A system for writing geometric structures on a photosensitive substrate including a modulated laser beam source, a focusing lens, a deflector for producing a scanning action between the light source and the lens, and a device for mechanically moving the surface relative to the laser beam. Compressed data for use in writing the geometric structures is read out of a memory into a data delivery circuit such that the data is formatted to have both beam power and position information. A modulator logic circuit operates to call up the data from the data delivery circuit, form a modulation drive signal based on the power information, and delay the modulation drive signal based the position data. The modulator logic circuit thus operates to vary the modulation drive signal to begin or end exposure along the scan lines with greater resolution or pixel density by at least a factor of four more than the resolution or spacing density between adjacent scan lines. The scan lines are arranged within stripes, and adjacent stripes preferably are made to overlap such that the stripes are blended in the overlap according to a predetermined stepwise changing function.

Method and apparatus for the production of a structure by focused laser radiation on a photosensitively coated substrate

An optical beam scanning system is constructed with less optical elements. A light beam (B₁) of parallel rays passes through a first image forming system (L₁). The first image-forming system consists of a cylindrical lens (2) having a refracting power in a direction equivalent to a main scanning direction (X) and a spherical convex lens (3). Focuses of the cyiindrical lens and the spherical convex lens are within a prescribed allowance. A light beam (B₁₁) passing through the spherical lens has a character of parallel rays within a vertical plane and a character of convergent rays within a horizontal plane to be focused on a deflection surface (4a). A reflected light beam (B₂) is finally focused on a surface-to-be-scanned (8) through a second image-forming system (L₂).

Optical beam scanning system

A diffracting beam splitter splits an optical beam. The resulting beams are swept over an object by a beam deflector. The beams are mechanically scanned transverse to the beam deflection direction. A position sensitive device receives light reflected from the incident beams and a three dimensional profile of the object is produced.

Method and system for imaging an object with a plurality of optical beams

An optical memory system employing multiple reading/writing optical beams for simultaneously reading from or writing to multiple tracks of optical media to allow reading/writing of closely spaced adjacent tracks. Various optical elements and other means are incorporated to enable the beams as a group to remain focused and properly tracking as the beams as a group scan across the tracks. Means are also provided for modulating the beams to reduce crosstalk. Various optical elements and combinations of optical elements are provided to compensate for beam and system imperfections.

Multiple beam optical memory system

A laser marking apparatus includes at least one laser beam source, a multichannel acoustic modulator defining a plurality of at least partially overlapping modulation regions, apparatus for directing at least one laser beam from the at least one laser beam source through the multichannel acoustic modulator such that each laser beam extends across at least two of the at least partially overlapping modulation regions, and imaging apparatus for directing light from the modulator to a laser marking image plane.

Laser marking apparatus including an acoustic modulator

A laser exposure system for use in scanning and recording images, the system comprising subdividing the laser beam from the laser source into several parallel traces of laser beams; modulating the laser beams individually in response to the image signals be means of a multi-channel optical modulator; directing the modulated laser beams through a first mirror and a second mirror so as to enable the laser beams from the second mirror to be in parallel with the reference plane with respect to the sub-scanning direction; varying the distance between the modulator and the first mirror; and adjusting the angles of the first and second mirrors to the reference plane so that a possible decline of the laser beams in the sub-scanning direction is compensated.

Laser exposure apparatus

of EP0240002A laser exposure system for use in scanning and recording images, the system comprising subdividing the laser beam from the laser source (1) into several parallel traces of laser beams; modulating the laser beams individually in response to the image signals by means of a multi-channel optical modulator (7); directing the modulated laser beams through a first mirror (9a) and a second mirror (9b) so as to enable the laser beams from the second mirror (9b) to be in parallel with the reference plane with respect to the sub-scanning direction; varying the distance between the modulator (7) and the first mirror (9a); and adjusting the angles of the first and second mirrors to the reference plane so that a possible decline of the laser beams in the sub-scanning direction is compensated.

Yoshio Kurata

Papers

Laser exposure apparatus

A laser recording apparatus