Mold manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11186512-B2
Application number	US-202016752082-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2020
Priority date	Aug 11, 2017
Publication date	Nov 30, 2021
Grant date	Nov 30, 2021

Abstract

Provided is a mold manufacturing method that is capable of manufacturing a mold of a complex shape particularly of an optical element with sufficient shape accuracy and within a relatively short time. This mold manufacturing method includes: a step for forming a base made of metal into a first shape through machining; a step for coating the base with a resin layer; a step for forming the resin layer into a second shape; and a step for forming the base into a third shape through dry-etching.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mold manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
machining a base into a first shape;
coating the base with a resin layer;
forming the resin layer into a second shape; and
forming the base into a third shape by a dry etching process,
wherein the first shape presents grooves arranged in a first direction on a surface of the base, the second shape presents grooves arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on a surface of the resin layer and the third shape corresponds to a shape of a microlens array.

2. The mold manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the resin layer into the second shape is carried out by machining.

3. The mold manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the resin layer into the second shape is carried out by a lithography technology.

4. The mold manufacturing method according to claim 1 , wherein in the step of forming the base into the third shape by the dry etching process, the ratio of an etching rate of the base and an etching rate of the resin layer is in a range from 0.1 to 0.9.

5. A method for manufacturing a microlens array using a mold manufactured by the mold manufacturing method according to claim 1 .

6. A mold manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
machining a base into a first shape;
coating the base with a resin layer;
forming the resin layer into a second shape; and
forming the base into a third shape by a dry etching process,
wherein when an etching rate of the base is represented by r1, an etching rate of the resin layer is represented by r2, a coordinate along a direction on a surface of the base is represented by x 1 , a coordinate along the direction perpendicular to the surface of the base formed after the dry etching process is represented by z where the relationship z=0 holds on the surface of the base formed after the dry etching process, an x 1 z cross section of a target shape of the base corresponding to the first shape is represented by
z=f 1 ( x 1 ),

and a coordinate along the direction perpendicular to the surface of the base formed before the dry etching process is represented by z 01 where the relationship z 01 =0 holds on the surface of the base formed before the dry etching process, an x 1 z 01 cross section of the first shape is determined so as to satisfy the expression

z
01

=

r
⁢

⁢
2

r
⁢

⁢
2

-

r
⁢

⁢
1

×

f
1

⁡

(

x
1

)

.

7. A mold manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
machining a base into a first shape;
coating the base with a resin layer;
forming the resin layer into a second shape; and
forming the base into a third shape by a dry etching process,
wherein when an etching rate of the base is represented by r1, an etching rate of the resin layer is represented by r2, a coordinate along a direction on a surface of the base is represented by x 2 , a coordinate along the direction perpendicular to the surface of the base formed after the dry etching process is represented by z where the relationship z=0 holds on the surface of the base formed after the dry etching process, an x 2 z cross section of a target shape of the base corresponding to the second shape is represented by
z=f 2 ( x 2 ),

and a coordinate along the direction perpendicular to the surface of the base formed before the dry etching process is represented by z 02 where the relationship z 02 =0 holds on the surface of the base formed before the dry etching process, an x 2 z 02 cross section of the second shape is determined so as to satisfy the expression

z
02

=

r
⁢

⁢
2

r
⁢

⁢
1

×

f
2

⁡

(

x
2

)

.

Assignees

• Nalux Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamamoto Kazuya
• Murayama Tatsuya
• Nishio Yukinobu
• Fujimura Kayoko

Classifications

• C03B2215/11

  Metals · CPC title

• B29C33/42

  characterised by the shape of the moulding surface, e.g. ribs or grooves · CPC title

• C03B2215/414

  Arrays of products, e.g. lenses · CPC title

• C03B11/082 Primary

  having profiled, patterned or microstructured surfaces · CPC title

• C03B2215/412

  fine structured, e.g. fresnel lenses, prismatic reflectors, other sharp-edged surface profiles · CPC title