JP2002258017A - Optical element provided with resin thin film with micro projecting and recessing pattern, method and device for manufacturing reflection plate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing an optical element provided with micro projecting and recessing patterns which are never softened to collapse in an alignment layer formation step even when a polyimide is used as an alignment layer. SOLUTION: A resin thin film 4, having a >200 deg.C glass transition temperature, is applied onto a substrate 5. While the temperature of the resin thin film 4 is controlled to be above the glass transition temperature and below the starting temperature or the thermal decomposition, the micro projecting and recessing pattern 40 is formed on the surface of the resin thin film 4 by pressing with molds (3A, 33). Subsequently the temperature of the resin thin film 4 is lowered by cooling to a temperature below the glass transition temperature and the molds (3A, 33) are separated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical element provided with a resin thin film having a micro uneven pattern, and a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a reflector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the present specification, a micro uneven pattern is a general term for an uneven shape having an arbitrary width, length and shape in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional manner in a depth direction of 0.1 μm to several hundred μm. Further, the reflection type liquid crystal display device is a generic name of a device in which a liquid crystal material is sealed between a transparent counter substrate provided with a transparent electrode and an active matrix substrate having a reflection surface provided with a micro uneven pattern on its surface. .

In recent years, applications of liquid crystal display devices to personal computers (PCs), televisions, word processors, videos, and the like have been developed. On the other hand, for such electronic devices, there is no need to use a backlight for further miniaturization, power saving, cost reduction, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art A reflection type liquid crystal display device that displays a liquid crystal image by reflecting light incident from the outside has been developed.

In such a reflection type liquid crystal display device, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9, the reflection plate 1 used in the reflection type liquid crystal display device includes a transparent electrode facing the liquid crystal layer 27, a color filter portion on the transparent electrode, and a facing glass substrate and the like on the transparent electrode. The counter substrate 2 is disposed below the substrate 28.
The liquid crystal display device was used to diffusely reflect the light incident from No. 8 and widen the viewable angle of image display of the liquid crystal display device.

The reflection plate used in this liquid crystal display device is
As shown in FIG. 20, a surface of a substrate 5 formed of glass, resin, or the like, or a resin on which a TFT transistor, a liquid crystal driving element, or the like is formed, and a resin on which polymerization reaction is almost completed is spin-coated or the like. The resin thin film 4 is formed by coating, the resin thin film 4 is heated and melted, and the resin thin film 4 coated on the substrate is pressed by the micro uneven pattern mold (stamper part) 33 to form the micro uneven pattern. Is formed.

However, even if the polymerized reaction is almost completed and the polymerized resin is melted in the process, there is no fluidity, and even if the resin is pressed by the stamper, a stress distribution occurs in the thin film,
Internal stress accumulates with thermosetting. And FIG.
As shown in the figure, the reflection plate 1 has an alignment film 3 on the upper surface side of the reflection film 26.
6 and firing at about 200 ° C. is required.

[0007]

The alignment film is necessary for controlling the alignment and inclination of the liquid crystal molecules suitable for the operation mode of the liquid crystal, and for insulating the liquid crystal layer from the metal-coated reflective film. . And this alignment film can be applied uniformly,
Film strength that can withstand the rubbing step, adhesion to the ITO film, TFT element, wiring, etc., stability to chemicals used in the cleaning step, or heat treatment are required.

Conventionally, polyimide has been used to satisfy these characteristics. This polyimide is 30
It has a high heat resistance of about 0 ° C., is transparent and has a high glass transition temperature, does not react with the liquid crystal, has an affinity for the liquid crystal, easily aligns the liquid crystal, and has an ITO film, a TFT element, Good adhesion to wiring etc.

Therefore, when a micro uneven pattern is formed using a resin having a low glass transition temperature and a low heat resistance and a polymerization reaction is not completed, and a reflective film is coated and sintering is performed, polyimide is used as an alignment film. In this case, there is a problem that the micro uneven pattern is broken in the sintering step of the alignment film formed of polyimide having high heat resistance and high glass transition temperature.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for manufacturing an optical element having a micro uneven pattern which is not softened and collapsed in the alignment film forming step even when polyimide is used for the alignment film. The purpose is to provide.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an optical element having a micro concave-convex pattern, the process of which is further simplified, and a reflector.

[0012]

The invention according to a method for manufacturing an optical element is directed to a method for manufacturing an optical element in which a resin thin film on a substrate surface is pressed by a mold having a micro uneven pattern to form a micro uneven pattern. Coating the resin thin film having a glass transition temperature of more than ° C. on the substrate, while controlling the temperature of the resin thin film above the glass transition temperature, and below the thermal decomposition start temperature, the mold material on the surface of the resin thin film The method is characterized in that a micro concave-convex pattern is formed by pressing, and thereafter, the temperature of the resin thin film is cooled below a glass transition temperature, and then the mold material is separated.

[0013] Here, the mold material has a reverse shape in which a micro uneven pattern portion is formed at least on the surface of the resin thin film, and may be a press male type or a roller type rolling type. Further, the optical element means a light transmitting body provided with a resin thin film having at least a micro uneven pattern on the surface.

According to this invention, the micro uneven pattern surface of the mold is pressed against the surface of the resin thin film, and the micro uneven pattern is pressed on the surface of the resin thin film, so that the micro uneven pattern remaining on the resin thin film has a three-dimensional shape. A micro uneven pattern which can be formed freely, has a high degree of freedom, and has high reproducibility can be obtained.

Further, since the temperature of the resin thin film coated on the substrate is controlled to be higher than the glass transition temperature and lower than the thermal decomposition starting temperature, the elastic modulus is extremely lowered, and the strain due to internal stress becomes extremely large. Nothing. That is, at a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature, the elastic modulus of the material becomes 1/1000 to 1/100 of the elastic modulus at a temperature lower than the glass transition temperature.
Although it is reduced to 1/10000, the glass transition temperature is 2
Since the micro concave-convex pattern is formed of a resin thin film exceeding 00 ° C., the micro concave-convex pattern does not collapse even if sintering at 200 ° C. is performed in the subsequent alignment film forming step.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical element manufacturing method in which a resin thin film on a substrate surface is pressed by a mold having a micro uneven pattern to form a micro uneven pattern. The resin thin film that has not undergone a polymerization reaction is coated on the substrate, and while controlling the temperature below the polymerization reaction start temperature of the resin thin film, a micro concave-convex pattern is formed on the surface of the resin thin film by the mold material to separate the mold material. Then, the resin thin film is fired at a temperature higher than the polymerization reaction starting temperature and lower than the glass transition temperature of the resin thin film to stabilize the film quality.

According to the present invention, the resin thin film that has not been substantially polymerized is formed by pressing with a mold material to form a micro uneven pattern. Therefore, even if the resin thin film is pressed with a mold material (stamper portion), stress distribution in the film is suppressed. Is generated, and internal stress is not accumulated with curing, so that a micro uneven pattern having good fluidity and high reproducibility can be obtained.

The resin thin film used in claim 1 or 2 may be a polyimide (PI) -based, polyamide (PA) -based or polymethyl methacrylate (PMM).
A) A system may be contained. The polyimide is preferably a wholly aromatic polyimide such as polyimide (PI), polyamideimide (PAI), or polyetherimide (PEI).

In the case of the PI system or the PA system, the glass transition temperature (the temperature at which the fluidity of the resin thin film becomes high to significantly soften and lower the viscosity) is generally from 200 ° C. to less than 450 ° C. (Temperature at which resin properties are significantly degraded such as decomposition of the composition) is usually 300 ° C. or higher. The polymerization initiation temperature (thermosetting initiation temperature) is 100 ° C. or higher.

The temperature at which the PI system is pressed may be set to a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature and lower than the thermal decomposition start temperature. It is desirable to set to.

