JP2002181684A - Method of making for near-field light generating element - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of making a near-field light generating element with a microscopic aperture through simple processes. SOLUTION: The near-field light generating element is made by the step of making at least one weight-shaped protrusion, the step of making an aperture control portion having approximately the same height as the protrusion, the step of forming a light blocking film for covering at least the protrusion, and the step of forming an optical aperture at the end of the protrusion by applying forces to the protrusion and the aperture control portion at the same time using a pushing element having a rough plane.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a near-field light generating element having an opening for irradiating and detecting near-field light.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to observe a minute area on the order of nanometers on a sample surface, a scanning tunneling microscope (S) is used.
TM) and a scanning probe microscope (SPM) represented by an atomic force microscope (AFM). SPM
Scans a probe with a sharpened tip on the sample surface, and observes the interaction between the probe and the sample surface, such as tunneling current and atomic force, to obtain an image with a resolution that depends on the probe tip shape. Can be obtained, but the restrictions on the sample to be observed are relatively severe.

Therefore, a near-field optical microscope (SNOM) which enables observation of a minute area on the surface of a sample by observing an interaction between a probe and a near-field light generated on the surface of the sample. ) Is drawing attention.

In a near-field optical microscope, near-field light is applied to the surface of a sample through an opening provided at the tip of a sharpened optical fiber. The aperture has a size equal to or smaller than the diffraction limit of the wavelength of light introduced into the optical fiber, and has a diameter of, for example, about 100 nm. The distance between the opening formed in the probe tip and the sample is controlled by the SPM technique, and the value is equal to or smaller than the opening size. At this time, the spot diameter of the near-field light on the sample is almost the same as the aperture size. Therefore, by scanning near-field light irradiating the sample surface, it is possible to observe the optical properties of the sample in a minute area.

[0005] In addition to the use as a microscope, near-field light having a high energy density is generated at the opening of the optical fiber probe by introducing relatively high-intensity light toward the sample through the optical fiber probe. As a result, application as high-density optical memory recording that locally changes the structure or physical properties of the sample surface is also possible. Attempts have been made to increase the tip angle of the probe tip in order to obtain high-intensity near-field light.

In these devices using near-field light, formation of an aperture is the most important. As one of the methods for forming the opening, a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H5-221201 is known. In the method of forming an opening in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H5-221201, a sharpened light guide with a light-shielding film deposited thereon is used as a sample for forming the opening.
In the method of forming the aperture, the light-shielding film at the tip is plastically deformed by pressing a sharpened light guide with a light-shielding film against a hard flat plate with a very small pressing amount that is well controlled by a piezoelectric actuator.

As a method of forming an opening, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
-265520. JP 1
In the method of forming an opening of 1-265520, an opening is formed at a tip of a projection formed on a flat plate by a focused ion beam (FIB). The method of forming the opening is
This is performed by irradiating the light shielding film at the tip of the projection with FIB from the side surface and removing the light shielding film at the tip of the projection.

[0008]

However, according to the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H5-221201, an aperture can be formed only by one light guide. In addition, according to the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H5-221201, it is necessary to control the pushing amount by a piezoelectric actuator having a moving resolution of several nm. Must be smelled.
Further, it takes time to adjust the light propagating rod so that the rod is perpendicular to the flat plate. In addition to the piezoelectric actuator having a small moving amount, a mechanical translation table having a large moving amount is required. Further, a control device is required to control the amount of depression by using a piezoelectric actuator having a small moving resolution, and it takes several minutes to control and form the opening. Therefore, a large-scale apparatus such as a high-voltage power supply and a feedback circuit is required for forming the opening. In addition, there is a problem that the cost for forming the opening is increased.

According to the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-265520, the processing target is a projection on a flat plate, but since the opening is formed using the FIB, the time required for forming one opening is 10 minutes. Degree and long. Also, in order to use FIB, the sample must be placed in a vacuum. Therefore, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost for manufacturing the opening is increased.

[0010]

Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first method for manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention employs a method for optically applying a tip of a conical projection covered with a light shielding film. In the method for producing a near-field light generating element having an aperture, a step of producing at least one conical projection that transmits a desired wavelength, and a micro-aperture control unit having substantially the same height as the conical projection. The step of manufacturing, the step of forming a light-shielding film covering at least the cone-shaped protrusion, and simultaneously applying a force to the cone-shaped protrusion and the opening control unit using a substantially flat indentation body Forming an optical opening at the tip of the conical projection.

According to the present invention, a near-field light generating element having an opening can be easily formed with a uniform and minute opening at the tip of the conical projection without using an actuator having a high resolution. Can be easily produced. Further, since the height of the conical projection and the height of the aperture control section are always controlled to be the same, the production yield of the aperture is improved, and the manufacturing cost of the near-field light generating element can be reduced.

