JPH11153742A - Light source device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a light source device having a base resistant to be deformed even if a light source device rises up to a high temperature, and being capable of maintaining a beam pitch with high accuracy. SOLUTION: Relating to a light source device comprising plural semiconductor laser 2, a base 1 for fixing these semiconductor laser 2, collimator lenses 3 fixed on this base 1 and arranged in front of each of the semiconductor laser 2, an optical element 5 for beam synthesis which makes the laser beams emitted from the collimator lenses 3 to adjacent beams 10, and a case 9 attached to the base 1 for covering these collimator lenses 3 and optical element 5 for beam synthesis, a case 33 is decreased in flexural rigidity by using the case 33 forming one or more slits 33a instead of the case 9. Even if the case 30 is deformed by thermal expansion, the base 1 is not deformed because of the low flexural rigidity of the case 33.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a light source device of a multi-beam scanning device for simultaneously scanning a plurality of beams,
For example, the present invention relates to a light source device using a semiconductor laser used for a digital copier, a laser printer, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional digital copying machine or laser printer, a method of forming an image by scanning a photosensitive member with a single light beam is generally used. However, a plurality of light beams scan a photosensitive member. A multi-beam scanning device that forms an image at high speed by scanning has been put to practical use. In this type of multi-beam scanning device, a plurality of semiconductor lasers are arranged in the sub-scanning direction, and a light source that combines the light beams emitted from these semiconductor lasers so that their optical axes are close to each other and emits the light in one direction. The device is used.

A light source device using a semiconductor laser is required to have, as optical characteristics, directivity (optical axis characteristics) of a laser beam emitted from the light source device and parallelism (collimation characteristics) of a light beam. For these reasons, the light source device usually adjusts the relative position between the light emitting point of the semiconductor laser and the collimator lens in three axes (x, y, z), and the position accuracy is required to be less than a micron. ing. Therefore, in the light source device having the semiconductor laser and the collimator lens, the light source device needs to have a structure capable of adjusting the position in the three-axis direction and fixing at the adjusted position.

When the collimator lens is fixed with an adhesive, the adhesive shrinks at the time of curing, so that it is ideal to minimize the adverse effect on the optical characteristics due to the shrinkage. In particular, in the light source device, since the required accuracy in the z-axis direction (optical axis direction) is high, it is preferable that the light source device be configured so that the contraction direction does not occur in the z-axis direction. Therefore, the adhesive layer is usually set in a direction substantially parallel to the optical axis (z-axis), and the shrinking direction is preferably set in other axes (x, y-axes) in order to facilitate adjustment. It is desirable to configure so as to be in one direction of the x axis or the y axis.

Further, in a digital copying machine or a laser printer, a light source device which simultaneously scans a plurality of lines for the purpose of speeding up printing and switching of pixel density is, of course, required.
A plurality of laser beams are generated by a plurality of semiconductor lasers and collimator lenses, and the beam pitch accuracy of the direction (optical axis characteristic pitch accuracy in the row direction or the y direction) is required. Therefore, it is desirable that the adhesive layer be configured so that the shrinkage does not occur in the y direction.

FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view of a light source device for generating one laser beam in a conventional example described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-88061. In the figure, a stepped hole 102 is formed in a base 101 for holding a semiconductor laser, and a semiconductor laser 103 is press-fitted and fixed therein. The base 101 is formed by two screws 104, 104.
The flange 105 attached to the
The fitting hole 106 is formed at a position opposed to the fitting hole 106, and the left end of the fitting hole 106
An inlet portion 106a having a large diameter of about mm is formed. The fitting hole 106 has a size of 0.01 to 0.03 with the fitting hole 106.
A cylindrical lens holder 1 having a clearance of about mm
And a collimator lens 1 for converting a laser beam into a parallel light beam in the lens holder 7.
08 is held.

On the other hand, a guide pin 111 projecting from the end face of the base 1 is fitted into a positioning hole 110 formed in the printed circuit board 109, and the guide pin 111
The base 101 and the printed circuit board 109 are fixed by thermally melting the tip portion of the substrate 101 and crushing it as indicated by a virtual line 111 '. Lead wire 112 of semiconductor laser 103
Is passed through a lead wire insertion hole formed in the printed circuit board 109, and is soldered to a conductive pattern for wiring on the back side of the printed circuit board.

The above-mentioned flange 105 is provided for the semiconductor laser 10.
After adjusting the position in the x and y directions so that the light emitting point of No. 3 coincides with the optical axis of the collimator lens 108, the light emitting point is fixed to the base 101 by the screw 104.

A flange 1 attached to a base 101
A cutout portion 113 connected to the entrance portion 106a is formed in the lens holder 05, and after adjusting the position of the lens holder 107 in the z-axis direction so that the light source position of the semiconductor laser 103 matches the focal position of the collimator lens 108, Notch 1
The lens holder 107 is fixed to the flange 105 by injecting an adhesive from 13 and infiltrating into the inside.

An aperture forming member 114 is a shielding cap for taking out and forming a parallel light beam near the center of the light beam transmitted through the collimator lens 108, and is fitted to the aperture formed of a light beam selecting hole and the flange 105. And a projection 114b for attaching.
The aperture forming member 114 is fixed to the flange 105 by fitting 14 b into the notch 113 of the flange 105.

With the above configuration, the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 103 is
, A light flux near the center of the light flux passes through the aperture 114a and is emitted to the outside. The laser beam emitted to the outside is scanned on the photoconductor via an optical deflector (not shown) such as a polygon mirror and an optical system such as an fθ lens to form an image.