Further, by repeating the pressing operation of the mold material a plurality of times on the resin thin film, the layout of the concavo-convex pattern can be arbitrarily arranged.

It is also an effective means of the present invention that the substrate is moved relatively to the mold so that the substrate-side alignment mark provided on the substrate and the reference position on the mold correspond to each other. It is. According to such technical means,
The mounting error of the substrate with respect to the template is adjusted by moving the substrate relative to the template so that the substrate-side alignment mark provided on the substrate and the reference position on the template are matched. Thus, a micro concave-convex pattern with high processing accuracy can be obtained.

It is also effective for the present invention to form a micro concave-convex pattern on the resin thin film in an inert gas atmosphere, or to form a micro concave-convex pattern on the resin thin film in a reduced-pressure atmosphere lower than atmospheric pressure. Means. According to such a technical means, since the air in the chamber in which the manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing the optical element is previously disposed is exhausted, oxygen and impurities contained in the air in the chamber are exhausted, and the atmosphere in the clean inert gas is exhausted. Since the uneven pattern is formed by the method, oxidation and deterioration of the resin thin film can be prevented, and furthermore, the impurity can be prevented from adhering to the resin thin film and forming on the uneven pattern during the formation of the uneven pattern. Can be improved.

In particular, when the pressure in the chamber is reduced, air is not trapped between the mold material and the resin thin film, so that an uneven pattern without bubbles can be formed. In addition, since the bubbles act as a damper at the time of pressurization, it is necessary to increase the pressure. However, since the pressure can be reduced by eliminating the bubbles, the residual stress of the concavo-convex pattern can be reduced. That is, the production yield of the optical element can be improved.

Further, the invention of an apparatus for manufacturing an optical element is directed to an apparatus for manufacturing an optical element in which a resin thin film on a substrate surface is pressed by a mold having a micro uneven pattern to form a micro uneven pattern. A transfer stage having a heating means for holding the substrate and heating the resin thin film on the surface of the substrate, and moving the transfer stage from an initial position and a movement end position where the movement is completed by moving the transfer stage from the initial position. A reciprocating transfer stage transfer direction moving mechanism and a pressing mechanism for pressing the mold material against the resin thin film at a predetermined position, wherein the pressing mechanism presses the mold material against the resin thin film surface to form a micro uneven pattern. It is characterized by doing.

Here, the heating means for heating the resin thin film on the surface of the substrate may be arranged in the transfer stage, or may be heated from above the substrate and from the side of the substrate by means of heat radiation means. Also, the transfer stage transfer direction moving mechanism forms a micro uneven pattern on the resin thin film while moving the transfer stage holding the substrate, for example, from the initial position to the right end position when the initial position is on the left side. It is a mechanism that can return from the movement end position and return to the initial position. As described above, the die may be a press male type or a roller type rolling type.

According to this invention, the substrate on the transfer stage moves from the initial position to the movement end position, during which the resin thin film on the substrate is pressed by the mold, and the micro uneven pattern is pressed. Therefore, it is possible to provide an optical element having a micro concave-convex pattern portion with good processing accuracy.

Another aspect of the invention relating to an optical element manufacturing apparatus is an optical element manufacturing apparatus for forming a micro uneven pattern by pressing a resin thin film on a substrate surface with a mold having a micro uneven pattern. A transfer stage having a heating means for heating the resin thin film on the surface of the substrate while holding the substrate disposed below, a pressing mechanism for pressing the resin thin film at a predetermined position on the mold material,
A pressure mechanism transfer direction moving mechanism for reciprocating the pressure mechanism between an initial position and a movement end position at which the movement is completed by moving from the initial position. It is characterized in that a micro concave-convex pattern is formed by pressing on the thin film surface.

Here, the pressing mechanism transfer direction moving mechanism means that the pressing mechanism is moving on the resin thin film of the substrate, for example, when the initial position is on the left side, from the initial position to the movement end position on the right side. This is a mechanism in which a micro concave-convex pattern is formed on the resin thin film, and can return from the movement end position to the initial position. As described above, the molding material may be a press male type or a roller type rolling type. Also,
The heating means for heating the resin thin film on the substrate surface may be arranged in the transfer stage, or may be heated from above the substrate and from the side of the substrate by means of a heat radiating means.

According to this invention, the pressing mechanism moves from the initial position to the movement end position, during which the resin thin film on the substrate is pressed by the mold, and the micro uneven pattern is pressed. Therefore, it is possible to provide an optical element having a micro concave-convex pattern portion with good processing accuracy.

It is preferable that the mold has a built-in heating means. According to this technical means, when the heating means is arranged in the mold, the resin thin film to be heated by heating the mold substantially equal to the resin thin film temperature is not cooled by the mold, and the manufacturing process is started. It is possible to provide a micro uneven pattern portion having a constant tact time and a high processing accuracy.

Further, the substrate is arranged below the mold so as to be movable in the X-axis and Y-axis directions and rotatable about the Z-axis toward the mold, and to adjust the position of the substrate with respect to the mold. It is desirable to make it possible. According to this technical means, the substrate can be moved in the X-axis and Y-axis directions with respect to the mold, and can be rotated around the Z-axis toward the mold, so that the substrate position with respect to the mold can be adjusted. An optical element with high processing accuracy can be provided.

It is also an effective means of the present invention that the mold material is formed into a cylindrical shape having a micro uneven pattern on the outer periphery, and the mold material rolls on the surface of the resin thin film to press and form the micro uneven pattern. .

According to this technical means, the resin thin film formed on the surface of the substrate is formed by pressing the micro uneven pattern with a cylindrical mold member having a micro uneven pattern on the outer periphery, so that bubbles exist in the resin thin film. Even when the resin thin film is moving due to the concave portions of the concave-convex pattern of the mold material, the bubbles are generated in a direction opposite to the moving direction, and when the mold material is moving, the bubbles are formed in the moving direction. When pressed and moved, the resin portion is broken by the convex portion of the concave-convex pattern of the mold material, bubbles are leaked out, and the concave-convex pattern is deformed and formed by the bubbles remaining in the resin thin film, and the yield is reduced. Is improved.

Further, a transfer stage cross direction moving mechanism for moving the transfer stage in a cross direction intersecting a transfer direction in which the micro uneven pattern is transferred is provided, and the resin thin film is relatively moved with respect to the mold. It is an effective means of the present invention to be configured to be movable in the transfer direction and the cross direction.

Here, in the transfer stage cross direction moving mechanism, the micro uneven pattern is transferred to the resin thin film by the mold material, but the movement direction of the mold material and the reference position of the substrate mounted on the transfer stage are shifted. You have
Since the micro concave-convex pattern is not formed at a predetermined position, it is necessary to move the pattern in a direction intersecting with the moving direction of the mold. It is a mechanism for that, and it is desirable that the direction is orthogonal to the transfer direction in which the micro concave-convex pattern is transferred. However, the orthogonality requires a high level of technology due to a manufacturing error, so that the orthogonality is not necessarily required.

According to this technical means, the transfer stage cross direction moving mechanism and the transfer stage transfer direction for reciprocating between the initial position and the movement end position where the transfer stage is moved from the initial position and the movement is completed. A moving mechanism or a pressing mechanism that reciprocates the pressing mechanism between an initial position and a movement end position where the movement is completed by moving the pressing mechanism from the initial position and moving relative to the mold material; The initial position of the resin thin film held on the transfer stage can be adjusted by moving the transfer stage in the transfer direction and the cross direction. Further, after the micro uneven pattern is once formed by pressing with the mold material, the transfer stage can be moved by the transfer stage intersecting direction moving mechanism, and a new micro uneven pattern can be formed beside the transfer stage.

