Exposure head, exposure apparatus, and application thereof
First Claim
1. A method of exposing according to an input image data using an exposure head including a laser device, a spatial light modulator in which plural pixel portions are two-dimensionally arranged on a substrate, a control mechanism, and an optical system, and in which the exposure head is relatively moved in a direction that is orthogonal to a predetermined direction with respect to an exposure surface, the exposure method comprising:
- irradiating a laser beam by the laser device;
controlling each of a number of the plural pixel portions that is fewer than a total number of the pixel portions arranged on the substrate using control signals generated according to exposure information;
modulating the irradiated laser beam with the spatial light modulator by changing a light modulation state of the plural pixel portions according to respective control signals; and
focusing the laser beam modulated at each pixel portion with the optical system onto the exposure surface.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In an exposure apparatus of the invention, for a spatial light modulator, each of a plurality of pixel portions fewer than the total number of the pixel portions is controlled with a control signal generated according to exposure information. Namely, a part of the pixel portions is controlled without controlling a whole of the pixel portions on the substrate. Thus, the number of pixels in the pixel portions is decreased, and transfer time of the control signal becomes short. This enables modulation speed of the laser beam to be increased and the high-speed exposure to be performed. An incorporated laser light source, in which the laser beams are incorporated and struck on the optical fiber, is preferable to the laser device. By adopting the incorporated laser light source, high brightness and high output can be obtained, and it is preferable to the exposure of the spatial light modulator. Since the fiber array is obtained with few optical fibers, it is low cost. Since the number of optical fibers is few, the light-emitting region is further decreased when the optical fibers are arrayed.
-
Citations
16 Claims
-
1. A method of exposing according to an input image data using an exposure head including a laser device, a spatial light modulator in which plural pixel portions are two-dimensionally arranged on a substrate, a control mechanism, and an optical system, and in which the exposure head is relatively moved in a direction that is orthogonal to a predetermined direction with respect to an exposure surface, the exposure method comprising:
-
irradiating a laser beam by the laser device;
controlling each of a number of the plural pixel portions that is fewer than a total number of the pixel portions arranged on the substrate using control signals generated according to exposure information;
modulating the irradiated laser beam with the spatial light modulator by changing a light modulation state of the plural pixel portions according to respective control signals; and
focusing the laser beam modulated at each pixel portion with the optical system onto the exposure surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. An exposure method of an exposure apparatus which comprises an exposure head and a moving mechanism for moving the exposure apparatus, the exposure head including a laser device, a spatial light modulator in which plural pixel portions are two-dimensionally arranged on a substrate, a control mechanism, and an optical system, the exposure method comprising:
-
irradiating a laser beam with the laser device;
controlling each of a number of the plural pixel portions that is fewer than a total number of the pixel portions arranged on the substrate, using the control signals generated according to exposure information using the control mechanism;
modulating the irradiated laser beam with the spatial light modulator by changing a light modulation state of the plural pixel portions according to respective control signals;
focusing the laser beam modulated at each pixel portion on the exposure surface with the optical system; and
relatively moving the exposure head in a direction that is orthogonal to a predetermined direction with respect to the exposure surface using the moving mechanism.
-
-
14. An exposure method of an exposure head which can be relatively moved in a direction that is orthogonal to a predetermined direction with respect to an exposure surface and in which the exposure head comprises a light source including a plurality of light-emitting points, a micro-mirror device in which plural micro-mirrors are two-dimensionally arranged on a substrate, a control mechanisms which controls an angle of a reflection plane in each of a plurality of micro-mirrors, an optical system which focuses light reflected by the micro-mirror, the exposure method comprising:
-
emitting light from the light source;
controlling the angles of each reflection plane of a number of micro-mirrors, which are fewer than a total number of the micro-mirrors arranged on the substrate, and which are included in a region in which a length of the region in a direction corresponding to the predetermined direction is longer than a length in the direction that is orthogonal to the predetermined direction, using the control signals generated according to exposure information with the control mechanism;
reflecting the emitted light with the controlled micro-mirrors; and
focusing the reflected light reflected by the micro-mirrors with the optical system onto the exposure surface. - View Dependent Claims (15)
-
-
16. An exposure method of an exposure head which can be relatively moved in a direction that is orthogonal to a predetermined direction with respect to an exposure surface, and in which the exposure head comprises a light source including a plurality of light-emitting points, a micro-mirror device in which plural micro-mirrors are two-dimensionally arranged on a substrate in which a length in a direction corresponding to the predetermined direction is longer than a length in the direction that is orthogonal to the predetermined direction, control mechanism which controls a reflection plane of each of a number of micro-mirrors, an optical system which focuses light reflected by the micro-mirror, the exposure method comprising:
-
emitting light from the light source;
controlling with the control mechanism an angle of a reflection plane of each of the plural micro-mirrors using the control signals generated according to exposure information;
reflecting the emitted light with the controlled micro-mirrors; and
focusing light reflected by the micro-mirror onto the exposure surface with the optical system.
-
Specification