IP Library Granted Patent US 12706443
Granted Patent B2
US 12706443 · App. 17/920,451 · Granted Aug 11, 2026

Optical device

Inventor: Soh Okumura (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
H01S5/18366H01S5/0607G02B26/0858H01S5/18305H01S5/18311H01S5/34313H01S5/34353H01S5/423
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12706443
App. No.
17/920,451
Granted
Aug 11, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An optical device includes a first reflector; a second reflector; an elastic support unit supporting the second reflector; a piezoelectric element on the elastic support unit; a light emitter configured to emit light having an oscillation wavelength; and circuitry configured to output a signal to apply drive voltage to the piezoelectric element to elastically deform the elastic support unit. The deformation of the elastic support unit changes a distance between the first reflector and the second reflector to change the oscillation wavelength of the light emitted from the light emitter.

Claims (55)

1 . An optical device comprising:

a first substrate including a light emitter including a first reflector and an active layer;

a second reflector facing the first reflector across the active layer;

an elastic support supporting the second reflector;

a stationary support having a rectangular frame shape to which the elastic support is connected;

a piezoelectric element on the elastic support;

a second substrate including a movable reflector in which at least the elastic support and the stationary support share a common layer;

a bonding layer that bonds the stationary support to the light emitter; and

circuitry configured to output a signal to apply drive voltage to the piezoelectric element to elastically deform the elastic support,

wherein the deformation of the elastic support moves the second reflector relative to the first reflector to oscillate light from the light emitter.

2 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the second substrate includes a plurality of light emitters.

3 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic support includes:

multiple arm portions extending adjacent to each other; and

one or more folded portions each connecting ends on the same side of two adjacent arm portions of the arm portions in an extending direction of the arm portions,

wherein the piezoelectric element includes multiple piezoelectric elements, and the piezoelectric elements are on the arm portions, respectively.

4 . The optical device according to claim 3 , wherein:

the piezoelectric elements are disposed along a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the arm portions.

5 . The optical device according to claim 3 , wherein:

the piezoelectric elements are displaced from each other in the extending direction of the arm portions.

6 . The optical device according to claim 3 , wherein:

the arm portions include displacement defining portions, and the displacement defining portions are elastically undeformable in response to application of the drive voltage to the piezoelectric elements.

7 . The optical device according to claim 6 , wherein:

the displacement defining portions are without the piezoelectric elements.

8 . The optical device according to claim 6 , wherein:

the displacement defining portions include the piezoelectric element, to which the drive voltage is not applied.

9 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein;

the deformation of the elastic support changes a distance between the first reflector and the second reflector to change an oscillation wavelength of the light emitted from the light emitter.

10 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the elastic support includes at least two elastic supports, and the at least two elastic supports are apart from each other around the second reflector.

11 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the elastic support includes at least three elastic supports each including the piezoelectric element,

the circuitry is further configured to output drive signals independent of each other to the piezoelectric elements of the at least three elastic supports, respectively, to deform the at least three elastic supports elastically and independently of each other, and

the deformation of the at least three elastic supports changes plane parallelism between the first reflector and the second reflector.

12 . The optical device according to claim 11 , wherein:

the circuitry is further configured to output the drive signals independent of each other to the piezoelectric elements of the at least three elastic supports, respectively, based on a tilt of the second reflector with respect to the first reflector, to deform the at least three elastic supports elastically and independently of each other, and

the deformation of the at least three elastic supports increases the plane parallelism between the first reflector and the second reflector.

13 . The optical device according to claim 11 , wherein:

based on intensity of the light emitted from the light emitter, the circuitry is further configured to output the drive signals independent of each other to the piezoelectric elements of the at least three elastic supports, respectively, to deform the at least three elastic supports elastically and independently of each other, and

the deformation of the at least three elastic supports increases the intensity of the light emitted from the light emitter.

14 . The optical device according to claim 11 , wherein;

each of the at least three elastic supports includes multiple arm portions extending adjacent to each other; and one or more folded portions each connecting ends on the same side of two adjacent arm portions of the arm portions in an extending direction of the arm portions, and

the piezoelectric element includes multiple piezoelectric elements, and the piezoelectric elements are on the arm portions of the at least three elastic supports.

15 . The optical device according to claim 14 , wherein:

the piezoelectric elements are not arranged along a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the arm portions of the at least three elastic supports.

16 . The optical device according to claim 14 , wherein:

the arm portions include displacement defining portions, and the displacement defining portions are elastically undeformable in response to application of drive voltage to the piezoelectric elements.

17 . The optical device according to claim 16 , wherein:

the displacement defining portions are without the piezoelectric elements.

18 . The optical device according to claim 11 , wherein:

the at least three elastic supports are apart from each other around the second reflector.

19 . The optical device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the first substrate further includes a semiconductor substrate and an antireflection film, and the first reflector is laminated on the semiconductor substrate.

20 . The optical device according to claim 3 , wherein:

the piezoelectric elements are arranged at different positions displaced from each other in the extending direction of the arm portions.