1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an antireflective member used in various optical devices such as a spectroscopic analysis, optical electronics, optical communications and lighting equipment and suitably used to prevent light having wavelengths in the visible range from reflecting.
2. Description of Prior Art
Conventional optical elements using transparent substrates such as glasses and plastics are subjected to a surface treatment, for example an antireflective film provided on a light incident surface of the substrate, in order to reduce the amount of light reflected from the surface. A multilayered film with thin dielectric films deposited is well known as the antireflective film for light of wavelengths in the visible range. Such a multilayered film is formed by growing thin films of metal oxides etc. on a surface of a transparent substrate by means of a vacuum evaporation method or the like.
Another technique of the surface treatment to prevent reflection is to roughen the surface of the optical element finely and densely. When light passes through the surface of the optical element on which roughness is regularly provided, generally light diffraction occurs, thereby significantly reducing straight component of the transmitted light. However, roughness whose pitch is shorter than a wavelength of light transmitting therethrough may not cause the light diffraction. If the roughness is made, for example, in a rectangular shape as described later, excellent antireflective effect can be obtained for light having a single wavelength corresponding to the pitch, depth or the like of the roughness.
If the roughness is in the shape of peak and valley rather than rectangular, in other words, if the roughness takes the shape of a pyramid in a manner which continually changes a ratio between a volume of the optical element member side and a volume of the air side, an excellent antireflective effect can be obtained for even light having a wide wavelength range.
An example of a method to form such a roughness is cited in JP 88001/1993A. In the disclosure, an alcohol solution of ethyl silicate blended with particles of silicon oxide or aluminum oxide is coated over a surface of the required optical element. A film with roughness can be obtained after removing the particles.
JP 96902/1987A discloses another method. A surface of a molding tool is worked with the dense sawtooth shapes (also included are sawtooth shapes with rounded edge) at the prescribed depth from the depth of ⅓ wavelength of visible rays up to 1/50 and the plastic is molded by using the finished molding tool.
In the above method to form the antireflective film consisting of the dielectric thin films on the surface of the optical element, however, it is difficult to obtain the antireflective effect for light having a wavelength range if the antireflective film is made with a few dielectric thin films. Many dielectric thin films are needed to obtain the antireflective effect for light in a wide wavelength range. Also more dielectric thin films must be deposited to prevent reflectance from changing depending on an incident angle of light. Hence ten to twenty or more layers of the dielectric thin film are needed to satisfy required performance.
A vacuum evaporation method to form the dielectric thin films causes variation of thickness of the films, resulting in instability of performance. In addition, after molding a substrate to be an optical element in one process, the method needs another process to form the dielectric thin film on the surface of the substrate, thereby reducing yields and increasing costs.
Basically antireflective films cancel out reflective light through the use of interference of light. Due to this, a refraction index of materials and a thickness of each dielectric thin film need to be controlled with high accuracy in the process of producing the dielectric thin film, thereby increasing costs with an increase in number of the dielectric thin film to be deposited. In addition, the increase in number of the dielectric thin film causes warps or the like in the substrate of the optical element, thereby reducing yields.
Spectral characteristics of thin films are influenced by properties of materials of the thin films, especially by a refraction index. The refraction index varies according to conditions of the film formation. Besides, limitations in materials of the film make it difficult to obtain ideal spectral characteristics.
On the other hand, an optical substrate with protrusions in a pyramidal shape thereon would be effective. In order to obtain the antireflective effect for light having a wider wavelength range, it is preferable that an aspect ratio, which is a ratio of height to pitch P of the protrusions, is large. In a structure disclosed in JP 88001/1993A, however, it is difficult in principle to form pyramidal shapes with the aspect ratio of not less than one.
Also in a structure disclosed in JP 96902/1987A, there is a possibility that incident light is reflected diffusely because of irregular shapes of the protrusions, resulting in low efficiency.
JP 272505/2001A proposes a method for forming spindle shapes on a surface of an optical element to solve the above problems. A metallic mask is formed on the optical element in a dot array and the optical element is subjected to reactive ion etching. At this time, the optical element is etched until the metallic mask vanishes after the gradual reduction of the diameter of the mask.
