An exposure device that draws a pattern on a substrate by shining a beam from a light source device on substrate and scanning the beam in a main scanning direction while varying the intensity of beam according to pattern information, including: a scanning unit having a beam scanning unit that includes a polygonal mirror whereby the beam is oriented to scan the beam, and light detector for photoelectric detection of reflected light generated when beam is shined on substrate; an electro-optical element for controlling the beam's intensity modulation according to pattern information such that at least part of second pattern to be newly drawn is drawn on top of at least part of first pattern formed on substrate; and a measurement unit measuring relative positional relationship between the first and second pattern on the basis of a detection signal output by the detector while second pattern is drawn on substrate.

An optical scanning device includes a drive beam configured to support a mirror, and a drive source provided on the drive beam and configured to oscillate the mirror about a predetermined axis passing through the center of the light reflecting surface of the mirror. The drive beam includes multiple beams each extending in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined axis and one or more turn-back parts each connecting ends of adjacent beams, and has a zigzag shape as a whole. The multiple beams include a first beam, a second beam adjacent to the first beam, and a third beam adjacent to the second beam, the one or more turn-back parts include a first turn-back part connecting the first and second beams and a second turn-back part connecting the second and third beams, and the first and second turn-back parts are different in weight.

According to the present invention, even if an azimuth angle synchronized to laser light scanning on each reflecting surface of a polygon mirror differs as a result of variations in the speed of rotation during one rotation, distance image data in which said differences are rectified can be generated. This laser radar device is provided with a rotation detecting means (boss S and photo-interrupter 3) which detects the rotational phase of a polygon mirror (P) at a plurality of detecting locations in a circumferential direction, and a correcting means (FPGA 11) which corrects distance image data on the basis of the detection results from the rotation detecting means, wherein the correcting means effects correction in such a way as to reduce a mutual discrepancy in an azimuth angle around an axis of rotation between data in a range scanned using one reflecting surface and data in a range scanned using another reflecting surface. The number of provided detecting locations is an integral multiple of the number of reflecting surfaces that are arranged in the circumferential direction of the polygon mirror. A sector time period from detection at one detecting location to detection at the next detecting location is measured, and the correction amount is determined in accordance with the length of the sector time period.

A light deflector 130 includes: a control unit 106 configured to generate a resonant drive signal for resonantly driving an MEMS mirror 133, and a non-resonant drive signal for non-resonantly driving the MEMS mirror 133; a resonant sensor 144 configured to detect the resonant drive of the MEMS mirror 133 and generate a resonant sensor signal; and a sensor signal processing unit 103 configured to acquire a phase difference between the resonant drive signal generated by the control unit 106 and the resonant sensor signal, in a case where the MEMS mirror 133 is resonantly driven in a Y-axis direction, also the MEMS mirror 133 is non-resonantly driven in an X-axis direction, and scanning is performed. The control unit 106 calculates an amplitude of the non-resonant drive of the MEMS mirror 133 on the basis of a change in the above phase difference.

Optical scanner and electrophotographic image forming apparatus are provided. The optical scanner includes a light source, configured to emit a light beam; an optical deflector, configured to deflect the light beam emitted from the light source; a first optical unit, arranged there-between and including a refraction unit and a diffraction unit; and a second optical unit, arranged in a light exit direction of the optical deflector and configured to make the light beam deflected by the optical deflector form an image on a scanning target surface. A range of a ratio of a refractive power Φ.sub.r to a diffractive power Φ.sub.d of the first optical unit in a main scanning direction is 0.3<Φ.sub.r/Φ.sub.d<0.5; and a range of a ratio of a refractive power Φ.sub.s to a diffractive power Φ.sub.n of the first optical unit in a sub scanning direction is 0.7<Φ.sub.s/Φ.sub.n<1.0.

A method for scanning a microarray, including (a) providing a microarray to an optical scanner, wherein the microarray includes a surface having features having different target molecules; (b) scanning the surface in the x or y direction to acquire optical signals from the features at sequential regions of the surface, wherein the focus setting between the optical scanner and the surface is dynamically controlled in real time by repeatedly (i) adding a predetermined focal offset, thereby introducing an error in the focus setting, and (ii) adjusting the focus setting to reduce the error in the focus setting, thereby acquiring the optical signals from different regions at different degrees of focus such that a subset of the regions that are scanned have an introduced focus error; and (c) analyzing the optical signals that are obtained at the different degrees of focus to identify the different target molecules.

A LIDAR device for scanning a scanning area using at least two beams includes at least two beam sources for generating at least two beams, a generating optics for shaping the at least one generated beam, a receiving unit for receiving and evaluating at least one beam reflected on an object, and an optical bandpass filter for absorbing spurious reflections, each beam source generating at least one beam having a wavelength that is adjustable depending on an emission angle of the at least one beam.

An optical scanner includes a light source to emit irradiation light, a light deflector to scan the irradiation light emitted from the light source in a first scanning direction and in a second scanning direction intersecting with the first scanning direction, a photodetector to detect the irradiation light when the light deflector scans a detection field, and circuitry to turn on the light source in a first irradiation field scanned by the light deflector from the detection field to an end in the first scanning direction and turn on the light source in a second irradiation field scanned by the light deflector from the end in the first scanning direction towards the detection field, and cause an edge of the first irradiation field on the detection field side to move to get close to the detection field from a position away from the detection field.

An image forming apparatus, including a photosensitive member, a scanning optical unit configured to scan the photosensitive member by laser light according to image information, a detection unit arranged in a position facing the photosensitive member and configured to output positional information on the laser light. The detection unit includes a detection portion into which the laser light reflected by the photosensitive member is incident, and a control unit configured to calculate a positional deviation amount of an irradiation position on the photosensitive member which is irradiated by the laser light based on the positional information output by the detection unit, and control the scanning optical unit to correct the positional deviation of the irradiation position of the laser light.

An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device and a control device. The image forming device forms an image on a recording medium. The control device controls an image forming process. The control device includes circuitry. The circuitry changes a plurality of partial images in a target image into a certain state. The target image is to be formed on the recording medium. The plurality of partial images are to be formed peripheral to a plurality of pattern images. Each of the plurality of pattern images is to be formed at a certain position on the recording medium. The circuitry further controls the image forming device to form the target image including the changed plurality of partial images and the plurality of pattern images on the recording medium, and corrects a position of the target image based on a detection result of the formed plurality of pattern images.