JPH05228946A - Optical component manufacturing method and optical component master block - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] An optical component such as a microlens formed on a substrate such as a CCD or a liquid crystal panel by using a 2P molding method is excellent in flatness and has few product defects. I shall. [Structure] An unevenness corresponding to a predetermined pattern 7 is formed on the surface, and a matrix 10 having transparency or semi-transparency with respect to a specific light ray such as an ultraviolet ray and a base material 4 such as a CCD are not formed. After sandwiching the cured photosensitive resin 11 and irradiating ultraviolet rays through the mother die 10 to cure the photosensitive resin 11,
The cured photosensitive resin 11 and the matrix 10 are peeled off,
The microlens pattern 7 made of the cured photosensitive resin 11 is duplicated on the substrate 4A.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a microlens for producing a duplicate by curing a photosensitive resin by ultraviolet irradiation using a matrix made of a material that transmits a specific light ray, for example, an ultraviolet-transparent material. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an optical component such as a diffraction grating, and a master for replicating an optical component used in the manufacturing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in a light-receiving element array for image input such as a CCD area sensor or a CCD line sensor, high definition has been promoted, and the pixel size has been reduced accordingly. The area is small, which causes a decrease in sensitivity. In order to improve this sensitivity, a method is employed in which a microlens that selectively collects incident light is installed on each pixel in a light receiving area in the pixel.

Also, in the liquid crystal panel, as a result of the progress in high definition, contrary to the increase in the area occupied by the wiring,
There is a problem that the area ratio (aperture ratio) of the light-transmitting part decreases, and the display becomes darker.To solve this problem, a microlens is installed on each pixel to turn on the illumination light. It has been proposed to focus light on a light receiving area in a pixel.

In recent years, the above-mentioned microlens has been widely used in the field of optical communication such as connection between a light emitting element and an optical fiber, connection between an optical fiber and a light receiving element, and collimation of emitted light emitted from the light emitting element.
Some of them are arrayed so that many rays can be processed simultaneously.

Incidentally, conventionally known types of microlenses include those having a convex lens shape having a relief pattern on the surface and those having a Fresnel lens shape, which are formed by using a resin or an inorganic material. It is also known to be possible. Also known are those having a flat surface with a refractive index distribution formed in a resin or an inorganic material, and those having both a surface shape and a refractive index distribution.

Among the various conventional microlenses described above, those having a convex lens shape made of resin are formed by forming a cylindrical pattern on the surface by a photolithography technique, and then heating and flowing the surface to form a convex pattern. A method of forming a spherical microlens pattern is adopted, and a method of forming a convex lens shape with an inorganic material is a method of forming a spherical microlens pattern by applying a technique such as etching or polishing. Has been taken.

For forming a Fresnel lens shape with a resin or an inorganic material, a method of forming a microlens pattern by using a photoresist and drawing with an electron beam or a laser beam is adopted.

Further, those having a flat surface and forming a refractive index distribution include a method in which a glass substrate is provided with an appropriate mask and then ion exchange or ion implantation is performed, or a monomer having a different refractive index in a resin is used. The method of polymerizing after distributing is adopted.

Among the microlenses as described above, those excluding the gradient index type, that is, those in which the lens is formed by the unevenness of the surface, it is possible to produce a duplicate by transferring the shape. As a mother mold for making that copy,
Conventionally, it is known to use a metal mold such as nickel. In the replication method using such a mold, when the material is a resin, an inexpensive molding method with excellent productivity such as injection molding, press molding, roll molding, calendar molding, and cast polymerization is adopted. be able to.

As another molding method using a metal mold, a liquid photosensitive resin is applied on a transparent substrate (base material), the metal mold is applied onto the liquid photosensitive resin, and ultraviolet rays are irradiated to make it photosensitive. Method to remove the mold after curing the resin (hereinafter referred to as 2P molding method)
Is also known. This 2P molding method is excellent in productivity and, by using an inorganic material for the transparent substrate,
As a whole, dimensional stability comparable to that of inorganic materials can be obtained, and if the coating film thickness is further reduced, optical characteristics comparable to those of inorganic materials can be obtained.