FIG. 31 is an exploded perspective view of a light source device having a plurality of (two) laser beams described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-181410. As shown in FIG.
The semiconductor laser 20 which emits a laser beam has a stepped hole similar to that of the base 1 shown in FIG.
3, 203 are press-fitted and fixed. The base 201 is attached to the flange 205 by four screws 204.
Fitting holes 206, 206 are formed in the flange 205 at positions corresponding to the semiconductor lasers 203, 203, respectively. Cylindrical lens holders 207 having a clearance of about 0.01 to 0.03 mm and the fitting holes are fitted into these fitting holes 206, and a laser beam is fed into the lens holder 207 by a parallel light beam. Are held.

The bases 201, 201 are made of a semiconductor laser 2
After the positions in the x and y directions are adjusted so that the respective light emitting points 03 and 203 coincide with the optical axes of the collimator lenses 208 and 208 facing each other, they are fixed to the flange 205 by two screws 204 and 204, respectively. The Rukoto.

Notches 206 a, 206 a are formed in fitting holes 206, 206 of the flange 205, and the lens holders 207, 207 are positioned so that the light emitting point of the semiconductor laser 203 coincides with the focal position of the collimator lens 208. After adjusting the position in the z direction, the notch 206a
By injecting adhesive from and penetrating inside,
The lens holders 207, 207 are fixed to the flange 205.

The aperture forming member 209 is a member for taking out and shaping a parallel light beam near the center of the collimator lenses 208, 208. The aperture forming members 209 are provided with apertures 209a, 209a formed of light beam selecting holes. Optical axis of collimator lens and apertures 209a, 209
It is set so that the center of "a" coincides. A parallel light beam emitted from the aperture is converted into two substantially coaxial beams 21 by a beam combining optical element 210 composed of a prism.
The images are combined into images 211 and 211 and then guided to a scanning optical system provided for image writing, which is provided thereafter. At this time, the beam pitch (distance in the y-axis direction) of the two beams 211 and 211 is set so that the pitch in the sub-scanning direction (y-axis direction) on the image writing surface becomes a desired interval. Is fine-tuned. This method corresponds to position adjustment of the base 201 in the y-axis direction.

The aperture forming member 209 and the beam combining optical element 210 are held inside a case 212. The case 212 includes the positioning protrusion 2 of the flange 205.
05a and the positioning recesses (not shown) of the case 212 are aligned with each other.
It is fixed to the flange 205 by the screw holes. Here, a metal (particularly aluminum) is used as the material of the flange 205 in order to minimize the heat radiation of the semiconductor laser and the fluctuation of the adjusted beam pitch. On the other hand, the case 212 is an inexpensive method using resin molded parts.

[0017]

However, the above-described conventional light source device for emitting a plurality of laser beams has the following problems.

Very high beam pitch accuracy is required in the sub-scanning direction (y-axis direction or column direction in image writing, ie, row pitch direction in the case of simultaneous writing of two rows). Therefore, two beams 2 from the light source device
Very high accuracy is required for the emission positions and the emission angles of the light sources 11 and 211 (optical axis characteristics depend on these emission positions and the emission angles). On the other hand, in the conventional light source device, the metal flange 205 and the resin case 212 are connected by four screws 2.
For fixing at 04, when a temperature rise occurs in the light source device, as shown in FIG. 32, the flange 205 is deformed due to a difference in linear expansion coefficient of the material. As a result, the optical property adjusted on the flange side, that is, the beam 2
The distance (pitch) between the beams 111, 211 and the beam 211,
The angle (parallelism) of 211 changes. In particular, the curvature of the flange along the y direction degrades the parallelism of the beam and is a magnifying optical system. Therefore, even if the angle is small, a large deviation occurs when the light reaches the photoreceptor, causing a defective image. was there. The present invention has been made to solve this problem, and has as its object to provide a light source device that has a base that is not easily deformed even when the temperature of the light source device becomes high, and that can maintain a highly accurate beam pitch.

[0019]

According to the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising: a plurality of semiconductor lasers; a base for fixing the semiconductor lasers; a collimator lens provided on a front surface of each semiconductor laser; In a light source device having a beam synthesizing optical element that brings a laser beam emitted from these collimator lenses into a close beam, and a case fixed to the base to cover these collimator lenses and the beam synthesizing optical element, 1 in the above case
One or more slits are formed to reduce the bending rigidity of the case.

Further, the slit may be formed on a side of the case in the beam pitch direction.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A light source device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a light source device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of a base including a lens supporting portion when a collimator lens is bonded. The base 1 shown in these figures has two fitting holes 1a, 1a arranged substantially in the center in the y-axis direction, and these fitting holes 1a, 1a are provided.
The two semiconductor lasers 2 and 2 for emitting laser beams are press-fitted and fixed to the back surface of the semiconductor laser. In order to directly fix the collimator lenses 3, 3 in the base 1, fitting holes 1 a,
1a, which has a slightly larger diameter than the outer circumference of the collimator lenses 3 and 3 (for example, about 0.2 mm).
Lens support portions 1b, 1b having an arc-shaped cross section are integrally formed concentrically with the optical axes of the semiconductor lasers 2, 2, respectively. The length of the lens support portion 1b in the optical axis (z-axis) direction is set so that even if the adhesive is excessively filled between the lens support portion 1b and the collimator lens 3, it does not adhere to other portions. , 3 thickness in the optical axis (z-axis) direction (thickness of lens)
It is longer than. In addition, the shapes viewed from the front are arc-shaped cross sections each having a semicircle or less.

The shape when viewed from the front is 60 ° as shown in FIG. 2 because of the ease of position adjustment and bonding work.
゜ It is desirable to have a symmetrical shape with a degree of opening. Furthermore, the center lines C, C of the cross-section arcs of the lens support portions 1b, 1b
Is preferably set substantially perpendicular to the sub-scanning pitch direction (y-axis direction) of the two beams emitted by the collimator lenses 3 and 3.

