Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Canon U.s.a., Inc.

Seiji Takeuchi

Minoru Yoshii

Kyoichi Miyazaki

Yasuhiro Kishikawa

Toshihiko Tsuji

Kenji Yamazoe

Noriyuki Nose

Akiyoshi Suzuki

Hiroyasu Nose

Badr Elmaanaoui

Yumiko Ohsaki

Anderson Thi Mach

Mitsuhiro Ikuta

Masayuki A Suzuki

Toshiyuki Sudo

Yasuyuki Unno

Masanobu Hasegawa

Jacob Schieffelin Brauer

Eiichi Murakami

Michio Ishikawa

Sarika Verma

Takahiro Matsumoto

Kenji Saito

Osamu Koyama

Koichi Sentoku

Yasuhiro Sawada

Koh Ishizuka

Hiroshi Maehara

Tetsuharu Nishimura

Michio Kohno

Mark Alan Hamm

Alexander Altshuler

Tetsuzo Mori

Zhuo Wang

Ichiro Tanaka

Seiya Miura

Albert Harold Dunfee

Yasuyuki Tomita

Tzu-Yu Wu

Naoki Kohara

Tokuyuki Honda

Xuri Yan

A system and method for displaying an endoscope image in a preferred orientation. An endoscope scans a sample with spectrally encoded light by rotating imaging optics inside an endoscope guide. A processor generates an image based on light returned from the sample, and rotates the image by a first angle offset value and a second angle offset value to display the rotated image in the preferred orientation. The first offset value is an angle difference between a specific direction in which the image is to be displayed on a display and a direction in which the tip of the endoscope is oriented with respect to the imaging plane. The second offset value is an angle difference between a direction of the line of scanning light projected onto a plane perpendicular to the tip and the specific direction in which the image is to be displayed.

Apparatus and method for endoscopic image orientation control

An imaging catheter assembly comprising a catheter comprising: a proximal end; a distal end; a tubular body extending from the proximal end to the distal end; and an imaging element within the tubular body; a sheath comprising: a proximal end; a distal end; and a tubular body extending from the proximal end to the distal end, the tubular body having an inner surface, wherein the inner surface of the tubular body of the sheath at least partially defines a conduit for conveying a fluid to the distal end of the sheath, and wherein the sheath is movable such that the distal end of the sheath is positionable relative to the distal end of the catheter.

Imaging catheter assembly

One or more devices, systems, methods and storage mediums for characterizing, examining and/or diagnosing, and/or measuring viscosity of, a sample or object are provided herein. Such information may be obtained in application(s) using a system that includes a rotary junction, an elongated extender or at least one repeater attached to the rotary junction and a rotatable probe attached to the elongated extender and/or the at least one repeater. Examples of such applications include imaging, evaluating and diagnosing biological objects, such as, but not limited to, for Gastro-intestinal, cardio and/or ophthalmic applications, and being obtained via one or more optical instruments. The extenders and/or repeaters may be used with one or more forms of imaging, such as, but not limited to, Spectrally Encoded Endoscopy ('SEE') and Optical Coherence Tomography ('OCT').

Rotational extender and/or repeater for rotating fiber based optical imaging systems, and methods and storage mediums for use therewith

An endoscopic probe extending from a proximal end to a distal end thereof, and configured to be inserted in a tubular lumen to observe a sample is disclosed. The probe includes a first waveguide enclosed within an inner sheath and extending from the proximal end to the distal end along an axis of the inner sheath; and a plurality of second waveguides having at least the distal ends thereof arranged in one or more rings around the inner sheath to surround the distal end of the first waveguide. At the distal end, the axis of each of the second waveguides is tilted with respect to the axis of the first waveguide by a tilt angle which can be adjustable. This novel endoscopic probe has a resultant numerical aperture larger than the numerical aperture of each of the second waveguides, and it may be applicable to forward-viewing spectrally encoded endoscopes (SEE).

Optical fiber arrangement for endoscope

A Spectrally Encoded Forward View or Multi-View Endoscope, Probe, and Imaging Apparatus and system, and methods and storage mediums for use therewith, are provided herein. At least one apparatus or system may comprise a first waveguide; an optical system; and a diffraction grating. The first waveguide may be for guiding light from a light source to an output port of the first waveguide. The optical system may comprise at least a first reflecting surface and a second reflecting surface. The first reflecting surface may be arranged to reflect light from the output port of the first waveguide to the second reflecting surface. The second reflecting surface may be arranged to reflect light from the first reflecting surface back through the first reflecting surface to the diffraction grating. The diffraction grating may diffract light from the second reflecting surface in several lights/colors of non-zero diffraction orders in a first direction.