[0011]

However, among the above-mentioned conventional microlens manufacturing methods, the method of forming a convex lens pattern with a photoresist or the like is difficult to control the pattern shape and is poor in reproducibility. There is also a problem with the durability of. In addition, the method of forming the convex lens pattern with an inorganic material has poor productivity. The method of drawing the Fresnel lens shape also lacks productivity because the drawing time is long. Further, the method of forming a refractive index distribution in an inorganic material such as glass requires a long time for ion exchange or ion implantation, and thus the productivity is poor, and the method of forming a refractive index distribution with a resin also allows condition control. There is a problem that it is difficult and reproducible.

Among the various microlenses described above,
For a lens in which the lens is formed only by the uneven structure on the surface, duplication using a resin is advantageous in terms of productivity. However, in the case of a molded article that is entirely formed of resin, flatness, dimensional stability against thermal expansion and water absorption expansion,
There is a problem in terms of heat resistance.

On the other hand, although the above-mentioned 2P molding method can improve the above points, it has the following problems. (1) Among optical elements for optical communication, a light emitting element array, a light receiving element array, a CCD, etc. generally have a substrate impermeable to ultraviolet rays, and other optical elements such as a liquid crystal panel also emit ultraviolet rays. Since it cannot be uniformly transmitted, it is difficult to cure the photosensitive resin by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays. (2) When forming a pattern using a metal mold such as nickel, it is necessary to perform precise alignment between the mold and the optical element, but the position cannot be confirmed through the mold. Moreover, it is difficult to perform precise positioning. (3) When a die is produced from an electroformed product of a metal such as nickel, stress is likely to remain in the metal, and it is difficult to produce a die having a flat surface. (4) Even if the photosensitive resin can be cured, when the resin is released from the mold, the resin easily adheres to the surface of the mold, which shortens the life of the mold and Defects are likely to occur in the product itself.

Among the above problems in the 2P molding method, the problems (1), (3), and (4) are formed by fine irregularities on the surface of a flat substrate such as a diffraction grating, a Fresnel lens, a hologram, and an optical disk. The same occurs when the optical component provided with the predetermined pattern is molded by the 2P molding method.

The object of the present invention is made in view of the above problems, and it is possible to apply an ultraviolet ray on an optical element such as a light emitting element array or a liquid crystal panel, or a base material such as a diffraction grating or a hologram substrate. By irradiation with such a specific light beam, a method of manufacturing an optical component that has excellent flatness and that can replicate an optical component pattern with few product defects with high productivity,
It is to provide a master mold for replicating an optical component used for it.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, a method of manufacturing an optical component according to a first invention is provided with unevenness arranged on a surface in a predetermined pattern and is transparent to a specific light ray. Alternatively, an uncured photosensitive resin is sandwiched between a semi-transparent mother die and a substrate, and the photosensitive resin is cured by the irradiation of the above-mentioned light rays through the mother die, and then cured with the mother mother die. The optical component made of the cured photosensitive resin is duplicated on the base material by peeling off from the photosensitive resin.

The above-mentioned optical parts include microlenses,
There are Fresnel lenses, diffraction gratings, holograms, optical disks, and the like. In addition to the optical elements such as the light emitting element array, the light receiving element array, the CCD and the liquid crystal panel,
Substrates for microlenses, Fresnel lenses, diffraction gratings, holograms, optical disks, etc. Examples of the specific light rays include ultraviolet rays and visible light rays, but ultraviolet rays are preferable because of the advantages such as easy handling of the photosensitive resin.

The master mold for replicating an optical component according to the first aspect of the present invention is a master mold used in the above-described method of manufacturing an optical component, and is made of a material that is transmissive or semi-transmissive to the specific light beam. Has been formed. The material of the matrix is preferably transparent or translucent. Also, the matrix is
A structure in which a photosensitive resin having irregularities arranged in a predetermined pattern on the surface thereof is laminated on a substrate made of an inorganic material is preferable.

In the method for manufacturing an optical component according to the second invention, the surface is provided with irregularities arranged in a predetermined pattern, and a release film made of a fluorine-containing organic compound is formed on the surface having the irregularities. The uncured photosensitive resin is sandwiched between the master block and the base material, and the photosensitive resin is cured by irradiation with a specific light beam, and then the master block and the cured photosensitive resin are separated. Then, the optical component made of the cured photosensitive resin is duplicated on the base material.

