Patent · US Expired

Laser apparatus, exposure head, exposure apparatus, and optical fiber connection method

US6960035B2 · kind B2 · utility

31Cited by
6References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 9, 2003
Grant dateNov 1, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 25, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01S3/06745
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical fiber of a bundled fiber light source is an optical fiber whose core diameter is uniform but whose emission end cladding diameter is smaller than an incidence end cladding diameter thereof, and a light emission region thereof is made smaller. An angle of luminous flux from this higher luminance bundled fiber light source, which passes through a lens system and is incident on a DMD, is smaller, i.e., an illumination NA is made smaller. Thus, an angle of flux which is incident on a surface that is to be exposed is smaller. That is, a minute image formation beam can be obtained without increasing the image formation NA, focal depth is lengthen.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.