The mold comprises a stamper portion for pressing and forming a micro uneven pattern on the resin thin film, and a base portion for holding the stamper portion. An elastic member is interposed between the stamper portion and the base portion. This is also an effective means of the present invention.

According to such a technical means, the manufacturing accuracy of the micro uneven pattern is improved by absorbing the manufacturing error of the stamper portion and the undulation of the base portion.

The present invention may also be configured such that the mold member is formed by interposing an elastic member between a stamper section for pressing and forming a micro uneven pattern on the resin thin film and a roll section for rotatably holding the stamper section. This is an effective means of the invention.

According to such a technical means, the manufacturing accuracy of the micro uneven pattern is improved by absorbing a manufacturing error such as undulation of the stamper portion and the roll portion.

It is also an effective means of the present invention that at least one alignment mark observation optical device is provided in the pressure mechanism so that at least one alignment mark provided on the substrate is visible. ,Also,
At least one alignment mark observing optical device is provided below the substrate, and at least one set of a first alignment mark disposed on the substrate and a second alignment mark disposed on the mold are arranged. It is an effective means of the present invention to make it visible. Incidentally, if the alignment mark observation optical device is below the substrate,
It may be arranged in the transfer stage, in the above-described rotary moving mechanism, or in the transfer stage and the rotary moving mechanism. According to such technical means, a concavo-convex pattern with good positional accuracy can be formed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical element manufacturing apparatus for forming a micro uneven pattern by pressing a resin thin film on a substrate surface with a mold having a micro uneven pattern. A transfer stage that holds a substrate, a pressing mechanism that presses the mold material against the resin thin film at a predetermined position, and a moving mechanism that moves the transfer stage or the mold material while pressing the mold material against the surface of the resin thin film, A heating means for heating the substrate is disposed in an airtight chamber having an exhaust means, and the gas is exhausted from the airtight chamber by the exhaust means prior to an operation of forming the micro uneven pattern on the surface of the resin thin film. It is characterized by doing.

According to the invention, the gas is exhausted from the airtight chamber by the exhaust means prior to the pressing operation of the micro uneven pattern on the surface of the resin thin film by the mold, so that the oxygen contained in the air in the airtight chamber is exhausted. And irregularities are exhausted and an uneven pattern is formed in a clean inert gas atmosphere, so that the thin film can be prevented from being oxidized or deteriorated. Since it is possible to prevent the optical element from being fixed, it is possible to improve the production yield of the optical element.

The invention according to a method for manufacturing a reflection plate is as follows.
In a method of manufacturing a reflector having a resin thin film disposed on a substrate having a micro concave-convex pattern portion and an alignment film,
Using a substrate on which a thin-film liquid crystal drive element or a wiring contact portion has been formed in advance, coating the resin thin film having a glass transition temperature of more than 200 ° C. on the substrate; While controlling the temperature below the decomposition start temperature, a micro uneven pattern is pressed and formed on the surface of the resin thin film by the mold material, and then the temperature of the resin thin film is cooled below the glass transition temperature, the mold material is separated, and the polymerization reaction is started. After baking the resin thin film at a temperature equal to or higher than the temperature, a reflective film and the alignment film are formed on the micro uneven pattern.

According to the invention, since the temperature of the resin thin film coated on the substrate is controlled to be higher than 200 ° C. and lower than the glass transition temperature, the elastic modulus is extremely lowered,
Distortion due to internal stress does not increase significantly. Then, after the temperature of the resin thin film is cooled below the glass transition temperature, the mold material is separated, and the polymerization reaction start temperature (230
After baking the resin thin film at a temperature of at least (° C.), the reflective film and the alignment film are formed on the micro uneven pattern. Therefore, even when sintering at 200 ° C. in the alignment film forming step, the micro uneven pattern is broken. Nothing.

Another method of manufacturing a reflector is a method of manufacturing a reflector having a resin thin film disposed on a substrate having a micro uneven pattern portion and an alignment film. Using a substrate on which an element or a wiring contact portion is formed, coating the resin thin film that has not substantially undergone polymerization reaction on the substrate, and controlling the resin thin film at a temperature lower than the polymerization reaction start temperature, using the mold material to form the resin thin film. Pressing and forming a micro uneven pattern on the surface of the thin film, separating the mold material, exceeding the polymerization reaction start temperature, and firing the resin thin film at a temperature less than the glass transition temperature of the resin thin film, and then on the micro uneven pattern A reflective film and the alignment film are formed.

According to this invention, since the temperature of the resin thin film coated on the substrate is controlled to be lower than the polymerization reaction start temperature and the pressure is formed, the polymerization reaction does not occur in this process, and the stamper after the pressure is formed. The elastic modulus is low and the fluidity is not high so that the pattern shape is deformed even if the part is separated. No cooling step is required.

Then, the temperature exceeds the polymerization reaction initiation temperature of the resin,
Since the resin thin film is fired at a temperature lower than the glass transition temperature, no polymerization reaction occurs at this stage. Therefore,
Even if sintering at 200 ° C. is performed in the subsequent alignment film forming step, the micro uneven pattern does not collapse.

[0050]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be illustratively described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, unless otherwise specified, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto, but are merely illustrative examples. It's just

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a method for forming a concave-convex pattern on a resin thin film according to an embodiment of the present invention. The first method will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1A, the glass substrate 5 has a liquid crystal driving element TF.
T or a wiring contact portion 31 is formed. The contact portion 31 is formed on the glass substrate 5 by sputtering or C
A thin film of a metal, an insulator or a semiconductor is formed by a VD method or the like, a resist is applied thereon by a spin coating method, and the resist is cured by baking at a high temperature, and a mask is appropriately exposed to ultraviolet light. It is formed by repeating a process of removing with a developing solution, baking again at a high temperature, removing portions of the film not covered with resist by etching, and removing remaining resist with a stripping solution.

As shown in FIG. 1A, in a state where a resin thin film 4 made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyimide (PI) is spin-coated on a glass substrate 5,
No polymerization reaction has occurred.

As shown in (2), the resin thin film 4 is heated (for example, at 360 ° C.) to a temperature exceeding the polymerization initiation temperature and the glass transition temperature but less than the thermal decomposition initiation temperature (preferably, the glass transition temperature + 10 ° C. or less). Is polymerized and softened. (3) In this state, the stamper 33 presses the soft resin thin film 4 on the soft resin thin film 4 or the embossing roll 3A.
Is rolled to press the resin thin film 4, and then the resin thin film 4 is cooled to a temperature lower than the glass transition temperature (for example, lower than 350 ° C.)
When the stamper is peeled off as described in (4), it is transferred to the surface of the resin thin film 4 as a micro concave-convex pattern 40 which is an inverted pattern of the stamper.

As the resin, for example, polyimide PIX-1400 (product number) manufactured by Hitachi Chemical DuPont can be used. The resin is a thermoplastic resin having a glass transition temperature of 350 ° C., a thermal decomposition onset temperature of 450 ° C., and a polymerization reaction onset temperature lower than the glass transition temperature.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG.
A metal thin film of Ag, Al, or the like is deposited on the pattern 40 by sputtering to form a reflective film 26, and a polyimide insulating film 36 is coated on the reflective film as shown in (7). And the insulating film 36 is stabilized, whereby the reflector 1 is completed.

In this embodiment, the resin thin film is baked at 200 ° C. to form an insulating film on the reflective film using polyimide having a glass transition temperature higher than 200 ° C. In addition, it is possible to prevent the micro uneven pattern shape from being distorted due to the residual stress in the embossing step.

