Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Shashin Kagaku Co., Ltd.

Akira Kuwabara

Yasufumi Koyama

Hiroyuki Shirota

Ikuo Mitsuka

Takashi Sakamoto

Eiichi Tamaki

Hitoshi Haibara

Tetsuo Hoki

Takumi Yoshida

Yoshio Ono

Hideaki Ogawa

Junji Shida

Yasuyuki Wada

Testuo Hoki

Tetsuo Houki

Eiichi Tsukahara

A projector of an exposer is movable in a second direction orthogonal to a first direction in a posture inclined so that center positions of two adjacent pixels are offset in the first direction, is configured to switch ON-OFF states of exposure light each time the projector moves a distance corresponding to the drawing pitch in the second direction, exposes a photo-curable material in a predetermined drawing area sequentially for a plurality of strip regions each extending in the second direction, and forms, in a case where a plurality of layers of the photo-curable material are each exposed while being laminated to obtain a three-dimensional object, a joint portion of two adjacent strip regions of the plurality of strip regions and causes an in-plane position of the joint portion to differ between at least two layers of the plurality of layers.

Stereolithography apparatus and method for manufacturing three-dimensional object

A pattern writing apparatus for writing a pattern on a photosensitive material comprises a head provided with a DMD having a micromirror group which spatially modulates reflected light. Light from the micromirrors of the DMD are directed to irradiation regions () on the substrate, respectively. The irradiation regions () are moved over the substrate with movement of the substrate relative to the head. The DMD is provided within the head so that the direction of arrangement of the irradiation regions () is tilted relative to the main scanning direction, and a center-to-center distance (L) along the sub-scanning direction between two adjacent irradiation regions () arranged in the main scanning direction is made equal to a pitch (P) of writing cells () on the substrate with respect to the sub-scanning direction. ON/OFF control of light irradiation of each irradiation region is performed each time the irradiation regionsmove a distance equal to twice a pitch (P).

Pattern writing apparatus and pattern writing method

An image recording apparatus () has a stage unit () for holding a substrate (), an irradiation unit () having a plurality of irradiation parts () and a mechanism for relatively moving the stage unit () and the irradiation unit (). An irradiation part () is provided with a DMD having a group of micromirrors for modulating a reflected light beam and a micro moving mechanism for moving the DMD relatively to the irradiation unit () in the X direction, thereby microscopically moving an irradiation position of the irradiation part () in the X direction. The irradiation part () is further provided with a zoom lens, thereby magnifying and reducing an image of the DMD on the substrate (). By controlling a plurality of irradiation parts () parallelly and independently, the image recording apparatus () can write a fine pattern at high speed.

A laser drawing apparatus according to the invention calibrates the accuracy of a first light quantity monitor in detecting the quantities of laser beams, based on results of detection by a second light quantity monitor of the quantities of laser beams emitted from an imaging optical system to a drawing stage, when a characteristic deterioration of or adhesion of foreign matter to optical components of the first light quantity monitor has resulted in variations in the optical characteristic of the first light quantity monitor, and variations in the detection by the first light quantity monitor of the quantities of the laser beams. The quantities of the laser beams emitted to a printed circuit board (image-receiving object) is thereby adjusted to a proper value, to maintain high-quality, high-definition drawings requiring a high degree of light quantity precision.

Laser drawing apparatus and laser drawing method

An optical beam scanning system for scanning photosensitive material (1) comprises a laser (201), a beam splitter (204) for producing multibeams (LB.sub.a, LB.sub.b), AOM's (207a, 207b), a multibeam adjuster (300) for turning the multibeams to intersect each other at a prescribed point (P.sub.C), a horizontal expander (211), an AOD (213), a vertical expander (214), a deflection direction adjuster (400) for rotating a deflection direction of the multibeams, and a variable focusing mechanism (500) comprising a plurality of object lenses (501-504). A pixel pitch and a spot diameter on the photosensitive material can be changed separately from each other by exchanging the object lenses and by adjusting an angle of intersection of multibeams (B.sub.a, B.sub.b) by means of the multibeam adjuster. Cylindrical lenses of the horizontal and vertical expanders are so positioned that they compensate a cylindrical lensing effect of the AOD.

