Diffractive optical element and optical system having the same

• US 6,947,214 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2003
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Okuno, Takeharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Mark A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Amari, Alessandro
• Application Number:
  US10/406,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20030189755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 359/566, 359/569, 359/571, 359/575, 359/576
• US Class Current: 359/569
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1814 structurally combined with one or more further optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors, prisms or other diffraction gratings G02B5/189 takes precedence

Abstract

A diffractive optical element in which eclipse of rays at a grating side surface of a diffraction grating can be reduced is disclosed. In a diffractive optical element comprises a plurality of diffraction gratings made of different materials are laminated, at least one of the plurality of diffraction gratings includes a region in which the grating side surface inclines or a region in which edges thereof are shifted with respect to the edge of another diffraction grating adjacent thereto. The inclination or shift amount is different according to the positions thereof in a surface of the diffractive optical element in accordance with the incident angle or emergent angle of a specified ray such as a ray determined on the basis of an average value, gravity value, maximum value and minimum value obtained from the distribution of incident angle or emergent angle or the like, rays, etc.

Claims

1. A diffractive optical element comprising:

a plurality of diffraction gratings including two diffraction gratings made of different materials from each other, wherein at least one of said plurality of diffraction gratings includes a region in which grating side surfaces are inclined, and inclinations thereof are different according to positions thereof and in accordance with an incident angle or emergent angle of a specified ray of light, and

wherein at least one of said diffraction grating is a diffraction grating disposed in an i-th layer counting from an incident side of said plurality of diffraction gratings, and includes a region in which an inclination angle φ

_i(j) of said grating side surface is changed so as to satisfy at least one of the following expressions;

φ

_i(j)=C_i·

θ

_i(j)

φ

_i(j)=C_i·

θ

_i(j)′

where the incident angle of the specified ray incident into a j-th grating portion counting from a center portion of the i-th layer diffraction granting is θ

_i(j), the emergent angle thereof is θ

_i(j), and C1 is an optional real number which is 0. 2 or more and 2.0 or less.

2. The diffractive optical element according to claim 1, wherein said specified ray is a ray having an average incident angle which is obtained from an incident angle distribution, or an average emergent angle which is obtained from an emergent angle distribution, of all effective rays passing through respective grating portions in at least one of said diffraction gratings.

3. The diffractive optical element according to claim 1, wherein said specified ray is a ray having a maximum incident angle or maximum emergent angle of all effective rays passing through respective grating portions in at least one of said diffraction gratings.

4. The diffractive optical element according to claim 1, wherein said specified ray is a ray having a minimum incident angle or minimum emergent angle of all effective rays passing through respective grating portions in at least one of said diffraction gratings.

5. The diffractive optical element according to claim 1, wherein said specified ray is a ray passing through a center of an aperture-stop in an optical system provided with said diffractive optical element.

6. The diffractive optical element according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said diffraction gratings includes a region in which positions of grating edges are shifted in an arranging direction of grating portions with respect to positions of grating edges of another diffraction grating adjacent thereto, and shift amounts thereof are different according to the positions thereof and in accordance with the incident angle or emergent angle of the specified ray.

7. The diffractive optical element according to claim 6, including a region in which the shift amount Δ

S_i+1(j) between the position of the grating edge of a j-th grating portion, counting from a center portion of the diffractive optical element t, in an i-th layer diffraction grating and the position of the grating edge of a j-th grating portion, counting from the center portion, in a (i+1)th layer diffraction grating is changed so as to satisfy the following expression;

Δ

S_i+1(j)=C₂·

L_i(j)′

tan θ

_i(j)′

where an interval from a surface connecting edge lines at an emergent side of the i-th layer diffraction grating to a surface connecting edge lines at an incident side of the (i+1)th layer diffraction grating at the position of the j-th grating portions is Li(j)′

, the emergent angle of the specified ray from the j-th grating portion in the i-th layer diffraction grating is θ

_i(j)′

, and C₂ is an optional real number which is 0.1 or more and 1.5 or less.

8. The diffractive optical element according to claim 6, the including a region in which the shift amount Δ

S_i+1(j) between the position of the grating edge of a j-th grating portion, counting from a center portion of the diffractive optical element, in an i-th layer diffraction grating and the position of the grating edge of a j-th grating portion, counting from the center portions, in a (i+1)th layer diffraction grating is changed so as to satisfy the following expression;

Δ

S_i+1(j)=C₂·

[l_i(j)′

tan θ

_i(j)′

+l_i+1(j)tan θ

_i+1(j)]

where an interval from a surface connecting edge lines at an emergent side of the i-th layer diffraction grating to a boundary surface at an incident side of the (i+1)th layer diffraction grating at a position of the j-th grating portions is l_i(j)′

;

the emergent angle of the specified ray from the j-th grating portion in the i-th layer diffraction grating is θ

_i(j)′

;

the incident angle of the specified ray into the j-th grating portion in the (i+1)th layer diffraction grating is θ

_i+1(j);

an interval from the boundary surface to a surface connecting edge lines at the incident side of the (i+1)th layer diffraction grating at the positions of the j-th grating portion is l_i+1(j), and C₂ is an optional real number which is 0.1 or more and 1.5 or less.

9. The diffractive optical element according to claim 1, wherein, in at least one of said diffraction gratings, a grating thickness of respective grating portions is different according to positions thereof and in accordance with the incident angle or emergent angle of said specified ray.

10. The diffractive optical element according to claim 1, wherein at least two of said plurality of diffraction gratings are disposed opposite to each other with an interval therebetween.

