METHOD OF PRODUCING MOLD HAVING UNEVEN STRUCTURE, MOLD FOR OPTICAL ELEMENT, AND OPTICAL ELEMENT

Abstract

A method of producing a mold having an uneven structure and a mold for an optical element are provided. The method includes forming on a nickel substrate a mixed film using nickel and a material which phase separates from nickel simultaneously, the mixed film including a plurality of cylinders including nickel as a component thereof and a matrix region including the material which phase separates from nickel as a component thereof and surrounding the plurality of cylinders; and removing the matrix portion from the mixed film by etching to give a mold including nickel or a nickel alloy. The uneven structure is disposed in plurality on the substrate, and a pitch of the uneven structure is within a range of 30 nm or more and 500 nm or less and a depth of the uneven structure is within a range of 100 nm or more.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a mixed film of nickel and a material which phase separates from nickel for describing a method of producing a mold of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an aluminum-nickel mixed film for describing a method of producing a mold of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an aluminum-nickel mixed film for describing a method of producing a mold of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating an aluminum-nickel mixed film for describing a method of producing a mold for an optical element of the present invention.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a mold for an optical element of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a mold for an optical element of the present invention.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating an optical element of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating pores or protrusions used in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic views illustrating the arrangement of pores and protrusions used in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a principal part of an optical scanning device having mounted an optical element of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a principal part of an image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a principal part of a color image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an aluminum-nickel mixed film for describing a method of producing a mold of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic view illustrating an aluminum-nickel mixed film for describing a method of producing a metal mold of the present invention.

FIGS. 15A and 15B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a metal mold of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating grooves used in an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of producing a mold having an uneven structure on a substrate, comprising: forming on a substrate a mixed film using a first material and a second material which phase separates from the first material simultaneously, at least one of the first and the second materials comprising nickel, and the mixed film comprising a plurality of cylinders comprising the first material as a component thereof and a matrix region comprising the second material as a component thereof and surrounding the plurality of cylinders; andremoving the matrix portion from the mixed film.

2. A method of producing a mold having an uneven structure on a substrate, comprising: forming on a substrate a mixed film using a first material and a second material which phase separates from the first material simultaneously, at least one of the first and the second materials comprising nickel, and the mixed film comprising a matrix region comprising the first material as a component and a plurality of cylinders comprising the second material as a component and surrounded by the matrix portion; andremoving the cylinder portion from the mixed film.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the uneven structure is disposed in plurality on the substrate and comprises the first material, a pitch of the uneven structure is within a range of 30 nm or more and 500 nm or less, and a depth of the uneven structure is within a range of 100 nm or more.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising: forming on a nickel substrate a mixed film using nickel and a material which phase separates from nickel simultaneously, the mixed film comprising a plurality of cylinders comprising nickel as a component thereof and a matrix region comprising the material which phase separates from nickel as a component thereof and surrounding the plurality of cylinders; andremoving the matrix portion from the mixed film by etching to give a mold comprising nickel or a nickel alloy.

5. The method according to claim 2, comprising: forming on a nickel substrate a mixed film using nickel and a material which phase separates from nickel simultaneously, the mixed film comprising a matrix region comprising nickel as a component and a plurality of cylinders comprising the material which phase separates from nickel as a component and surrounded by the matrix region; andremoving the cylinder portion from the mixed film by etching to give a mold comprising nickel or a nickel alloy.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the shape of the cylinders of the mold comprising nickel or the nickel alloy is controlled by varying a compositional ratio of nickel and the material which phase separates from nickel in the mixed film.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the material which phase separates from nickel contains at least one of aluminum, magnesium, titanium, yttrium and zirconium which have a eutectic equilibrium diagram with nickel.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the material which phase separates from nickel contains at least one of silver and gold which form no compound with nickel.

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein the mold comprising nickel or the nickel alloy is formed of an uneven structure of a plurality of convex cylinders or circular cones.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the mold comprising nickel or the nickel alloy is formed of an uneven structure of a plurality of concave cylinders or circular cones.

11. A mold for an optical element produced by the method of producing a mold for an optical element set forth in claim 1.

12. An optical element molded using the mold for an optical element set forth in claim 11.

13. A method of producing a metal mold having an uneven structure on a substrate, comprising: forming on a substrate a mixed film comprising a first member and a second member which phase separates from the first member simultaneously, the mixed film having a two-phase separated structure comprising a first and a second columnar members; anddissolving one of the columnar members comprising one of the two phases of the mixed film to give a metal mold comprising the other of the columnar members including the other of the two phases.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the uneven structure is disposed in plurality on the substrate and comprises one of the two phases of the mixed film having the two-phase separated structure comprising the first and the second columnar members, the ratio of an average diameter D1 in a long axis direction to an average diameter Ds in a short axis direction of the one of the two phases is 5 or more, a pitch of the uneven structure is within a range of 30 nm or more and 500 nm or less, and a depth of the uneven structure is within a range of 100 nm or more.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the average diameter in a short axis direction of the columnar members is 5 nm or more and 300 nm or less.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the two-phase separated structure comprising the first and the second columnar members of the mixed film has a directionality.

17. The method according to claim 13, comprising: forming a mixed film on a nickel substrate using nickel and a material which phase separates from nickel simultaneously, the mixed film having a two-phase separated structure; andremoving from the mixed film by etching, the columnar member comprising the material which phase separates from nickel and comprising one of the two phases to give a mold comprising nickel or a nickel alloy.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the shape of the columnar members of the mold comprising nickel or the nickel alloy is controlled by varying a compositional ratio of nickel and the material which phase separates from nickel in the mixed film.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the mold comprising nickel or the nickel alloy is formed of an uneven structure of a plurality of convex or concave lamellas.