Patent ID: 7098993
Filing Date: 2006-08-29
Classification: G03F

Abstract:
1. An exposure device for exposing a photosensitive material in accordance with image data, the exposure device comprising: a scanner comprising a high-power laser light source for emitting a light beam within a predetermined wavelength region, which region includes a UV region, the high-power laser light source having a power equal to or greater than 100 mW and a spatial light modulator, the scanner scanning and exposing, in a predetermined scanning direction, a photosensitive material that is sensitive to the predetermined wavelength region, using said light beam which is modulated by said spatial light modular in accordance with image data; a first conveyer which moves the photosensitive material in a sub-scanning direction that is a direction intersecting the predetermined main-scanning direction; and a second conveyer which moves the scanner in the predetermined main-scanning direction; wherein the high-power laser light source comprises at least one of: a fiber laser or fiber amplifier in which a laser beam, produced by excitation of a fiber with an infrared light-emitting semiconductor laser, is wavelength-converted by an optical wavelength-converting element, and emitted; and a fiber laser in which a laser beam, produced by exciting a fiber with a gallium nitride semiconductor laser, is wavelength-converted by an optical wavelength-converting element, and emitted.