The base 1 of the present invention is substantially rectangular, and the entire structure including the fitting holes 1a, 1a and the lens supporting portions 1b, 1b is line-symmetric with respect to the center line O of the base. This is for the following reason.

The collimator lenses 3, 3 are attached to the tip of a lens support 1b protruding from the base 1,
When the base 1 itself is deformed by a tightening force or a temperature change at the time of mounting, the deformation is directly caused by the collimator lenses 3 and 3.
Appears as a change in position. Therefore, if the lens supporting portions 1b, 1b and the fitting holes 1a, 1a are arranged at asymmetric positions, the collimator lens 3, 3
The change in position 3 also occurs asymmetrically. Then, before and after the deformation of the base 1, the positional relationship between the collimator lenses 3 and 3 is irregularly broken, which greatly affects the fluctuation of the optical characteristics, and causes an image defect. On the other hand, if they are arranged line-symmetrically, the displacements of the collimator lenses on both sides become equal, fluctuations in optical characteristics (especially in the optical axis pitch direction) can be reduced, and stable and highly accurate A light source device can be provided.

The aperture forming member 4 is provided with apertures 4a, 4a comprising holes for selecting a light beam. The aperture forming member 4 is held inside the case 9.
The beam combining optical element 5 is a component for combining the two beams 10, 10 emitted from the apertures 4a, 4a into a substantially coaxial beam, and a prism is used. 4 is retained.
The beam combining optical element 5 may have a configuration in which a mirror and a half mirror are combined in addition to the prism.

When the collimator lens 3 is assembled,
As shown in FIG. 2, the lens holders 1b, 1c are gripped by a chuck 7 whose position can be adjusted in three axes (x, y, z axes).
The semiconductor lasers 2, 2 are arranged concentrically with the optical axes of the semiconductor lasers 2, 2, respectively. Then, the lens support portion 1b and the collimator lens 3
A gap formed between the collimator lens 3 and the outer peripheral surface of the collimator lens 3 is filled with an ultraviolet curable adhesive to form an adhesive layer 6 and then inspected for optical characteristics by an inspection device (not shown).
Is finely adjusted, and when the position at which the desired optical characteristic is obtained is determined, the chucks 7, 7 are fixed, and an ultraviolet irradiator is directed toward the adhesive layer 6 from above the collimator lenses 3, 3 as shown in FIG. Ultraviolet rays are irradiated from 8,8. The ultraviolet light passes through the collimator lens 3 and reaches the adhesive layer 6 where the adhesive layer 6
The whole is hardened evenly. This adhesive curing is performed for each of the two collimator lenses 3 and 3.
Therefore, the thickness between the lens support portions 1b, 1b and the collimator lenses 3, 3 is uniform and has left-right symmetry having the gap dimension (about 0.2 mm), and the thickness direction is the sub-scanning pitch direction (y direction). Adhesive layers 6, 6 which are substantially perpendicular to each other are formed, and the collimator lenses 3, 3 are fixed on the lens support portions 1b, 1b by the adhesive layers 6, 6 while maintaining predetermined optical characteristics.

The length of the adhesive layers 6 and 6 in the optical axis direction is shorter than the length of the lens supporting portion 1b in the optical axis direction, and a gap is maintained between the adhesive layer 6 and the surface of the base 1. When the temperature rises while using the light source device, the adhesive layer 6 expands. At this time, if the adhesive layer 6 and the surface of the base 1 are in close contact with each other, the collimator lenses 3 move in the optical axis direction due to the expansion of the adhesive layer 6. However, the adhesive layer and the base 1
If there is a gap between the surface and the surface, the adhesive layer 6 can freely expand on both sides of the collimator lens, so that the lens does not move and the positional accuracy can be kept high.

The case 9 has a positioning projection 1c of the base 1.
And four screw holes 9a provided in the case 9 and four holes 1d of the base 1 are overlapped with each other in a positioning concave portion (not shown) of the case 9, and four screws 11 are tightened. Be combined.

The embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the coefficient of linear expansion of the material of the case 9 is set substantially equal to the coefficient of linear expansion of the material of the base 1. In order to match the linear expansion coefficients, first, it is conceivable that both are formed of the same material. When the base 1 is formed of an aluminum material, the coefficient of linear expansion of the case 9 is substantially the same as that of the aluminum material, ie, 2 to 2.3 × 1.
It is desirably 0 ^-5 (1 / ° C.). As a resin material having such a linear expansion coefficient, for example, there is an unsaturated polyester resin containing glass fiber. Also, when the fiber direction of the glass occurs in the resin containing glass fiber,
The fiber direction is the beam pitch direction (y direction), and the base 1
It is conceivable to make the linear expansion coefficient equal to

The two substantially coaxial beams 10 and 10 emitted from the case 9 are guided to a scanning optical system provided for image writing, which is provided thereafter. At this time, the pitch of the two beams is finely adjusted so that the pitch in the sub-scanning direction on the image writing surface is at a desired interval. This method corresponds to the position adjustment in the y direction in the position adjustment of the collimator lens described above.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show an embodiment in which the lens supporting portions of the base are connected. In the light source device shown in FIG. 31, even if the optical characteristics required at the beginning of assembly are satisfied, when the light source device is mounted on a digital copying machine or a laser printer, the light source device is caused by internal stress due to mounting and expansion or contraction force due to a change in temperature inside the device. Deformation occurs, as shown in FIG.
05 will be curved. Since the light source device targeted by the present invention is generally a magnifying optical system, if the position of each component changes due to deformation such as bending, even if it is slight, it reaches the writing position of the photoconductor. It is enlarged and becomes a large displacement, which has a great influence on optical characteristics. In particular, since the curvature in the y direction impairs the parallelism of the beams 211 and 211, the influence is large.