Further, since the opening is formed only by simply applying the force F, the time required for forming the opening of the near-field light generating element can be extremely short, from several seconds to several tens of seconds.

Further, according to the present invention, the processing atmosphere may be used for forming the opening of the near-field light generating element. Therefore,
An opening can be formed in the atmosphere, and the processing state can be immediately observed with an optical microscope or the like. Further, by processing the opening in a scanning electron microscope, it is possible to observe the processing state at a higher resolution than with an optical microscope. Further, by processing the opening in the liquid, the liquid functions as a damper, so that processing conditions with further improved controllability can be obtained.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, comprising the steps of: In the method for manufacturing a light-generating element, a step of manufacturing at least one cone-shaped projection that transmits a desired wavelength, and a step of fabricating an opening control unit having substantially the same height as the cone-shaped projection, A step of forming the light-shielding film covering the conical protrusion, and a step of forming a periodic microstructure,
Forming an optical opening at the tip of the conical projection by simultaneously applying a force to the conical projection and the opening control unit using a pusher having a substantially flat surface. And

According to the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first method for producing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, by forming a periodic microstructure near the conical projection, the periodic structure is reduced. Due to the plasmon effect of the microstructure, the intensity of near-field light generated by the aperture can be increased. Therefore, the output of the laser, which is the light source of the device using such a near-field light generating element, can be reduced, so that a reduction in heat generation, lower power consumption, and a smaller device can be expected.

According to a third method of manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the second aspect of the present invention. Includes the periodic microstructure.

According to the present invention, in addition to the effect of the second method for producing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, since a part of the aperture control section is a periodic microstructure, The intensity of the near-field light is increased by the plasmon effect even if a new structure other than the conical protrusion is not intentionally formed, so that a process for forming a new periodic microstructure can be omitted, and a strong near-field The manufacturing cost of the near-field light generating element required for obtaining light can be reduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, wherein the aperture control section is provided. Is the periodic microstructure.

According to the present invention, in addition to the effect of the second method for manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, the aperture control unit itself is a periodic microstructure. The plasmon effect increases the intensity of near-field light without forming a new microstructure or forming a new structure other than the aperture control section and the conical projection. A process for forming the near-field light generating element required for obtaining strong near-field light can be omitted, and the manufacturing cost of a near-field light generating element required for obtaining strong near-field light can be reduced.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the second aspect of the present invention. A microstructure is formed between the opening control section and the conical projection.

According to the present invention, in addition to the effect of the second method for producing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, a near-field due to the plasmon effect is produced by producing a periodic microstructure having a wavelength near the opening. The light intensity can be dramatically increased. Due to the increase in the near-field light intensity, the laser output of the device using the minute aperture can be reduced, and a reduction in heat generation, lower power consumption, and a smaller device can be expected.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a sixth method for manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention is directed to a method for manufacturing one of the first to fifth near-field light generating elements according to the present invention. The method is characterized in that the conical protrusion is disposed so as to be surrounded by the opening control unit.

According to the present invention, in addition to the effect of any one of the first to fifth methods for manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, an aperture control section 2 is provided near a conical projection 1. In addition, since a plurality of conical protrusions are arranged two-dimensionally, the displacement amount of the plate as the pushing body can be reduced, so that the size is uniform and minute without using a high-resolution actuator. It is easy to form openings at the tips of the plurality of conical projections 1 at the same time. Therefore, openings can be formed at once on a plurality of conical projections, and depending on the number of conical projections per wafer, the processing time per opening can be extremely short. Thus, a large number of openings can be manufactured at a lower cost.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, wherein the first or second near-field light generating element according to the present invention comprises: The step of forming the conical projection and the step of forming the opening control section are one step.

According to the present invention, in addition to the effects of the method of manufacturing the first or second near-field light generating element according to the present invention,
A near-field optical element can be manufactured because one type of photomask can be used to form a cone-shaped projection portion mask and an aperture control portion mask for manufacturing a cone-shaped projection portion and an aperture control portion. The number of photomasks and the number of exposures can be reduced, and the cost can be further reduced. In addition, since the cone-shaped projection portion mask and the opening control portion mask are formed from one photomask, the positional error between the two masks can be reduced.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention. It is characterized in that two or all of the three steps of the step of forming the protrusion, the step of forming the opening control section, and the step of forming the periodic microstructure are one step.

According to the present invention, in addition to the effects of the method of manufacturing the first or second near-field light generating element according to the present invention,
2 out of 3 steps of a step of forming a conical projection, a step of forming an aperture control section, and a step of forming a periodic microstructure
Since the steps or all three steps can be realized in one step, the number of steps for manufacturing a near-field optical element can be reduced, the manufacturing steps for manufacturing a near-field optical element can be simplified, and the manufacturing time can be reduced. Further, it is possible to further reduce the manufacturing cost.