Next, a second method of forming an uneven pattern for forming an uneven pattern on a resin thin film will be described with reference to FIG.
The difference from the first method is that the first method heats the resin thin film at a temperature higher than the polymerization reaction start temperature and the glass transition temperature and lower than the thermal decomposition start temperature (preferably, the glass transition temperature + 10 ° C. or lower), and In contrast to the polymerization and softening, the micro-asperity pattern was pressed and formed at the stamper portion, whereas the second method was formed by pressing with the stamper portion at a temperature lower than the polymerization reaction start temperature, then exceeded the polymerization reaction start temperature and the glass transition temperature. The first method requires a cooling step after the embossing step of pressing and forming a stamper portion on a resin thin film, whereas the second method omits this cooling step. . In addition, while the first method used a thermoplastic resin, the second method is not limited to a thermoplastic resin, and a thermosetting polyamide PIS5001 (product number) manufactured by a company name [Chisso Corporation] is used. Such a thermosetting resin can also be used. The polymerization reaction initiation temperature of the resin is 1
20 ° C., the thermal decomposition onset temperature is 450 ° C., and the glass transition temperature is higher than the thermal decomposition onset temperature.

FIG. 1A is the same as the first method. In the state where the resin thin film 4 which is a thermosetting resin such as polyamide (PA) is spin-coated on the glass substrate 5, no polymerization reaction has occurred, and the rate of the polymerization reaction has been low, and the resin And has fluidity even in a solid phase, and has a low modulus of elasticity.

As shown in (2), the resin thin film 4 is heated to a temperature lower than the thermosetting start temperature (polymerization reaction start temperature) (for example, 110 ° C.).
C) for 3 to 10 minutes to evaporate the solvent.

The pressing or rolling of the embossing roll 3A from above the soft resin thin film 4 shown in (3) by the stamper 33 to press the resin thin film 4 is the same as in the first method. This resin thin film 4 is in a state where the elastic modulus is high enough to maintain the transfer shape and the fluidity is low.
As described in (4), below the polymerization reaction start temperature (120
When the stamper is peeled off in a state of less than
Is transferred to the surface of a micro-asperity pattern 40 which is a reverse pattern of the stamper portion. Thereafter, baking is performed at a temperature of 210 ° C., which exceeds (5) a polymerization reaction starting temperature (120 ° C.), exceeds (7) an alignment film (insulating film) forming temperature (200 ° C.), and is lower than a glass transition temperature. Stabilizes film quality. The steps shown in the reflection film forming step (6) and the alignment film (insulating film) forming step (7) are the same as those in the first method.

In the second method, the pre-baking is performed by heating at a temperature lower than the polymerization reaction starting temperature, and the embossing is performed. In this state, the elasticity is high and the fluidity is low. Even if the stamper part is removed without cooling, the transfer shape of the concavo-convex pattern can be maintained even after removing the stamper part, and after embossing, the polymerization reaction is performed by sintering at a temperature higher than the polymerization reaction start temperature of the resin and lower than the glass transition temperature. As a result, the film transitions to a film having a high modulus of elasticity and a low fluidity, so that even when the insulating film is heated at 200 ° C., the shape of the micro uneven pattern does not collapse.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a main part of a micro unevenness pattern forming apparatus 1A for forming a micro unevenness pattern on a resin thin film according to the first embodiment. In the figure, ceramic, glass, plastic, aluminum molybdenum,
Opaque or transparent substrate 5 made of silicon or the like
Has a predetermined undulation, warpage, and flatness. Warpage is allowed for curvatures within a few centimeters.
That is, 400 μm for a 550 × 650 mm substrate
m. And the undulation has a curvature within 4 μm,
The smoothness is set to be uneven with a curvature within several tens of nm. The substrate 5 may be one in which electronic devices such as liquid crystal driving elements are formed in an array.

On the substrate 5, polyimide (PI), polyamide (PA), polyamide imide (PAI), polyether imide (PEI), polymethyl methacrylate (PM
MA) about 0.1 μm to about 100 μm
It is spin-coated to a thickness of about m. The stamper 33 disposed above the resin thin film 4 is made of Ni, AL, SUS,
It is formed of a metal material such as Cu, a material such as ceramic, glass, silicon, and resin. The stamper part 33 is
An uneven pattern may be formed directly on the surface of the plate material by engraving, etching, printing, or the like. The resin used for the resin thin film 4 is not limited to the above resin. For example, a novolak resin or a phenolic resin can be used.

The stamper 33 is fixed to a base 38. And a stamper section 3 for press-molding the resin thin film 4.
Reference numeral 3 is configured to be held by the pressurizing mechanism 2 and apply a pressure of about several MPa to several thousand MPa by the pressurizing mechanism 2. The pressurizing mechanism 2 pressurizes using a hydraulic mechanism, but may also use a pneumatic mechanism, a reaction force of a highly elastic spring, a restoring force of a shape memory alloy, or the like.

Although the substrate 5 is vacuum-adsorbed to the transfer stage 7, it may be fixed by electrostatic suction or other holding means. Since the first embodiment is configured as described above, the substrate 5 is fixedly held on the transfer stage 7 and the pressing mechanism 2
As a result, the concave / convex pattern of the stamper 33 presses the resin thin film 4 to form a micro concave / convex pattern on the upper surface of the resin thin film 4.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a main part of a micro uneven pattern forming apparatus 1B for forming a micro uneven pattern on a resin thin film according to the second embodiment. The difference from the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is that an elastic body 10 made of synthetic rubber or a corrugated thin metal plate or a combination thereof is interposed between the base 38 and the stamper 33, and the base 38, the stamper 3
Even if there is a manufacturing error such as undulation in 3 or the like, an optical element with good dimensional accuracy can be manufactured by absorbing them.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a main part of a micro unevenness pattern forming apparatus 1C for forming a micro unevenness pattern on a resin thin film according to the third embodiment. The difference from the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is that an embossing roll portion 3A formed in a cylindrical shape is used.

The embossing roll 3A for press-molding the resin thin film 4 is rotatably held by the pressing mechanism 2, and is configured such that a pressure of about several MPa to several thousand MPa is applied by the pressing mechanism 2. I have. The pressurizing mechanism 2 pressurizes using a hydraulic mechanism, but may also use a pneumatic mechanism, a reaction force of a highly elastic spring, a restoring force of a shape memory alloy, or the like.

The transfer stage 7 is disposed so as to be movable left and right on a moving mechanism 8A by a linear actuator disposed in the moving mechanism 8. A hydraulic, pneumatic cylinder, or a combination of a motor and a chain (or belt) may be used instead of the linear actuator.

Since the third embodiment is configured as described above, the substrate 5 is fixedly held on the transfer stage 7 and moves from right to left in the figure. Presses the resin thin film 4 and
The embossing roll 3A rotates clockwise to form an uneven pattern 40 on the upper surface of the resin thin film 4. In the third embodiment, the resin thin film 4 may be moved from one side to the other side.

In the third embodiment, since the embossing roll portion 3A presses the surface of the resin thin film 4, the recess 3a of the embossing roll portion 3A presses the surface of the resin thin film 4, and the resin thin film 4 Even if air bubbles are present, the air bubbles are pushed and moved in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the resin thin film 4 by the concave portion 3a of the embossing roll portion 3A, and the resin portion is broken by the embossing roll convex portion 3b, and the air bubble is released. It is possible to reduce the possibility that the micro uneven pattern is deformed and formed by bubbles due to leakage.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a main part of a micro uneven pattern forming apparatus 1D for forming a micro uneven pattern on a resin thin film according to a fourth embodiment. Third in FIG.
The difference from the embodiment is the configuration of the embossing roll portion. That is, a roll receiver 32 connected to the pressure mechanism 2 is provided, and an elastic member made of a thin plate 11 made of metal or resin is interposed between the roll receiver 32 and the embossing roll portion 13. Note that a resin or a synthetic rubber may be disposed between the roll receiver 32 and the embossing roll portion 13 instead of the thin plate 11, or a damper structure in which liquid, gel, or the like is sealed may be used.