Spectrally encoded forward view and spectrally encoded multi-view endoscope using back-reflected light between reflective surfaces

The present disclosure provides apparatuses and methods for color imaging and an increased field of view using spectrally encoded endoscopy techniques. At least one of the apparatuses includes an illumination unit having two or more spectrally dispersive gratings positioned, for example, on different planes or on the same plane but having grating vectors at an angle to each other such that bands of spectrally dispersed light propagating from the gratings propagate on different planes.

Endoscope probes and systems, and methods for use therewith

The present invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for endoscopy which includes a probe, a first and a second optical fiber to guide light, a third optical fiber to capture light; and a switch configured to operate the first optical fiber and second optical fiber. Light dispersed by the first optical fiber at least partially overlaps light dispersed by the second optical.

Optical probe, light intensity detection, imaging method and system

A novel endoscope, which can be a spectrally encoded endoscope (SEE) probe having forward-view, side-view, or a combination of forward and side views is provided herein. The SEE probe includes a light guiding component, a light focusing component, and a grating component. The probe is configured to forward a light such as a spectrally dispersed light from the grating component to a sample with no intermediate reflections between light guiding component and the grating component. A triangular grating, such as a staircase grating or an overhang grating may be used as the grating component.

Spectrally encoded probes

An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate coated with a photoresist to form a latent image to the photoresist, comprises an original holding unit configured to hold an original including a phase-modulation diffraction grating so that an interference pattern is formed on a surface of the substrate by a light beam diffracted by the original, a substrate holding unit configured to hold the substrate, and a light beam dividing optical system configured to divide a light beam to form a plurality of light beams which enter the original, wherein a latent image is formed on the substrate by superposition of a plurality of interference patterns formed on the surface of the substrate, the plurality of interference patterns respectively corresponding to the plurality of light beams which enter the original.

Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method using original with phase-modulation diffraction grating to form interference pattern

The present invention provides a measurement apparatus including a first polarization control unit configured to control a polarization state of light which enters an optical system to be measured to at least two different polarization states, a wavefront splitting unit which is inserted between the first polarization control unit and the optical system, a second polarization control unit which is inserted between the optical system and an image sensor, includes a phase plate, and is configured to control the polarization state of the light, and a processing unit configured to calculate the optical characteristics of the optical system, based on a plurality of interference patterns sequentially sensed by the image sensor by rotating the phase plate.

Measurement apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device fabrication method

An exposure apparatus including an illumination system which illuminates an original, and projection optics which project a pattern of the original illuminated by the illumination system onto a substrate. The apparatus includes an interferometer which forms an interference pattern including aberration information on the projection optics using a polarized light beam emitted from the illumination system, in which the interferometer is a common path interferometer in which two light beams forming interference pattern pass along a path in the projection optics, and a processor which calculates optical characteristics of the projection optics on the basis of the interference pattern formed by the interferometer. The illumination system including a polarization controller which sequentially generates at least three difference polarized light beams with respective polarization states different from each other. The processor separates first aberration and second aberration from wavefront aberration represented by the interference patterns sequentially formed by the interferometer using the at least three different polarized light beams, by calculating a data of the interference patterns, the first aberration being aberration which does not change dependent on a polarization state of polarized light beam entering the projection optics. The second aberration is aberration which changes dependent on the polarization state of the polarized light beam entering the projection optics.

Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method using a common path interferometer to form an interference pattern and a processor to calculate optical characteristics of projection optics using the interference pattern

An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating the reticle using the ultraviolet light from the light source, and a polarization measuring unit measuring the polarization state of the ultraviolet light, the polarization measuring unit including an optical unit for providing at least three different phase differences to the ultraviolet light that has passed at least part of the illumination optical system, a polarization element for providing a different transmittance in accordance with a polarization state of the ultraviolet light that has passed the optical unit, and an image pickup device for detecting a light intensity of the ultraviolet light that has passed the polarization element, the polarization measuring unit measuring the polarization state of the ultraviolet light that has passed the at least part of the illumination optical system based on a detection result of the image pickup device.

Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a reticle, a projection optical system configured to project a pattern of the reticle onto a substrate, a polarization adjuster configured to independently adjust each polarization state of plural areas in an effective light source distribution used to illuminate the reticle, a polarization measurement unit configured to measure a polarization state of light that has passed the polarization adjuster, and a controller configured to independently control each polarization state of the plural areas via the polarization adjuster based on a measurement result of the polarization measurement unit.

An exposure apparatus which includes a projection optical system that projects a pattern image of a reticle onto an object to be exposed, and an interferometer configured to measure an optical characteristic of the projection optical system. The interferometer includes a mask placed on an object plane side of the projection optical system, the mask shaping a wavefront of light from a light source into an ideal wavefront, a detector configured to detect the light passing through the projection optical system; and an optical element placed between the mask and the projection optical system or between the projection optical system and the detector. The detector detects interference fringes (an interferogram) formed by interference between a reflected component of the light reflected by the optical element and a transmitted component of the light passing through the optical element.

Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method using the apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Utsunomiya, Japan

Seiji Takeuchi