Beam shaping device
AssigneeKonica Minolta Opto, Inc.
InventorsKazunari Tada, Junji Hashimura, Yuichiro Ori
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a beam shaping device for converting the laser light emitted from a semiconductor laser light source from an elliptic beam to a circular beam, the light-entrance-side and light-exit-side surfaces of the beam shaping device both have a curvature only in the major-axis direction of the cross section of the elliptic beam. Of the light-entrance-side and light-exit-side surfaces, one is a circular-arc cylindrical surface and the other is a non-circular-arc cylindrical surface.
Claims23
A beam shaping device for converting an elliptical cross section of a beam of laser light emitted from a semiconductor laser light source,
- wherein light-entrance-side and light-exit-side surfaces of the beam shaping device both have a curvature only in a direction corresponding to the major-axis direction of the cross section of the beam, so that the beam shaping device reduces the diameter of the beam along the major axis thereof,
- wherein the light-entrance-side surface of the beam shaping device is a convex surface, and the light-exit-side surface of the beam shaping device is a concave surface;
- wherein, of the light-entrance-side and light-exit-side surfaces, one is a circular-arc cylindrical surface and the other is a non-circular-arc cylindrical surface, and
- wherein the following conditional formula is fulfilled:
- 1≦T1/T0≦10
- where
- T1 represents a center thickness of the beam shaping device;
- and
- T0 represents an axial optical distance between the semiconductor laser light source and the beam shaping device.
A beam shaping device for converting an elliptical cross section of a beam of laser light emitted from a semiconductor laser light source,
- wherein light-entrance-side and light-exit-side surfaces of the beam shaping device both have a curvature only in a direction corresponding to a major-axis direction of the elliptical cross section of the beam, so that the beam shaping device reduces the diameter of the beam along the major axis thereof;
- wherein the light-entrance-side surface of the beam shaping device is a convex surface, and the light-exit-side surface of the beam shaping device is a concave surface;
- wherein one of the light-entrance-side and light-exit-side surfaces is a circular-arc cylindrical surface and the other is a non-circular-arc cylindrical surface, and
- wherein the following conditional formula is fulfilled:
- 0.05≦R1/R2≦1.1
- where, assuming that a radius of curvature of a surface convex to a light-entrance side or concave to a light-exit side is positive and that a radius of curvature of a surface concave to a light-entrance side or convex to a light-exit side is negative, with respect to the major-axis direction of the cross section of the elliptic beam,
- R1 represents a radius of curvature of the light-entrance-side surface of the beam shaping device;
- and
- R2 represents a radius of curvature of the light-exit-side surface of the beam shaping device.
A beam shaping device for converting an elliptical cross section of a beam of laser light emitted from a semiconductor laser light source,
- wherein light-entrance-side and light-exit-side surfaces of the beam shaping device both have a curvature only in a direction corresponding to a major-axis direction of the cross section of the beam, so that the beam shaping device reduces the diameter of the beam along the major axis thereof;
- wherein one of the light-entrance-side and light-exit-side surfaces is a circular-arc cylindrical surface and the other is a non-circular-arc cylindrical surface, and
- wherein the following conditional formula is fulfilled:
- 0.45≦R1/T0≦1.5
- where, assuming that a radius of curvature of a surface convex to a light-entrance side or concave to a light-exit side is positive and that a radius of curvature of a surface concave to a light-entrance side or convex to a light-exit side is negative, with respect to the major-axis direction of the cross section of the elliptic beam,
- R1 represents a radius of curvature of the light-entrance-side surface of the beam shaping device;
- and
- T0 represents an axial optical distance between the semiconductor laser light source and the beam shaping device.
A beam shaping device for converting an elliptical cross section of a beam of laser light emitted from a semiconductor laser light source,
- wherein light-entrance-side and light-exit-side surfaces of the beam shaping device both have a curvature only in a major-axis direction of a cross section of the elliptic beam;
- wherein one of the light-entrance-side and light-exit-side surfaces is a circular-arc cylindrical surface and the other is a non-circular-arc cylindrical surface, and
- wherein the following conditional formula is fulfilled:
- 0.1≦R1/T1≦0.6
- where, assuming that a radius of curvature of a surface convex to a light-entrance side or concave to a light-exit side is positive and that a radius of curvature of a surface concave to a light-entrance side or convex to a light-exit side is negative, with respect to the major-axis direction of the cross section of the elliptic beam,
- R1 represents a radius of curvature of the light-entrance-side surface of the beam shaping device;
- and
- T1 represents a center thickness of the beam shaping device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.