According to this embodiment, the roll receiver 32
Since an elastic member is interposed between the embossing roll portion 13 and the embossing roll portion 13, even if there are manufacturing errors such as undulations in the embossing roll portion 13, the roll receiver 32, etc., they are absorbed to produce an optical element with good dimensional accuracy. can do.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a main part of a micro unevenness pattern forming apparatus 1E for forming a micro unevenness pattern on a resin thin film according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is that a heater section 6B is built in the base section 38, and a heater section 6A is built in the transfer stage 7, so that the temperature of the resin thin film 4 can be controlled. Is a point.

The stamper 33 is fixed to the base 38, and the heater 6B is built in the base 38 so as to be able to heat over substantially the entire area of the stamper 33 where the micro uneven pattern is formed.

The transfer stage 7 has a built-in heater 6A capable of heating the substrate 5 over substantially the entire area. A temperature sensor 15A is provided around the substrate 5. It is preferable that a plurality of the temperature sensors 15A be arranged around the substrate 5 and controlled using an average value of the temperatures of the portions. The heater section 6A and the heater section 6B are configured to be controlled to a predetermined temperature by a temperature control section 20 based on temperature information of a temperature sensor 15A disposed around the substrate 5.

Since the fifth embodiment is configured as described above, the substrate 5 is fixedly held on the transfer stage 7, and the concave and convex pattern of the stamper 33 presses the resin thin film 4 by the pressing mechanism 2. Then, a micro uneven pattern is formed on the upper surface of the resin thin film 4.

In the fifth embodiment, the temperature of the resin thin film 4 is controlled on the basis of the temperature information of the temperature sensor disposed around the substrate 5, so that an optical element with high processing accuracy of the micro uneven pattern can be manufactured. can do.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a main part of a microphone uneven pattern forming apparatus 1F for forming a micro uneven pattern on a resin thin film according to the sixth embodiment. The difference from the third embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is that the embossing roll portion 1 formed in a cylindrical shape is used.
A heater section 16C is provided in the heater 3 and a heater section 6A built in the heater section 16C and the transfer stage 7 is configured to be controllable by the temperature control section 20, and the resin thin film 4 is pressed by the embossing roll section 13. The configuration is such that the resin thin film 4 is heated inside.

In the sixth embodiment, a heater section 16C is provided inside the embossing roll section 13 so that the embossing roll section 13 can be heated from the inner peripheral side, and the heater section 6A is provided inside the transfer stage 7. It is arranged. These heaters are controlled by the temperature controller 20 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 15B. As the heater of these heating units, a heating wire heater, a high-power lamp, a ceramic heater, or the like can be used. These heaters control the heat distribution of the resin thin film 4 to be uniform.

Although not shown, the transfer stage 7, the embossing roll, the pressurizing mechanism 2, and the moving mechanism 8A are made of a heat insulating material that insulates the heater.
Further, a cooling mechanism such as water cooling or air cooling is provided.

In the sixth embodiment, since the embossing roll 13 presses the surface of the resin thin film 4, the recess 3 a of the embossing roll 13 presses the surface of the resin thin film 4. Even if air bubbles are present, the air bubbles are pushed and moved in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the resin thin film 4 by the concave portion 3a of the embossing roll portion 13, and the resin portion is broken by the embossing roll convex portion 3b to move the air bubble out. It is possible to reduce the possibility that the micro uneven pattern is deformed and formed by bubbles due to leakage.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a main part of a micro unevenness pattern forming apparatus 1G for forming a micro unevenness pattern on a resin thin film according to a seventh embodiment. The sixth according to FIG.
The difference from the embodiment is that the pressing mechanism 2A that holds the embossing roll portion 3A is configured to be able to move up and down while pressing the resin thin film 4, and the moving mechanism 8A is mounted on the embossing roll rotating shaft direction moving mechanism 8B. And is configured to be movable in the direction of the embossing roll rotation axis. The heater 6
A and 16C are omitted for convenience of explanation.

In the seventh embodiment, since the pressure mechanism 2A is moved up and down while the transfer stage 7 is moving, the concavo-convex pattern is formed at appropriate intervals by an appropriate amount by 40a. It can be formed like 40b, 40c, 40d. Therefore, irregular patterns can be arranged regularly and arbitrarily.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a main part of a micro uneven pattern forming apparatus 1H for forming a micro uneven pattern on a resin thin film according to the eighth embodiment. The seventh of FIG.
The difference from the embodiment is that the stamper portion 3B for pressing and molding the resin thin film 4 is held by the pressing mechanism 2, and the pressure of about several MPa to several thousand MPa is applied by the pressing mechanism 2. It is configured. The pressing mechanism 2 is configured to be able to move up and down while pressing the resin thin film 4. Note that the heaters 6A and 16C are omitted for convenience of description.

Since the eighth embodiment is configured as described above, the substrate 5 is fixedly held on the transfer stage 7 and the pressing mechanism 2 presses the resin thin film 4 with the concave / convex pattern of the stamper 3 B. Then, micro concave and convex patterns 40 (a to d) are formed on the upper surface of the resin thin film 4.

In the eighth embodiment, the pressing mechanism 2 is moved up and down while the transfer stage 7 is moving, so that the concavo-convex pattern is formed at appropriate intervals by an appropriate amount of 40a, 4a.
0b, 40c, and 40d.
Therefore, the uneven pattern can be formed regularly and arbitrarily.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a main part of a micro unevenness pattern forming apparatus 1I for forming a micro unevenness pattern on a resin thin film according to the ninth embodiment, and shows an improved example of FIG. The difference from the seventh embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is that the substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16A is interposed between the transfer stage 7A and the substrate 5, and the alignment marks on the substrate 5 or the resin thin film 4 can be read. This is the point that the pressing mechanism 2B having the alignment mark observation optical devices 21 (ad) is disposed.

Thus, the substrate 5 is vacuum-sucked to the substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16A, but may be fixed by electrostatic suction or other holding means. The substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16A is rotatably held on the transfer stage 7A, and has an operation lever disposed at a position (not shown), and is fixed on the transfer stage 7A by operating the operation lever. The operation and the release operation in which the fixing on the transfer stage 7A is released and the rotation is permitted are configured to be operable.

A fine adjustment dial is arranged at a position (not shown). By operating the fine adjustment dial, the substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16A is configured to be rotatable, and provided on the substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16A. Index 16
a and the movement amount mark 7a provided on the transfer stage 7A
Can be used as a guide for adjusting the amount of rotation of the substrate 5. In the present embodiment, the substrate rotation adjusting mechanism 16A is provided between the transfer stage 7A and the substrate 5, but the position where the substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16A is interposed is not limited to this. For example, it may be provided below the embossing roll rotation axis moving mechanism 15.

An illumination light source is provided in the substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16 at a position corresponding to the alignment mark observation optical devices 21 (a to d). On the other hand, an alignment mark observation optical device 21 is provided on the upper surface of the pressing mechanism 2B.
An observation window 2B (a) for reading an alignment mark provided on the surface of the substrate 5 below the resin thin film 4 by (a to d).
To d) are provided.

Next, the alignment marks will be described with reference to FIG. In the case of a color liquid crystal display device, the alignment marks 5 are alignment marks 5 shown in (a) and (b).
Reference numerals a, 5b, 22, and 22 are provided to obtain a positional match between a color filter layer (not shown) and the liquid crystal driving element 31 formed on the substrate 5.

In the case shown in FIG. 11A, recesses 5a and 5b for alignment marks are provided on the substrate 5, a metal film is formed on the surface of the substrate 5 by sputtering, and a resist is formed thereon by spin coating. Apply, bake at high temperature to cure the resist, expose the mask appropriately with ultraviolet light, remove the exposed resist with a developing solution, bake again at high temperature, remove the film not covered by etching, and leave The process of removing the resist with a stripper is repeated to form a liquid crystal driving element 31 such as a TFT, and then the surface of the substrate 5 is spin-coated with a resin thin film 4A, and the resin thin film 4A is formed in the concave portions 5a and 5b. Invading.

