Method for production of moulded bodies, in particular optical structures and use thereof

• US 7,767,131 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2002
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bayer Intellectual Property GmbH (Bayer AG), Weidmann Plastics Technology AG (Techniplas LLC)
• Original Assignee: Bayer Technology Services GmbH (Bayer AG), Weidmann Plastics Technology AG (Techniplas LLC)
• Inventors: Callenbach, Tilo, Pawlak, Michael, Bopp, Martin Andreas, Ehrat, Markus, Lüthi, Heinz, Gmür, Max
• Primary Examiner(s): HUSON, MONICA ANNE
• Application Number:
  US10/487,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20040197595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,899 Days
• Field of Search: 427/126.2
• US Class Current: 264/328.1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/7356 the temperature of the mould being near or higher than the melting temperature or glass transition temperature of the moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/38 characterised by the material or the manufacturing process B29C33/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/424 Moulding surfaces provided with means for marking or patterning for injection moulding B29C45/372
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/0001 characterised by the choice of material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/37 Mould cavity walls , i.e. the inner surface forming the mould cavity, e.g. linings
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/372 provided with means for marking or patterning, e.g. numbering articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00009 Production of simple or compound lenses
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2709/08 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12107 Grating
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1221 made from organic materials
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/13 Integrated optical circuits characterised by the manufacturing method
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/34 utilising prism or grating G02B6/293 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12597 Noncrystalline silica or noncrystalline plural-oxide component [e.g., glass, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/315 Surface modified glass [e.g., tempered, strengthened, etc.]

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacture a body from a thermoplastic plastic with a three-dimensionally structured surface, wherein molding is performed directly from a master made of glass coated with metal oxide, without deposition of further coatings on a surface of the master. The invention also relates to bodies manufactured with this method from a thermoplastic featuring a three-dimensionally structured surface, as well as to planar optical structures likewise manufactured with this method for generating evanescent-field measuring platforms and to a use thereof. The invention furthermore relates to a planar optical structure for generating an evanescent-field measuring platform, comprising a first essentially optical transparent, waveguiding layer (a) with refractive index n₁ and a second essentially optical transparent layer (b) with refractive index n₂, where n₁>n₂, in a case of an embodiment of a planar optical film waveguide, or comprising a metal layer (a′) and a second layer (b), in a case of an embodiment for generating a surface plasmon resonance, wherein the second layer (b) comprises a material from a group comprising cyclo-olefin polymers and cyclo-olefin copolymers.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an evanescent-field measuring platform including a first layer and a second layer, said second layer being made of an essentially optically transparent thermoplastic plastic comprising manufacturing of said second layer using a master,

wherein said master is a glass master having a surface coated with metal oxide,

wherein said manufacturing of said second layer includes directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master as part of a molding tool, without deposition of further coatings on said coated surface of said master prior to said directly molding.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

said manufacturing an evanescent-field measuring platform further comprises manufacturing a metal layer, as said first layer on said second layer.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein

raised areas are on the surface of said master such that using said master to produce said second layer results in recesses existing in a surface of said second layer.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein

said recesses have a depth of from 20 μ

m to 500 μ

m.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein

said recesses have a depth of from 50 μ

m to 300 μ

m.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein

a grating structure and raised areas are on the surface of said master such that using said master to produce said second layer results in a grating and recesses simultaneously existing in a surface of said second layer.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein

said grating has a depth of from 3 nm to 100 nm, and

said recesses have a depth of from 20 μ

m to 500 μ

m.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein

said grating has a depth of from 10 nm to 30 nm, and

said recesses have a depth of from 50 μ

m to 300 μ

m.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein

said manufacturing an evanescent-field measuring platform comprises manufacturing a planar optical structure for generating a surface plasmon resonance.

10. The method according to claim 2, wherein

said metal oxide comprises a material selected from the group consisting of TiO₂, ZnO, Nb₂O₅, Ta₂O₅, HfO₂ and ZrO₂.

11. The method according to claim 2, wherein

a grating structure is on the surface of said master such that using said master to produce said second layer results in a grating existing in a surface of said second layer.

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein

said directly molding comprises one of

(i) directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during an injection molding process,

(ii) directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during a reaction injection molding process,

(iii) directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during a liquid injection molding process, and

(iv) directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during a hot embossing process.

13. The method according to claim 2, wherein

said directly molding comprises directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during an injection molding process.

14. The method according to claim 2, wherein

said directly molding comprises directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during a variotherm injection molding process.

15. The method according to claim 2, wherein

said directly molding comprises directly molding a material selected from the group consisting of polycarbonates, polymethylmethacrylates, cyclo-olefin polymers and cyclo-olefin copolymers.

