Focusing screen master and manufacturing method thereof

• US 7,068,433 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2004
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Hayashi, Hidetaka, Fujimori, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ben, Loha
• Application Number:
  US10/988,605
• Publication Number:
  US 20050105188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 359/619, 359/626, 359/624, 359/449, 359/457, 359/569, 359/566, 359/742, 430/312, 430/319, 430321-323, 430/325, 430/290, 430/394, 430/396, 264/1.7, 264/1.38, 264/2.4, 264/2.5, 427/162, 427/163.2, 427/256, 427/585, 428/29, 428/30, 428/167
• US Class Current: 359/619
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/40 Optical focusing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0018 Reflow, i.e. characterized by the step of melting microstructures to form curved surfaces, e.g. manufacturing of moulds and surfaces for transfer etching
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0056 arranged along two different directions in a plane, e.g. honeycomb arrangement of lenses G02B3/0043 takes precedence; miniaturised objectives for electronic devices employing wafer level optics G02B13/0085
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/04 with continuous faces that are rotationally symmetrical but deviate from a true sphere , e.g. so called "aspheric" lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 13/24 Focusing screens

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a focusing screen master having a microlens array formed all over a flat substrate surface, the microlens array being constructed by arranging a plurality of types of microlenses that are different from each other in height, radius of curvature and surface configuration.

Claims

1. A focusing screen master comprising a microlens array formed all over a flat substrate surface, wherein said microlens array comprises an arrangement of a plurality of types of microlenses that are different from each other in height, radius of curvature and surface configuration.

2. The focusing screen master according to claim 1, wherein said microlens array comprises said plurality of types of microlenses arranged respectively at fixed rates.

3. The focusing screen master according to claim 2, wherein said microlens array comprises said plurality of types of microlenses that are randomly arranged.

4. The focusing screen master according to claim 2, wherein said microlenses have a cross-sectional configuration that is symmetrical cross-sectional configuration.

5. The focusing screen master according to claim 2, wherein said microlenses have a cross-sectional configuration that is asymmetrical cross-sectional configuration.

6. The focusing screen master according to claim 2, wherein said microlenses are arranged in a mixture of those having symmetrical cross-sectional configuration and those having asymmetrical cross-sectional configuration.

7. The focusing screen master according to claim 1, wherein said microlens array comprises said plurality of types of microlenses arranged respectively at arbitrary rates.

8. The focusing screen master according to claim 7, wherein said microlens array comprises said plurality of types of microlenses that are randomly arranged.

9. The focusing screen master according to claim 1, wherein said microlenses have a cross-sectional configuration that is symmetrical cross-sectional configuration.

10. The focusing screen master according to claim 7, wherein said microlenses have a cross-sectional configuration that is symmetrical cross-sectional configuration.

11. The focusing screen master according to claim 1, wherein said microlenses have a cross-sectional configuration that is asymmetrical cross-sectional configuration.

12. The focusing screen master according to claim 7, wherein said microlenses have a cross-sectional configuration that is asymmetrical cross-sectional configuration.

13. The focusing screen master according to claim 1, wherein said microlenses are arranged in a mixture of those having symmetrical cross-sectional configuration and those having asymmetrical cross-sectional configuration.

14. The focusing screen master according to claim 7, wherein said microlenses are arranged in a mixture of those having symmetrical cross-sectional configuration and those having asymmetrical cross-sectional configuration.

15. The focusing screen master according to claim 1, wherein said microlens array is without a gap between the microlenses and the microlenses are connected to each other so as to cross each other at an acute angle at their joint surface.

16. A method of manufacturing the focusing screen master claimed in claim 1, said manufacturing method of the focusing screen master comprising the step of forming microlenses with using a multistage exposure process for continuously effecting a multistage exposure using a plurality of pieces of photomask.

17. The manufacturing method of the focusing screen master according to claim 16, wherein said multistage exposure process is effected in such a manner that an interior part of a microlens forming region of a first photomask is overlapped by microlens forming regions of and after a second photomask that are gradually reduced in size.

18. The manufacturing method of the focusing screen master according to claim 17, wherein said microlens forming regions of and after the second photomask are concentric with the microlens forming region of the first photomask.

19. The manufacturing method of the focusing screen master according to claim 17, wherein said microlens forming regions of and after the second photomask are not concentric with the microlens forming region of the first photomask.

20. The manufacturing method of the focusing screen master according to claim 16, wherein each exposure step of said multistage exposure process is an exposure step in underexposure level so as to leave a remaining photoresist in the region where microlens is not formed.