Wobble correction lens with binary diffractive optic surface and refractive cylindrical surface

• US 5,208,701 A
• Filed: 12/24/1991
• Issued: 05/04/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Maeda, Patrick Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Arnold, Bruce Y.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RYAN, JAY
• Application Number:
  US07/813,177
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• Field of Search: 359/565, 359/566, 359/568, 359/569, 359/574, 359/575, 359/741, 359/742, 359/619, 359/623
• US Class Current: 359/574
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0031 for scanning purposes

Abstract

A wobble correction lens for a raster output scanner combines a positive cross-scan plano-cylindrical lens, which provides most of the optical power for focusing the light beam to a scan line, with a diffractive surface, which corrects the cross-scan field curvature of the cross-scan plano-cylindrical lens. The diffractive surface will have a multi-level structure (binary diffractive optical surface) which possesses a diffractive phase function that will flatten the cross-scan field curvature of the plano-cylindrical lens.

Claims

1. An optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature comprising:

a rotating polygon mirror with a plurality of facets,

means for generating a collimated laser beam directed onto one of said facets,

a lens which focuses said beam reflected off said one of said facets to a scan line, said lens comprising a binary diffractive optic lens surface and a refractive cylindrical surface to correct for wobble of said beam at said scan line and to correct the cross-scan field curvature of said beam at said scan line.

2. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 1 wherein said refractive cylindrical surface is a positive cross-scan refractive cylindrical surface.

3. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 1 wherein said binary diffractive optic lens surface is formed by photolithography.

4. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 1 wherein said binary diffractive optic lens surface is formed by molding.

5. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 1 wherein said binary diffractive optic lens surface and said refractive cylindrical surface are coated with an antireflective coating.

6. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 1 wherein the surface profile of said binary diffractive optic lens surface has a diffractive phase function consisting of terms proportional to x² and y² to correct for said cross-scan field curvature.

7. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 6 wherein said diffractive phase function also consists of terms proportional to x⁴, x² y², and y⁴ to correct for third-order spherical aberration correction.

8. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 7 wherein said diffractive phase function also consists of terms proportional to x⁶, x⁴ y², x² y⁴, and y⁶ to correct for fifth-order spherical aberration.

9. An optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature comprising:

a rotating polygon mirror with a plurality of facets,

means for generating a collimated laser beam directed onto one of said facets,

a lens which focuses said beam reflected off said one of said facets to a scan line, said lens comprising a binary diffractive optic-plano lens, a refractive plano-cylindrical lens, and bonding means for securing said plano surface of said binary diffractive optic-plano lens to said plano surface of said refractive plano-cylindrical lens;

said lens to correct for wobble of said beam at said scan line and to correct the cross-scan field curvature of said beam at said scan line.

10. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 9 wherein said refractive plano-cylindrical lens is a positive cross-scan refractive plano-cylindrical lens.

11. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 9 wherein said binary diffractive optic-plano lens is formed by photolithography.

12. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 9 wherein said binary diffractive optic-plano lens is formed by molding.

13. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 9 wherein said binary diffractive optic surface of said binary diffractive optic-plano lens and said refractive cylindrical surface of said refractive plano-cylindrical lens are coated with an antireflective coating.

14. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 9 wherein the surface profile of said binary diffractive optic lens surface has a diffractive phase function consisting of terms proportional to x² and y² to correct for said cross-scan field curvature.

15. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 14 wherein said diffractive phase function also consists of terms proportional to x⁴, x² y², and y⁴ to correct for third-order spherical aberration correction.

16. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 15 wherein said diffractive phase function also consists of terms proportional to x⁶, x⁴ y², x² y⁴, and y⁶ to correct for fifth-order spherical aberration.

17. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 9 wherein said bonding means are an epoxy resin.

18. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 9 wherein said bonding means are a polyimide.

19. An optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature comprising:

a rotating polygon mirror with a plurality of facets,

means for generating a collimated laser beam directed onto one of said facets,

a lens system which focuses said beam reflected off said one of said facets to a scan line, said lens system comprising a binary diffractive optic-plano lens, and a refractive plano-cylindrical lens;

said lens system to correct for wobble of said beam at said scan line and to correct the cross-scan field curvature of said beam at said scan line.

20. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 19 wherein said refractive plano-cylindrical lens is a positive cross-scan refractive plano-cylindrical lens.

21. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 19 wherein said binary diffractive optic-plano lens is formed by photolithography.

22. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 19 wherein said binary diffractive optic-plano lens is formed by molding.

23. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 19 wherein said surfaces of said binary diffractive optic-plano lens and said surfaces of said refractive plano-cylindrical lens are coated with an antireflective coating.

24. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 19 wherein the surface profile of said binary diffractive optic lens surface has a diffractive phase function consisting of terms proportional to x² and y² to correct for said cross-scan field curvature.

25. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 24 wherein said diffractive phase function also consists of terms proportional to x⁴, x² y², and y⁴ to correct for third-order spherical aberration correction.

26. The optical scanning system for correction of wobble and correction of cross-scan field curvature of claim 25 wherein said diffractive phase function also consists of terms proportional to x⁶, x⁴ y², x² y⁴, and y⁶ to correct for fifth-order spherical aberration.