The examples shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 solve this problem and have a structure in which the light source device itself is hardly deformed. If the setting of the main body in which the light source device is actually incorporated is changed, many other parts are affected, and a great deal of cost may be generated. Therefore, it is advantageous to make the structure hard to be deformed as shown in FIGS.

The base 21 shown in FIG. 3 is the same as the base 1 shown in FIG.
Fitting hole 21a for mounting semiconductor lasers 2 and 2
However, it is characterized in that the lens support portions 1b, 1b of the collimator lens 3 are connected to form a connection support portion 21b. The connection support 21b is the same as the lens support 21b1, 21b as the lens support 1b, 1b in FIG.
1 are connected and integrated by a linear connecting portion 21b2. This linear connecting portion 21b2 is substantially parallel to the beam pitch direction (y direction), has a uniform thickness in the pitch direction, and has a lens supporting portion 21b1 and the connecting portion 2b.
1b2, a groove-shaped relief portion 21 extending in the optical axis direction.
b3 is formed. The relief portion is formed to prevent the adhesive filled when fixing the collimator lens 3 from reaching the connecting portion 21b2. The shape of the lens support portion (the shape of the surface to which the adhesive is applied) has the same shape with the escape portion 21b3 as a boundary.

Since the connecting portion 21b2 is formed in the y-direction, it is possible to prevent deformation such as bending along the y-axis as shown in FIG. 32, and to reduce the distance and angle between the two beams 10, 10 shown in FIG. Deviation can be effectively prevented.

The base 22 shown in FIG. 4 is an example in which the line connecting the optical axes of the two collimator lenses 3 and 3 is inclined with respect to the y-axis. The difference between the base 21 in which the two collimator lenses 3 and 3 shown in FIG. 3 are arranged parallel to the y-axis and the base 22 as shown in FIG. 4 will be omitted, but these light source devices will be used. This is due to the difference in the structure of the writing optical system. In such a base 22, the connection support portion 22b is also arranged to be inclined. The connection support portion 22b connects the lens support portions 22b1 and 22b1 corresponding to the lens support portion 1b in FIG.
2b2 and integrated. In this embodiment, the connecting portion 22b2 is slightly thinner,
2b3 is formed in a step shape. It is most effective that the connecting portion is formed in parallel with the y-axis. However, the connecting portion may be slightly inclined as shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the base 1 and the case 9 are connected at one fixed portion. Most of them are common to the light source device shown in FIG. 1, and are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The flange 205 and the case 212 shown in FIG. 31 are fixed to the case 212 by inserting screws through holes 205 b formed at four corners of the flange 205. For this reason, when the temperature of the light source device rises and the flange 205 and the case 212 expand, if there is a difference between the linear expansion coefficients, a bending distortion is generated in the flange 205 as shown in FIG. The spacing and parallelism (beam pitch accuracy) of the 211 are out of order.

On the other hand, in the embodiment of FIG.
Only one hole 1d is formed near the center of the case 9 and the case 9 has a female screw hole 9a corresponding to the hole 1d. And the screw 11 as a mounting member is a hole 1d.
Is inserted and screwed into the female screw of the case to be connected.

As described above, since the base 1 and the case 9 are fixed at one place, even if there is a difference in the coefficient of linear expansion between the base and the case, the two can freely expand and contract. In addition, no bending distortion occurs in the base, and the beam pitch accuracy of the two beams 10, 10 can be maintained with high accuracy. In addition, since the case and the base can be made of any material, an inexpensive resin molded product can be adopted, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. The hole 1d of the mounting member 11 is
2, the base is not deformed by disposing it on the center line C 'passing through the center of the center line C in the y direction, and the stability of the relative position between the base side and the case side at the time of mounting is improved. The beam pitch can be maintained with high accuracy.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show an embodiment in which the optical element support 23 extends from the lens support 1b so that the beam combining optical element 5 for beam combining can be attached integrally with the base 1. FIG. It is an example.

In the conventional light source device shown in FIG. 31, a beam combining optical element 210 is held by a case 212 and then attached to a flange 205. for that reason,
There has been a problem that a positioning error of the beam combining optical element 210 affects the pitch accuracy of the beam (light flux 211). In addition, it is desirable that the case 212 be made of an inexpensive resin molded product from the viewpoint of cost. (Especially, fluctuation in the beam pitch direction) has a problem that it has a particularly large effect. The embodiment of FIG. 6 solves such a problem.

As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the lens support portions 1b, 1b on both sides are extended to extend the optical element support portion 2.
3 is formed integrally with the base 1. Since the aperture forming member 14 is attached to the rear of the beam combining optical element 5, there is only one aperture 14a.

The beam synthesizing optical element 5 is positioned on the abutting reference surface 23a of the optical element supporting portion 23, and the surface 23b
Fixed on top. At this time, the beam synthesizing optical element 5 is bonded on the surface 23 b of the optical element support 23 via the bonding layer 24. In this way, even if the adhesive layer 24 expands and contracts due to a temperature change, the y direction (two beams 1)
(0, 10 pitch direction). As the adhesive, a photocurable adhesive having excellent reliability is desirable, and the same adhesive as that for fixing the collimator lens 3 is desirable from the viewpoint of easiness in the manufacturing process.
Thereafter, the collimator lenses 3 and 3 are positioned and bonded and fixed in the same manner as described with reference to FIG.

