Anti-reflection coating for optical component and method for forming the same

• US 4,599,272 A
• Filed: 09/07/1984
• Issued: 07/08/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): Childs, Sadie L.
• Application Number:
  US06/648,729
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 427/35, 427/38, 427/162, 427/164, 427/166, 427/167, 427/419.3, 427/419.2, 427/402, 427/255, 427/419.1, 427/255.2, 427/255.7, 427/255.3, 350/164, 350/165, 351/166, 428/412, 428/428, 428/446, 428/448, 428/913, 428/500, 428/451, 428/521, 204/192 E, 156/643
• US Class Current: 428/412
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/22 with other inorganic material C03C17/34, C03C17/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3417 all coatings being oxide coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3435 comprising a nitride, oxynitride, boronitride or carbonitride
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3452 comprising a fluoride
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/29 Mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/151 by vacuum evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/06 characterised by the coating material C23C14/0021 , C23C14/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/505 for rotation of the substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/115 Multilayers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31507 Of polycarbonate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31667 Next to addition polymer from unsaturated monomers, or aldehyde or ketone condensation product

Abstract

An anti-reflection coating for an optical component and a method of forming the same are disclosed. The anti-reflection coating is formed on a substrate for an optical component by subjecting a mixture of an evaporating material and 10-30% of SiO₂ to vacuum evaporation at room temperature without heating the substrate. When the anti-reflection coating is a single layer, a mixture of MgF₂ and 10-30% of SiO₂ is used as the evaporating material. When the anit-reflection coating is a multi-layer structure, a mixture of a fluoride or a silicon oxide and 10-30% of SiO₂ for a first layer, and a mixture of a fluoride or an oxide and 10-30% of SiO₂ for middle and last layers are used as the evaporating material.

Claims

1. An optical component comprising a substrate for said optical component and an anti-reflection coating, formed on said substrate by subjecting a mixture of 10 to 30% of SiO₂ and an evaporating material having an anti-reflection effect to vacuum evaporation at room temperature.

3. The optical component according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said substrate is a glass substrate or a synthetic resin substrate.

4. The optical component according to claim 3, wherein said synthetic resin substrate is made from diethylene glycol bisallyl carbonate, acrylic resin, polycarbonate, acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer or polystyrene.

5. The optical component according to claim 1, wherein said evaporating material is MgF₂.

14. The optical component according to claim 1 wherein said evaporating material is selected from a member of the group consisting of CeF₃, NdF₃, LaF₃, PbF₃, Na₃ AlF₃, NaF, LiF, MgF₂, CeO₂, ZrO₂, Ti₂ O₃, TiO, and Al₂ O₃.

2. An optical component, comprising a substrate for said optical component and an anti-reflection coating which is formed on said substrate by successively subjecting a mixture of an evaporating material having an anti-reflection effect and 10 to 30% of SiO₂ as a first layer, and a mixture of a fluoride or an oxide and 10 to 30% SiO₂ as middle and last layers to vacuum evaporation at room temperature.

6. The optical component according to claim 2, wherein said fluoride is selected from CeF₃, NdF₃, PbF₃, Na₃ AlF₆, NaF, LiF and MgF₂, and said oxide is selected from CeO₂, ZrO₂, Ti₂ O₃, TiO and Al₂ O₃.

7. A method of forming an anti-reflection coating on a substrate for an optical component, which comprises mixing 10-30% of SiO₂ with an evaporating material having an anti-reflection effect, subjecting said substrate to sputtering irradiation with an ion beam of Ar and/or O₂, and at the same time subjecting the mixture of SiO₂ and evaporating material to vacuum evaporation at room temperature by electron beam heating without heating said substrate to thereby deposit at least one layer of said mixture on said substrate.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein said substrate is a glass or a synthetic resin for an optical component.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said synthetic resin is selected from diethylene glycol bisallyl carbonate, acrylic resin, polycarbontate, acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer and polystyrene.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein 10-30% of SiO₂ is mixed with a fluoride as the evaporating material when the anti-reflection coating is a single layer.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said fluoride is MgF₂.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein when the anti-reflection coating is a multi-layer structure, a mixture of a fluoride or a silicon oxide and 10-30% of SiO₂ for a first layer, and a mixture of a fluoride or an oxide and 10-30% of SiO₂ for middle and last layers are used as the evaporating material.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said fluoride is selected from CeF₃, NdF₃, LaF₃, Na₃ AlF₆, NaF, LiF and MgF₂, and said oxide is selected from CeO₂, ZrO₂, Ti₂ O₃, TiO and Al₂ O₃.