The master mold for duplicating an optical component according to the second aspect of the present invention is a master mold used in the above-described method of manufacturing an optical component. As the release film in this matrix, a release film made of a material soluble in an organic solvent is preferably used. The release film can also be formed by plasma polymerization of a fluorine-containing low molecular compound, sputtering of a fluorine-containing polymer compound, or a vacuum film forming method such as CVD.

[0021]

According to the method of manufacturing an optical component according to the first aspect of the present invention, by using a matrix having transparency or semi-transparency for a specific light ray, the matrix and the substrate can be separated. It is possible to irradiate the photosensitive resin sandwiched between them with a specific light beam through the matrix to cure the photosensitive resin. Therefore, as the base material, a material that is opaque or non-uniformly transparent to the specific light beam can be used, so that the degree of freedom of the material of the base material is increased. In this way, since the type of the base material does not matter, the degree of freedom of the copied product is increased. Further, since the optical component is formed on the base material, it is possible to manufacture an optical component having excellent flatness. Furthermore, since this manufacturing method is a 2P molding method, it is excellent in productivity.

The master block for replicating an optical component according to the first invention is
It can be used as it is when carrying out the above production method. Also,
When the master block is transparent or semi-transparent, the pattern of the base material can be recognized through the master block with respect to the base material on which a predetermined pattern has already been formed, so the alignment accuracy between the pattern and the master block is accurate. It is possible to irradiate ultraviolet rays by improving the above. In this way, since the optical component can be duplicated even on the base material on which the predetermined pattern is already formed, the flexibility of the base material is further increased.

Further, when the master block has a structure in which a photosensitive resin having irregularities is laminated on a substrate made of an inorganic material, the presence of the substrate allows the master block to have flatness, dimensional stability and heat resistance. Is improved.

According to the method of manufacturing an optical component according to the second aspect of the present invention, the mold-releasing property of the master mold after curing the photosensitive resin is improved by the mold-releasing film made of the fluorine-containing organic compound formed on the master mold. As a result, the life of the mold can be extended and the occurrence of product defects can be suppressed.

A master for optical component duplication according to the second invention is
It can be used as it is when carrying out the production method of the second invention. When the release film made of the fluorine-containing organic compound is formed of a material soluble in an organic solvent, the material dissolved in the organic solvent is applied to the uneven surface of the photosensitive resin forming the pattern of the master mold, The release film can be easily formed by drying and removing the solvent. In addition, the release film made of a fluorine-containing organic compound is formed by a vacuum film forming method such as sputtering of a fluorine-containing polymer compound, plasma polymerization of a fluorine-containing low-molecular compound, or CVD, so that the thickness can be precisely controlled. Since a thin film can be formed,
It enables pattern formation faithful to the master.

[0026]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Example 1 In Example 1, a microlens array, which is an optical component, is formed on the imaging surface of a CCD area sensor, which is a base material, by irradiating ultraviolet rays through a mother die. FIG. 1 is a master block 1 used in the manufacturing method of Example 1.
0 is a cross-sectional view showing an example, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a CCD area sensor 4 with a microlens array formed by using this matrix 10, FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 4 is a fabrication of the CCD area sensor. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a process, and FIG.
The manufacturing process will be described in accordance with.

On the surface of the glass plate 8, using a commercially available positive type photoresist, as shown in FIG. 4A, a columnar shape having a predetermined pitch in consideration of the pixel pitch of the CCD area sensor in which the microlens is installed. After the resist pattern 9A is formed, the cylindrical resist pattern 9A is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point and caused to flow, so that a substantially spherical micropattern is formed on the surface of the substrate 8 as shown in FIG. A lens pattern 9B (master) is formed.

On the substantially spherical microlens pattern 9B thus produced, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), a commercially available ultraviolet curable liquid transparent photosensitive resin 2 is interposed. Then, the substrate 1 for the master mold made of an inorganic material having ultraviolet transparency such as glass or quartz is pressed. Next, ultraviolet UV from the substrate 1 side for the master mold
To cure the photosensitive resin 2 and then peel off the cured photosensitive resin 2 from the glass plate 8 to form a microlens pattern on the substrate 1 as shown in FIG. 4 (d). A master mold for microlens duplication 10 having a structure in which a photosensitive resin 2 having an uneven surface 2A corresponding to a (predetermined pattern) 9B is laminated is produced. Here, the resist attached to the uneven surface 2A of the photosensitive resin 2 is removed by treating with an alkaline aqueous solution.

