A displacement detection device is capable of stably and accurately detecting an amount of displacement. A polarization maintaining fiber has a length not to be equal to a length obtained by dividing, a product of an integral multiple of twice a length of a resonator times a refractive index of the resonator and a beat length obtained from a difference between propagation constants of two polarization modes, by a wavelength of the light source, is selected from a range including a length equal to the above length. The polarization maintaining fiber includes multiple polarization maintaining fibers fitted to each other by removable connectors.

A displacement detection device is capable of stably and accurately detecting an amount of displacement. A polarization maintaining fiber has a length not to be equal to a length obtained by dividing, a product of an integral multiple of twice a length of a resonator times a refractive index of the resonator and a beat length obtained from a difference between propagation constants of two polarization modes, by a wavelength of the light source, is selected from a range including a length equal to the above length. The polarization maintaining fiber includes multiple polarization maintaining fibers fitted to each other by removable connectors.

An optical displacement sensing system is provided. With configuration of an optical sensor disposed on a displacement platform and in cooperation with a broadband light source and an optical spectrum analyzer, when the displacement platform moves, the waveguide grating of the optical sensor is resonated and the reflected light provided with a resonance wavelength is formed. The waveguide grating has the plurality of grating periods, and when the displacement platform moves to a different position to make the broadband light source correspond to a different grating period, the position can correspond to the different resonance wavelength. Therefore, according to the aforementioned configuration, the position is determined according to the different resonance wavelength, instead of using an optical encoder; furthermore, the micrometer-scale or nanometer-scale displacement detection is achieved.

An optical displacement sensing system is provided. With configuration of an optical sensor disposed on a displacement platform and in cooperation with a broadband light source and an optical spectrum analyzer, when the displacement platform moves, the waveguide grating of the optical sensor is resonated and the reflected light provided with a resonance wavelength is formed. The waveguide grating has the plurality of grating periods, and when the displacement platform moves to a different position to make the broadband light source correspond to a different grating period, the position can correspond to the different resonance wavelength. Therefore, according to the aforementioned configuration, the position is determined according to the different resonance wavelength, instead of using an optical encoder; furthermore, the micrometer-scale or nanometer-scale displacement detection is achieved.

In order to provide a detection device that can accurately detect thermal deformation in any state including a case where thermal deformation has already occurred, there is provided a detection device which includes: a scale with a strained grating; and two sensor heads mounted on a pedestal at a predetermined distance, the sensor heads detecting positions on the scale based on the grating. Thermal deformation of the pedestal or the scale is detected based on a change in a difference between the positions detected by the two sensor heads.

An optical displacement sensor includes: a splitting unit that splits the light radiated from the light source into a first light ray and a second light ray; a reflection unit including a first reflection part and a second reflection part provided at a predetermined angle with respect to the first reflection part; and a fold-back reflection unit that folds-back and reflects the light that has gone through the reflection unit to the reflection unit. The optical displacement sensor is characterized in that the reflection unit reflects the first light ray and the second light ray that are split by the splitting unit and have gone through the diffraction unit from the first reflection part to the second reflection part, and reflects the first light ray and the second light ray that are reflected by the fold-back reflection unit from the second reflection part to the first reflection part.

An optical position-measuring device for determining a relative position of scales includes a light source, the scales and a detector. The scales are movable relative to each other along measurement directions and disposed in different planes in crossed relation to each other, and each have a graduation having grating regions which are arranged periodically and have different optical properties. At the first scale, the illumination beam is split into sub-beams, the sub-beams subsequently impinge on the second scale and are reflected back toward the first scale, and the reflected-back sub-beams strike the first scale again, where they are recombined, so that a resulting signal beam subsequently propagates toward the detector. The measuring graduation of one or more of the scales is configured as a two-dimensional cross grating which has a filtering effect that suppresses disturbing higher diffraction orders.

A position encoder for monitoring relative movement between a first object and a second object includes a grating that is coupled to the first object, and an image sensor assembly that is coupled to the second object. The image sensor includes a first image sensor; a second image sensor that is spaced apart from the first image sensor; an optical element that includes a first optical surface and a second optical surface that is spaced apart from the first optical surface; and an illumination system. The illumination system directs an illumination beam at the optical element to create (i) a first reference beam that is reflected by the first optical surface and directed at the first image sensor, (ii) a second reference beam that is reflected by the second optical surface and directed at the second image sensor, and (iii) a transmitted beam that is transmitted through the optical element and is directed at and impinges on the grating to create a first measurement beam that is diffracted by the grating and directed at the first image sensor, and a second measurement beam that is diffracted by the grating and directed at the second image sensor.

A position encoder for monitoring relative movement between a first object and a second object includes a grating that is coupled to the first object, and an image sensor assembly that is coupled to the second object. The image sensor includes a first image sensor; a second image sensor that is spaced apart from the first image sensor; an optical element that includes a first optical surface and a second optical surface that is spaced apart from the first optical surface; and an illumination system. The illumination system directs an illumination beam at the optical element to create (i) a first reference beam that is reflected by the first optical surface and directed at the first image sensor, (ii) a second reference beam that is reflected by the second optical surface and directed at the second image sensor, and (iii) a transmitted beam that is transmitted through the optical element and is directed at and impinges on the grating to create a first measurement beam that is diffracted by the grating and directed at the first image sensor, and a second measurement beam that is diffracted by the grating and directed at the second image sensor.

A measurement system in which an object that moves toward a processing position serves as a measurement target. In the processing position a processing device is capable of applying processing to the object. The measurement system includes: a mark detection device that has an irradiation system to irradiate a mark provided at the object that is moving with a measurement beam while moving the measurement beam; and a beam receiving system to receive a beam from the mark. The irradiation system irradiates the object with the measurement beam while moving the measurement beam, during a period when the object moves toward the processing position.