[0028]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a method for forming an opening according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. (Embodiment 1) FIGS. 1 to 3 are views for explaining a method of manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. A work 1000 shown in FIG. 1 includes a transparent layer 5 formed on a substrate 4, a conical projection 1 and a ridge-shaped opening control unit 2 formed on the transparent layer 5, and a conical projection 1 and an opening control. The light-shielding film 3 is formed on the portion 2 and the transparent layer 5. In the work 1000, the transparent layer 5 is not always necessary. In this case, the light-shielding film 3 is
It is formed on the opening control unit 2 and the substrate 4. Further, the light shielding film 3 may be deposited only on the conical projection 1.

The height of the conical projection 1 is several mm or less, and the height of the opening control part 2 is several mm or less. In the present embodiment, the height of the conical projection 1 and the opening control unit 2
Are the same height. The interval between the conical projection 1 and the opening control unit 2 is several mm or less. The thickness of the light-shielding film 3 varies depending on the material of the light-shielding film 3, but is
nm.

The conical projection 1, the aperture control part 2, and the transparent layer 5 are made of a dielectric material having a high transmittance in a visible light region such as silicon dioxide or diamond, or a dielectric material having a high transmittance in an infrared light region such as zinc selenium or silicon. A high dielectric material or a material having a high transmittance in an ultraviolet light region, such as magnesium fluoride or calcium fluoride, is used. In addition, the conical projection 1
Any material can be used as long as it transmits at least the conical protrusion 1 in the wavelength band of light passing through the opening. Further, the conical projection 1, the opening control unit 2, and the transparent layer 5
May be made of the same material or may be made of different materials. The light-shielding film 3 is made of, for example, a metal such as aluminum, chromium, gold, platinum, silver, copper, titanium, tungsten, nickel, or cobalt, or an alloy thereof.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which the light shielding film 3 on the conical projection 1 is plastically deformed in the method of forming the opening. A plate 6 and a pushing tool 7 were used as a pushing body for plastically deforming the light shielding film 3. On the work 1000 shown in FIG. 1, a plate 6 that covers the conical projection 1 and at least a part of the opening control unit 2 and that is flat on at least the side of the conical projection 1 and the opening control unit 2 is placed. Further, the pushing tool 7 is placed on the plate 6. By applying a force F to the pushing tool 7 in the direction of the central axis of the conical projection 1, the plate 6 moves toward the conical projection 1. The contact area between the opening control unit 2 and the plate 6 is several hundred to several tens of thousands times larger than the contact area between the conical projection 1 and the plate 6. Therefore, the applied force F is dispersed by the opening control unit 2, and as a result, the displacement amount of the plate 6 is reduced.
Since the displacement of the plate 6 is small, the amount of plastic deformation that the light shielding film 3 receives is very small. Further, the conical projection 1 and the opening control unit 2 receive only a very small elastic deformation. Power
The method of adding F includes a method of lifting a weight having a predetermined weight by a predetermined distance and allowing it to fall freely, and a method of attaching a spring having a predetermined spring constant to the pushing tool 7 and pressing the spring by a predetermined distance. . The plate 6 is harder than the light shielding film,
When the material is softer than the conical protrusion 1 and the opening control unit 2, the force received by the conical protrusion 1 and the opening control unit 2 is absorbed by the plate 6, so that the displacement amount of the plate 6 becomes smaller. In addition, it becomes easy to reduce the amount of plastic deformation of the light shielding film 3.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which the plate 6 as a pushing body and the pushing tool 7 are removed after the force F is applied. Since the amount of plastic deformation of the light-shielding film 3 is very small, and the conical protrusion 1 and the opening control unit 2 are displaced only in the elastic deformation region, the opening 8 is formed at the tip of the conical protrusion 1. The size of the opening 8 is about several nm to about the diffraction limit of the wavelength of light passing through the conical projection 1. In addition,
In the above, the plate 6 is placed between the pushing tool 7 and the workpiece 1000.
However, it is needless to say that the opening 8 can be similarly formed by removing the plate 6 and directly pushing in with the pushing tool 7.

In order to introduce light into the opening 8, the transparent body 5 or at least a part of the conical projection 1 is exposed by etching the substrate 4 from the side opposite to the surface on which the conical projection 1 is formed. An opening for introducing light into the opening 8 is formed. Also,
When the substrate 4 is made of a transparent material, it goes without saying that the step of forming the light inlet can be omitted.

Further, by controlling the height of the conical projection 1 and the height of the opening control section, the amount of displacement of the light shielding film above the conical projection 1 can be controlled. The size of the opening made at the tip can be controlled.

As described above, according to the opening forming method of the present invention, the opening control section 2 can control the displacement of the plate 6 which is a push body satisfactorily, and the displacement of the plate 6 can be reduced. Since it can be made very small, a small opening 8 having a uniform size can be easily formed at the tip of the conical projection 1. Further, by irradiating light from the substrate side, near-field light can be generated from the opening 8.