16. The method according to claim 2, wherein

said directly molding comprises directly mold directly molding a material selected from the group consisting of cyclo-olefin polymers and cyclo-olefin copolymers.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein

said manufacturing an evanescent-field measuring platform including a first layer and a second layer, produced by using said master, further comprises manufacturing an essentially optically transparent waveguiding layer having a refractive index n₁, as said first layer, on an essentially optically transparent thermoplastic plastic layer having a refractive index n₂, as said second layer, with n₁>

n₂.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein

raised areas are on the surface of said master such that using said master to produce said second layer results in recesses existing in a surface of said second layer.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein

said recesses have a depth of from 20 μ

m to 500 μ

m.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein

said recesses have a depth of from 50 μ

m to 300 μ

m.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein

a grating structure and raised areas are on the surface of said master such that using said master to produce said second layer results in a grating and recesses simultaneously existing in a surface of said second layer.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein

said grating has a depth of from 3 nm to 100 nm, and

said recesses have a depth of from 20 μ

m to 500 μ

m.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein

said grating has a depth of from 10 nm to 30 nm, and

said recesses have a depth of from 50 μ

m to 300 μ

m.

24. The method according to claim 17, wherein

said manufacturing an evanescent-field measuring platform comprises manufacturing a planar optical structure for generating a surface plasmon resonance.

25. The method according to claim 17, wherein

said manufacturing an evanescent-field measuring platform comprises manufacturing a planar optical film waveguide.

26. The method according to claim 17, wherein

said metal oxide comprises a material selected from the group consisting of TiO₂, ZnO, Nb₂O₅, Ta₂O₅, HfO₂ and ZrO₂.

27. The method according to claim 17, wherein

a grating structure is on the surface of said master such that using said master to produce said second layer results in a grating existing in a surface of said second layer.

28. The method according to claim 17, wherein

said directly molding comprises one of

(i) directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during an injection molding process,

(ii) directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during a reaction injection molding process,

(iii) directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during a liquid injection molding process, and

(iv) directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during a hot embossing process.

29. The method according to claim 17, wherein

said directly molding comprises directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during an injection molding process.

30. The method according to claim 17, wherein

said directly molding comprises directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during a variotherm injection molding process.

31. The method according to claim 17, wherein

said directly molding comprises directly molding a material selected from the group consisting of polycarbonates, polymethylmethacrylates, cyclo-olefin polymers and cyclo-olefin copolymers.

32. The method according to claim 17, wherein

said directly molding comprises directly molding a material selected from the group consisting of cyclo-olefin polymers and cyclo-olefin copolymers.

33. The method according to claim 1, wherein

raised areas are on the surface of said master such that using said master to produce said second layer results in recesses existing in a surface of said second layer.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein

said recesses have a depth of from 20 μ

m to 500 μ

m.

35. The method according to claim 33, wherein

said recesses have a depth of from 50 μ

m to 300 μ

m.

36. The method according to claim 1, wherein

a grating structure and raised areas are on the surface of said master such that using said master to produce said second layer results in a grating and recesses simultaneously existing in a surface of said second layer.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein

said grating has a depth of from 3 nm to 100 nm, and

said recesses have a depth of from 20 μ

m to 500 μ

m.

38. The method according to claim 36, wherein

said grating has a depth of from 10 nm to 30 nm, and

said recesses have a depth of from 50 μ

m to 300 μ

m.

39. The method according to claim 1, wherein

said manufacturing an evanescent-field measuring platform comprises manufacturing a planar optical structure for generating a surface plasmon resonance.

40. The method according to claim 1, wherein

said metal oxide comprises a material selected from the group consisting of TiO₂, ZnO, Nb₂O₅, Ta₂O₅, HfO₂ and ZrO₂.

41. The method according to claim 1, wherein

a grating structure is on the surface of said master such that using said master to produce said second layer results in a grating existing in a surface of said second layer.

42. The method according to claim 1, wherein

said directly molding comprises one of

(i) directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during an injection molding process,

(ii) directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during a reaction injection molding process,

(iii) directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during a liquid injection molding process, and

(iv) directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during a hot embossing process.

43. The method according to claim 1, wherein

said directly molding comprises directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during an injection molding process.

44. The method according to claim 1, wherein

said directly molding comprises directly molding said thermoplastic plastic using said master during a variotherm injection molding process.

45. The method according to claim 1, wherein

said directly molding comprises directly molding a material selected from the group consisting of polycarbonates, polymethylmethacrylates, cyclo-olefin polymers and cyclo-olefin copolymers.

46. The method according to claim 1, wherein

said directly molding comprises directly molding a material selected from the group consisting of cyclo-olefin polymers and cyclo-olefin copolymers.

47. The method according to claim 2, wherein

said metal oxide comprises a material selected from the group consisting of TiO₂, Nb₂O₅ and Ta₂O₅.

48. The method according to claim 17, wherein

said metal oxide comprises a material selected from the group consisting of TiO₂, Nb₂O₅ and Ta₂O₅.

49. The method according to claim 1, wherein

said metal oxide comprises a material selected from the group consisting of TiO₂, Nb₂O₅ and Ta₂O₅.