4A and 4B are formed on the uneven surface 2A of the photosensitive resin 2 of the master mold 10 for microlens replication manufactured in this manner.
As shown in (e), a release film 3 made of a commercially available fluororesin soluble in an organic solvent (CYTOP CTX-805, manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.) was applied by spin coating to form a 0.1 μm film. The microlens duplication master block 10 shown in FIG. 1 is obtained by stacking layers to a thickness. This matrix 1
Since 0 has the substrate 1 made of an inorganic material, it has excellent flatness, dimensional stability, and heat resistance.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4 (f), a liquid photosensitive resin 11 is provided between the microlens replica master 10 and the image pickup surface 4a of the CCD area sensor 4, which is the base material. After aligning each lens portion 11a with each pixel light receiving portion 5 and non-light receiving portion 6 formed on the surface layer portion of the substrate 4A of the CCD area sensor 4 using scissors and a microscope, the microlens replica mother UV through the mold 10
Is irradiated to cure the photosensitive resin 11. At this time, the alignment is performed through the transparent mother die 10 rather than through the mold as in the conventional case, so that the alignment accuracy is improved.

After that, the microlens duplicating mold 10 and the cured photosensitive resin 11 are separated from each other, so that the microlens made of the cured photosensitive resin is formed on the imaging surface 4a, as shown in FIGS. The CCD area sensor 4 in which the lens array 7 (an example of an optical component) is duplicated is manufactured.

At this time, since the mold release film 3 made of a fluorine-containing organic compound is laminated on the uneven surface 2A of the photosensitive resin 2 of the master mold 10 for microlens replication, the master mold 10 is formed.
Since the mold release is easy and the mold release film 3 is not damaged, the life of the mother die 10 is extended and the defect does not occur in the CCD area sensor 4 as a product. In the CCD area sensor 4 thus manufactured,
The presence of the patterned lens array 7 can improve the sensitivity.

Further, since the release film 3 made of the above-mentioned fluorine-containing organic compound is formed of a material soluble in an organic solvent, the material dissolved in the organic solvent is used as a photosensitive material for forming the pattern of the matrix 10. The release film 3 can be easily formed by applying the solvent to the uneven surface of the resin 2 and then removing the solvent by drying. Further, since ultraviolet rays are used as the irradiation light, there is an advantage that the photosensitive resin can be easily handled as compared with the case where visible light is used.

Although the manufacturing method of the CCD area sensor 4 has been described in the first embodiment, it may be applied to the manufacturing of the CCD line sensor.

Example 2 In Example 2, a microlens array, which is an optical component, is formed on a liquid crystal panel, which is a base material, by irradiating ultraviolet rays through a mother die. FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a mother die 10 used in the manufacturing method of the second embodiment,
FIG. 6 is a liquid crystal panel body 26A with a microlens array formed by using the matrix 10, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process of the liquid crystal panel body 26A.
The manufacturing process will be described in accordance with.

A special photosensitive resin film (not shown) made of a mixture of a copolymer of methyl methacrylate and 2-butenyl methacrylate and m-bayzoylbenzophenone is formed on the surface of the glass plate 8 to form a microlens. The unreacted m-bayzoylbenzophenone is removed by exposing through a photomask (not shown) having circular openings at a predetermined pitch in consideration of the pixel pitch of the liquid crystal panel to be installed and heating in vacuum. In this way, the convex lens-shaped microlens pattern 23 (master) as shown in FIG. 7A is formed.

On the thus-produced convex lens-shaped microlens pattern 23, sputtering is performed with a Teflon resin, which is a fluorine-containing polymer compound, as a target, as shown in FIG. 7 (b). A Teflon sputtering film 12 as a release film is formed on the convex lens-shaped microlens pattern 23.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7C, an inorganic material such as glass or quartz is formed on the Teflon sputtering film 12 through a commercially available ultraviolet-curable liquid photosensitive resin 2. The matrix substrate 1 made of a material is pressed. Then, ultraviolet rays U are applied from the substrate 1 side for the master mold.
After irradiating V to cure the photosensitive resin 2, the cured photosensitive resin 2 is peeled off from the Teflon sputtering film 12, so that the glass substrate 1 is coated with the photosensitive resin 2 as shown in FIG. Photosensitive resin 2 having a concave lens-shaped pattern surface 2A corresponding to the microlens pattern
A master mold 10 for replicating a microlens having a laminated structure is manufactured.