Although a surface treatment method of which the spindle shape with a large aspect ratio is formed on the optical element is proposed in JP 272505/2001A, the process, forming the metallic mask of chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al) or the like on the optical element and subjecting the optical element to reactive ion etching until the metallic mask vanishes, becomes complicated with increase in cost.
The present invention has an object to provide an antireflective member with stability and a low reflectance at low cost by performing an antireflective treatment to the substrate in the molding process of the substrate.
The present invention comprises a transparent substrate having a roughened surface with a continuous pattern of a fine pyramidal shape or a fine conical shape. The roughened surface is a diffraction surface with the zeroth-order diffraction to visible light. The pattern of the roughened surface is transferred from a mold at the transfer rate of not less than 70%.
Here, the zeroth-order diffraction refers to light traveling straight; in other words, light is not diffracted at the surface. The transfer rate refers to a rate of the actual shape to the ideal shape.
Further, an aspect ratio of a protrusion in the continuous pattern of a fine pyramidal shape or a fine conical shape formed in the mold is not less than 1 in the present invention.
According to the above structure, stable spectral characteristics can be obtained by forming the antireflective pattern on the surface of the substrate in the molding process of the substrate. Besides, the antireflective member can obtain spectral characteristics with low reflectance over visible light range by forming with the transfer rate from the mold not less than 70% and setting the aspect ratio of the protrusion, which is in a continuous pattern of a fine pyramidal shape or a fine conical shape and formed in the mold, not less than 1.
Also a misuse prevention film such as an ITO film having dust-proof property and TiO2 acting as photocatalyst may be provided on the roughened surface in the present invention.
In electronic equipment comprising an optical element in the present invention, the optical element includes a transparent substrate having a roughened surface with a continuous pattern of a fine pyramidal shape or a fine conical shape. The roughened surface is a diffraction surface with the zeroth-order diffraction to visible light. The pattern of the roughened surface is transferred from a mold at the transfer rate of not less than 70%.
The electronic equipment is a personal digital assistant and comprises a liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal display device is a reflective type liquid crystal display device including a surface lighting device. The surface lighting device comprises a light source and a light guide plate and the roughened surface is formed on the light guide plate so as to face a reflective liquid crystal display means.
The roughened surface may be formed on a front cover of the liquid crystal display device.
Also the roughened surface may be formed on a cover of a lens of a CCD camera as the electronic equipment.
The electronic equipment may be an optical pickup device whose diffraction grating is provided with the roughened surface.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when reviewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Description of an embodiment according to the present invention is now made with reference to drawings.
As shown in
An aspect ratio is defined as a ratio D/p; a height D of the pattern to a pitch p of the pattern, shown in
Spectral characteristics in
The larger aspect ratio makes the peak and bottom of the spectral characteristic unclear, causing low reflectance; therefore interference colors generated by reflection are becoming nearly colorless.
On the other hand, while the reflectance of the pattern with the aspect ratio of smaller than 1 is increased on the long wavelength side, red component of the interference color is intensified. It is also found that the spectral characteristic loses balance when the aspect ratio is smaller than 1
In the spectral characteristics shown in
A pitch p of the pattern should be smaller than a pitch of a wavelength of light. The pitch p is 300 nm in this embodiment. When the pitch p of the pattern is closer to wavelengths of visible light, for example 550 nm, a diffraction phenomenon of light occurs. Light diffraction loses inherent antireflective effect. When the pitch p of the pattern is smaller than wavelengths of visible light, light is not diffracted, which is so called zeroth-order diffraction. Consequently the continuous pattern on the surface of the transparent substrate 1 is formed so as to be a diffraction surface with zeroth-order diffraction to visible light.
Such pattern of pyramidal shape provided on the surface as the antireflective member might adhere dust on its patterned surface. To prevent this, ITO film having dust-proof property for the roughened surface or TiO2 acting as photocatalyst may be provided on the roughened surface as a misuse prevention film.
As described above, the pitch p of the pattern is preferably smaller than a wavelength of light. In this embodiment, the pitch p is 300 nm. The smaller the pitch is, the more difficult molding of the pattern becomes. In consideration of molding or the like, the pitch p is preferably from 100 nm to 300 nm. The smallest pitch of a recent semiconductor is known as 100 nm. For a laser light source of an exposure system, research has been done on F2 laser with a wavelength λ in the 100 nm range, specifically λ=157 nm. A processing accuracy and resolution depends on the wavelength λ. Therefore, the smallest pitch p of the fine pattern should be 100 nm and more.
