Super-resolution scanning optical system by incoherently superimposing two beams

A super-resolution scanning optical apparatus, comprising:

• a coherent light source for emitting a coherent beam;
• a polarizing phase plate for receiving the coherent beam emitted from the coherent light source, separating the coherent beam into a primary beam and a subsidiary beam which has a plane of polarization perpendicular to the plane of polarization of the primary beam and an intensity distribution in which peak values are placed at least on both sides of the center of said primary beam and the principal portion of the subsidiary beam is equal in size to the principal portion of said primary beam, and transmitting the primary beam and the subsidiary beam;
• a focusing means for superimposing the primary beam and the subsidiary beam transmitted through said polarizing phase plate upon each other and focusing, as a minute size light beam, each of the primary beam and the subsidiary beam onto a plane to be scanned;
• a scanning means for scanning said plane to be scanned with a light beam composed of the primary beam and the subsidiary beam being superimposed upon each other;
• a light separating means for receiving the light beam transmitted or reflected by said plane to be scanned, separating said beam into the primary beam and the subsidiary beam through polarization separation, and transmitting them;
• a photo-detecting means for individually detecting the intensity of the primary beam and the intensity of the subsidiary beam and outputting a light intensity signal;
• and
• a calculating means for calculating, based on the light intensity signal outputted from said photo-detecting means, a super-resolution scanning signal and outputting it.

A super-resolution scanning optical apparatus comprising:

• a first coherent light source for emitting a first coherent beam serving as a primary beam;
• a second coherent light source for emitting a second coherent beam which has either a plane of polarization perpendicular to the plane of polarization of said first coherent beam or a wavelength different from the wavelength of said first coherent beam;
• a holographic optical element for receiving said second coherent beam and emitting a subsidiary beam which has an intensity distribution in which peak values are placed at least on both sides of the subsidiary beam on a plane perpendicular to an optical axis and the principal portion of the subsidiary beam is equal in size to the principal portion of primary beam;
• a focusing means for superimposing the primary beam emitted from said first coherent light source and the subsidiary beam transmitted through said holographic optical element upon each other and focusing, as a minute size light be each of the primary beam and the subsidiary beam onto a plane to be scanned;
• a scanning means for scanning said plane to be scanned with a light beam composed of said primary beam and said subsidiary beam being superimposed upon each other;
• a light separating means for receiving the light beam transmitted or reflected by said plane to be scanned, separating said light beam into the primary beam and the subsidiary beam through polarization separation or wavelength separation, and transmitting them;
• a photo-detecting means for individually detecting the intensity of the primary beam and the intensity of the subsidiary beam and outputting a light intensity signal;
• and
• a calculating means for calculating, based on the light intensity signal outputted from said optical detecting means, a super-resolution scanning signal and outputting it.