Solid Immersion mirror and reproducing apparatus
First Claim
1. A solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device comprising:
- a first reflecting surface which is part of a curved surface produced by rotating a parabola about a symmetry axis thereof; and
a second reflecting surface which is part of a plane perpendicular to a line segment connecting the focus of said parabola and the vertex of said parabola, wherein collimated light entering said medium from the second reflecting surface side along said symmetry axis is reflected sequentially from said first and second reflecting surfaces while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said medium.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An SIM (solid immersion mirror) made principally of a light-permeable high-refractive-index medium has a lower surface which is produced by rotating a parabola about a symmetry axis, and an upper surface which is a perpendicular bisector surface of a line segment connecting the vertex and the focus of the parabola. The upper surface has the property of transmitting collimated light incident in a direction perpendicular thereto and reflecting the light reflected from the lower surface. Such a structure of the SIM facilitates the design of the upper surface and the lower surface both of which are reflecting surfaces, and allows the light to be incident on a light focusing point uniformly from therearound, thereby to form a proper light spot at the light focusing point. Additionally, the SIM allows the light to enter the medium through the entire upper surface, to achieve effective use of light.
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Citations
58 Claims
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1. A solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device comprising:
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a first reflecting surface which is part of a curved surface produced by rotating a parabola about a symmetry axis thereof; and
a second reflecting surface which is part of a plane perpendicular to a line segment connecting the focus of said parabola and the vertex of said parabola, wherein collimated light entering said medium from the second reflecting surface side along said symmetry axis is reflected sequentially from said first and second reflecting surfaces while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said medium. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device comprising:
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a first reflecting surface which is part of a curved surface produced by rotating part of a parabola lying on the opposite side of a rotational axis from the vertex of said parabola about said rotational axis, said rotational axis being parallel to the symmetry axis of said parabola and intersecting said parabola at a position spaced apart from said vertex of said parabola; and
a second reflecting surface which is part of a conical surface produced by rotating part of a line lying on the opposite side of said rotational axis from said vertex, said line being perpendicular to a line segment connecting the focus of said parabola and a point of intersection of said parabola and said rotational axis within a plane including said parabola, wherein collimated light entering said medium from the second reflecting surface side along said rotational axis is reflected sequentially from said first and second reflecting surfaces while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said medium. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device comprising:
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a first reflecting surface of a substantially annular shape and provided in a lower portion of said medium; and
a second reflecting surface provided in an upper portion of said medium, wherein light entering said medium in a predetermined direction from said upper portion to said lower portion is reflected sequentially from said first and second reflecting surfaces while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said medium, and wherein part of light reflected from said first reflecting surface is reflected from near a point of intersection of said second reflecting surface and a line passing through said light focusing point and parallel to said predetermined direction. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 38, 39, 40)
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16. A solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device comprising:
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a first reflecting surface provided in a lower portion of said medium; and
a second reflecting surface provided in an upper portion of said medium, wherein at least part of light entering said medium in a predetermined direction from said upper portion to said lower portion passes through said second reflecting surface, is thereafter reflected sequentially from said first and second reflecting surfaces while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said medium.
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25. A reproducing apparatus for reading information recorded on a recording medium, said reproducing apparatus comprising:
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a light source;
a solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device including a first reflecting surface which is part of a curved surface produced by rotating a parabola about a symmetry axis thereof, and a second reflecting surface which is part of a plane perpendicular to a line segment connecting the focus of said parabola and the vertex of said parabola, wherein collimated light entering said medium from the second reflecting surface side along said symmetry axis is reflected sequentially from said first and second reflecting surfaces while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said medium;
an optical system for directing light emitted from said light source to said solid immersion mirror device;
a scanning mechanism for scanning said solid immersion mirror device along a recording surface of said recording medium, with said light focusing point of said solid immersion mirror device opposed to said recording surface; and
a detector for detecting light from said recording surface.
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26. A reproducing apparatus for reading information recorded on a recording medium, said reproducing apparatus comprising:
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a light source;
a solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device including a first reflecting surface which is part of a curved surface produced by rotating part of a parabola lying on the opposite side of a rotational axis from the vertex of said parabola about said rotational axis, said rotational axis being parallel to the symmetry axis of said parabola and intersecting said parabola at a position spaced apart from said vertex of said parabola, and a second reflecting surface which is part of a conical surface produced by rotating part of a line lying on the opposite side of said rotational axis from said vertex, said line being perpendicular to a line segment connecting the focus of said parabola and a point of intersection of said parabola and said rotational axis within a plane including said parabola, wherein collimated light entering said medium from the second reflecting surface side along said rotational axis is reflected sequentially from said first and second reflecting surfaces while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said medium;
an optical system for directing light emitted from said light source to said solid immersion mirror device;
a scanning mechanism for scanning said solid immersion mirror device along a recording surface of said recording medium, with said light focusing point of said solid immersion mirror device opposed to said recording surface; and
a detector for detecting light from said recording surface.
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27. A reproducing apparatus for reading information recorded on a recording medium, said reproducing apparatus comprising:
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a light source;
a solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device including a first reflecting surface of a substantially annular shape and provided in a lower portion of said medium, and a second reflecting surface provided in an upper portion of said medium, wherein light entering said medium in a predetermined direction from said upper portion to said lower portion is reflected sequentially from said first and second reflecting surfaces while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said medium, and wherein part of light reflected from said first reflecting surface is reflected from near a point of intersection of said second reflecting surface and a line passing through said light focusing point and parallel to said predetermined direction;
an optical system for directing light emitted from said light source to said solid immersion mirror device;
a scanning mechanism for scanning said solid immersion mirror device along a recording surface of said recording medium, with said light focusing point of said solid immersion mirror device opposed to said recording surface; and
a detector for detecting light from said recording surface.