11. An optical system comprising:

a diffractive optical element according to claim 1, and a refractive optical element, wherein light incident into said optical system passes through both said diffractive optical element and said refractive optical element.

12. A diffractive optical element comprising:

a plurality of diffraction gratings including two diffraction gratings made of different materials from each other, wherein at least one of said plurality of diffraction gratings includes a region in which positions of grating edges thereof are shifted with respective to positions of grating edges of another diffraction grating adjacent thereto in an arranging direction of the grating portions and shift amounts thereof are different according to the positions thereof and in accordance with an incident angle or emergent angle of a specified ray; and

wherein the diffractive optical element includes a region in which the shift amount Δ

S_i+1(j) between the position of the grating edge of a j-th grating portion, counting from a center portion of the diffractive optical element, in an i-th layer diffraction grating and the position of the grating edge of a j-th grating portion, counting from the center portion, in a (i+1)th layer diffraction grating is changed so as to satisfy the following expression;

Δ

S_i+1(j)=C₂·

L_i(j)′

tan θ

_i(j)′

where an interval from a surface connecting edge lines at an emergent side of the i-th layer diffraction grating to a surface connecting edge lines at an incident side of the (i+1)th layer diffraction grating at a position of the j-th grating portions is L_i(j)′

, and the emergent angle of the specified ray from the j-th grating portion in the i-th layer diffraction grating is θ

_i(j)′

, and C₂ is an optional real number which is 0.1 or more and 1.5 or less.

13. The diffractive optical element according to claim 12, wherein said specified ray is a ray having an average incident angle which is obtained from an incident angle distribution or an average emergent angle, which is obtained from an emergent angle distribution, of all effective rays passing through the respective grating portions in at least one of said diffraction gratings.

14. The diffractive optical element according to claim 12, wherein said specified ray is a ray having a maximum incident angle or maximum emergent angle of all effective rays passing through the respective grating portions in at least one of said diffraction gratings.

15. The diffractive optical element according to claim 12, wherein said specified ray is a ray having a minimum incident angle or minimum emergent angle of all effective rays passing through the respective grating portions in at least one of said diffraction gratings.

16. The diffractive optical element according to claim 12, wherein said specified ray is a ray passing through a center of an aperture-stop in an optical system provided with said diffractive optical element.

17. The diffractive optical element according to claim 12, including a region in which the shift amount Δ

S_i+1(j) between the position of the grating edge of a j-th grating, counting from a center portion of the diffractive optical element in an i-th layer diffraction grating and the position of the grating edge of a j-th grating portion, counting from the center portion, in a (i+1)th layer diffraction grating is changed so as to satisfy the following expression;

Δ

S_i+1(j)=C₂·

[l_i(j)′

tan θ

_i(j)′

+l_i+1(j)tan θ

_i+1(j)]

where an interval from a surface connecting edge lines at an emergent side of the i-th layer diffraction grating to a boundary surface at an incident side of the (i+1)th layer diffraction grating at a position of the j-th grating portions is l_i(j)′

;

the emergent angle of the specified ray from the j-th grating portion in the i-th layer diffraction grating is θ

_i(j)′

;

the incident angle of the specified ray into the j-th grating portion in the (i+1)th layer diffraction grating is θ

_i+1(j);

an interval from the boundary surface to a surface connecting edge lines of the incident side of the (i+1)th layer diffraction grating at the position of the j-th grating portions is l_i+1(j), and C₂ is an optional real number which is 0.1 or more and 1.5 or less.

18. An optical system comprising:

a diffractive optical element according to claim 12, and a refractive optical element, wherein light incident into said optical system passes through both said diffractive optical element and said refractive optical element.

19. A diffractive optical element comprising:

a plurality of diffraction gratings including two diffraction gratings made of different materials from each other, wherein at least one of said plurality of diffraction gratings includes a region in which positions of grating edges thereof are shifted with respect to positions of grating edges of another diffraction grating adjacent thereto in an arranging direction of the grating portions and shift amounts thereof are different according to the positions thereof and in accordance with an incident angle or emergent angle of a specified ray, and

wherein the diffractive optical element including a region in which the shift amount Δ

S_i+1(j) between the position of the grating edge of the j-th grating, counting from a center portion of the diffractive optical element in an i-th layer diffraction grating and the position of the grating edge of a j-th grating portion counting from the center portion, in an (i+1)th layer diffraction grating is changed so as to satisfy the following expression;

Δ

S_i+1(j)=C₂·

[l_i(j)′

tan θ

_i(j)′

+l_i+1(j)tan θ

_i+1(j)]

where an interval from a surface connecting edge lines at an emergent side of the i-th layer diffraction grating to a boundary surface at an incident side of the (i+1)th layer diffraction grating at a position of the j-th grating portions is l_i(j)′

;

the emergent angle of the specified ray from the j-th grating portion in the i-th layer diffraction grating is θ

_i(j)′

;

the incident angle of the specified ray into the j-th grating portion in the (i+1)th layer diffraction grating is θ

_i+1(j);

an interval from the boundary surface to a surface connecting edge lines of the incident side of the (i+1)th layer diffraction grating at the position of the j-th grating portions is l_i+1(j), and C₂ is an optional real number which is 0.1 or more and 1.5 or less.

20. An optical system comprising:

a diffractive optical element according to claim 19, and a refractive optical element, wherein light incident into said optical system passes through both said diffractive optical element and said refractive optical element.