Sputtering with a Teflon resin 8 (polymer compound) as a target was performed on the concave lens-shaped pattern surface 2A of the photosensitive resin 2 of the master mold 10 for duplicating the microlenses manufactured as described above, and FIG. Teflon sputtering film 13 as a release film as shown in e)
To a thickness of 500 angstroms to form a microlens replica master 10 as shown in FIG. Since the thickness of such a sputtering film 13 can be precisely controlled, the shape of the pattern surface 2A is not distorted, and thus the pattern faithful to the master is maintained.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7 (f), a liquid photosensitive resin 14 is placed between the microlens replica master 10 and the light incident surface 26a of the liquid crystal panel 26 which is the base material. Each lens unit 14a and the liquid crystal panel 26 using scissors and a microscope
After the alignment with the pixel electrodes 20 and the TFTs 19 is performed, ultraviolet rays UV are radiated through the microlens replication master 10 to cure the photosensitive resin 14.

Next, the microlens replica master 10
Is released from the Teflon sputtering film 13 with respect to the cured photosensitive resin 14 to easily release the mother die 10, and as shown in FIG. 7 (g), the upper transparent insulating substrate 15, Common electrode 16, black matrix 17,
A liquid crystal panel body 26A including the liquid crystal 18, the TFT 19, the pixel electrode 20, the lower transparent insulating substrate 21, and the lower polarizing plate 22, and the microlens array 7 being duplicated on the upper transparent insulating substrate 15, is produced.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper polarizing plate 25 is placed on the microlens array 7 of the liquid crystal panel 26A.
A predetermined liquid crystal panel 26 is assembled by stacking the light source 24 and the light source 24, respectively. In the liquid crystal panel 26 manufactured as described above, the display brightness of the liquid crystal panel 26 can be improved due to the presence of the microlens array 7.

In the second embodiment described above, the microlens array pattern is formed on the liquid crystal panel 26, but the microlens array pattern is formed on the glass substrate on which only the transparent pixel electrodes 20 and the black matrix 17 are formed. After forming the above, the liquid crystal panel may be assembled, or the microlens array pattern may be formed on the upper polarizing plate 25.

Example 3. In this Example 3, a diffraction grating, which is an optical component, is formed on the glass substrate by irradiating the glass substrate with ultraviolet rays.
The mold release film is formed of a material soluble in an organic solvent.
FIG. 8 shows a matrix 1 used in the manufacturing method of the third embodiment.
0, and FIG. 9 shows a manufacturing process of a diffraction grating using this master block 10.

In FIG. 9 (a), a special photosensitive resin film 2 made of a mixture of a copolymer of methyl methacrylate and 2-butenyl methacrylate and m-benzoylbenzophenone is spun on a glass plate 1 for master mold. Unreacted m is formed by coating through a photomask (not shown) having a one-dimensional linear opening arranged at a pitch of 30 μm and having a thickness of 2 μm. -Benzoylbenzophenone was removed. As a result, a one-dimensional diffraction grating pattern having a pitch of 30 μm and a step of 0.5 μm could be formed.

On this pattern surface, as shown in FIG. 9 (b), a release film 3 made of a commercially available fluororesin (Cytop CTX-805, manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.) soluble in an organic solvent was applied by spin coating. Applied to a thickness of 0.1 μm by
It was dried by heating at ℃ for 2 hours. By this, the mother mold 10
Was produced.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9C, the 2P photosensitive resin 11 (Aronix M-210 / Aronix M) is provided between the mother die 10 and the glass substrate 30 which is the base material.
-150 = 80/20 (manufactured by Toagosei) with 3% by weight of Irgacure 651 (manufactured by Ciba-Geigy) sandwiched between them, and ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the glass substrate 30 side, not from the mold 10 side, to obtain photosensitivity. Resin 11 was cured.

After the resin 11 is cured, as shown in FIG. 9D, the master mold 10 is removed and the diffraction grating 40, which is an optical product, is removed.
Took out. At that time, the master mold 10 was easily released, and no damage was observed in the fluororesin film 3 on the master mold 10. After that, replication is repeated using the same master mold 1 and 1
It was possible to make 00 replicates. The duplicated grating step produced as described above was 0.48 μm, and
The first and 100th sheets were the same.