Next, a method of manufacturing the work 1000 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 shows that after forming the transparent material 103 on the substrate material 104, the conical projection mask 1 is formed.
01 and the state where the opening control mask 102 is formed. FIG. 4A shows a top view, and FIG.
FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view at a position indicated by AA ′ in FIG. The transparent material 103 is formed on the substrate material 104 by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or spin coating. Further, the transparent material 103 can be formed on the substrate material 104 by a method such as solid-phase bonding or adhesion. Next, a conical projection mask 101 and an opening control mask 102 are formed on the transparent material 103 by a photolithography process using a photomask. Conical projection mask 101 and aperture control mask 102
May be formed simultaneously or separately.

The mask 101 for the conical protrusions and the mask 102 for the opening control unit are made of a photoresist or a nitride film, depending on the material of the transparent material 103 and the etchant used in the next step. The transparent material 103 is a dielectric having a high transmittance in a visible light region such as silicon dioxide or diamond, a dielectric having a high transmittance in an infrared light region such as zinc selenium or silicon, or a dielectric such as magnesium fluoride or calcium fluoride. A material having a high transmittance in an ultraviolet light region is used.

The diameter of the conical projection mask 101 is, for example, several mm or less. The width W1 of the opening control unit mask 102 is, for example, equal to or smaller than the diameter of the conical projection mask 101 by several tens nm to several μm. The length of the opening control mask 102 is several tens μm or more.

FIG. 5 shows a conical projection 1 and an opening control unit 2.
Is formed. 5A is a top view, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line AA ′ in FIG. 5A. After the cone 101 and the opening control mask 102 are formed, the cone 1 and the opening control unit 2 are formed by isotropic etching using wet etching. By adjusting the relationship between the thickness of the transparent material 103 and the heights of the conical projection 1 and the opening control unit 2, the transparent layer 5 shown in FIG. 1 may or may not be formed. The tip radius of the conical projection 1 is several nn
To several hundred nm. Thereafter, a work 1000 shown in FIG. 1 can be formed by depositing a light shielding film by a method such as sputtering or vacuum evaporation. Also, the light shielding film 3
Is deposited only on the conical protrusions 1, in the step of depositing the light-shielding film 3, sputtering, vacuum deposition, or the like is performed with a metal mask having a shape such that the light-shielding film is deposited on the conical protrusions 1. After depositing the light-shielding film 3 on the entire surface of the work 1000 on which the conical projections are formed,
It is needless to say that the light shielding film 3 can be formed only on the conical projections 1 by using a photolithography process in which the light shielding film 3 is left only on the substrate. As explained above,
According to the first embodiment of the present invention, by providing the opening control section 2 near the conical projection 1, the plate 6 which is a push body is provided.
Since the amount of displacement can be reduced, it is easy to form the minute opening 8 having a uniform size at the tip of the conical projection 1 without using an actuator having a high resolution.
In our experiment, the opening 8 having a diameter of 100 nm or less could be formed only by hitting the pushing tool 7 with a hammer or the like held in a hand. Further, since the height of the conical projection 1 and the height of the opening control unit 2 are always controlled to be the same, the production yield of the opening 8 is improved. Further, since the work 1000 described in Embodiment 1 of the present invention can be manufactured by a photolithography process, a plurality of works can be manufactured on a sample having a large area such as a wafer, and the force F can be kept constant. By doing so, the openings 8 having a uniform opening size can be formed in each of the plurality of workpieces 1000 manufactured. Further, since it is very easy to change the magnitude of the force F, it is possible to individually form the openings 8 having different opening sizes in the plurality of works 1000. Further, since the opening 8 is formed simply by simply applying the force F, the time required for forming the opening is very short, from several seconds to several tens of seconds.

Further, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the processing atmosphere does not matter. Therefore, processing can be performed in the atmosphere, and the processing state can be immediately observed with an optical microscope or the like. Further, by processing in a scanning electron microscope, it is possible to observe the processing state at a higher resolution than in an optical microscope. Further, by processing in a liquid, the liquid functions as a damper, so that processing conditions with further improved controllability can be obtained.

Further, it is also possible to produce a plurality of openings 8 having the same opening size at once by applying a force F to a sample in which a plurality of works 1000 are produced. In the case of processing all at once, the processing time per opening is very short, several hundred milliseconds or less, depending on the number of works 1000 per wafer.

