Yard control features

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12005658-B2
Application number	US-202017436823-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2020
Priority date	Mar 12, 2019
Publication date	Jun 11, 2024
Grant date	Jun 11, 2024

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a plurality of optical elements ( 140 ) comprising the steps of providing a substrate ( 120 ), and a tool ( 101 ) comprising a plurality of replication sections ( 106 ), each defining a surface structure of one of the optical elements ( 140 ), the tool ( 101 ) further comprising at least one contact spacer portion ( 112 ), aligning the tool ( 101 ) and the substrate ( 120 ) with respect to each other and bringing the tool ( 101 ) and a first side of the substrate ( 122 ) together, with replication material ( 124 ) between the tool ( 101 ) and the substrate ( 120 ), the contact spacer portion ( 112 ) contacting the first side of the substrate ( 122 ), and thereby causing the spacer portion ( 112 ) to adhere to the first side of the substrate ( 122 ), hardening the replication material ( 124 ), wherein the substrate ( 120 ) has yard line features ( 138 ) around at least a portion of the replication sections ( 106 ), the yard line features ( 138 ) containing the replication material ( 124 ) on a first side of the yard line with respect to the tool ( 101 ) and the substrate ( 120 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a plurality of optical elements, the method comprising:
providing a substrate;
providing a tool comprising, on a replication side thereof, a plurality of replication sections, each of the replication sections configured to define a surface structure of a respective one of the optical elements, the tool further comprising at least one contact spacer portion, the at least one contact spacer portion protruding, on the replication side, further than an outermost feature of the replication sections;
aligning the tool and the substrate with respect to each other and bringing the tool and a first side of the substrate together, with replication material arranged between the tool and the substrate, the at least one contact spacer portion contacting the first side of the substrate, and thereby causing the at least one contact spacer portion to adhere to the first side of the substrate and shaping the replication material into the optical elements, wherein the optical elements abut yard line features arranged on the first side of the substrate around at least a portion of the replication sections with the tool and substrate brought together, the yard line features acting as a fluid barrier for the replication material forming the optical elements;
hardening the shaped replication material;
separating the tool from the substrate with the hardened replication material and the at least one contact spacer portion adhering to the substrate; and
removing the yard line features from the first side of the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the yard line features surround the replication material on the first side of the substrate.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising depositing a first volume of replication material followed by a second volume of replication material onto the first side of the substrate, the second volume greater than the first volume.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising removing the yard line features from the substrate with a stripper.

Assignees

• Ams Sensors Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Tesanovic Bojan
• Rudmann Hartmut
• Spring Nicola
• Gazzini Sebastiano Lazzi

Classifications

• G02B3/0075

  characterized by non-optical structures, e.g. having integrated holding or alignment means · CPC title

• B29L2011/0016

  Lenses · CPC title

• B29D11/00365

  Production of microlenses (lenticular sheets B29D11/00278) · CPC title

• B29D11/00298

  Producing lens arrays · CPC title

• B29D11/00413

  made by moulding between two mould parts which are not in direct contact with one another, e.g. comprising a seal between or on the edges (B29D11/00019 - B29D11/00355, B29D11/00423, B29D11/00432 take precedence) · CPC title