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28. A reproducing apparatus for reading information recorded on a recording medium, said reproducing apparatus comprising:
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a light source;
a solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device including a first reflecting surface provided in a lower portion of said medium, and a second reflecting surface provided in an upper portion of said medium, wherein at least part of light entering said medium in a predetermined direction from said upper portion to said lower portion passes through said second reflecting surface, is thereafter reflected sequentially from said first and second reflecting surfaces while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said medium;
an optical system for directing light emitted from said light source to said solid immersion mirror device;
a scanning mechanism for scanning said solid immersion mirror device along a recording surface of said recording medium, with said light focusing point of said solid immersion mirror device opposed to said recording surface; and
a detector for detecting light from said recording surface.
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29. A solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device comprising:
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an upper surface formed in an upper portion of said medium; and
a side reflecting surface of a substantially tubular shape extending from said upper portion to a lower portion of said medium, wherein light entering said medium by way of said upper surface in a direction from said upper portion to said lower portion is reflected once from said side reflecting surface while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said lower portion.
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36. A reproducing apparatus for reading information recorded on a recording medium, said reproducing apparatus comprising:
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a light source;
a solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device including an upper surface formed in an upper portion of said medium, and a side reflecting surface of a substantially tubular shape extending from said upper portion to a lower portion of said medium, wherein light entering said medium by way of said upper surface in a direction from said upper portion to said lower portion is reflected once from said side reflecting surface while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said lower portion;
an optical system for directing light emitted from said light source to said solid immersion mirror device;
a scanning mechanism for scanning said solid immersion mirror device along a recording surface of said recording medium, with said light focusing point of said solid immersion mirror device opposed to said recording surface; and
a detector for detecting light from said recording surface.
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37. A solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device comprising:
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a light incident point positioned on a boundary of an upper portion of said medium; and
a side reflecting surface of a substantially tubular shape extending from said upper portion to a lower portion of said medium, wherein divergent light entering said medium from said light incident point is reflected once from said side reflecting surface while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said lower portion.
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41. A solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device comprising:
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a light incident point positioned on a boundary of an upper portion of said medium;
a first reflecting surface positioned in a lower portion of said medium and having a downwardly protruding convex shape; and
a second reflecting surface positioned in said upper portion, wherein divergent light entering said medium from said light incident point is reflected sequentially from said first and second reflecting surfaces while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said lower portion. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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45. A solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device comprising:
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a light incident point positioned on a boundary of said medium;
a first reflecting surface; and
a second reflecting surface, wherein divergent light entering said medium from said light incident point is reflected from said first reflecting surface to be converted into collimated light while propagating in said medium, and said collimated light is reflected from said second reflecting surface and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said medium.
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56. A reproducing apparatus for reading information recorded on a recording medium, said reproducing apparatus comprising:
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a light source;
a solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device including a light incident point positioned on a boundary of an upper portion of said medium, and a side reflecting surface of a substantially tubular shape extending from said upper portion to a lower portion of said medium, wherein divergent light entering said medium from said light incident point is reflected once from said side reflecting surface while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said lower portion;
an optical system for directing light emitted from said light source to said light incident point of said solid immersion mirror device;
a scanning mechanism for scanning said solid immersion mirror device along a recording surface of said recording medium, with said light focusing point of said solid immersion mirror device opposed to said recording surface; and
a detector for detecting light from said recording surface.
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57. A reproducing apparatus for reading information recorded on a recording medium, said reproducing apparatus comprising:
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a light source;
a solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device including a light incident point positioned on a boundary of an upper portion of said medium, a first reflecting surface positioned in a lower portion of said medium and having a downwardly protruding convex shape, and a second reflecting surface positioned in said upper portion, wherein divergent light entering said medium from said light incident point is reflected sequentially from said first and second reflecting surfaces while propagating in said medium, and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said lower portion;
an optical system for directing light emitted from said light source to said light incident point of said solid immersion mirror device;
a scanning mechanism for scanning said solid immersion mirror device along a recording surface of said recording medium, with said light focusing point of said solid immersion mirror device opposed to said recording surface; and
a detector for detecting light from said recording surface.
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58. A reproducing apparatus for reading information recorded on a recording medium, said reproducing apparatus comprising:
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a light source;
a solid immersion mirror device made principally of a light-permeable medium having a refractive index of greater than 1, said solid immersion mirror device including a light incident point positioned on a boundary of said medium, a first reflecting surface, and a second reflecting surface, wherein divergent light entering said medium from said light incident point is reflected from said first reflecting surface to be converted into collimated light while propagating in said medium, and said collimated light is reflected from said second reflecting surface and is then focused to a light focusing point on a boundary of said medium;
an optical system for directing light emitted from said light source to said light incident point of said solid immersion mirror device;
a scanning mechanism for scanning said solid immersion mirror device along a recording surface of said recording medium, with said light focusing point of said solid immersion mirror device opposed to said recording surface; and
a detector for detecting light from said recording surface.
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Specification