Example 4. In this Example 4, a diffraction grating, which is an optical component, is formed on the glass substrate by irradiating the glass substrate with ultraviolet rays.
The mold release film is formed by sputtering. FIG. 10 shows a master mold 1 used in the manufacturing method of the fourth embodiment.
0, and FIG. 11 shows a manufacturing process of a diffraction grating using this master block 10.

As shown in FIG. 11A, the glass plate 31
A film of a commercially available positive photoresist 32 is formed thereon by spin coating to a thickness of 0.5 μm, and a photomask (not shown) having one-dimensional linear openings arranged at a pitch of 5 μm is formed. Through, and developed using an alkali developing solution to form a diffraction grating pattern having a step difference of 0.49 μm.

On the pattern formed in this way, FIG.
As shown in (b), the 2P photosensitive resin 11 of Example 3
The mother glass plate 1 was pressed through the same commercially available 2P photosensitive resin 2 as described above. Subsequently, the resin 2 is cured by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays from the mother glass plate 1 side, and then, as shown in FIG. 11C, the photosensitive resin surface is peeled off from the photoresist surface.
The photoresist attached to the surface of the photosensitive resin 2 was removed by treating with an alkaline aqueous solution.

On the uneven surface 2A of the photosensitive resin 2, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1 (d), a Teflon sputtering film (release film) 13 having a thickness of 500 angstrom was formed by sputtering using Teflon resin which is a fluorine-containing polymer compound as a target. This is the master block 1
0 could be produced.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11 (e), the same 2P photosensitive resin 11 as in Example 3 is sandwiched between the mother die 10 and the glass substrate 30, and ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the glass substrate 30 side. The photosensitive resin 11 was cured. After curing the resin 11, as shown in FIG. 11 (f), the matrix 10 was removed and the diffraction grating 40 was taken out. At that time, the master mold 10 was easily released, and the sputtering film 3 on the master mold 10 was not damaged. After that, replication was repeated using the same master mold 10 and 100 replications could be produced. The duplicated grating step produced as described above has a size of 0.49 μm.
And the first and 100th sheets were the same.

Example 5. In this Example 5, a diffraction grating, which is an optical component, is formed on the glass substrate by irradiating the glass substrate with ultraviolet rays.
The mold release film is formed by plasma polymerization. The master mold used in the manufacturing method of this Example 5 and the manufacturing process of the diffraction grating using this master mold are the same as those shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, respectively.

In FIG. 9 (a), a special photosensitive resin film 2 made of a mixture of a copolymer of methyl methacrylate and 2-butenyl methacrylate and m-benzoylbenzophenone is spun on a glass plate 1 for master mold. Unreacted m is formed by coating through a photomask (not shown) having a two-dimensional rectangular opening arranged at a pitch of 100 μm and having a thickness of 2 μm. -Benzoylbenzophenone was removed.
As a result, a two-dimensional diffraction grating pattern having a pitch of 100 μm and a step of 0.5 μm could be formed.

A high-frequency voltage was applied to this pattern surface while flowing hexafluoropropylene, which is a fluorine-containing low-molecular compound, in a vacuum chamber to generate plasma, and FIG.
As shown in (b), a fluorine-containing plasma polymerized film (release film) 3A having a thickness of 500 Å was formed. Thereby, the mother die 10 could be manufactured.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9C, the same 2P photosensitive resin 11 as in Example 3 is sandwiched between the mother die 10 and the glass substrate 30 which is the base material, and the glass substrate 30 side is provided. The photosensitive resin 11 was cured by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays.

After curing the resin 11, as shown in FIG. 9D, the matrix 10 was removed and the two-dimensional diffraction grating 40A as an optical product was taken out. At that time, the master mold 10 was easily released, and the plasma polymerized film 3A on the master mold 10 was not damaged. After that, replication was repeated using the same master mold 10 and 100 replications could be produced. The duplicated grating step produced as described above was 0.49 μm, and the first and the 100th sheets were the same. Further, since the thickness of the plasma-polymerized film 3A can be precisely controlled, the shape of the pattern surface 2A of the mother die 10 is not distorted, and thus the pattern faithful to the master is maintained.

