Optical apparatus and method of manufacturing optical apparatus

Claim 2

An optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from a light-emitting element array having plural light-emitting elements, onto a light-receiving surface through a focusing optical system, comprising: a light beam narrowing structure integrally formed with said light-emitting element array and positioned between said array and said focusing optical system, a light-emitting portion of each said light-emitting element being below a bottom of said light beam narrowing structure; and said light beam narrowing structure narrowing a solid angle of light emitted from the individual light-emitting elements of said array by reflecting the emitted light toward said focusing optical system, wherein said light beam narrowing structure is shaped to limit a solid angle within which light from the light-emitting elements reaches the light receiving surface.

Claim 3

The optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array as defined in claim 1 , wherein said light beam narrowing structure comprises reflection mirrors that are around respective individual light-emitting elements and reflect light therefrom toward said focusing optical system.

Claim 4

The optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array as defined in claim 2 , wherein said light beam narrowing structure comprises focusing lenses that are aligned with respective individual light-emitting elements and focus light therefrom onto said focusing optical system.

Claim 5

The optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array as defined in claim 3 , wherein said lenses are spherical lenses.

Claim 6

The optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array as defined in claim 3 , wherein said reflection mirrors conform to the shape of an inverted conical frustum whose smaller diameter side faces said light-emitting elements and larger diameter side faces said focusing optical system.

Claim 7

The optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array as defined in claim 2 , wherein said reflection mirrors conform to the shape of an inverted conical frustum whose smaller diameter side faces said light-emitting elements and larger diameter side faces said focusing optical system.

Claim 8

An optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from a light-emitting array having plural light-emitting elements, onto a light-receiving surface through a focusing optical system, comprising: an angle narrowing structure formed integrally with said light-emitting array between said light-emitting elements and said focusing optical system, said angle narrowing structure comprising recesses aligned with respective light-emitting elements; light-emitting portions of said light-emitting elements being below bottoms of respective ones of said recesses; said recesses being shaped to be relatively small at the light-emitting elements and to become progressively larger toward the focusing optical system; and wherein a part of light emitted from the light-emitting portions of said light-emitting elements reaches said focusing optical system as direct light and a part of the light emitted from the light-emitting portions of said light-emitting elements reaches the focusing optical system as indirect light that has been reflected from side walls of said recesses, wherein said recesses are shaped to limit a solid angle within which light from the light-emitting portions reaches the light receiving surface.

Claim 9

An optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from a light-emitting array having plural light-emitting elements, onto a light-receiving surface through a focusing optical system, comprising: an angle narrowing structure formed integrally with said light-emitting array between said light-emitting elements and said focusing optical system, said angle narrowing structure comprising recesses aligned with respective light-emitting elements; light-emitting portions of said light-emitting elements being below bottoms of respective ones of said recesses; said recesses being shaped to be relatively small at the light-emitting elements and to become progressively larger toward the focusing optical system; and wherein a part of light emitted from the light-emitting portions of said light-emitting elements reaches said focusing optical system as direct light and a part of the light emitted from the light-emitting portions of said light-emitting elements reaches the focusing optical system as indirect light that has been reflected from side walls of said recesses, wherein said recesses are shaped to limit a solid angle within which light from the light-emitting portions reaches the light receiving surface.

Claim 10

The optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array as defined in claim 7 , including a metal reflection film formed on the side walls of said recesses to reflect light from said light-emitting elements to said focusing optical system.

Claim 11

The optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array as defined in claim 8 , wherein said metal reflection film is in ohmic contact with said light-emitting elements and forms an electrode for supplying electric current thereto, in addition to serving to reflect light therefrom to said focusing optical system.

Claim 12

An optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from a light-emitting element array means having plural light-emitting elements, onto a light-receiving surface through a focusing optical system means, comprising: a narrowing means integrally formed with said light-emitting element array means and positioned between said array means and said focusing optical system means, wherein a light-emitting portion of each said light-emitting element being below a bottom of said narrowing means; and said narrowing means narrowing a solid angle of light emitted from the individual light-emitting elements of said array means by reflecting the emitted light toward said focusing optical system means, wherein said narrowing means is shaped to limit a solid angle within which light from the light-emitting elements reaches the light receiving surface.

Claim 13

An optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from a light-emitting element array means having plural light-emitting elements, onto a light-receiving surface through a focusing optical system means, comprising: a narrowing means integrally formed with said light-emitting element array means and positioned between said array means and said focusing optical system means, wherein a light-emitting portion of each said light-emitting element being below a bottom of said narrowing means; and said narrowing means narrowing a solid angle of light emitted from the individual light-emitting elements of said array means by reflecting the emitted light toward said focusing optical system means, wherein said narrowing means is shaped to limit a solid angle within which light from the light-emitting elements reaches the light receiving surface.

Claim 14

The optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array means as defined in claim 10 , wherein said narrowing means comprises reflection mirror means around respective individual light-emitting elements, reflecting light therefrom toward said focusing optical system means.

Claim 15

The optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array means as defined in claim 11 , wherein said narrowing means comprises focusing lens means aligned with respective individual light-emitting elements and focusing light therefrom onto said focusing optical system means.

Claim 16

The optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array means as defined in claim 12 , wherein said lens means comprises spherical lenses.

Claim 17

The optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array means as defined in claim 12 , wherein said reflection mirror means comprises mirror means conforming to the shape of an inverted conical frustum whose smaller diameter side faces said light-emitting elements and larger diameter side faces said focusing optical system means.

Claim 18

The optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array means as defined in claim 11 , wherein said reflection mirror means comprises mirror means conforming to the shape of an inverted conical frustum whose smaller diameter side faces said light-emitting elements and larger diameter side faces said focusing optical system means.

