Citizen Watch Company, Ltd.

Citizen Holdings Company, Ltd.

Keio University

Seiko Kato

Masafumi Ide

Takaaki Takeishi

Takaaki Nozaki

Takaaki Ishigure

Kazutomo Soma

An optical device () includes laser light sources (to), polarization films (to), and a stacked wave plate (). The laser light sources (to) respectively output light of a different wavelength. The stacked wave plate () includes multiple wave plates (to) and induces a phase difference on polarization components of transmitted light. The polarization films (to) adjust the polarization direction of the light such that an angle between polarization directions of the light emitted by the laser light sources (to) and input to the stacked wave plate () becomes an angle that corrects an orientation angle difference that occurs at the stacked wave plate (), consequent to differences in the wavelength of the light.

Optical device

Provided is a method for producing a microchannel including an approximately circular cross section with neither a joined surface nor an inlet in a smaller number of steps than has been conventional. The method for producing a microchannel includes the steps of forming a layer of an uncured curable resin () on a substrate (), inserting into the curable resin a needle body () that can inject a liquid (), injecting a liquid in a tubular shape into the curable resin via the needle body while moving the needle body, extracting the needle body from the curable resin, and curing the curable resin to form a channel (A) in a tubular region injected with the liquid.

Method for producing microchannel, and microchannel

Provided is an optical element having an optical waveguide region that can propagate azimuthally polarized light or radially polarized light while maintaining the direction of polarization. The optical element has a resin layer and an optical waveguide region that is formed in the resin layer and guides light in the lengthwise direction of the resin layer. Liquid crystal molecules are oriented in an approximately radiating shape in a cross section perpendicular to the lengthwise direction in the optical waveguide region, and the refractive index of the optical waveguide region is greater than that of the resin layer.

Optical element

A light source unit () emits linearly polarized laser light of a given wavelength. A wave plate () transmits the laser light emitted from the light source unit () and has a phase delay axis of which the direction is adjusted to about 0 degrees with respect to the polarization direction () of the laser light. A liquid crystal cell () transmits laser light that has passed through the wave plate () and by a switchable rotation amount, rotates the polarization direction () of the laser light transmitted through the liquid crystal cell (). A wave plate () transmits laser light that has passed through the liquid crystal cell (); and further has a phase delay axis of which the direction is adjusted to about 0 degrees with respect to the polarization direction () of the laser light.

Growing community of inventors

Tokorozawa, Japan

Seiko Kato