JP2008238634A - Molding method and microlens manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a molding method which is excellent in releasability and can obtain a predetermined surface shape.
SOLUTION: A molding step in which a molding material M is brought into close contact with a molding die 1 having a molding surface 16 having a predetermined shape to form a molding, and a mold releasing step in which the molding is released from the molding die 1. Before the molding step, the etching solution E is formed through a film forming step for forming the release film 18 on the molding surface 16 of the molding die 1 and an introduction path provided in the molding die 1 and leading to the molding surface 16 before the releasing step. And a removal step of removing the release film 18.
[Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a molding method and a microlens manufacturing method.

  For manufacturing optical components such as CD-ROMs, other information recording media, flat microlenses (a lens array in which a large number of microlenses are arranged in parallel or staggered on a substrate), Fresnel lenses, diffraction grating elements, optical waveguide elements, etc. The sol-gel method to be used is to heat a sol-gel material coated with a predetermined thickness on a predetermined substrate while pressing a mold having a predetermined surface shape for a predetermined time, and then release the mold from the sol-gel material. The sol-gel material is again sintered to evaporate the solvent, thereby obtaining an article having a desired surface shape and film thickness.

In the sol-gel method described above, in order to speed up the manufacturing process of an article having a predetermined surface shape, reduce the defect rate, and improve the dimensional accuracy of the article having the predetermined surface shape, molding is performed on the sol-gel material. It is essential that the mold has good releasability. For this reason, a release film for a mold used in the sol-gel method has been studied.
However, in the case of producing a thick gelled film having a film thickness of 1 μm or more, the release film on the surface of the mold is peeled off or a part of the gelled film remains attached to the mold. Since the releasability is not obtained, in Patent Document 1, an Au (gold) sputtered film having good releasability to a molded product and excellent mechanical strength and corrosion resistance is formed on the surface of the mold. Techniques to do this are disclosed.
JP 2001-252927 A

However, the following problems exist in the conventional technology as described above.
In general, the Au film has low adhesion to sol-gel materials and 2P molding materials and is excellent in releasability. However, depending on the molding material, the adhesion aid etc. may be improved and the releasability will be reduced. There is. In addition to the Au film, it may be possible to form a material that enhances mold release properties, such as fluororesin, on the surface of the mold, but these materials have low wettability to the molding material, so the molding material is molded. There is a possibility that problems such as unfilling may occur without the mold getting wet and spreading.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a molding method and a microlens manufacturing method that are excellent in releasability and can obtain a predetermined surface shape. .

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following configuration.
The molding method of the present invention includes a molding step in which a molding material is brought into close contact with a molding die having a molding surface having a predetermined shape, and a mold release step in which the molding is released from the molding die. A film forming step of forming a release film on the molding surface of the mold before the molding step, and an introduction path provided in the molding die and leading to the molding surface before the mold releasing step. And a removal step of removing the release film by introducing an etchant through the substrate.
Therefore, in the molding method of the present invention, unlike the release film, the release film is formed of a material that does not adversely affect the wettability of the molding material, so that it can be applied to the molding surface of the mold without causing unfilling. A molded product can be obtained. Further, in the present invention, since the peeling layer interposed between the molded product and the mold is removed by dissolving with an etching solution, there is no adhesion between the molded product and the mold, and the molded product is easily separated from the mold. It becomes possible to mold, and it is also possible to avoid scratching the molded product, and it becomes possible to obtain a high-quality molded product.

In the present invention, it is also possible to suitably employ a procedure in which the mold is formed of a porous material, and the etching solution is introduced into the mold surface by penetrating the mold.
Thereby, in this invention, it becomes unnecessary to form the introduction path | route of the etching liquid which leads to a shaping | molding surface separately, and it can contribute to the improvement of the manufacturing efficiency of a shaping | molding die, and manufacturing cost reduction. Furthermore, in the present invention, since the etching solution can be introduced over the entire molding surface, it can contribute to shortening of the peeling process time, and the release film may partially remain and the mold release property of the molded product may deteriorate. Can be prevented.
Note that even if the introduction path is partially formed and the etching solution is introduced, the release film can be gradually dissolved and removed.