Further, in the case where a cone type projection mask for forming the conical projection portion and the opening control portion and a mask for the opening control portion are formed by a photolithography process using one type of photomask. In addition, the number of photomasks and the number of exposures for fabricating the near-field optical element can be reduced, and the cost can be further reduced. Further, since the conical projection portion mask and the opening control portion mask are formed by one photomask, the positional error between the two masks can be reduced. In addition, since the step of forming the conical projection and the step of forming the opening control section can be realized in one step, the manufacturing step can be simplified, the manufacturing time can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a shape of a work 2000 for describing a method of manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the light-shielding film is omitted for the sake of simplicity. The transparent material 103 is formed on a substrate (not shown).

The shape of the work 2000 of this embodiment is as follows.
Compared to the shape of the work 1000 described in the first embodiment, this embodiment is an embodiment in which there are a plurality (four in FIG. 6) of conical protrusions. Therefore, the description of the same parts as in the first embodiment will be partially omitted or simplified.

The method of manufacturing the work 2000 of FIG. 6 can be manufactured in the same manner as the work 1000 of the first embodiment. In the case of manufacturing the work 1000 according to the first embodiment, one conical projection mask is formed.
In the case of the work 2000, four cone-shaped projections 60 are formed by isotropic etching by wet etching after forming four cone-shaped projection masks and an opening control section mask.
1 and the opening control unit 2 are formed. Four conical projections 6
The tip radius of 01 is several nn to several hundred nm. Thereafter, a light shielding film is deposited by a method such as sputtering or vacuum evaporation. In the case where the light-shielding film is deposited only on the cone-shaped protrusion 601, in the light-shielding film deposition step, a metal mask having a shape such that the light-shielding film is deposited on the cone-shaped protrusion 601 is placed, and sputtering or vacuum deposition is performed. I do. In addition, work 20
After a light-shielding film is deposited on the entire surface on which the conical protrusions of No. 00 are formed, a photolithography process in which the light-shielding film remains only on the conical protrusions 601 can be performed only on the conical protrusions 601. It goes without saying that a light-shielding film can be formed. For the light-shielding film, for example, a metal such as aluminum, chromium, gold, platinum, silver, copper, titanium, tungsten, nickel, or cobalt, or an alloy thereof is used.

The work 2000 thus manufactured
On the other hand, the method of forming an opening in the light-shielding film on the conical protrusion 601 is exactly the same as that in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In order to introduce light into the opening formed in the light-shielding film on the conical projection 601, the transparent material 103 or the conical projection is etched by etching the substrate from the side opposite to the surface on which the conical projection 601 is formed. At least a part of the portion 601 is exposed to form a light introduction port to the opening. It is needless to say that the step of forming the light inlet can be omitted by forming the substrate from a transparent material.

Accordingly, openings are simultaneously formed in the light-shielding film on the plurality of conical projections, respectively. The size of each opening can be controlled by the height of each conical projection, and in addition to making all the openings the same size, simultaneously creating a plurality of openings of any size can do.

As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment of the present invention, by forming a plurality of conical projections so as to be surrounded by the opening control section. The openings can be simultaneously and easily formed at the tips of the plurality of conical projections.

Further, it is possible to produce more openings at once by applying a force F to one wafer on which a plurality of works 2000 are produced. In the case of processing all at once, although it depends on the number of workpieces per wafer, the processing time per opening is much shorter than a few times compared with Embodiment 1, and one opening Per production cost can also be greatly reduced.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a shape of a work 3000 for describing a method of manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In FIG. 7, the light-shielding film is omitted for the sake of simplicity. The transparent material 103 is formed on a substrate (not shown).

The shape of the work 3000 of the present embodiment is as follows.
The only difference from the shape of the workpiece 1000 described in the first embodiment is that a microstructure 702 having a periodicity of about the wavelength is provided between the conical protrusion and the aperture control unit. Therefore, the description of the same parts as in the first embodiment will be partially omitted or simplified.

In the method of manufacturing the work 3000 shown in FIG. 7, the conical projection 1 and the opening control section 2 can be manufactured in exactly the same manner as the work 1000 of the first embodiment. In order to fabricate the work 3000 shown in FIG. 7, a periodic microstructure is further formed between the conical projection 1 and the opening controller 2. The manufacturing method is the same as the method for forming the conical projections and the opening control section, by forming a mask for the microstructure 702 and then performing etching to form the microstructure 702.
Form 2 Of course, the conical projection 1 and the opening controller 2
Can be formed at the same time as the microstructure 702 is formed. Alternatively, the conical projection 1 and the opening controller 2
After forming the microstructure 702, the microstructure 702 can be formed by physically arranging the microstructure 702 between the conical projection 1 and the opening control unit 2 using a micromanipulation technique or the like. Further, the conical projection 1, the opening control unit 2, and the microstructure 702 can all be formed separately. here,
The height of the microstructure 702 is smaller than the height of the conical projection 1 and the opening controller 2. Thereafter, a light-shielding film is deposited by a method such as sputtering or vacuum evaporation.