As a result, the semiconductor lasers 2 and 2, the collimator lenses 3 and 3, and the beam synthesizing optical element 5, all of which are optical components requiring high positional accuracy, are all held by the base 1. Therefore, it is easy to achieve the required assembly accuracy and to maintain that accuracy. Further, since the optical element support portion 23 is formed in the y direction, it is possible to effectively prevent the bending distortion (see FIG. 32) occurring in the y direction, and even if the case shrinks due to a temperature change. It is not affected by the beam pitch accuracy. In addition,
In the illustrated embodiment, the optical element support 23 is connected to the lens support 1.
Although it is formed integrally with b, it may be erected independently from the base 1 as a separate member.

FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 show an embodiment in which the aperture forming member is attached to the base 1 as an elastic member. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the light source device, FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing an assembled state around the base 1, and FIG. 11 is a front view of FIG.

In the conventional light source device shown in FIG. 31, since the aperture forming member 209 is attached to the flange 205 while being held by the case 212, the aperture 209a
However, there is a problem that the positioning error described above leads to an emission position error. Further, after the semiconductor laser 203 is mounted on the base 201, the lens holder 207 of the collimator lens and the collimator lens 3 are fixed on the flange 205, and the optical characteristics are adjusted, the aperture forming member 209 is mounted. If there is a variation, an error occurs in the optical characteristics after the aperture forming member 209 is attached, and there is also a problem that the beam pitch accuracy is affected.

Therefore, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the aperture forming member 25 is manufactured from a plastic molded product or the like, and the section having high elasticity has a U-shape. And the optical element support 2 of the base 1
The beam combining optical element 5 is attached so as to be sandwiched from outside. The aperture 25a of the aperture forming member 25 is disposed at a position after the beams are combined, so that only one aperture 25a is required. Further, rib-like projections 25b, 25b protruding inward are formed on opposing holding pieces on both sides of the aperture 25a,
The optical element supporting portion 23 is also formed with a groove 23c into which the projection is fitted, so that it does not easily come off, and at the same time, increases the holding force.

With the above configuration, the aperture forming member 25 is mounted on the base 1 after adjusting the optical characteristics, so that the position set at the time of mounting can be maintained, the emission position can be maintained with high precision, and the beam pitch can be adjusted. Will not occur. In addition, the positioning of the aperture forming member can be easily determined without increasing the number of parts, and the deformation due to the temperature change of the case does not affect the pitch of the aperture. It can be composed of inexpensive resin molded products,
The light source device can be provided at low cost.

FIGS. 12, 13 and 14 show an embodiment in which the aperture forming member 26 is formed integrally with the base 1. FIG.
12 is an exploded perspective view of the light source device, FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an assembled state around the base 1, and FIG. 14 is a front view of FIG. In this embodiment, the aperture forming member 26 is formed integrally with the optical element support portion 23, and the two apertures 26a, 26a are located at the center of the collimator lens 3.
Is open.

The aperture forming member 26 may be erected directly on the base 1, or the aperture forming member 26 in which the aperture 26a is perforated is formed separately from a plate-like material, and the optical element is formed with an adhesive or the like. It may be configured to be adhered and fixed to the support portion 23. According to the above configuration, the aperture forming member has an integral structure with the base, and adjusts the optical characteristics of the light beam that has passed through the aperture and is shaped, so that the optical characteristics are guaranteed in a state where the accuracy error and the position error of the aperture are absorbed. And a highly accurate light source device can be provided.

Further, since the aperture forming member can be eliminated from the independent parts, the number of parts can be reduced, and the case can be made of inexpensive resin without requiring the precision of the case side, and the light source device as a whole can be manufactured at low cost. Can be manufactured.

FIG. 15 shows an embodiment in which a mechanism capable of adjusting the position of the beam combining optical element 5 is added so that the interval (beam pitch) between the beams 10, 10 can be finely adjusted.
It is sectional drawing of the assembled light source device.

As described above, the light source device of the present invention has, as its optical characteristics, the directivity (optical axis characteristics) of the laser beam emitted from the light source device and the parallelism (collimation characteristics) of the light beam.
Is required.

However, in the case where the collimator lens is actually brought into a desired position, the position of the lens is uncertain due to the curing shrinkage of the adhesive layer and the deformation due to the tightening of the screw. Therefore, the optical characteristics after bonding and fixing must be very unstable.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 15 is for solving such a problem. The base 1 is fitted into the right end of the case 9, and the semiconductor lasers 2 and 2 and the collimator lenses 3 and 3 are mounted on the base 1. And the aperture forming member 27
Are provided with apertures 27a, 27a. The aperture forming member 27 is a thin plate made of an elastic material, and has a projection 27b at the center.

As described above, the beam synthesizing optical element 5 using a prism is located in the case 9, and the lower left portion of the drawing abuts on the support seat 9 a, and the center on the right side is the aperture forming member 27.
Elastically supported by the tip of a projection 27b formed at the center of
The upper left is in contact with the tip of the adjusting means 28 made of a screw penetrating the case 9. Among these, the support seat 9a is a fixed fulcrum, and becomes a rotation center. The adjusting unit 28 only has to function as an adjusting unit for finely adjusting the rotation angle of the beam combining optical element, and is not limited to a screw.

Here, since the support seat 9a of the case 9 has a planar shape, the beam combining optical element 5 is in line contact here, and is centered on the yz plane (or the x-axis). ).

When the adjusting means 28 is rotated, the adjusting means 28
The length of the beam projecting into the case 9 changes, and the beam combining optical element 5 moves around the corner in contact with the support seat 9a.
Rotate at a small angle in the -z plane. With this rotation,
Since the distance in the y direction between the first reflecting surface 5a and the second reflecting surface 5b of the beam combining optical element 5 changes, the two light beams 21
The distance in the y direction of 0,210 (pitch in the sub-scanning direction) changes. Therefore, the distance between the light fluxes 210 can be adjusted to a desired value by rotating the screw as the adjusting means 28 left and right.