Further, in the case shown in FIG.
The liquid crystal driving element 3 such as a TFT is formed on the surface of the
After the alignment marks 22 and 22 are formed together with 1, the surface of the substrate 5 is spin-coated with a resin thin film 4B.

FIG. 10D is a schematic configuration diagram between the substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16A and the pressing mechanism 2B as viewed from the right in FIG.

Next, the operation of the ninth embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. The projected images of the alignment marks from the alignment mark observation optical devices 21 (ad) are observed through observation windows 2B (ad), and the alignment marks 2B (ad) provided on the substrate 5 are observed.
If the reference position of the alignment mark observation optical device 21 (a to d) is shifted, the embossing roll rotation axis direction moving mechanism 15 and / or the substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16 are moved and adjusted to shift the reference position. Are within the predetermined reference value.

Then, the transfer stage 7 is moved to the right initial position. At the initial position, the pressing mechanism 2B is lowered to a predetermined position, and the transfer stage 7 is moved to the left while pressing at a predetermined pressure. Then, the uneven pattern 40
a, 40b and 40c are formed. After the first leftward movement of the transfer stage 7, the pressurizing mechanism 2B rises and returns to the initial position, and the embossing roll rotation axis direction moving mechanism 15 moves the moving mechanism 8A to the front side in the figure by a predetermined amount. 7 is returned to the right initial position. And
While lowering the pressing mechanism 2B again to the predetermined position,
While pressing at a predetermined pressure, the transfer stage 7 is moved leftward to form the concavo-convex patterns 40d to 40d.

In this embodiment, four alignment mark observing optical devices 21 (a to d) are used, but one or two alignment mark observing optical devices 21 are used. Driving the embossing roll rotation axis direction moving mechanism 15 or the moving mechanism 8A to obtain the positional deviation of the alignment mark, and moving and adjusting the substrate rotational direction adjusting mechanism 16 to make the deviation of the reference position coincide with a predetermined reference value. Can also.

In this embodiment, the alignment mark is projected on the observation window. However, the observation may be performed on a monitor screen using a CCD camera or the like.

The alignment mark may be formed by directly processing the substrate itself by wet etching, dry etching, sand blasting, embossing, or the like. However, a thin film of a metal, an insulator, a resin, or the like is sputtered or spin-coated on the substrate surface. It may be formed by vapor deposition, CVD, or the like, and its surface may be processed by wet etching, dry etching, sandblasting, embossing, or the like.

In the present embodiment, the alignment mark is formed on the surface of the substrate 5. However, an alignment mark portion is provided along with the concave / convex pattern portion at a position deviating from the alignment mark portion of the embossing roll 3. It is also possible to form another alignment mark portion corresponding to 5b or 22 on the surface of the resin thin film 5 and observe the alignment mark portion using the alignment mark observation optical device 21.

FIG. 12 shows a stamper 3B used in FIG. 9 instead of the embossing roll 3A.
Other configurations are the same as those in FIG. Therefore, the projected images of the alignment marks from the alignment mark observation optical devices 21 (a to d) are observed through the observation windows 2B (a to d), and the alignment marks 2B provided on the substrate 5 are observed.
(A) to (d) and the alignment mark observation optical device 21
If the reference positions (a) to (d) are displaced, the embossing roll rotation axis direction moving mechanism 15 and / or the substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16B are moved and adjusted so that the deviation of the reference position coincides with a predetermined reference value. be able to.

Then, the transfer stage 7 is moved to the right initial position. At the initial position, the pressing mechanism 2 is lowered to a predetermined position and pressed at a predetermined pressure. Then, the concavo-convex patterns 40a, 40
b, 40c are formed. After the first leftward movement of the transfer stage 7, the pressurizing mechanism 2 rises and returns to the initial position, and the embossing roll rotation axis direction moving mechanism 15 moves the moving mechanism 8A.
Is moved forward by a predetermined amount in the figure, and the transfer stage 7 is returned to the initial position on the right side. Then, the transfer stage 7 is moved leftward while the pressing mechanism 2 is lowered to the predetermined position again and pressed at the predetermined pressure, thereby forming the concavo-convex patterns 40d to 40d.

Next, an uneven pattern forming apparatus having an apparatus for observing an alignment mark below the reflector will be described with reference to FIG. 10 is different from FIG. 10 in that the pressure mechanism 2B, the substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16A, and the transfer stage 7A are used in FIG. The point is that the pressure mechanism 2C, the substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16B, and the transfer stage 7B are used. The embossing roll 3 rotatably arranged by the pressing mechanism 2C has alignment marks 3c and 3d on the outer surface on which the micro uneven pattern is formed. The substrate 5 is held by the substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16B,
The through holes 16Ba, 16Ba are provided in the substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16B.
Ba is cut out, and alignment mark observation optical devices 29Aa and 29Ab are arranged and held in the through holes 16Ba and 16Ba. The alignment mark observation optical devices 29Aa and 29Ab are provided with light detecting means, and the light detecting means is connected to a monitor screen via a computer (not shown).

When the alignment mark observation optical devices 29Aa and 29Ab have a visual field exceeding the adjustment amount, they may be held on the transfer stage 7B side. Further, the optical device for observing the alignment mark is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), an alignment mark observing optical device 29B is arranged at a position where the alignment mark 3C arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the embossing roll 3 can be visually recognized, and light incident through the alignment mark 22 on the substrate side is emitted. You may comprise so that detection is possible. In addition, as shown in FIG. 13, an alignment mark observation optical device is arranged below the substrate, so that light incident from outside the resin thin film 4 via the alignment mark 3Cc can be detected as shown in FIG. 14B. Alternatively, as shown in (c), the light from the alignment mark observation optical device 29B is reflected to the alignment mark 3c via the alignment mark 22 immediately above, and the reflected light can be detected. May be.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. Optical device for alignment mark observation 2
The projected images of the alignment marks from 9Aa and 29Ab are observed on the monitor, and if the alignment marks 22 provided on the substrate 5 and the reference positions of the alignment mark observation optical devices 29Aa and 29Ab are misaligned, the embossing may occur. By moving and adjusting the roll rotation axis direction moving mechanism 15 and / or the substrate rotation direction adjusting mechanism 16B, the deviation of the reference position is made to be within a predetermined reference value.

Then, the transfer stage 7B is moved to the initial position, and at the initial position, the pressing mechanism 2 is lowered to a predetermined position, and while being pressed at a predetermined pressure,
The transfer stage 7B is moved, and the emboss roll 3 is rolled to form an uneven pattern.

In the present embodiment, two alignment mark observation optical devices 29Aa and 29Ab are used. However, one or four alignment mark observation optical devices are used, and the embossing roll rotation shaft is used. Driving the direction moving mechanism 15 or the embossing roll rotating direction moving mechanism 8 to obtain a position shift of the alignment mark, and moving and adjusting the substrate rotating direction adjusting mechanism 16B so that the shift of the reference position coincides with a predetermined reference value. Can also.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory view of a main part of a micro uneven pattern forming apparatus for forming a micro uneven pattern on a resin thin film in an inert gas atmosphere. In the figure,
A transfer stage 7 is arranged in a chamber 23 which is airtightly arranged, and a substrate 5 coated with a resin thin film 4 is detachably held on the transfer stage 7. A pressing mechanism 2 is disposed above the resin thin film 4 so as to be able to move up and down and left and right.
B is attached, and in FIG.
Are rotatably mounted.