Moreover, in this invention, the structure which forms the said shaping | molding die by a powder sintering method can also be employ | adopted suitably.
Thereby, in this invention, it becomes possible to manufacture the shaping | molding die which has smoothness with the fine pore diameter of 100 micrometers or less, and can permeate | transmit an etching liquid.

The film forming step includes a step of forming a smoothing film on the molding surface and a step of forming the release film on the smoothing film. In the removing step, the smoothing film and A procedure for removing the release film can also be suitably employed.
As a result, in the present invention, even when the molding surface is formed of a porous material and is inferior in smoothness, the release film is formed on the smoothing film, so the molding surface is interposed through the smoothing film and the release film. It becomes possible to smooth the surface of the molded product to which the shape of the material is transferred.

Moreover, in this invention, the structure formed with copper as said peeling film and ferric chloride as said etching liquid can be employ | adopted suitably.
Thereby, in this invention, while being able to form the copper film as a peeling film easily by sputtering etc., the said copper film is melt | dissolved with ferric chloride, and a molded object is released from a shaping | molding die. Is possible.

And the manufacturing method of the microlens of this invention is characterized by shape | molding a lens part with the shaping | molding method as described above.
As a result, according to the present invention, the molded product can be easily released from the mold, and the molded product can be prevented from being damaged, and a high-quality microlens having a predetermined shape can be obtained. become.

Embodiments of the molding method and the microlens manufacturing method of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.

  Fig.1 (a) is a top view which shows the whole structure of the shaping | molding die for lens arrays used for the shaping | molding method of this invention. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IB-IB shown in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. The planar shape of the lens array mold 1 is not particularly limited, and may be a circle or a polygon such as a rectangle.

  In the lens array molding die (molding die) 1, a transfer shape 12 and a flat surface 14 are formed on one surface side of the die body 10. The transfer shape 12 is for forming a plurality of lens portions of the microlens array, and is formed in the central portion (a portion avoiding the end portion). The transfer shape 12 includes a plurality of hemispherical curved surface portions (molding surfaces) 16 that are recessed in the thickness direction of the mold body 10 and is arranged at a predetermined position.

The mold body 10 is formed to be porous by a powder sintering method in which powder metal is sintered. As the powder metal, nickel, stainless steel, titanium and a titanium alloy, copper and a copper alloy, aluminum or the like can be used. Then, this metal powder is mixed and kneaded with a binder made of, for example, a fine-diameter resin as a pore-forming material and wax, injection molded into a mold, and after debinding the binder and sintering, A porous metal body from which the pore forming material has been removed can be formed.
The pore diameter is preferably a fine diameter of 100 μm or less in order to ensure the smoothness of the lens portion in the microlens array, and the etching solution described later smoothly penetrates and reaches the curved surface portion 16. In order to make this possible, the porosity is preferably 40% or more (80% or less in strength).

  Each curved surface portion 16 has a shape corresponding to the shape of each lens of the microlens array. When the microlens array is formed directly from the lens array mold 1, the curved surface portion 16 has a lens reversal shape. That is, when forming a convex lens, the curved surface portion 16 is a concave portion. Further, when the replica mold is manufactured by transferring the shape of the lens array mold 1 and the microlens array is manufactured by transferring the replica mold shape, at least a part of the curved surface portion 16 of the lens array mold 1 is produced. Is equal to the lens shape.

  The plurality of curved surface portions 16 are divided into a plurality of groups as shown in FIG. 1A. For example, the plurality of curved surface portions 16 are divided into a plurality of regions (for example, a substantially rectangular region) by a part of the flat surface 14. A plurality of curved surface portions 16 are arranged in the region. A plurality of curved surface portions 16 formed in each partitioned area form individual microlens array chips (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as microlens arrays). That is, the lens array mold 1 shown in FIG. 1A is for manufacturing a microlens array substrate in which a plurality of chips are integrally assembled, and the microlens array substrate is cut into individual pieces. Chips are obtained.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of curved surface portions 16 are arranged in a state in which the centers of the curved surface portions 16 are adjacent to each other in plan view. For example, it is good also as an arrangement | sequence which shifted | deviated predetermined pitch with respect to the curved surface part 16 of an adjacent row | line | column.
Further, the number and arrangement interval of the curved surface portions 16 to be partitioned are appropriately set according to the use of the microlens array.

