diameter, the predetermined height is not equal to an optical axis, and an intensity of the main beam decreases gradually from the predetermined height to a peripheral portion of the pupil.
Abstract:
An objective lens including: a first region to respectively converge first and second light beams onto recording surfaces of first and second optical discs; and a second region located outside of the first region and configured to converge the first light beam onto the recording surface of the first optical disc and not to converge the second light beam onto the recording surface of each of the first and second optical discs, and wherein the first region is divided into a plurality of refractive surface zones concentrically formed about an optical axis and has a first step, a diffraction order at which a diffraction efficiency is maximized for each of the first and second light beams passing through the first step in the first region is a first order, and the objective lens satisfies a condition: 0.80
Abstract:
There is provided an objective lens used for a plurality of types of optical discs having a front surface and a rear surface, each of which includes an inner region and an outer region. The outer region has a surface shape which suppresses a coma caused when a beam used for a first optical disc is incident thereon obliquely with respect to an optical axis of the objective lens. The inner region is configured such that, at a boundary position between the inner region and the outer region, the coma caused when a beam used for a second optical disc is incident on the inner region obliquely at a first angle with respect to the optical axis is less than the coma caused when the beam used for the second optical disc is incident on the outer region obliquely at the first angle with respect to the optical axis. Further, an inclination θ2A of the inner region and an inclination θ2B of the outer region of the rear surface satisfy a condition: −2.5
Abstract:
There is provided an objective optical system used for information recording/reproducing for three types of optical discs. The objective optical system includes an objective lens, and a diffraction structure formed on an optical surface. The diffraction structure includes a first area for contributing to converging the third light beam. The first area includes first and second steps defined by first and second optical path difference functions, respectively. The first step is configured such that diffraction orders at which diffraction efficiencies for the first, second and third light beams are maximized are 1st order, 0-th order and 0-th order, respectively. The first step satisfies a condition: −0.36×102
Abstract:
There is provided a coupling lens used in an optical information recording/reproducing device for recording information to and/or reproducing information from an optical disc. The coupling lens includes a first surface and a second surface, wherein the coupling lens is configured to satisfy a following condition (1): −0.80≦Z≦0.40 (1), wherein a value Z is obtained from a following equation (E1): Z = ⅆ ⅆ n ( L ′ ) L ′ = ( A - B ) ( D - E ) - ( F - G ) ( H - I ) . ( E1 )