Although the substrate 1 of the mother die 10 is made of glass in the above-mentioned Examples 1 and 2, it may be made of a material that transmits ultraviolet rays to some extent or more, that is, a semi-transparent material. Depending on the application, quartz, which is superior to glass in ultraviolet transparency and dimensional stability, may be used for the substrate 1. The transparency of the matrix 10 made of the substrate 1 and the photosensitive resin 2 may also be semi-transparent to the extent that the alignment accuracy is not adversely affected.

In the above-mentioned Examples 3 to 5, the ultraviolet rays were radiated from the glass substrate 30 side as the base material, but they may be radiated from the matrix 10 side. However, in the case of irradiating from the glass substrate 30 side as in Examples 3 to 5, it goes without saying that the mother die 10 may be formed of an ultraviolet ray opaque material.

In each of the above-mentioned examples, a commercially available positive type photoresist (Examples 1 and 4) or a special photosensitive resin film (Examples 2, 3 and 4) was used to prepare the first master.
5) was used, but if a light pattern can be formed,
The material used is not particularly limited.

Furthermore, the master mold 10 for microlens replication manufactured in each of the above-described Examples 1 to 5 can be used as a master mold itself to further manufacture a plurality of master molds.

In each of Examples 1 to 5 described above, the CCD area sensor, the liquid crystal panel, or the glass substrate is used as the base material, and the microlenses or the diffraction grating as the optical component are formed on the base material. The present invention is to form a microlens pattern or a Fresnel lens pattern for various base materials such as a light emitting element array for optical communication, an optical fiber array, a light receiving element array, or a microlens on a base material such as a glass substrate, It can also be used to form Fresnel lenses, diffraction gratings, holograms, optical disks, etc.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a mother die used in a method of manufacturing an optical component according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a CCD area sensor with a microlens array pattern formed using the matrix shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process of a CCD area sensor.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a mother die used in the method of manufacturing an optical component according to the second example.

6 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal panel with a microlens array pattern formed by using the matrix shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal panel.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a mother die used in a method of manufacturing optical components according to third and fifth embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a process for producing a diffraction grating using the matrix shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a mother die used in a method of manufacturing an optical component according to a fourth example.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a manufacturing process of a diffraction grating using the matrix shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Substrate for master mold, 2 ... Photosensitive resin, 2A ... Uneven surface,
3, 3A, 13 ... Release film, 4 ... CCD area sensor (base material), 7 ... Microlens array, 9B, 23 ... Microlens pattern, 10 ... Microlens replication master, 11 ... Uncured photosensitivity Resin, 14 ... Liquid crystal panel (base material).

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An uncured photosensitive resin is sandwiched between a base material and a matrix having irregularities arranged on a surface in a predetermined pattern and having transparency or semi-transparency to a specific light ray. After curing the photosensitive resin by irradiating the specific light beam through the mother die, the mother resin and the cured photosensitive resin are separated from each other, and the cured photosensitive resin is formed on the substrate. A method for manufacturing an optical component, which comprises replicating the optical component. 2. A master mold used in the method of manufacturing an optical component according to claim 1, which is a master mold for duplicating an optical component and is made of a material that is transmissive or semi-transmissive to the specific light beam. 3. The master mold according to claim 2, wherein the material is transparent or translucent. 4. The optical component replication according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the substrate is made of an inorganic material and a photosensitive resin having irregularities arranged on the surface in a predetermined pattern is laminated on the substrate. Mother mold. 5. A base material is provided between a base and a mother die having a surface having irregularities arranged in a predetermined pattern and having a release film made of a fluorine-containing organic compound formed on the surface having the irregularities.
After the uncured photosensitive resin is sandwiched and the above-mentioned photosensitive resin is cured by irradiation with a specific light beam, the mother resin and the cured photosensitive resin are peeled off, and the photosensitive resin is cured on the base material. A method of manufacturing an optical component, characterized in that the optical component consisting of is duplicated. 6. A master mold for replicating an optical component used in the method for producing an optical component according to claim 5. 7. The master mold for optical component replication according to claim 6, wherein the release film made of the fluorine-containing organic compound is made of a material soluble in an organic solvent. 8. The master mold according to claim 6, wherein the release film made of the fluorine-containing organic compound is formed by sputtering a fluorine-containing polymer compound. 9. The master mold according to claim 6, wherein the release film made of the fluorine-containing organic compound is formed by plasma polymerization of a fluorine-containing low molecular weight compound. 10. The method of manufacturing an optical component according to claim 1, wherein the specific light beam is ultraviolet light.