[Microlens array manufacturing method]
Next, a method of molding a microlens array having a plurality of lenses using the lens array mold 1 described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, as shown in FIG. 2, the curved body 16 is formed by cutting the mold body 10 made of the above-described porous material.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, a release film 18 made of, for example, a copper film having a thickness of 500 nm is formed by sputtering on the surface including the curved surface portion 16 of the mold body 10 (film formation process).
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4, after injecting a liquid molding material M into the mold body 10, a glass transfer substrate P is placed, and UV light (ultraviolet light) L is irradiated through the glass transfer substrate P. It hardens by doing (molding process).

  As the molding material M, an energy curable resin that is cured by applying energy such as light and heat can be suitably used. By using a resin that is cured by heat or light, a general-purpose exposure apparatus, a heating apparatus such as a baking furnace or a heater can be used, and thus the equipment cost can be reduced. Examples of the energy curable resin include a sol-gel material, an acrylic resin, and an epoxy resin. In this embodiment, a photocurable resin is used.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5, the etching solution E is permeated from the back surface opposite to the curved surface portion 16 of the mold body 10 and introduced into the curved surface portion 16 through the pores of the mold body 10. As the etching solution E, the mold body 10 is not dissolved or corroded, and the release film 18 is dissolved. Here, ferric chloride is used.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the release film 18 is dissolved and removed by the etching solution E introduced into the curved surface portion 16 (removal process), whereby the cured molding material M and the mold body 10 (molding for the array) are performed. The mold 1) is separated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the cured molding material M can be easily released from the mold body 10 without damaging (mold release process), and the micro having a lens part to which the shape of the curved surface part 16 is transferred. A lens (molded product) ML is obtained.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the release film 18 is formed on the curved surface portion 16, and the release film 18 is dissolved and removed after molding with the molding material M. Therefore, the microlens ML and the mold body 10 are in close contact with each other. Thus, the microlens ML can be easily released, and the microlens ML can be prevented from being scratched, so that a high-quality microlens ML can be obtained. In the present embodiment, since it is not necessary to select the release film 18 in consideration of releasability with respect to the molding material M, by selecting the release film 18 having excellent wettability with respect to the molding material M, It becomes possible to wet and spread the molding material M along the curved surface portion 16, and the shape of the curved surface portion 16 can be transferred and molded with high accuracy without causing unfilling.

In this embodiment, since the mold body 10 (lens array mold 1) is a porous material, the etchant E can be easily introduced into the curved surface portion 16 to dissolve and remove the release film 18. In addition, it is possible to dissolve the entire surface of the release film 18, and to further improve the releasability of the microlens ML from the mold body 10.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the mold body 10 is made porous by a powder sintering method, the pores can be miniaturized, and a microlens ML having a smooth lens portion can be easily formed. can do.

[Display device]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a part of a liquid crystal projector as an example of a display device to which a microlens array manufactured and roughened by the molding method according to the present invention is applied.
The liquid crystal projector 40 includes a light valve 20 incorporating a microlens array (molded product) 11 manufactured by the molding method according to each embodiment described above, and a lamp 30 as a light source.

  The microlens array 11 is disposed so as to be concave when the lens 6 b is viewed from the lamp 30. On the microlens array 11, a light transmission layer 22, a protective layer 23, a black matrix 24, an electrode 25, and an alignment film 26 are formed in this order. Further, a TFT substrate 32 is provided with a gap from the alignment film 26. A transparent individual electrode 34 and a thin film transistor 36 are provided on the TFT substrate 32, and an alignment film 38 is formed thereon. The TFT substrate 32 is disposed with the alignment film 38 facing the alignment film 26.

A liquid crystal 31 is sealed between the alignment films 26 and 38, and the liquid crystal 31 is driven by a voltage controlled by the thin film transistor 36.
According to the liquid crystal projector 40, since the light 33 emitted from the lamp 30 is condensed by the lens 6b for each pixel, a bright screen can be generated.

