An optic has a freeform optical surface transforming incident light emitted by a spatially extended light source into a constellation of images of the spatially extended light source. The images in the constellation are mixed to form a target illumination pattern having a sharp-edge at least along a portion of a boundary. The images include a focused image, and an edge of the focused image participates in forming the sharp-edged boundary the target illumination pattern.

An optical element includes a first condensing lens and a plurality of second condensing lenses. The optical element is disposed so as to face an end of an optical fiber. The optical fiber includes a core, a first cladding located around the core, and a second cladding located around the first cladding. The first condensing lens is disposed at a position corresponding to the core. The second condensing lenses are disposed around the first condensing lens at positions corresponding to the first cladding.

An exposure apparatus configured to expose a substrate to light from a solid-state light emitting element, includes an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a mask with the light, and a projection optical system configured to project an image of a pattern of the mask onto the substrate, wherein a pupil plane intensity distribution, which is a light intensity distribution on a pupil plane included in the illumination optical system and optically conjugated with a light emission plane of the solid-state light emitting element, is a light intensity distribution in which a maximum intensity is achieved outside an optical axis of the illumination optical system, and wherein the pupil plane intensity distribution is a light intensity distribution on the pupil plane onto which a light emission distribution of the light emission plane is projected with a predetermined magnification.

A projector includes: a white light generator that uses a blue laser as a light source to generate blue light and yellow light based on the blue laser and generates white light including the generated blue light and yellow light; and an optical system that modulates light based on the white light generated by the white light generator with an image display element and projects the modulated light, wherein the white light generator includes: a dichroic mirror that is irradiated with the blue light from the blue laser as the light source; a first condenser lens that focuses blue light being reflected by or passing through the dichroic mirror; a diffusion plate that diffuses the blue light focused by the first condenser lens; a second condenser lens that focuses the blue light passing through or being reflected by the dichroic mirror; and a phosphor that emits yellow light.

A projector includes: a white light generator that uses a blue laser as a light source to generate blue light and yellow light based on the blue laser and generates white light including the generated blue light and yellow light; and an optical system that modulates light based on the white light generated by the white light generator with an image display element and projects the modulated light, wherein the white light generator includes: a dichroic mirror that is irradiated with the blue light from the blue laser as the light source; a first condenser lens that focuses blue light being reflected by or passing through the dichroic mirror; a diffusion plate that diffuses the blue light focused by the first condenser lens; a second condenser lens that focuses the blue light passing through or being reflected by the dichroic mirror; and a phosphor that emits yellow light.

A projector includes: a white light generator that uses a blue laser as a light source to generate blue light and yellow light based on the blue laser and generates white light including the generated blue light and yellow light; and an optical system that modulates light based on the white light generated by the white light generator with an image display element and projects the modulated light, wherein the white light generator includes: a dichroic mirror that is irradiated with the blue light from the blue laser as the light source; a first condenser lens that focuses blue light being reflected by or passing through the dichroic mirror; a diffusion plate that diffuses the blue light focused by the first condenser lens; a second condenser lens that focuses the blue light passing through or being reflected by the dichroic mirror; and a phosphor that emits yellow light.

An exposure apparatus configured to expose a substrate to light from a solid-state light emitting element, includes an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a mask with the light, and a projection optical system configured to project an image of a pattern of the mask onto the substrate, wherein a pupil plane intensity distribution, which is a light intensity distribution on a pupil plane included in the illumination optical system and optically conjugated with a light emission plane of the solid-state light emitting element, is a light intensity distribution in which a maximum intensity is achieved outside an optical axis of the illumination optical system, and wherein the pupil plane intensity distribution is a light intensity distribution on the pupil plane onto which a light emission distribution of the light emission plane is projected with a predetermined magnification.

A light source device includes a condensing lens, a laser light source, a first anti-reflection film, and a second anti-reflection film. The condensing lens has a curved surface. The laser light source includes a plurality of laser elements configured to emit laser beams incident on different regions of the curved surface of the condensing lens. The first anti-reflection film and the second anti-reflection film are disposed in different regions of the curved surface. The first anti-reflection film has a reflectance characteristic different from a reflectance characteristic of the second anti-reflection film.

A device for converting electromagnetic radiation into electricity comprises an expander that includes a conical shape having an axis and a curved surface that is configured to reflect electromagnetic radiation away from the axis to expand a beam of the electromagnetic radiation; and one or more energy conversion components configured to receive a beam of electromagnetic radiation expanded by the expander, and to generate electricity from the expanded beam of electromagnetic radiation. With the expander's curved surface, a beam of electromagnetic radiation that is highly concentratedhas a large radiation fluxmay be converted into a beam that has a larger cross-sectional area. Moreover, one can configure, if desired, the curved surface to provide a substantially uniform distribution of radiation across the expanded cross-sectional area. With such an expanded beam the one or more energy conversion components can efficiently convert some of the electromagnetic radiation into electricity.

A projector includes: a white light generator that uses a blue laser as a light source to generate blue light and yellow light based on the blue laser and generates white light including the generated blue light and yellow light; and an optical system that modulates light based on the white light generated by the white light generator with an image display element and projects the modulated light, wherein the white light generator includes: a dichroic mirror that is irradiated with the blue light from the blue laser as the light source; a first condenser lens that focuses blue light being reflected by or passing through the dichroic mirror; a diffusion plate that diffuses the blue light focused by the first condenser lens; a second condenser lens that focuses the blue light passing through or being reflected by the dichroic mirror; and a phosphor that emits yellow light.