LASER ILLUMINATION DEVICE

摘要

Provided is a laser illumination device in which a fly-eye lens and a condenser lens are arranged on the optical path of a pulse laser beam emitted from a light source. An electro-optical crystal element that transmits the pulse laser beam with the direction of polarisation thereof with respect to the incident beam being continuously varied is arranged between the light source and the fly-eye lens, or between the fly-eye lens and the condenser lens. This electro-optical crystal element is constituted by, for example, a pair of electrodes and an optical crystalline material arranged between these electrodes, and the refractive index of the electro-optical crystal element is varied by the generation of an electrical field due to voltage being applied between the electrodes. Unevenness in illumination caused by interference fringes of the light transmitted by the fly-eye lens can therefore be reduced.