Optical article and optical article production method

• US 8,789,944 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2011
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hoya Lens Manufacturing Philippines, Inc. (Hoya Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hoya Lens Manufacturing Philippines, Inc. (Hoya Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishimoto, Keiji, Noguchi, Takashi, Seki, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Greece, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lei, Jie
• Application Number:
  US13/172,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20120026456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 359/585, 359/707, 359/580, 359/581, 359/586, 351/159, 351/159.01, 351/159.62, 351/159.57, 351/159.77, 351/159.8
• US Class Current: 351/159.01
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/083 of refractory metals or yttrium
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/30 by electron bombardment
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/116 including electrically conducting layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/12 by surface treatment, e.g. by irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/16 having an anti-static effect, e.g. electrically conducting coatings
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/18 Coatings for keeping optical surfaces clean, e.g. hydrophobic or photo-catalytic films G02B1/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less

Abstract

An optical article comprising: an optical base material; and a translucent layer that contains TiO_x (0<x≦2), the translucent layer is formed on the optical base material either directly or via some other layer, and the translucent layer has an argon concentration higher on a surface side of the translucent layer than on an optical base material side of the translucent layer.

Claims

1. An optical article comprising:

an optical base material; and

a translucent layer that contains TiO_x (0<

x≦

2), the translucent layer is formed on the optical base material either directly or via some other layer, and the translucent layer has an argon concentration higher on a surface side of the translucent layer than on an optical base material side of the translucent layer,

wherein the argon atom concentration on the surface side of the translucent layer is at least 2.0% as measured by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy).

2. The optical article of claim 1, wherein an argon peak appears on the surface side in a spectrum obtained by secondary ion mass spectrometry performed for the translucent layer along a depth direction from the surface of the translucent layer.

3. The optical article of claim 2, wherein a spectrum corresponding to an atomic weight of argon atoms in the translucent layer after being normalized by a spectrum in the optical base material side of the translucent layer has a peak that appears on the surface side.

4. The optical article of claim 1, wherein the argon atom concentration is at least 2.5%.

5. The optical article of claim 1, wherein the translucent layer has a thickness of at least 4 nm.

6. The optical article of claim 5, wherein the translucent layer has a thickness of at least 8 nm.

7. The optical article of claim 1, wherein the optical article includes a multilayer antireflection coating, and wherein the translucent layer is included in the multilayer antireflection coating.

8. The optical article of claim 1, further comprising an antifouling layer formed on the translucent layer either directly or via some other layer.

9. The optical article of claim 1, wherein the optical base material is a plastic lens base material.

10. Eyeglasses comprising:

an eyeglass lens comprising;

an optical base material; and

a translucent layer that contains TiO_x (0<

x≦

2), the translucent layer is formed on the optical base material either directly or via some other layer, and the translucent layer has an argon concentration higher on a surface side of the translucent layer than on an optical base material side of translucent layer, wherein the argon atom concentration on the surface side of the translucent layer is at least 2.0% as measured by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy); and

a frame attached to the eyeglass lens.

11. An optical article production method comprising:

forming a Ti0₂-containing translucent target layer on an optical base material either directly or via some other layer; and

ionizing and bombarding a mixed gas of argon gas and oxygen gas on a surface of the target layer,

wherein the step of ionizing and bombarding renders the argon concentration on the surface of the target layer higher than on an optical base material side of the target layer, and renders the argon atom concentration on the surface of the target layer at least 2.0% as measured by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy).

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the target layer is one of layers included in a multilayer antireflection coating.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the mixed gas is bombarded for 30 seconds to 300 seconds.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein a ratio of argon gas to oxygen gas contained in the mixed gas is 10:

1 to 1;

2.