An exhaust unit 24 is provided in the chamber 23 so that the gas in the chamber 23 can be exhausted. The exhaust part 2
A ventilation fan, a rotary pump, and the like are arranged in 4, and are configured to be able to exhaust gas in the chamber 23 to some extent. Further, a purge unit 25 is provided in the chamber 23 so that a predetermined gas can be supplied into the chamber 23. The purging unit 2
5 includes a mass flow controller and an AP as a mechanism for feeding an inert gas such as N ₂ or Ar into the chamber 23.
A device for controlling the gas flow rate such as a C valve is provided. The purge section 25 is connected to a gas cylinder or a gas purifier, which is a supply source of an inert gas (not shown).

In the present embodiment thus configured, the substrate 5 on which the resin thin film 4 is spin-coated is transferred to the transfer stage 7.
Fix on top. Next, the exhaust unit 24 is operated to exhaust the air in the chamber 23. After the operation of the exhaust unit 24 is stopped, the purge unit 25 is operated to remove the inert gas from the chamber 23.
Introduce within. Thereafter, the pressing mechanism 2 is moved rightward from the initial position on the left side of the chamber 23 at a predetermined pressure to form an uneven pattern on the resin thin film 4.

According to the present embodiment, since the air in the chamber 23 is exhausted in advance by the exhaust unit 24, oxygen and impurities contained in the air in the chamber are exhausted, and the unevenness is produced in a clean inert gas atmosphere. Because it forms a pattern,
Oxidation and deterioration of the resin thin film can be prevented, and furthermore, it is possible to prevent the impurities from adhering to the resin thin film and forming on the uneven pattern during the formation of the uneven pattern, thereby improving the production yield of the optical element.

In the present embodiment, the pressure mechanism 2 is configured to be movable left and right. However, the transfer stage 7 is moved by using the emboss roll rotation direction moving mechanism 8 and the substrate rotation direction adjustment mechanism 16 is moved by the embossing roll rotation direction moving mechanism 8. Of course, it may be used.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory view of a main part of an uneven pattern forming apparatus for forming an uneven pattern on a resin thin film in a reduced-pressure atmosphere. The difference from FIG. 15 is that the optical element is manufactured in a reduced-pressure atmosphere lower than the atmospheric pressure in the chamber 23 instead of the inert gas atmosphere.

In the exhaust part 24 connected to the chamber 23,
Are rotary pumps, turbo pumps, diffusion pumps
The pressure inside the chamber 23 is set to 10^-3
-10 ^-7It is configured to exhaust gas to Torr
You. In addition, the purging section 25 supplies N
₂, And an inert gas such as Ar
The optical element can be manufactured without introducing inert gas.
It may be made.

According to the present embodiment, the air in the chamber 23 is exhausted in advance by the exhaust unit 24, so that oxygen and impurities contained in the air in the chamber are exhausted, and the unevenness is formed in a clean inert gas atmosphere. A pattern can be formed. In particular, when the pressure in the chamber is reduced, moisture is easily vaporized and exhausted, so that air is not trapped between the mold material and the resin thin film, and impurities and water vapor floating during formation of the uneven pattern are formed. Etc. are resin thin film 4
Can be prevented from sticking to the uneven pattern.
Furthermore, the resin thin film can be prevented from being oxidized or deteriorated, and a concave / convex pattern without bubbles can be formed, so that the bubbles act as a damper at the time of pressurization. Since the pressure can be reduced,
The residual stress of the uneven pattern can be reduced. That is, the production yield of the optical element can be improved.

According to the above-described embodiment, a micro uneven pattern can be formed on a resin thin film on a substrate as shown in FIG. The optical element provided with the resin thin film having the micro uneven pattern obtained in this way, by appropriately selecting the uneven pattern shape, the material of the resin thin film, the material of the substrate, and the like, for example, a transparent diffraction grating substrate, a hologram, It can be used as an optical storage medium such as an optical disk, a Fresnel lens, a microlens array, an optical waveguide, and the like.

FIG. 18 shows that the reflective film 26 is formed by depositing a high-reflectivity material such as Al, Ag, an Al alloy, or an Ag alloy on the uneven pattern surface of such a substrate by sputtering, vapor deposition, or the like by about 2000 °. Such a reflection plate can be manufactured.

In this case, an indirect film such as Tr, Cr, or Si is laminated between the reflection film 26 and the resin thin film 4, that is, after the indirect film is coated on the uneven pattern surface in advance, By forming the reflective film 26, the adhesion between the resin thin film and the reflective film can be improved.

This reflector can be used as an optical element such as a hologram, Fresnel mirror, micromirror array, and the like. In addition, the reflective film 26 is formed of a metal thin film, and the surface thereof is flattened by spin coating with an insulating film, for example, a resin thin film such as a transparent polyimide or acrylic resin, and sealed. It can be used as an electrode substrate of the device.

FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment of the liquid crystal display device. The substrate 5 is molded from non-alkali glass or a high heat-resistant resin, and has a surface such as a TFT.
And the like, and a liquid crystal driving element 31 is formed.

The reflection plate of the present embodiment is not limited to a reflection type liquid crystal display device, but can be used for other reflection type display devices. Although not shown, the present invention can also be used for a so-called transflective liquid crystal display device in which the power of a backlight light source is reduced or incident light is taken in from a place other than a liquid crystal panel.

Here, a description has been given of a surface reflection type reflector in which an uneven pattern is formed on the surface of the reflector and the incident light is reflected on the surface of each uneven surface. However, the substrate is formed of glass, transparent resin, or the like. It may be a back-reflection-type reflector in which incident light is reflected by an uneven pattern formed on the back surface of the substrate.

The reflection type liquid crystal display device provided with the reflection plate 1 configured as described above can be used for a display of an electronic device such as a mobile phone or a low power wireless device. It is needless to say that the present embodiment can be applied not only to the above-described electronic apparatus but also to a portable information terminal such as an electronic organizer, a portable computer, and a portable television.

[0125]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the micro uneven pattern is formed by controlling the temperature of the resin thin film coated on the substrate to be higher than the glass transition temperature and lower than the thermal decomposition start temperature, sintering at 200 ° C. in the subsequent alignment film forming step is performed. Even if it is performed, the micro uneven pattern does not collapse.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a method for forming a concavo-convex pattern for forming a concavo-convex pattern on a resin thin film according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a main part of an uneven pattern forming apparatus for forming an uneven pattern on a resin thin film according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a main part of an uneven pattern forming apparatus for forming an uneven pattern on a resin thin film according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a main part of an uneven pattern forming apparatus for forming an uneven pattern on a resin thin film according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a main part of an uneven pattern forming apparatus for forming an uneven pattern on a resin thin film according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a main part of an uneven pattern forming apparatus for forming an uneven pattern on a resin thin film according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a main part of an uneven pattern forming apparatus for forming an uneven pattern on a resin thin film according to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a main part of an uneven pattern forming apparatus for forming an uneven pattern on a resin thin film according to a seventh embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a main part of an uneven pattern forming apparatus for forming an uneven pattern on a resin thin film according to an eighth embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a main part of an uneven pattern forming apparatus for forming an uneven pattern on a resin thin film according to a ninth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view (1) of a main part of a concave / convex pattern forming apparatus for forming a concave / convex pattern on a resin thin film when a substrate having an alignment mark for a liquid crystal drive element below a reflector is used.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view (2) of a main part of an uneven pattern forming apparatus for forming an uneven pattern on a resin thin film when a substrate having an alignment mark for a liquid crystal drive element below a reflector is used.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view of a main part of a concavo-convex pattern forming apparatus having a device for observing an alignment mark below a reflector.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an observation method of the alignment mark observation device.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory view of a main part of an uneven pattern forming apparatus for forming an uneven pattern on a resin thin film in an inert gas atmosphere.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory view of a main part of an uneven pattern forming apparatus for forming an uneven pattern on a resin thin film in a reduced-pressure atmosphere.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a substrate provided with a resin thin film having an uneven pattern.