  As a premise, it is necessary that the light refractive index na of the light transmission layer 22 and the light refractive index nb of the microlens array 11 have a relationship of na <nb. By satisfying this condition, light enters from a medium having a high refractive index to a medium having a low refractive index, and the light 33 is refracted and condensed away from the normal line of the interface between the two media. And the screen can be brightened.

In the present embodiment, since the microlens array 11 is not damaged during molding by the molding method described above and the lens shape is transferred with high accuracy, a high-quality liquid crystal projector 40 can be obtained.
Note that the microlens array 11 manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention can be applied to an optical device other than a display device, for example, an imaging device. The imaging device has an imaging element (image sensor). Light condensed by the microlens array enters the image sensor. A CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type is an example of the imaging element.

[Embodiment of Display Device]
As an embodiment of the display device described in detail above, the overall configuration, particularly the optical configuration, of a double-plate color projector will be described. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a double-plate color projector.

  In FIG. 9, a liquid crystal projector 1100, which is an example of a double-plate color projector in this embodiment, prepares three light valves including an electro-optical device having a drive circuit mounted on a TFT array substrate, each for RGB. It is configured as a projector used as the light valves 100R, 100G and 100B. In the liquid crystal projector 1100, when projection light is emitted from a lamp unit 1102 of a white light source such as a metal halide lamp, light components R, G, and R corresponding to the three primary colors of RGB are obtained by three mirrors 1106 and two dichroic mirrors 1108. Divided into B, the light valves are guided to the light valves 100R, 100G and 100B corresponding to the respective colors. At this time, in particular, the B light is guided through a relay lens system 1121 including an incident lens 1122, a relay lens 1123, and an exit lens 1124 in order to prevent light loss due to a long optical path. The light components corresponding to the three primary colors modulated by the light valves 100R, 100G, and 100B are synthesized again by the dichroic prism 1112 and then projected as a color image on the screen 1120 through the projection lens 1114.

[screen]
Next, the details of the above-described screen will be described.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of a screen to which the microlens array of the present invention is applied as a lenticular plate.
As shown in FIG. 10A, the screen 70 is disposed between the Fresnel plate 71 that converts the angle of incident light, the transmissive lenticular plate 73, and the Fresnel plate 71 and the lenticular plate 73. And a diffusing plate 72 (light diffusing plate) for diffusing the incident light. Further, the screen 70 includes a vibration supply unit 74 that vibrates the diffusion plate 72 as shown in FIG. An opening 77a is formed on the front surface of the housing, and the screen 70 is fitted in the opening 77a.

The lenticular plate 73 is provided with a plurality of bowl-shaped microlens elements 73c on the light incident side on the incident surface 73a. The plurality of microlens elements 73c have a y direction (longitudinal direction in the vertical direction when the screen 70 is installed) in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis O (xy plane), and are arranged in parallel in the x direction. Yes.
The lenticular plate 73 diffuses light incident from the incident surface 73a within a predetermined angle range and emits the light from the emission surface 73b, widens the viewing angle of the image, and shifts the screen 70 horizontally from the front. A good image can be inspected even when observed at a position.
In the present embodiment, since there is a Fresnel plate 71 and a lenticular plate 73 on which the lens shape is transferred with high accuracy without being scratched by the molding method described above, a high-quality screen 70 can be obtained. it can.

[Line head]
11A and 11B are diagrams showing a line head (exposure means) for an image forming apparatus to which the microlens array according to the present invention is applied, wherein FIG. 11A is a plan view and FIG. 11B is a side view. The line head 81 is disposed to face the photosensitive drum 320.

  The line head 81 includes a light emitting element array 83A in which a plurality of organic EL elements 83 are arranged on a long and thin element substrate 82, and a drive element group including a drive element 84 that drives the organic EL elements 83; A control circuit group 85 that controls driving of these drive elements 84 (drive element groups) is integrally formed. In FIG. 11A, the organic EL elements 83 are arranged in one row, but are arranged in two rows in a staggered manner (in a state shifted by a predetermined pitch with respect to the organic EL elements 83 in adjacent rows). May be. In this case, the pitch of the organic EL elements 83 in the longitudinal direction of the line head 81 can be reduced, and the resolution of the image forming apparatus can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 11B, a microlens array 87 having a plurality of lenses 86 is provided at the bottom of the line head 81. The microlens array 87 includes the same number of lenses 86 as the organic EL elements, and each of the lenses 86 has a one-to-one relationship with each of the organic EL elements in order to condense light from the organic EL elements and enter the SL elements. It corresponds to. The arrangement position of the microlens array 87 (lens 86) may be on the light emitting side of the organic EL element, and is not limited to the lower surface of the element substrate 82. In particular, in order to allow as much light as possible to enter the microlens from the organic EL element, it is desirable to reduce the distance between the organic EL element and the microlens array 87 (lens 86) as much as possible.

