Optical element producing method, base material drawings method and base material drawing apparatus

• US 20050006353A1
• Filed: 07/28/2004
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Konica Corporation (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Corporation (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Mizukoshi, Tomohide, Morikawa, Masahiro, Masuda, Osamu, Furuta, Kazumi, Akanabe, Yuichi, Horii, Koji
• Application Number:
  US10/901,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20050006353A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/121.280
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/0006 specially adapted for particular articles
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/02 Control circuits therefor

Abstract

A method of working an optical element for producing an optical element having a microscopic pattern, comprising a pattern drawing step for forming a specified pattern corresponding to said optical element on a base material including a layer of pattern drawing object, wherein said layer of pattern drawing object has a curved surface, and said specified pattern is drawn by the application of an electron beam to said layer of pattern drawing object.

Claims

1. A pattern drawing apparatus for forming a predetermined pattern on a base material having a pattern-drawn layer, comprising:

a moving device to move a focus position of an electron beam relatively for the base material in accordance with the pattern-drawn layer having a curved surface; and

an electron beam irradiating device to conduct drawing a predetermined pattern by irradiating an electron beam to the pattern-drawn layer.

2. The pattern drawing apparatus described in claim 1, wherein:

the electron beam irradiating device comprises an electron lens for making variable the focus position of an electron beam emitted by the electron beam irradiating device; and

the moving device controls variably the focus position of the electron beam by adjusting an electric current value of the electron lens in accordance with a pattern-drawn position on the base material.

3. The pattern drawing apparatus described in claim 1, further comprising:

a carrying table on which a base material having a pattern-drawn curved surface is placed; and

a driving device to drive the carrying table, wherein the moving device controls the driving device so as to move up or down the carrying table so that the focus position of the electron beam is variably controlled in accordance with the pattern-drawn position on the base material.

4. The pattern drawing apparatus described in claim 1, further comprising a measuring device which comprises:

a first optical system to irradiate a first irradiation light beam to the base material from an oblique direction and to receive a first transmitting light beam which has been transmitted through the base material;

a second optical system to irradiate a second irradiation light beam to the base material from an approximately horizontal direction and to receive a second light transmitting beam which has been transmitted through the base material; and

a calculating device to calculate a heightwise position of the pattern-drawn position on a flat portion of the base material on the basis of a first light intensity distribution detected by the first optical system and to calculate a heightwise position of the pattern-drawn position on a curved portion projecting from the flat portion of the base material on the basis of a second light intensity distribution detected by the second optical system.

5. The pattern drawing apparatus described in claim 1, further comprising a second measuring device to measure positions of reference points on the base material before the base material is placed in the apparatus.

6. An optical element produced by a method comprising the steps of:

drawing a predetermined pattern on a base material including a pattern-drawn layer on which the pattern is drawn,

wherein the pattern-drawn layer has a curved surface and the predetermined pattern is drawn by irradiating an electron beam onto the curved surface of the pattern-drawn layer.

7. The optical element as described in claim 6, further comprising a diffractive grating structure on the curved surface.

8. The optical element as described in claim 7, further comprising a pattern for reducing surface reflection on the curved surface.

9. The optical element as described in claim 8, wherein at least one pitch portion of a diffractive grating is formed with a tilt on the curved surface portion of the base material, and concave and convex portions for reducing surface reflection are provided for the at least one pitch portion.

10. The optical element as described in claim 9, wherein the at least one pitch portion of the diffractive grating comprises a side wall rising up at one end position of the at least one pitch portion and a slope portion formed between neighboring side walls, and the concave and convex portions are provided on the slope portion.

11. The optical element as described in claim 9, wherein the concave and convex portions comprise a large number of tapered hole portions.

12. An optical element produced by a method comprising the steps of:

drawing a predetermined pattern on a base material including a pattern-drawn layer on which the pattern is drawn,

wherein the pattern-drawn layer has a curved surface and the predetermined pattern is drawn by irradiating an electron beam onto the curved surface of the pattern-drawn layer;

wherein the drawing step is conducted for a first base material and a second base material, respectively;

forming a first molding die and a second molding die respectively based on the first and second base materials;

assembling a mold by arranging the first and second molding dies to be opposite to each other; and

conducting an injection molding for the mold so as to form an optical element having a configuration corresponding to the patterns drawn on the first and second base materials.

13. The optical element as described in claim 12, further comprising a diffractive grating structure on a surface of one side and a polarized light splitting structure on a surface of the other side.

14. The optical element as described in claim 12, further comprising a diffractive grating structure on a surface of one side and a birefringence phase structure on a surface of the other side.

15. The optical element as described in claim 12, further comprising briefringence phase structure on a surface of one side and a polarized light splitting structure on a surface of the other side.

16. A base material formed by a method comprising the steps of:

providing a pattern-drawn layer having a curved surface; and

drawing a predetermined pattern by irradiating an electron beam onto the pattern-drawn layer to thereby form the base material.