A leaf spring configured to mount an optical element to a housing, the housing containing: a rotary polygon mirror configured to deflect a laser beam emitted from a light source; and the optical element configured to guide the laser beam deflected by the rotary polygon mirror to a member to be scanned, wherein an adhesive is applied to the leaf spring, the adhesive being configured to adhere separated material scraped from the housing, the separated material being scraped from the housing by rubbing between the leaf spring and the housing at a time of mounting the optical element to the housing.

There is a demand for an inexpensive optical scanning apparatus. An optical scanning apparatus includes a light source configured to emit a laser light flux, a deflection unit configured to deflect the laser light flux emitted from the light source, and a light reception member configured in such a manner that the laser light flux reflected by the deflection unit is incident thereon. The light source emits the laser light flux tilted by a predetermined angle with respect to a horizontal direction toward the deflection unit. The light reception member is disposed above or below the light source, and the laser light flux reflected by the deflection unit and tilted by the predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal direction is incident on the light reception member.

An optical scanning device includes a rotating polygon mirror, a light source that irradiates first and second light beams at one side of the rotating polygon mirror and irradiates third and fourth light beams at the other side thereof, a first optical element that reflects the first light beam and allows the second light beam to pass therethrough, a second optical element that reflects the second light beam, a third optical element that allows the third and fourth light beams to pass therethrough, and a fourth optical element that reflects the fourth light beam. The second light beam is a light beam corresponding to yellow, the first, the third, and the fourth light beams are light beams corresponding to three colors other than the yellow. Between the third and fourth optical elements, a scanning lens is arranged. Between the first and second optical elements, a scanning lens is not arranged.

A method of manufacturing a light scanning apparatus, including: forming an optical box having a plurality of protrusions arranged along a longitudinal direction of a reflection mirror and provided at positions corresponding to one end side and the other end side of the reflection mirror in the longitudinal direction, respectively; processing protrusions except protrusions that are used for supporting the reflection mirror so that the protrusions except the protrusions that are used for supporting the reflection mirror on the one end side and on the other end side of the reflection mirror are out of contact with the reflection mirror; placing the reflection mirror on the protrusions that have not been processed in the processing; and fixing the reflection mirror, which has been placed on the protrusions that have not been processed in the placing, to the optical box.

A light-emitting component includes a light-emitting element, a thyristor, and a light-absorbing layer. The thyristor includes a semiconductor layer having a bandgap energy smaller than or equal to a bandgap energy equivalent to a wavelength of light emitted by the light-emitting element. The thyristor causes the light-emitting element to emit light or causes an amount of light emitted by the light-emitting element to increase, upon entering an on-state. The light-absorbing layer is disposed between the light-emitting element and the thyristor such that the light-emitting element and the thyristor are stacked. The light-absorbing layer absorbs the light emitted by the light-emitting element.

A layered structure includes a thyristor and a light-emitting element. The thyristor at least includes four layers. The four layers are an anode layer, a first gate layer, a second gate layer, and a cathode layer arranged in this order. The light-emitting element is disposed such that the light-emitting element and the thyristor are connected in series. The thyristor includes a semiconductor layer having a bandgap energy smaller than bandgap energies of the four layers.

A light-emitting component includes a light-emitting element, a driving thyristor, and a light-absorbing layer. The light-emitting element emits light of a predetermined wavelength. The driving thyristor causes the light-emitting element to emit light or causes an amount of light emitted by the light-emitting element to increase, upon entering an on-state. The light-absorbing layer is disposed between the light-emitting element and the driving thyristor such that the light-emitting element and the driving thyristor are stacked, and absorbs light emitted by the driving thyristor.

A light-emitting component includes a substrate, a light-emitting element, a thyristor, and a light-transmission reduction layer. The light-emitting element is disposed on the substrate. The thyristor causes the light-emitting element to emit light or causes an amount of light emitted by the light-emitting element to increase, upon entering an on-state. The light-transmission reduction layer is disposed between the light-emitting element and the thyristor such that the light-emitting element and the thyristor are stacked, and suppresses light emitted by the thyristor from passing therethrough.

A laser scanning unit includes a rotary polygon mirror, a shaft support portion, a plurality of light application portions, and a plurality of scanning lenses. The plurality of light application portions are configured to cause light beams to be incident at a plurality of incidence positions different in an axial direction parallel to the rotary shaft on the rotary polygon mirror. In the laser scanning unit, the following relationship is satisfied: when, of the plurality of light beams, a specific light beam incident at the incidence position that is most distant from the shaft support portion on the rotary polygon mirror passes through an optical axis of the corresponding scanning lens, an angle between the specific light beam incident on the rotary polygon mirror and the optical axis of the scanning lens is closest to a reference angle defined in advance as a usage condition of the scanning lens.

A cleaning blade includes an elastic blade body. The elastic blade body having an edge contacts a surface of a contact object such as a photoconductor. The cleaning blade removes substances on the surface of the contact object that moves in contact with the edge. With respect to an elastic power Y.sub.OPC of the contact object, an elastic power E.sub.BL of the cleaning blade satisfies a relation:

Y.sub.OPC0.55E.sub.BL3.33.