The work 3000 thus manufactured
On the other hand, the method of forming an opening in the light-shielding film on the conical projection 1 is exactly the same as that in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

The height of the microstructure 702 is
The opening is formed only on the light-shielding film on the conical projection 1 because the opening is lower than the opening control unit 2.

In order to introduce light into the opening formed in the light-shielding film on the conical projection 1, the transparent material 103 is etched by etching the substrate from the side opposite to the surface on which the conical projection 1 is formed.
Alternatively, at least a part of the conical projection 1 is exposed to form a light introduction port to the opening. It is needless to say that the step of forming the light inlet can be omitted by forming the substrate from a transparent material.

By arranging a periodic microstructure having a wavelength of about the vicinity of the opening like the work 3000 in FIG. 7, the intensity of near-field light obtained from the opening due to the plasmon effect is dramatically increased.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a shape of a work 4000 for describing a method for manufacturing another near-field light generating element according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, the light-shielding film is omitted for the sake of simplicity.
The transparent material 103 is formed on a substrate (not shown).

The shape of the work 4000 in FIG. 8 is similar to the shape described for the work 3000 in FIG. 7, and has a periodic microstructure near the opening. However, FIG.
In the case of the work 4000 of FIG.
02 is an embodiment in the case where a part of the opening control unit arranged near the opening has a periodic microstructure.
Therefore, the description of the same part as that of the work 3000 in FIG. 7 is partially omitted or simplified.

A method of manufacturing the work 4000 shown in FIG. 8 will be described below.

As in the first or second embodiment, a mask for the conical projection 1 and a mask for the microstructured aperture control unit 802 are formed on the transparent material 103 by a photolithography process. The mask for the conical projection 1 and the mask for the aperture control unit with microstructure 802 may be formed simultaneously or separately. At this time, a periodic microstructure having a wavelength of about a wavelength is formed on the mask for the aperture control unit with microstructure 802.

Next, the conical projection 1 and the aperture control unit with microstructure 802 are formed by isotropic etching by wet etching. Thereafter, a light-shielding film is deposited by a method such as sputtering or vacuum evaporation. In the case where the light-shielding film is deposited only on the cone-shaped protrusions 1, in the light-shielding film deposition step, a metal mask having a shape such that the light-shielding film is deposited on the cone-shaped protrusions 1 is put thereon, and sputtering or vacuum deposition is performed. I do. Further, after a light-shielding film is deposited on the entire surface of the work 4000 on which the conical protrusions 1 are formed, a photolithography process in which the light-shielding film remains only on the conical protrusions 1 may be used.
It goes without saying that the light-shielding film can be formed only on the conical projection 1.

The work 4000 thus manufactured
On the other hand, the method of forming an opening in the light-shielding film on the conical projection 1 is exactly the same as that in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In order to introduce light into the opening formed in the light-shielding film on the conical protrusion 1, the transparent material 103 is etched by etching the substrate from the side opposite to the surface on which the conical protrusion 1 is formed.
Alternatively, at least a part of the conical projection 1 is exposed to form a light introduction port to the opening. It is needless to say that the step of forming the light inlet can be omitted by forming the substrate from a transparent material.

The work 4000 in FIG. 8 is also the work 3 in FIG.
Similar to 000, since a periodic microstructure having a wavelength of about the wavelength is provided in the vicinity of the opening, the intensity of near-field light obtained from the opening is dramatically increased by the plasmon effect. Further, the work 4000 in FIG. 8 is replaced with the work 3000 in FIG.
In comparison with this, the opening control section and the microstructure section can be formed with one mask, and the number of photomasks can be reduced.

As described above, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first and second embodiments of the present invention, a periodic microstructure having a wavelength of about a wavelength is formed near the opening. By doing so, the intensity of near-field light can be dramatically increased by the plasmon effect. Due to the increase in the near-field light intensity, the laser output of the device using the near-field light generating element can be reduced, and a reduction in heat generation, lower power consumption, and a smaller device can be expected.

Further, in the work 4000 shown in FIG.
In comparison with the work 3000, the opening control section and the microstructure section can be formed with one mask, and the number of photomasks can be reduced. Therefore, a near-field optical element can be manufactured at lower cost.

In addition, two or all of the three steps of forming the conical protrusion, forming the aperture control part, and forming the periodic microstructure are realized in one step. Therefore, the number of steps for manufacturing a near-field optical element can be reduced, so that the manufacturing steps for manufacturing the near-field optical element can be simplified, the manufacturing time can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

(Embodiment 4) FIGS. 9 to 11 show works 5000, 6000, and 70 for explaining a method of manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
It is a figure showing the shape of 00. 9 to 11, the light-shielding film is omitted for the sake of simplicity.
The transparent material 103 is formed on a substrate (not shown).

The fourth embodiment is an example in which a plurality of conical projections and an opening control unit of the work 1000 described in the first embodiment are arranged, and the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be described. Is partially omitted or simplified.