Optical beam scanning system

An A-phase pulse (S.sub.A) and a B-phase pulse (S.sub.B) are transmitted from a laser interferometic measuring device to a conversion device (5). When the distance-to-be-measured (l) is increasing, a conversion coefficient (D.sub.R) is added to or subtracted from an initial value in an arithmetic calculator (53) at the rising edge and the trailing edge of the pulses (S.sub.A, S.sub.B). The conversion coefficient has a digital value of M-digits and represents a reference distance .lambda./N, where .lambda. is the wavelength of a laser beam (LB.sub.1, LB.sub.2) employed in the laser measuring machine and M and N are positive integers. A predetermined unit distance in the metric system corresponds to a unit number in the (M+1)-th digit. A distance pulse signal (S.sub.L) is generated in response to a carry signal and a borrow signal from the arithmetic calculator, and is used in expressing a change of the distance in the metric system.

Conversion device for laser interferometic measuring apparatus

An AOD driver (27) generates a driving signal of an AOD (11), whose frequency varies in response to a sweep signal and whose amplitude varies in accordance with an amplitude control signal. In an initial stage, a constant signal level is stored in a memory (29) and is supplied to the AOD driver. A laser beam is deflected by the AOD and the light intensity thereof is detected by a photo-sensor (14). A signal representing the light intensity is given to a CPU (33) and a corrected amplitude control signal is generated, which is stored in the memory in place of the original amplitude control signal to control the AOD driver.

Method of and apparatus for controlling deflection of optical beams

An image data processing apparatus for generating a dot data, which is converted from a runlength data, to control multi-channel exposure beams which record image patterns through scanning, having a converter for generating a dot signal which corresponds to a length of an exposure portion designated by the runlength data, and a memory block for forming the dot data by storing the dot signals in M scanning lines, where M is the number of the exposure beams. Then it generates the dot data which corresponds to the number of the exposure beams.

Apparatus for expanding and formatting runlength data for multiple

An apparatus for recording a binary image of a printed circuit pattern on photosensitive material. First and second rows of recording spots scan the photosensitive material. The second row is shifted by a length corresponding to approximately half the diameter of the recording spots. Each of the recording spots covers an area equal to approximaqtely four pixels. Whether a pixel is to be exposed is determined on the basis of a logical sum or product of data corresponding to four adjacent pixels.

Laser scan recording apparatus using aperture plates to form shifted

In image scanning in which three lamps provided for Red, Green and Blue color components are switched successively and light transmitted through or reflected at an original is received by a CCD line photosensor, variation in lamp output light quantity with time and relative variations in output light intensity among the three lamps are corrected. In one embodiment, each lamp is turned off or operation of the CCD is terminated when the light quantity emitted from the lamp reaches a setup quantity. In a second embodiment, a voltage corresponding to the color component data obtained by the CCD is divided by a voltage corresponding to the effective light quantity emitted from each lamp.

Image data correction

In a method for controlling magnification variation in which an original picture image is projected on a light receiving surface with a desired magnification, the projected picture image is moved in the sub-scanning direction which intersects the main scanning direction where the sensor is aligned, and the feeding speed (V) in the sub-scanning direction and the electric charge storage time are controlled.

Method for controlling magnification variation

A pixel synchronizing signal between a picture input scanning apparatus and a reproduction record scanning apparatus is generated by dividing frequency of a reference signal according to scanning speed in the main scanning direction into a plurality of slightly different frequencies from one another by a plurality of dividers, pairs of the frequencies are converted into heterodyne frequencies by at least a pair of phase synchronizing loop circuits coupled with the heterodyne frequencies of mutual output frequencies thereof, and frequencies of output signals of the phase synchronizing loop circuits of which feeding back signals are the heterodyne frequencies among the phase synchronizing loop circuits are divided to make them output frequencies. The apparatus for practicing the method comprises a reference pulse generating means for generating a pulse signal of which frequency is varied according to the scanning speed in the main scanning direction, at least a pair of frequency dividers converting their frequencies into two signals having slightly different frequencies, at least a pair of phase synchronizing loop circuits converting frequencies of output signals of the dividers, a frequency mixer for outputting heterodyne frequency to a feeding back frequency divider and a frequency divider for dividing frequency of an output signal of the phase synchronizing loop circuit to which the signal of heterodyne frequency is to be fed.

Method for generating a pixel synchronizing signal in a picture input

The resolution of an array sensor can be increased by projecting images of picture elements, which lie on the same scanning line, on a plurality of one-dimensional array sensors composed of a number of photoelectric transducers arranged with an equal interval in a row; and then subjecting picture signals, which have been output respectively from the array sensors, to a combination processing so as to obtain continuous picture signals. It is possible, without using any memory unit, to output picture signals with a resolution higher than that available from the use of a single one-dimensional array sensor, namely, with a resolution proportional to the number of a plurality of one-dimensional array sensors.

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Kyoto, Japan

Akira Kuwabara