Optical device and method of making the same using combination of light energy sensitive materials

• US 20080225424A1
• Filed: 03/12/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony DADC US Inc (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony DADC US Inc (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: New, Anthony C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,383,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/893
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/26 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of record carriers

Abstract

A method of making optical devices includes applying an energy sensitive protective material and an energy sensitive advanced optical material to a surface. The surface can be on the optical device or on a carrier, such as a thin sheet, to be applied to the optical device. Light energy is applied through a special production filter to cure the energy sensitive protective material on the surface while blocking light energy outside a selected wavelength spectrum from reaching the material. A portion of the optical device can then be masked, and light energy outside the spectrum filtered by the special production filter can be applied to activate the unmasked portion of the advanced optical material. The special production filter allows curing of the protective material using light energy in a limited (e.g., visible) spectrum so that the advanced optical material can be activated using light energy in the ultraviolet spectrum.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an optical device that can be incrementally activated, the method comprising:

applying first and second energy sensitive materials having different properties to a surface; and

applying a first energy through a first filter to cure the first energy sensitive material while blocking energy that would activate the second energy sensitive material.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first energy comprises light energy emitted from a light source.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first filter transmits light energy in the visible spectrum.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said first filter blocks at least a portion of light energy in the ultraviolet spectrum.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said first filter blocks light energy in the infrared spectrum.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first filter transmits light energy in a first range of wavelengths while blocking light energy at wavelengths outside said first range of wavelengths.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said first range of wavelengths comprises about 325 nm to 500 nm.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising applying a second energy to activate the second energy sensitive material.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said second energy sensitive material is activated by light energy at ultraviolet wavelengths outside a range of wavelengths blocked by said first filter.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said second energy is applied to said optical device through a second filter.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said second filter blocks light energy at infrared wavelengths.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising masking a selected area of said second energy sensitive material while applying said second energy to prevent said selected area from being activated.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first and second energy sensitive materials are on an optical disc when said first energy is applied to cure said first energy sensitive material.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first and second energy sensitive materials are on a bulk sheet material when said first energy is applied to cure said first energy sensitive material.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising separating a disc-shaped section from said bulk sheet material and applying said disc-shaped section to a disc substrate.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising applying a second energy to activate the second energy sensitive material after said disc-shaped section is applied to said disc substrate.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising masking a selected area of said second energy sensitive material while applying said second energy to prevent said selected area from being activated.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising applying electro-optical components to said bulk sheet material before said material is applied to a disc substrate.

19. A method of incrementally activating an optical device, comprising:

applying first and second energy sensitive materials having different properties to a surface;

applying a first energy through a first filter to cure the first energy sensitive material while blocking energy that would activate the second energy sensitive material, said first filter transmitting light energy in a first range of wavelengths while blocking light energy at wavelengths outside said first range of wavelengths; and

subsequently applying a second energy to activate the second energy sensitive material, said second energy comprising light energy at wavelengths outside said first range of wavelengths.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein said second energy comprises light energy in the ultraviolet spectrum.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising masking a selected area of said second energy sensitive material while applying said second energy to prevent said selected area from being activated.

22. An optical device, comprising:

a first energy sensitive material that has been cured to form a protective layer by application of a first light energy within a first range of wavelengths; and

a second energy sensitive material that can be activated by application of a second light energy within a second range of wavelengths and that is not activated by light energy in the first range of wavelengths, said second range comprising wavelengths outside said first range of wavelengths.

23. The optical device according to claim 22, wherein said first light energy comprises visible light, and said second light energy comprises ultraviolet light.

24. The optical device according to claim 22, wherein said first and second energy sensitive materials are on an optical disc.

25. The optical device according to claim 22, wherein said second energy sensitive material is an optical blocking material having an initially non-transparent state, and wherein a first portion of said optical blocking material is activated into a transparent state, while a second portion of said optical blocking material remains in a non-transparent state, said second portion covering a sufficient area of the optical disc to prevent a function of the optical disc.

26. The optical device according to claim 22, wherein said second range comprising wavelengths outside said first range of wavelengths are below said first range of wavelengths.