A work 5000 shown in FIG. 9 is an embodiment in a case where the conical projection 1 is surrounded by a plurality of opening control units 2. In the case of the work 5000, a plurality of conical projections 1 are two-dimensionally arranged, and the opening control unit 2 is arranged between them. In this case, the conical protrusions are arranged at the vertices of a quadrangle, but may be polygonal, such as at the vertices of a triangle.

The work 6000 shown in FIG. 10 is an embodiment in which a plurality of workpieces having one opening control section 1002 surrounding the conical projection 1 are arranged.
In the case of the work 6000, the opening control unit 1002 is square, and one conical projection 1 is disposed inside the opening control unit 1002.
The opening control unit 1002 can be used in a round shape as well as a square shape. Further, a plurality of conical projections may be arranged inside the opening control unit 1002.

Further, the work 7000 in FIG.
10 and the work 6000 in FIG. 10. That is, the conical projection 1
And the aperture controllers are very densely arranged.

These works 5000, 6000,
The method of forming the opening control section and the conical projection, the method of forming the light-shielding film, and the method of forming the openings in the work 7000 are exactly the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the opening control unit 2 is provided near the conical projection 1,
In addition, since a plurality of conical protrusions are arranged two-dimensionally, the displacement of the plate as the pushing body can be reduced, so that the size is uniform and minute without using an actuator with high resolution. It is easy to form a simple opening at the tip of a plurality of conical projections at the same time. Therefore, by simultaneously forming openings on a plurality of conical protrusions, the processing time per opening can be extremely short, depending on the number of conical protrusions per wafer. Thus, a large number of openings can be manufactured at low cost.

When the two-dimensionally arranged conical protrusions and the aperture control unit have a periodic microstructure of about the wavelength, the near-field by the plasmon effect is used as in the third embodiment. The light intensity can be dramatically increased.
Therefore, similarly to the third embodiment, by increasing the near-field light intensity, the laser output of the device using this near-field light generating element can be reduced, and the heat generation amount is reduced, the power consumption is reduced, and the device is downsized. Can be expected.

[0077]

As described above, according to the first method for manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, the displacement amount of the plate as the indented body is provided by providing the opening control section near the conical projection. The size of the near-field light can be easily formed at the tip of the conical protruding portion without using an actuator with high resolution. An element can be easily manufactured.
In addition, since the height of the conical protrusion and the height of the aperture control unit are always controlled to be the same, the production yield of the aperture is improved, and the manufacturing cost of the near-field light generating element can be reduced.

Further, since the opening is formed by simply applying the force F, the time required for forming the opening of the near-field light generating element can be extremely short from several seconds to several tens of seconds.

Further, according to the present invention, the processing atmosphere may be used for forming the opening of the near-field light generating element. Therefore,
An opening can be formed in the atmosphere, and the processing state can be immediately observed with an optical microscope or the like. Further, by processing the opening in a scanning electron microscope, it is possible to observe the processing state at a higher resolution than with an optical microscope. Further, by processing the opening in the liquid, the liquid functions as a damper, so that processing conditions with further improved controllability can be obtained.

As described above, according to the second method for manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, the first method according to the present invention can be used.
In addition to the effect of the method of manufacturing the near-field light generating element described above, by forming a periodic microstructure near the conical protrusion, the near-field light generated from the aperture by the plasmon effect of the periodic microstructure Can be increased in strength. Therefore, since the laser output of an apparatus using such a near-field light generating element can be reduced, a reduction in heat generation, lower power consumption, and a smaller apparatus can be expected.

As described above, according to the third method for manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, the second method according to the present invention can be used.
In addition to the effect of the method for manufacturing a near-field light generating element described above, since a part of the aperture control unit is a periodic microstructure, a new structure other than the aperture control unit and the conical protrusions need not be formed. Since the near-field light intensity is increased by the plasmon effect, a process for forming a new periodic microstructure can be omitted, and the cost of manufacturing the near-field light generating element can be suppressed.

As described above, according to the fourth method for manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, the second method according to the present invention can be used.
In addition to the effect of the method of manufacturing the near-field light generating element described above, the aperture control unit itself is a periodic microstructure, so that a periodic microstructure can be formed in the aperture control unit, and the aperture control unit and the conical protrusion can be formed. Because the plasmon effect increases the near-field light intensity without creating a new structure other than the part,
A process for forming a new periodic microstructure can be omitted, and the cost of manufacturing a near-field light generating element can be reduced.

As described above, according to the fifth method for producing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, the second method according to the present invention is described.
In addition to the effect of the method for manufacturing the near-field light generating element described above, the near-field light intensity can be drastically increased by the plasmon effect by forming a periodic microstructure having a wavelength around the minute aperture. Due to the increase in the near-field light intensity, the laser output of the device using the near-field light generating element can be reduced, and a reduction in heat generation, lower power consumption, and a smaller device can be expected.

