Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

David Heard

Yutaka Unuma

Manabu Fujimoto

Noboru Ohtani

Akio Miyata

Hisako Arai

Teruyuki Kataoka

A color image sensor has a white fluorescent tube as a light source, a microlens array with three rows of microlenses arranged vertically, a three-layer optical waveguide array and a three-line color CCD with color filters. The waveguides in each waveguide array layer are bent so that the interval between successive waveguides becomes narrower from the input end toward the output end. The three-line color CCD has three lines of light-receiving elements (photodiodes) as the light sensing portion. These lines in the light-receiving element array are arranged vertically at the same intervals as the waveguide layers are arranged. Further, a cylindrical lens is attached to cover the microlens array. Because of the presence of this cylindrical lens, the images of light beams incident on different microlenses of the microlens array corresponding to different waveguide layers are the same image from an identical area on the original.

Color image sensor and a production method of an optical waveguide array

A waveguide type reduction type image sensor has a waveguide type light source having a light emitting element and a substrate including optical waveguides having a planar waveguide and a tapered waveguide. The waveguide type reduction type image sensor also has a light detecting section having a microlens array, an optical waveguide substrate and a CCD array. The microlens array converges reflected light from an original onto the incident face of the optical waveguide substrate. The optical waveguide substrate has L-shaped optical waveguides for guiding the converged light to the CCD array located on a substrate face perpendicular to the incident face. The CCD array converts the guided light to an electric signal and outputs this electric signal. A manufacturing method of this waveguide type reduction type image sensor is also shown.

Waveguide type compact optical scanner and manufacturing method thereof

A method for producing a polymeric optical guide including steps of allowing the patterned surface of a patterned substrate (1) on which the pattern of grooves to become capillaries is provided to contact with a plane substrate (2), forming capillaries (1a through 1f) from the grooves, filling the capillaries with a monomer solution (6) which is the material for the core of the optical waveguide utilizing a capillary phenomenon, and polymerizing the monomer solution.

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Kashiwa, Japan

David Heard