Descriptions will be made on an example of manufacturing methods of a mold for forming the above mentioned antireflective member with reference to
Next, portions which were exposed are removed after development to form the roughened photoresist 82 on the substrate, as shown in
The pitch between the metal masks 83a is adjusted in a range between 100 nm and 300 nm. Reactive ion etching is performed using the metal masks 83a as masks. As shown in
Subsequently nickel (Ni) is sputtered on the master 85 to form a nickel layer of a few hundreds angstrom in thickness as shown in
Methods of forming the antireflective member with the above mold include a 2P (photo-polymer) molding process using a UV cure resin, a hot press molding process, a resin injection molding process, which will be described later. Experimental results show the transfer rate of each process: the 2P molding process, at lowest 90%; the hot press molding process, 80–90%; and the injection molding process, at highest 70%.
Next, description is made on a specific example adopting the antireflective member of the present invention.
As shown in the schematic cross sectional view of
Although a linear light emission tube is sometimes used as a linear light source 53, the more frequently used linear light source is a combination of a point source of light such as a light emitting diode and a linear or bar-like light guide plate which scatters and emits light from the point source in order to reduce power consumption.
On the front surface of the light guide plate 54, reflective surfaces 56 and light transmitting surfaces 57 are alternately provided; the reflective surfaces 56 scatter light entered from the linear light source 53 through one side of the light guide plate 54, namely light incident surfaces, and reflect the light toward the back surface; and light transmitting surfaces 57 allow light, which is reflected by the liquid crystal display means 51 and enters the back surface of the light guide plate 54, to transmit toward the front surface side of the light guide plate 54.
Light emitted from the linear light source 53 is reflected on the reflective surfaces 56 of the light guide plate 54 and enters the liquid crystal display means 51. After converted and reflected in the liquid crystal display means 51, the light enters the light guide plate 54 without being reflected due to the antireflective member 55. The visible light among the light enters the light guide plate 54 without being refracted. Then the light transmitted from the light guide plate 54 is visually identified.
Descriptions are made on one method for forming the above mentioned light guide plate by referring to
A UV cure resin 63 is charged between the molds 61 and 62, pressurized and then cured by irradiation of ultraviolet rays (UV). Later, the antireflective member 55 is integrally formed with the light guide plate 54 after taking off the molds 61 and 62.
According to the above mentioned method, the pattern of the antireflective member 55 can be transferred from the mold at an extremely high transfer rate.
Descriptions are made on another method for forming the above mentioned light guide plate by referring to
Next, a transparent substrate 64 is put between the molds 61 and 62. A UV cure resin 63 is charged on both sides of the transparent substrate 64, pressurized and cured by irradiation of ultraviolet rays (UV). Later, the light guide plate is integrally formed with the antireflective member 55 and the pattern surface of the front light formed on each side of the transparent substrate 64 after taking off the molds 61 and 62.
According to the above method, the pattern can be transferred from the mold at an extremely high transfer rate.
Descriptions are made on other method for forming the above mentioned light guide plate by referring to
Descriptions are made on other additional method for forming the above mentioned light guide plate by referring to
This invention is applicable to not only the above mentioned light guide plate but also various optical devices below; a spherical part of a lens such as an object lens for an optical pickup; diffraction gratings; semiconductor laser; a cover glass of LED; a resin cover of a liquid crystal display surface and a touch panel of PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) devices such as a cellular phone; a light incident surface of solar cell devices or the like.
According to the present invention, as can now be appreciated, good yield and stable spectral characteristic can be obtained by forming the antireflective pattern on the surface of the substrate while forming the substrate.
Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it should be clearly understood that the description discloses examples of different embodiments of the invention and is not intended to be limited to the examples or illustrations provided. Any changes or modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention are intended to be included, the invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2002-083902 | Mar 2002 | JP | national |
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5817396 | Perlo et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20030180476 A1 | Sep 2003 | US |