As described above, according to the sixth method for manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, the first method according to the present invention can be used.
In addition to the effect of any one of the fifth to fifth methods of producing a near-field light generating element, an aperture control unit 2 is provided near a conical projection 1 and a plurality of two-dimensional conical projections are arranged. Since the displacement amount of the plate as the indentation body can be reduced, a minute opening having a uniform size and a small size can be simultaneously formed at the tips of the plurality of conical projections 1 without using an actuator having a high resolution. Things are easy. Therefore, openings can be formed at once on a plurality of conical projections, and depending on the number of conical projections per wafer, the processing time per opening can be extremely short. And a large number of openings can be manufactured at low cost.

As described above, according to the seventh method for fabricating a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, the first method according to the present invention can be used.
Alternatively, in addition to the effect of the method for manufacturing the second near-field light generating element, one type of photomask is used for forming a cone-shaped projection mask and an opening control unit mask for manufacturing a cone-shaped projection and an opening control unit. Therefore, the number of photomasks and the number of exposures for manufacturing a near-field optical element can be reduced, and the cost can be further reduced. In addition, since the conical projection portion mask and the opening control portion mask are formed from one photomask, the positional error between the two masks can be reduced.

As described above, according to the eighth method of manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to the present invention, the first method according to the present invention is described.
Alternatively, in addition to the effect of the method for manufacturing the second near-field light generating element, two out of three steps of a step of forming a conical projection, a step of forming an aperture control section, and a step of forming a periodic microstructure are provided. Since the steps or all three steps can be realized in one step, the number of steps for manufacturing a near-field optical element can be reduced, the manufacturing steps for manufacturing a near-field optical element can be simplified, and the manufacturing time can be reduced. Further, it is possible to further reduce the manufacturing cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing a near-field light generating element according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing the near-field light generating element according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing the near-field light generating element according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method of manufacturing a work 1000.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a method of manufacturing a work 1000.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a work 2000 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a work 3000 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a work 4000 according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a work 5000 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows a workpiece 6000 according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.
FIG.

FIG. 11 shows a workpiece 7000 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 601 Conical projection part 2, 1002, 1102 Opening control part 3 Shielding film 4 Substrate 5 Transparent layer 6 Plate 7 Pushing tool 8 Opening 101 Mask for conical projection part 102 Mask for opening control part 103 Transparent material 104 Substrate material 702 Microstructure 802 Microstructured aperture control unit 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000,
6000 Work F force

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hidetaka Maeda 1-8-8 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba Inside SII RRD Center Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoko Shinohara 1 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 8-8 chome SIIR D Center (72) Inventor Yasuyuki Mitsuoka 1-8 chose Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba Co., Ltd. SSI RLD Center Co., Ltd. (72) Takashi Niiwa Chiba 1-8-8 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi, Japan Inside SII RLD Center Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kenji Kato 1-8-8 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba Co., Ltd. (72 Inventor Susumu Ichihara 1-8 Nakase, Mihama-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba FDI term in the SII IRD Center (reference) 5D119 AA11 AA22 BA01 JA34 NA05

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing a near-field light generating element having an optical opening at a tip of a conical projection covered with a light-shielding film, wherein at least one conical projection transmitting a desired wavelength is manufactured. A step of forming an opening control section having substantially the same height as the conical projection; a step of forming a light-shielding film covering at least the conical projection; and using a pusher having a substantially flat surface. Forming an optical opening at the tip of the conical projection by simultaneously applying a force to the conical projection and the opening control unit. Production method. 2. A method of manufacturing a near-field light generating element having an optical opening at a tip of a conical projection covered with a light-shielding film, wherein at least one conical projection transmitting a desired wavelength is manufactured. A step of forming an opening control section having substantially the same height as the conical projection; a step of forming the light-shielding film covering at least the conical projection; and forming a periodic microstructure. Forming an optical opening at the tip of the conical projection by simultaneously applying a force to the conical projection and the opening control unit using a pusher having a substantially flat surface, A method for producing a near-field light generating element, comprising: 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the aperture control section includes the periodic microstructure. 4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the aperture control section is the periodic microstructure. 5. The method for producing a near-field light generating element according to claim 2, wherein said periodic microstructure is produced between said aperture control section and said conical projection. . 6. The fabrication of a near-field light generating element according to claim 1, wherein the conical projection is disposed so as to be surrounded by the opening control section. Method. 7. The near-field light generating element according to claim 1, wherein the step of forming the conical protrusion and the step of forming the aperture control section are one step. Production method. 8. Two or all of the three steps of the step of forming the conical protrusion, the step of forming the opening control section, and the step of forming the periodic microstructure are one or more.
The method for producing a near-field light generating element according to claim 2, wherein the number of steps is one.