This rotation changes only the interval of the beam in the pitch direction (interval in the y direction) and does not affect the x direction or the parallelism (collimation) of the light beam. Therefore, only the beam pitch can be adjusted by the rotation mechanism of the beam combining optical element without affecting other optical characteristics. The above adjustment is not limited to the case of two beams, but can be similarly adjusted for three or more beams.

The same object can be achieved by providing an elastic member in place of the screw of the adjusting means 28 and providing an adjusting screw on the projection 27b. In this case, it is desirable that the aperture forming member 27 be configured to be hardly elastically deformed.
Further, in order to rotate the adjusting screw located at the position of the projection 27b from the outside of the light source device, for example, a through-hole may be formed in the base 1 and a screw may be inserted from the through-hole so that the screw as the adjusting means 28 can be rotated. .

FIGS. 16 to 19 show an embodiment in which deformation of the base due to a temperature change can be suppressed by devising the shape of the base. In the conventional light source device shown in FIG. 31, since the metal flange 205 and the resin case 211 are fixed with four screws 204, when the temperature of the light source device rises, as shown in FIG. The flange 205 is deformed in a curved shape due to the difference in linear expansion coefficient of the material. In particular, when the curvature occurs in the beam pitch direction (y direction), the degree of parallelism of the beam is disturbed, and since the optical system is an enlargement optical system, slight deviation is greatly enlarged.

The stress causing the above deformation is x
The direction and the y direction are different in size, and the combined force deforms the flange.
Will result in more complex transformations. The amount of change also varies depending on the rigidity of the flange. As a result, there is a problem that the beam pitch changes in a complicated manner, which causes a defective image.

FIGS. 16 to 19 show an embodiment for solving this problem. 16 is an exploded perspective view of the light source device, FIG. 17 is an enlarged perspective view of the base, 18 is a front view of the base, and FIG. 19 is a partially broken bottom view of FIG. The base 30 shown in these figures is provided with fixing portions 30 on both sides.
a, 30a and a light source 30b to which the center semiconductor lasers 2, 2 and the collimator lenses 3, 3 are fixed are connected by narrow portions 30c, 30c having low rigidity. In other words, FIG. In this configuration, a narrow portion 30c is formed in the base 1 of FIG. Further, parts other than the base 30 of the light source device are the same as those in the embodiment of FIG.

The narrow portion 30c is the center of the mounting screw holes 30d, 30d drilled on the upper and lower sides of the fixed portion 30a, and coincides with the x-axis direction. The thickness of the narrow portion 30c is the same as the thickness of the fixed portion 30a and the light source portion 30b, but may be thin. Although the fixing portion 30a has a vertically symmetric shape in the illustrated embodiment, the narrow portion 30c may be formed at the center of the upper and lower holes 30d, 30d in the case of an asymmetric shape.

When the case 9 has a larger linear expansion coefficient than the base 30 and the ambient temperature rises, as shown in FIG.
Although the forces f1 and f2 for extending the zero are applied, the central light source unit 3
Only the pulling force of f3 acts on 0b via the narrow portion 30c.

Therefore, in this case, the warpage of the light source 30b can be prevented in any of the x and y directions only by locally deforming the narrow portion 30c without causing a complicated warp unlike the related art. It can be significantly reduced. Especially,
Although the deformation in the y direction has a large effect on the beam pitch, according to this embodiment, the deformation in the y direction hardly occurs, so that the beam pitch can be maintained with high accuracy.

In the above-described embodiment, the narrow portion 30c is
Although there are three places, various changes are possible, such as only one of the left and right sides or three or more places in total, taking into account the restrictions and necessity of the apparatus.

FIG. 20 shows an embodiment in which a back plate is provided on the back side of the base 1 and the coefficient of linear expansion of the back plate is equal to that of the case. As described above, since the base 1 is made of an aluminum material and the case 9 is made of a synthetic resin, the linear expansion coefficient is different. The base 1 and the case 9 are fixed at four corners with screws 11. Therefore, if the ambient temperature rises, the base 1 will bend in the same manner as described with reference to FIG. 32, and the beam pitch will be out of order, causing image defects.

On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 20, a back plate 31 is provided on the side of the base 1 opposite to the case 9.
The back plate 31 is formed of a material having substantially the same linear expansion coefficient as the case 9, for example, the same material, and has a rectangular plate shape having the same size as the base 1. Hole 31a is formed, and two holes 31b for avoiding the semiconductor lasers 2 are formed in the center.

The base 1 is sandwiched between the case 9 and the back plate 31 having substantially the same size in the x and y directions, and the four corners are fastened and connected by screws 11. When the temperature around the light source device rises, the case 1 is easily expanded between the resin case 9 and the aluminum-based metal base 1, so that the base 1 has conventionally been curved. However, in the embodiment of FIG. 20, since the base 1 is sandwiched between the case 9 and the back plate 31 having the same linear expansion coefficient, the cases 9 and the back plate 31 on both sides of the base 1 must expand in the same manner. Thus, the deformation on both sides of the base 1 cancels the deformation of the base 1 and the base 1 does not bend. Therefore, the beam pitch does not go out of order,
The beam pitch can be maintained with high accuracy.

If the bending stiffness of the case 9 and the back plate 31 is largely different, the base 1 may be curved. In consideration of such a case, it is desirable that the bending stiffness of the back plate be substantially equal to the bending stiffness of the case.

FIG. 21 shows an embodiment showing a press-fitting structure in which a shift in the beam pitch direction (y-direction) is unlikely to occur when a semiconductor laser is press-fitted into the base. The base 1 is viewed from the back side (the side where the semiconductor laser is inserted). FIG.