Claim 19

An optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from light-emitting element array means having plural light-emitting elements, onto a light-receiving surface through a focusing optical system means, comprising: a narrowing means formed integrally with said light-emitting array means between said light-emitting elements and said focusing optical system means, said narrowing means comprising recesses aligned with respective light-emitting elements; light-emitting portions of said light-emitting elements being below bottoms of respective ones of said recesses; said recesses being shaped to increase in area in moving from the light-emitting elements toward the focusing optical system means; and wherein a part of light emitted from the light-emitting portions of said light-emitting elements reaches said focusing optical system means as direct light and a part of the light emitted from the light-emitting portions of said light-emitting elements reaches the focusing optical system means as indirect light that has been reflected from side walls of said recesses, wherein said recesses are shaped to limit a solid angle within which light from the light-emitting elements reaches the light receiving surface.

Claim 20

An optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from light-emitting element array means having plural light-emitting elements, onto a light-receiving surface through a focusing optical system means, comprising: a narrowing means formed integrally with said light-emitting array means between said light-emitting elements and said focusing optical system means, said narrowing means comprising recesses aligned with respective light-emitting elements; light-emitting portions of said light-emitting elements being below bottoms of respective ones of said recesses; said recesses being shaped to increase in area in moving from the light-emitting elements toward the focusing optical system means; and wherein a part of light emitted from the light-emitting portions of said light-emitting elements reaches said focusing optical system means as direct light and a part of the light emitted from the light-emitting portions of said light-emitting elements reaches the focusing optical system means as indirect light that has been reflected from side walls of said recesses, wherein said recesses are shaped to limit a solid angle within which light from the light-emitting elements reaches the light receiving surface.

Claim 21

The optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array means as defined in claim 16 , including a metal reflection film formed on the side walls of said recesses to reflect light from said light-emitting elements to said focusing optical system means.

Claim 22

The optical apparatus for focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array means as defined in claim 17 , wherein said metal reflection film is in ohmic contact with said light-emitting elements and forms an electrode for supplying electric current thereto, in addition to serving to reflect light therefrom to said focusing optical system means.

Claim 25

The method of focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array as defined in claim 19 , wherein said reflection structure includes reflection mirrors, said reflection mirrors surround respective ones of said light-emitting elements, and light emitted from said light-emitting elements reflects from said reflection mirrors before reaching said focusing optical system.

Claim 26

The method of focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array as defined in claim 20 , including providing focusing lenses for respective ones of said light-emitting elements to focus light emitted therefrom onto said focusing optical system.

Claim 27

The method of focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array as defined in claim 21 , including using spherical lenses as said focusing lenses.

Claim 28

The method of focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array as defined in claim 21 , comprising forming said reflection mirrors in the form of an inverted conical frustum, said reflection mirrors having a smaller opening facing said light-emitting elements and a larger opening facing said focusing optical system.

Claim 29

The method of focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array as defined in claim 20 , comprising forming said reflection mirrors in the form of an inverted conical frustum, said reflection mirrors having a smaller opening facing said light-emitting elements and a larger opening facing said focusing optical system.

Claim 32

The method of focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array as defined in claim 25 , comprising providing a metal reflection film over said side walls of said recesses.

Claim 33

The method of focusing light emitted from said light-emitting element array as defined in claim 26 , comprising using said metal reflection film both as an electrode for supplying electric current to the light-emitting portion of said light-emitting element and to reflect light from the light-emitting elements to the focusing optical system.

Claim 36

A method as in claim 28 including providing a metal reflecting film over said side walls of said openings to cause indirect light from said elements to be reflected by said metal reflecting film before being delivered to said light receiving surface.

Claim 37

A method as in claim 29 including using said metal film as an electrode supplying electrical power to said elements.

Claim 38

A method as in claim 28 including providing at said openings an optically transparent solid material forming lenses aligned with said elements to focus light emitted therefrom.

Claim 39

A method as in claim 31 in which said forming of lenses comprises forming spherical lenses.

Claim 40

An optical system for selectively illuminating portions of a light receiving surface, comprising: an array of light-emitting elements, light-emitting portions of which are integrally formed below bottoms of open-top recesses formed in a face of a semiconductor material; said recesses providing respective reflective light paths from the light-emitting elements toward said light receiving surface and shaped to limit the solid angle within which light is delivered from said elements toward said light receiving surface to an angle substantially narrower than that in which light from said elements would have been delivered to the light receiving surface in the absence of the recesses.

Claim 41

An optical system for selectively illuminating portions of a light receiving surface, comprising: an array of light-emitting elements, light-emitting portions of which are integrally formed below bottoms of open-top recesses formed in a face of a semiconductor material; said recesses providing respective reflective light paths from the light-emitting elements toward said light receiving surface and shaped to limit the solid angle within which light is delivered from said elements toward said light receiving surface to an angle substantially narrower than that in which light from said elements would have been delivered to the light receiving surface in the absence of the recesses.

Claim 42

An optical system as in claim 33 including an array of lenses integrally formed with said array, in the light paths from respective ones of said elements toward said light receiving surface, to help focus light from said elements onto said light receiving surface.

Claim 43

An optical system as in claim 34 in which said lenses are formed of solid, optically transparent material filling said recesses.

Claim 44

An optical system as in claim 33 including an oxide layer over said recesses and said elements.

Claim 45

An optical system as in claim 33 wherein said recesses have side walls surrounding the respective elements and including a metal reflecting film over said side walls, said metal reflecting film reflecting light from said elements toward said light receiving surface.

Claim 46

An optical system as in claim 37 in which said metal film supplies electrical power to said elements.