  In the present embodiment, since the microlens array 87 is not damaged during molding by the molding method described above and the lens shape is transferred with high accuracy, a high quality line head 81 can be obtained.

[Image forming equipment]
Next, an image forming apparatus including the line head will be described.
FIG. 12 is a view showing an image forming apparatus provided with the line head. In FIG. 12, reference numeral 80 denotes an image forming apparatus. In this image forming apparatus 80, the organic EL array line heads 101K, 101C, 101M, and 101Y, which are examples of the above-described line heads, correspond to four photosensitive drums (image carriers) 41K and 41C having the same configuration. , 41M, and 41Y, respectively, and configured as a tandem system.

  The image forming apparatus 80 includes a driving roller 91, a driven roller 92, and a tension roller 93, and an intermediate transfer belt 90 is stretched around each of the rollers so as to circulate in the direction indicated by an arrow (counterclockwise) in FIG. Is. Photosensitive drums 41K, 41C, 41M, and 41Y are arranged at predetermined intervals with respect to the intermediate transfer belt 90. These photosensitive drums 41K, 41C, 41M, and 41Y have a photosensitive layer as an image carrier on the outer peripheral surface thereof.

Here, K, C, M, and Y in the symbols mean black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, respectively, and indicate that the photoconductors are for black, cyan, magenta, and yellow, respectively.
The meanings of these symbols (K, C, M, Y) are the same for the other members. The photosensitive drums 41K, 41C, 41M, and 41Y are driven to rotate in the arrow direction (clockwise) in FIG. 12 in synchronization with the driving of the intermediate transfer belt 90.

  Around each photosensitive drum 41 (K, C, M, Y), charging means (corona charger) 42 for uniformly charging the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 41 (K, C, M, Y), respectively. (K, C, M, Y) and rotation of the photosensitive drum 41 (K, C, M, Y) on the outer peripheral surface uniformly charged by the charging means 42 (K, C, M, Y) The organic EL array line head 101 (K, C, M, Y) of the present invention that sequentially scans the line in synchronization with each other is provided.

  Further, a developing device 44 (K) that applies toner as a developer to the electrostatic latent image formed by the organic EL array line head 101 (K, C, M, Y) to form a visible image (toner image). , C, M, Y) and a primary transfer roller 45 as transfer means for sequentially transferring the toner image developed by the developing device 44 (K, C, M, Y) to the intermediate transfer belt 90 as a primary transfer target. (K, C, M, Y) and a cleaning device 46 (K, C) as a cleaning means for removing toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 41 (K, C, M, Y) after being transferred. , M, Y).

  Here, each organic EL array line head 101 (K, C, M, Y) is installed such that each array direction is along the bus line of the photosensitive drum 41 (K, C, M, Y). Then, the emission energy peak wavelength of each organic EL array line head 101 (K, C, M, Y) and the sensitivity peak wavelength of the photosensitive drum 41 (K, C, M, Y) are set to substantially coincide with each other. Has been.

  The developing device 44 (K, C, M, Y) uses, for example, a non-magnetic one-component toner as a developer. The film thickness of the developed developer is regulated by a regulating blade, and the developing roller is brought into contact with or pressed against the photosensitive drum 41 (K, C, M, Y), whereby the photosensitive drum 41 (K, C, M, A developer is attached in accordance with the potential level of Y) and developed as a toner image.

  The black, cyan, magenta, and yellow toner images formed by the four-color single-color toner image forming station are intermediated by the primary transfer bias applied to the primary transfer roller 45 (K, C, M, Y). Primary transfer is sequentially performed on the transfer belt 90. The toner images, which are sequentially superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 90 and become full color, are secondarily transferred to the recording medium P such as paper by the secondary transfer roller 56 and further pass through the fixing roller pair 51 that is a fixing unit. Then, the toner image is fixed on the recording medium P and then discharged onto a paper discharge tray 58 formed on the upper portion of the apparatus by a pair of paper discharge rollers 52.

