Method and Apparatus for Replicating Microstructured Optical Masks
First Claim
1. Method for the irrotational replication of finely-structured flat optical elements and optical masks with finely-structured optical elements, where a hardening transparent viscous fluid is injected into a mould cavity of a replication device, said mould cavity being formed between a horizontally-positioned master plate, which includes a replication section with a structure to be replicated and a planar marginal section, and a carrier plate which rests on a sealing ring which is disposed in the marginal section of the master plate and which confines the mould cavity in an air-tight manner, said method comprising the following steps:
- (a1) Application of the fluid on to one or several small areas of the carrier plate as initial points of the fluid to be hardened;
(a2) Application of several tracks of the fluid on to the master plate which are formed in the radial direction and/or are formed like a crescent;
(a3) Application of a quantity of the fluid on to the master plate and forming of a one-piece initial fluid section, thereby forming one or several vertical peaks as counterpoints, said counterpoints being congruent with the corresponding initial points on the carrier plate;
(b1) Placing the carrier plate on to the assembly of the master plate and sealing ring, whereby the carrier plate is positioned horizontally such that the initial points and corresponding counterpoints make contact;
(b2) Application of low pressure to the mould cavity, whereby the carrier plate is drawn near the master plate in a controlled manner so that the fluid is continuously distributed starting at the initial points and counterpoints of the initial fluid section and completely fills the mould cavity above the replication section of the master plate, and whereby the low pressure determines the distance between the carrier plate and the master plate and completely fills the cavity between the plates as defined by the replication section of the master plate, whereby the low pressure is used as controllable process parameter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for replicating planar, thin-layered, and microstructured flat lens system and optical mask (LM) that are provided with such microstructured lens system which are hardened from a highly viscous transparent fluid on a supporting substrate plate (TP). The fluid is introduced between a plate-shaped master plate (M) and a movable supporting substrate plate and remains joined to said substrate plate after hardening. The inventive method is carried out in a non-rotational manner while the molding space is not delimited by sidewalls or similar in the direction of expansion of the fluid. The inventive flat lens systems or optical masks are embodied as lenticular arrays, field lenses, or Fresnel lenses. The final shape of the mask is homogeneous, has a geometrically accurate layer thickness, and is free from air pockets. The inventive method and apparatus allow for controlled replication at great geometrical accuracy and extremely good optical quality.
21 Citations
26 Claims
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1. Method for the irrotational replication of finely-structured flat optical elements and optical masks with finely-structured optical elements, where a hardening transparent viscous fluid is injected into a mould cavity of a replication device, said mould cavity being formed between a horizontally-positioned master plate, which includes a replication section with a structure to be replicated and a planar marginal section, and a carrier plate which rests on a sealing ring which is disposed in the marginal section of the master plate and which confines the mould cavity in an air-tight manner, said method comprising the following steps:
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(a1) Application of the fluid on to one or several small areas of the carrier plate as initial points of the fluid to be hardened; (a2) Application of several tracks of the fluid on to the master plate which are formed in the radial direction and/or are formed like a crescent; (a3) Application of a quantity of the fluid on to the master plate and forming of a one-piece initial fluid section, thereby forming one or several vertical peaks as counterpoints, said counterpoints being congruent with the corresponding initial points on the carrier plate; (b1) Placing the carrier plate on to the assembly of the master plate and sealing ring, whereby the carrier plate is positioned horizontally such that the initial points and corresponding counterpoints make contact; (b2) Application of low pressure to the mould cavity, whereby the carrier plate is drawn near the master plate in a controlled manner so that the fluid is continuously distributed starting at the initial points and counterpoints of the initial fluid section and completely fills the mould cavity above the replication section of the master plate, and whereby the low pressure determines the distance between the carrier plate and the master plate and completely fills the cavity between the plates as defined by the replication section of the master plate, whereby the low pressure is used as controllable process parameter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. Replication device for the irrotational replication of finely-structured, flat optical elements and optical masks with so-structured optical elements, said device consisting of a horizontally-positioned master plate, including a replication section with the structure to be replicated and a planar marginal section, a sealing ring disposed on said marginal section, a carrier plate, which detachably sits on the master plate and sealing ring assembly such that the space between master plate and the carrier plate together with the sealing ring forms a mould cavity, said mould cavity being sealed in an air-tight manner, and the device being adopted to
generate a controllable low pressure in the mould cavity, detect the distance between the master plate and carrier plate, and controls the low pressure in the mould cavity in order to set a desired distance between the master plate and the carrier plate.
Specification