摘要 |
A laser beam emitted from a laser beam generator is modulated by a laser beam modulator depending on an image to be recorded, and then converted into a linearly polarized light beam having a predetermined direction of polarization by a polarization switcher. The linearly polarized light beam is then converted into a circularly polarized light beam by a quarter-wave plate. The circularly polarized light beam is converted by a quarter-wave plate of a rotatable unit into a linearly polarized light beam, which is applied to a polarization beam splitter. If the linearly polarized light beam is an s-polarized light beam, then the laser beam is reflected by the polarization beam splitter toward a recording medium. If the linearly polarized light beam is a p-polarized light beam, then the laser beam passes through the polarization beam splitter. The laser beam passes through a quarter-wave plate and is reflected by a convex mirror and then by the polarization beam splitter toward the recording medium. The laser beam is thus applied substantially in its entirety to the recording medium for thereby recording a two-dimensional image efficiently on the recording medium.
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