  In FIG. 12, reference numeral 53 denotes a paper feed cassette in which a large number of recording media P are stacked and held, 54 denotes a pickup roller for feeding the recording media P from the paper feed cassette 53 one by one, and 55 denotes secondary transfer. A pair of gate rollers for defining the supply timing of the recording medium P to the secondary transfer portion of the roller 56; a secondary transfer roller 56 as a secondary transfer means for forming a secondary transfer portion with the intermediate transfer belt 90; A cleaning blade 57 serves as a cleaning unit for removing toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 90 after the secondary transfer.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus 80 having a high quality is provided with a high quality line head having a microlens array in which the lens shape is transferred with high precision without being scratched by the molding method described above. Can be obtained.

  As described above, the preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the examples. Various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described examples are examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the mold body 10 is formed of a porous material, and the pores of the porous material are used as the introduction path of the etching solution E. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the mold body 10 A through-hole that can be opened and closed is formed as an introduction path, the through-hole is closed when the molding material M is supplied and the shape of the curved surface portion 16 is transferred, and the through-hole is introduced when the etching solution E is introduced. It is good also as a structure which opens a hole and supplies to the curved surface part 16, and melt | dissolves the peeling film 18. FIG.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated as a structure which manufactures the lens array shaping | molding die 1 (mold | die main body 10) with a powder sintering method, it is the foaming which carries out injection molding of the molten metal which mixed the foaming agent other than this, for example. It is good also as a structure manufactured by shaping | molding.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, after forming the peeling film 18 on the curved surface part 16, it was set as the procedure which closely_contact | adheres the molding material M to the type | mold main body 10, However, When molding the micro lens 11 in which higher smoothness is calculated | required Alternatively, a smoothing film may be formed on the curved surface portion 16 by sputtering or the like, and the peeling film 18 may be formed on the smoothing film.
In this case, since the surface of the curved surface portion 16 is smoothed by the smoothing film, the smoothness of the release film 18 is also improved. Therefore, it is possible to improve the smoothness of the molding material M that is in close contact with the release film 18. In the case of using a smoothing film, in the removing step, an etching solution for dissolving the smoothing film is first permeated into the mold body 10 to remove the planarizing film, and then an etching solution for dissolving the release film 18 is used as the mold body. 10 to remove the release film 18.

It is a figure which shows the shaping | molding die for lens arrays. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of a micro lens array. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of a micro lens array. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of a micro lens array. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of a micro lens array. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of a micro lens array. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of a micro lens array. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the display apparatus which has a micro lens array. It is a schematic block diagram which shows embodiment of the display apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the screen which has a micro lens array. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the line head which has a micro lens array. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the image forming apparatus which has the line head of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  M ... molding material, ML, 11 ... microlens (microlens array, molded product), 1 ... lens array molding die (molding die), 16 ... curved surface (molding surface)

Claims (6)

A molding method comprising a molding step of forming a molded product by closely adhering a molding material to a molding die having a molding surface of a predetermined shape, and a mold releasing step of releasing the molded product from the molding die,
A film forming step of forming a release film on the molding surface of the mold before the molding step;
Before the mold release step, a removal step of removing the release film by introducing an etching solution through an introduction path provided in the mold and leading to the molding surface;
A molding method characterized by comprising: The molding method according to claim 1,
Forming the mold with a porous material;
A molding method comprising introducing the etching solution into the molding surface by penetrating into the molding die. The molding method according to claim 2,
A molding method, wherein the molding die is formed by a powder sintering method. The molding method according to claim 2 or 3,
The film forming step includes a step of forming a smoothing film on the molding surface;
Forming the release film on the smoothing film,
In the removing step, the smoothing film and the release film are removed. In the molding method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The release film is made of copper,
A molding method, wherein the etchant is formed of ferric chloride.   A method for manufacturing a microlens, wherein the lens portion is molded by the molding method according to claim 1.

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