In the center of the base 1, two fitting holes 1a,
Although a hole 1a is formed, a cylindrical rib 1e is formed on the back surface of the fitting hole so that a metal flange of the semiconductor laser 2 is fitted therein. In the embodiment of the present invention, a dividing groove 1f is formed in the height direction of the cylinder on the center line Y of the rib 1e in the beam pitch direction. In the illustrated embodiment,
For one rib 1e, two split grooves 1f are formed on the center line Y (in the y direction).

The inner diameter of the cylindrical rib 1 e is set
Is slightly smaller than the outer shape of the semiconductor laser, and the split groove 1f is widened to fit the semiconductor laser. After the fitting, the split groove 1f tends to return to the original position, so that the semiconductor laser is gripped with a stronger force, and the mounting position can be held with high accuracy.

When the inner diameter of the rib 1 e is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the semiconductor laser 2, the semiconductor laser 2
When the semiconductor laser 2 enters the inside of e, the split groove 1f expands as described above, so that the fitting with the semiconductor laser 2 is performed. At this time, there is no problem if the split grooves 1f are spread equally in the left and right directions. However, the spread amounts are not necessarily equal in the left and right sides of the grooves. Will be shifted. Further, the amount of deviation differs in each case and has a characteristic that cannot be predicted in advance. If this shift occurs in the y direction, it results in an error in the beam pitch, leading to an image defect.
However, when this shift occurs in the x direction, the timing of reading or writing may be corrected, so that there is no problem of image failure. Therefore, it is desired that this shift occurs in the x direction.

Therefore, when two split grooves 1f are formed at positions facing one rib 1e, they are arranged on the center line Y (y direction) in the beam pitch direction as shown in FIG. In this case, the displacement occurs in the x direction, and the influence on the y direction, that is, the beam pitch can be eliminated.

As shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B, the split groove 1
When the number f is one for each rib 1e, when the split groove 1f is widened, the deformation of the rib 1e is mainly performed in the direction opposite to the split groove 1f and orthogonal to the width direction of the split groove 1f as shown by the arrow in the figure. It occurs in the direction that you do. In such a case, FIG.
As shown in (a), the rib 1e may be formed so as to be aligned with one side (upper in (a)) of the center line Y in the beam pitch direction.
Contrary to (a), they may be aligned downward. By doing so, the displacement in the y direction occurs in the same direction in the upper and lower ribs, and is offset, and the displacement in the beam pitch (y direction) is reduced. However, as shown in FIG. 22B, if one split groove 1f is formed above the rib 1e and the other is formed below, the shift in the y direction occurs in the reverse direction, and the shift is added to increase. , Beam pitch.

FIG. 23 shows an embodiment in which the center of the lens support 1b having an arc-shaped contact surface is slightly shifted (δ) outward from the centers of the collimator lenses 3 and 3. 24 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 23, FIG. 25 (a) is an enlarged view of an adhesive layer,
(B) is an exploded view of the amount of expansion, and (c) is a diagram illustrating movement of the collimator lens due to expansion in the beam pitch direction.

As described with reference to FIG. 2, the lens support portion 1b
The collimator lens 3 and the collimator lens 3 are adhered by an ultraviolet-curable adhesive layer 6. However, the coefficient of linear expansion of the cured adhesive layer 6 is considerably larger than the coefficient of linear expansion of the base 1.

Referring to FIGS. 24 and 25, when the temperature of the base 1 rises, the base 1 expands, and the distance L between the collimator lenses 3 and 3 becomes ΔL / 2 outside the base 1 on one side. Swell. In contrast, FIG.
As shown in (a), the adhesive layer 6 also expands as shown by the imaginary line 6 ′. However, since the adhesive layer 6 is restricted from expanding outward by the lens support portion 1 b, it faces the center of the collimator lens 3. To expand. In other words, the thickness of the adhesive layer 6 increases inward by ΔS. At this time, if the center of the adhesive layer 6 is shifted outward from the center of the collimator lens 3 by δ as shown in the figure, the thickness increase Δ
S has a component ΔS ′ toward the center of the base 1 as shown in FIG. That is, the adhesive layer 6
Expands inward in the beam pitch direction.

As shown in FIGS. 24 and 25C, the distance L between the collimator lenses 3 and 3 is ΔL (ΔL on one side).
/ 2) The lens is moved by y due to the direction of extension and the expansion of the adhesive layer 6.
The direction of moving ΔS ′ in the direction is the opposite direction, that is, the direction of offset.

In other words, by shifting the center of the adhesive layer 6 to the outside of the base by an appropriate amount (for example, δ), the change in the distance between the collimator lenses 3 and 3 due to the temperature change causes the original extension (ΔL / 2) From the y-direction component Δ of the elongation of the adhesive layer 6
By subtracting S ', it becomes possible to compensate for expansion due to temperature rise, to maintain the beam pitch accuracy within a required range, or not to change it at all.

FIGS. 26 and 27 show an embodiment in which a slit is formed in the case to reduce the rigidity of the case so that the base can be prevented from being curved when inflated. FIG.
As described above, when the base 1 is made of an aluminum-based metal and the case 9 is a resin molded product, the case 9 expands greatly when the light source device is placed at a high temperature due to a difference in linear expansion coefficient.
There is a problem that the base 1 is bent, thereby causing an irregular beam pitch and image defects.

In this embodiment, slits 33a are formed on both sides of the case 33. With such a configuration, the bending rigidity of the case 33 is reduced, and even if the case 33 expands as shown in FIG. State can be maintained. In particular, if the slits 33a are formed on both sides extending in the beam pitch direction (y direction) of the case 33, the bending in the y direction can be effectively prevented.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent an image defect from occurring without a beam pitch being out of order.

