High-resolution reading and writing using beams and lenses rotating at equal or double speed

Abstract

A scan systems include at least one radiation source for directing at least one beam toward a spinning scan device. The scan device reflects these beams as rotating scan beams to track rotating scan lenses without translation between the scan beams and the scan lenses. The rotating scan lenses focus the scan beams into radiation spots and project them onto a scanned surface as moving scan spots. Relative movement between the scanned surface and the scan lenses produces an inner drum area scan. According to another version the system includes at least one radiation source for directing at least one beam toward a spinning scan device. The scan device reflects these beams as rotating scan beams to track rotating reflectors. The reflectors direct the beams to rotating tracking lenses without translation between the beams and the lenses. The lenses focus the scan beams into spots and project these onto a scanned surface as moving spots. Relative movement between the scanned surface and the scan lenses produces a planar area scan. The advantages of each version are the ability to use multiple beams for high-speed scans, to produce a scan with a balanced rotating optical system for producing a high speed-scan, to scan with a high resolution that is diffraction limited, to scan over a large range at a high resolution, to achieve a very accurate scan by reducing the influence of the production tolerances of the scan device, and to produce high-speed scan with very low radiation loss in a rotating confocal microscope.