FIG. 28 shows an embodiment in which the joint between the base 1 and the case 9 is provided with a clearance so that thermal stress when the case 9 expands is not transmitted to the base 1. As described in the conventional example of FIG. 30, the four corners of the flange 205 and the case 212 are fixed by screws. for that reason,
There is a problem that the thermal stress of the case 212 is transmitted to the flange 205 and the flange 205 is curved.

On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 28A, three out of four holes 1d for the screw 11 formed in the base 1 are provided.
One of them is a long hole 1f formed of a long hole, and an elastic material 32 such as rubber is sandwiched between the screw 11 inserted into the long hole 1f and the base 1 to suppress rattling in the optical axis direction.

With this configuration, the case 9 and the base 1 are fixed at only one point, and the other screws 11 are
Movement is free within the range of the gap with the long hole 1f in the y-plane. Therefore, even if the material of the case and the base is different and the coefficient of thermal expansion is different and the temperature of the light source device is increased and one (the case 9) is expanded, as long as there is a gap between the long hole and the screw, The curvature of the base 1 can be prevented. The long hole 1f of the embodiment can be a round hole larger than 1d.

As described above, the accuracy of the beam pitch is very severe in the y direction, but not so severe in the x direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 28 (b), two holes of one set of two sets of holes arranged in the x direction are formed as a conventional hole 1d as shown on the upper side, and the other two holes arranged in the x direction. The hole may be a long hole 1f shown below.

FIG. 29 shows an example in which an elastic projection 34 made of resin is used in place of the screw 11. The elastic projection 34 is integrally formed with the case 9 at a position where the female screw is formed, and a plurality of (four in the figure) pillar portions 34 a arranged vertically and annularly from the end surface of the case 9. An engaging portion 34b is formed at each end of these pillars, and a guide slope 34c is formed at the end of the engaging portion 34b. The other base 1 has a long hole 1f similar to that shown in FIG. The diameter of the body of the elastic projection 34 formed by the plurality of pillars 34a is smaller than the long diameter of the long hole 1f.
The outside diameter of b is larger than the short diameter of the long hole 1f.

To attach the base 1 to the case 9, the base 1 is superimposed on the case 9, the tips of the elastic projections 34 are inserted into the long holes 1 f, and the base 1 is pressed against the case 9. The plurality of pillars 34a are simultaneously bent inward by the guide slope 34c, and the elastic protrusions 34
f, the locking portion 34b of the head penetrates the base 1 and protrudes to the opposite side. At the same time, the column portion 34a returns from the inwardly bent state to a straight state. Locking part 34
Since the diameter of b is larger than the diameter of the long hole 1f, the base 1 does not come off the case 9. Also, the base 1 is pressed against the case 9 in the optical axis direction by the elasticity of the locking portion 34a itself while being biased by the case 9.

The base and the case may be locked by the elastic projections 34 at all four positions.
The book may be fixed with screws 11. However, in the case of two,
It is desirable that two lines are arranged in the x direction.

[0091]

According to the present invention as described above,
Since one or more slits are formed in the case to reduce the bending rigidity of the case, the base is hardly deformed even if the case thermally expands, and the fluctuation of the beam pitch can be suppressed to a small value. .

When the slit is formed on the side in the beam pitch direction, the bending rigidity of the case in the beam pitch direction is reduced, and the curvature of the base in the beam pitch direction can be effectively reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a light source device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a method of fixing a collimator lens to a base.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are views of a base to which a lens supporting portion is coupled, wherein FIG. 3A is a perspective view and FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a base in which a lens support is inclined with respect to a y-axis.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment in which the base and the case of the light source device are connected by one attachment portion.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment in which a holding unit for fixing a beam combining optical element for beam combining is formed on a lens support unit.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a base portion of the embodiment of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a front view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment in which the aperture forming member is an elastic member and is attached to the beam combining optical element.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a base portion of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a front view of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment in which an aperture forming member is formed integrally with a base.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a base portion of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a front view of FIG.

FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of an optical device provided with a rotation adjusting device for a beam combining optical element.

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment in which a narrow portion is formed on a base.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the base of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a front view of the base of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a partially cutaway bottom view of FIG. 17;

FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment in which a back plate is attached to a base.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view seen from the back surface of a base in which a groove is formed in a rib for press-fitting a semiconductor laser.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of grooves.

FIG. 23 is a front view of the base in which the center of the bonding portion of the collimator lens is shifted outward in the beam pitch direction.

24 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

25A is an enlarged front view of the adhesive layer, FIG. 25B is a view for explaining the direction of expansion of the adhesive layer, and FIG. 25C is a diagram illustrating a collimator lens in which expansion of the base and the adhesive layer due to thermal expansion is offset. It is a figure explaining what appears in the distance between.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of a case provided with a slit.

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of the base when the temperature rises in the light source device using the case of FIG. 26;

FIGS. 28A and 28B are diagrams showing an embodiment in which a hole for inserting a screw of a base is formed as a long-diameter hole, FIG. 28A is a cross-sectional view of a light source device, and FIG.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example in which a resin elastic projection is used for fixing the base and the case.

FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional light source device having one semiconductor laser.

FIG. 31 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional light source device having two semiconductor lasers.

FIG. 32 is a side view of the base showing a state where the base is curved by thermal expansion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 2 semiconductor laser 3 collimator lens 5 beam synthesizing optical element 33 base 33a slit y beam pitch direction

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of semiconductor lasers, a base for fixing these semiconductor lasers, a collimator lens provided on a front surface of each semiconductor laser, and a laser beam emitted from these collimator lenses being close to each other. In a light source device having a beam combining optical element and a case fixed to the base to cover the collimator lens and the beam combining optical element,
A light source device wherein at least one slit is formed to reduce bending rigidity of a case. 2. The light source device according to claim 1, wherein the slit is formed on a side of the case in a beam pitch direction.