FIG. 18 is a view for explaining a reflector in which a concave / convex pattern surface is coated with a reflective film.

FIG. 19 illustrates an embodiment of a liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a conventional method for forming a concavo-convex pattern.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reflector 2 Pressing mechanism (pressing means) 4 Resin thin film 5 Substrate 7 Transfer stage 20 Temperature controller 33 Stamper (mold)

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Motohiko Matsushita 801 Minami-Fudo-do, Shiokyo-dori, Horikawa-Higashi-iri, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto Omron Co., Ltd. OMRON Corporation F-term (reference) 2H042 DA02 DA04 DA12 DA14 DA21 DB08 DC01 DC02 DE00 4F213 AA21 AA29 AA40 AH73 AH74 WA02 WA04 WA43 WA52 WA58 WB01 WB11 WB22 WC02 WE02 WE06 WF01 WF24 WK01 WK03 WW02 WW02 WW02 WW06

Claims (19)

[The claims] 1. A method of manufacturing an optical element, wherein a resin thin film on a substrate surface is pressed by a mold having a micro uneven pattern to form a micro uneven pattern, wherein the resin thin film having a glass transition temperature of more than 200 ° C. A micro-asperity pattern is formed on the surface of the resin thin film by the mold material while controlling the temperature of the resin thin film to be higher than the glass transition temperature and lower than the thermal decomposition start temperature. A method for producing an optical element, wherein the mold is separated after cooling to below the glass transition temperature. 2. A method for manufacturing an optical element, wherein a resin thin film on a substrate surface is pressed by a mold having a micro uneven pattern to form a micro uneven pattern, wherein the resin thin film which has not been substantially polymerized is placed on the substrate. While controlling the temperature below the polymerization reaction start temperature of the resin thin film, press-forming a micro uneven pattern on the surface of the resin thin film by the mold material, separating the mold material, exceeding the polymerization reaction start temperature, and A method for producing an optical element, characterized in that the resin thin film is fired at a temperature lower than the glass transition temperature of the resin thin film to stabilize the film quality. 3. The method for manufacturing an optical element according to claim 1, wherein the pressing operation of the mold is repeated a plurality of times on the resin thin film. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is relatively moved with respect to the mold, and the substrate-side alignment mark provided on the substrate and the reference position on the mold are aligned and adjusted. Or a method for manufacturing an optical element according to item 2. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a micro uneven pattern is formed on the resin thin film in an inert gas atmosphere.
Or a method for manufacturing an optical element according to item 2. 6. The method for manufacturing an optical element according to claim 1, wherein a micro concave-convex pattern is formed on the resin thin film in a reduced-pressure atmosphere lower than the atmospheric pressure. 7. An optical device manufacturing apparatus for forming a micro uneven pattern by pressing a resin thin film on a substrate surface with a mold having a micro uneven pattern, wherein the substrate is disposed below the mold and holds the substrate, A transfer stage having a heating means for heating the resin thin film on the surface, and a transfer stage transfer direction moving mechanism for reciprocating the transfer stage between an initial position and a movement end position at which the transfer stage is moved from the initial position to end the movement. And a pressing mechanism for pressing the mold material at a predetermined position on the resin thin film, wherein the pressing mechanism presses the mold material against the surface of the resin thin film to form a micro uneven pattern. manufacturing device. 8. An apparatus for manufacturing an optical element for forming a micro uneven pattern by pressing a resin thin film on a substrate surface with a mold having a micro uneven pattern, wherein the substrate is disposed below the mold and holds the substrate, A transfer stage having a heating means for heating the resin thin film on the surface, a pressing mechanism for pressing the resin material at a predetermined position on the resin thin film, and moving the pressing mechanism from an initial position and the initial position. A pressing mechanism for reciprocating between a movement end position to end and a transfer direction moving mechanism, wherein the pressing mechanism presses the mold material against the resin thin film surface to form a micro uneven pattern. Equipment for manufacturing optical elements. 9. An apparatus for manufacturing an optical element according to claim 7, wherein said mold member has a built-in heating means. 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said substrate is movable in the X-axis and Y-axis directions below said mold member, and said substrate moves toward said mold member.
9. The apparatus for manufacturing an optical element according to claim 7, wherein the optical element is arranged so as to be rotatable about an axis and the position of the substrate with respect to the mold is adjustable. 11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the mold material is formed in a cylindrical shape having a micro uneven pattern on the outer periphery, and the mold material rolls on the surface of the resin thin film to press-form the micro uneven pattern. An apparatus for manufacturing the optical element described in the above. 12. A transfer stage intersecting direction moving mechanism for moving the transfer stage in an intersecting direction intersecting with a transfer direction in which the micro concave-convex pattern is transferred, wherein the resin thin film is moved relative to the mold. 9. The apparatus for manufacturing an optical element according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus is configured to be movable in a transfer direction and the cross direction. 13. The mold member includes a stamper portion for pressing and forming a micro uneven pattern on the resin thin film, and a base portion for holding the stamper portion, and an elastic member is interposed between the stamper portion and the base portion. 9. The apparatus for manufacturing an optical element according to claim 7, wherein: 14. The mold according to claim 1, wherein an elastic member is interposed between a stamper for pressing and forming a micro uneven pattern on the resin thin film and a roll for rotatably holding the stamper. Item 14. An optical element manufacturing apparatus according to item 11 or 13. 15. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein at least one optical device for observing an alignment mark is provided in the pressing mechanism, so that at least one alignment mark provided on the substrate is visible. An apparatus for manufacturing the optical element described in the above. 16. An optical system for observing at least one alignment mark provided below the substrate, wherein at least one set of a first alignment mark disposed on the substrate and a second alignment mark disposed on the mold are provided. 9. The apparatus for manufacturing an optical element according to claim 7, wherein the second alignment mark is configured to be visible. 17. An apparatus for manufacturing an optical element for forming a micro uneven pattern by pressing a resin thin film on a substrate surface with a mold having a micro uneven pattern, wherein at least a transfer stage for holding the substrate, A pressure mechanism for pressing the resin thin film at a position,
While pressing the mold material against the resin thin film surface, a moving mechanism for moving the transfer stage or the mold material, and a heating means for heating the substrate are arranged in an airtight chamber having an exhaust means, and the mold material is An apparatus for manufacturing an optical element, wherein the gas in the airtight chamber is exhausted by the exhaust means prior to an operation of forming a micro uneven pattern on the surface of the resin thin film. 18. A method for manufacturing a reflector having a resin thin film having a micro uneven pattern portion and an alignment film and disposed on the substrate, wherein a thin film liquid crystal driving element or a wiring contact portion is formed in advance. The resin thin film having a glass transition temperature of more than 200 ° C. is coated on the substrate, and the temperature of the resin thin film is controlled to be higher than the glass transition temperature and lower than the thermal decomposition start temperature, and the temperature is controlled by the mold. Press-forming a micro concave-convex pattern on the surface of the resin thin film, after separating the mold material after cooling the temperature of the resin thin film below the glass transition temperature, and firing the resin thin film at a temperature equal to or higher than the polymerization reaction start temperature, A method of manufacturing a reflector, comprising forming a reflection film and the alignment film on the micro uneven pattern. 19. A method of manufacturing a reflector having a resin thin film disposed on a substrate and having a micro uneven pattern portion and an alignment film, wherein the thin film liquid crystal driving element or the wiring contact portion is formed in advance. The resin thin film that has not been substantially polymerized is coated on the substrate using a mold, and a micro uneven pattern is formed on the surface of the resin thin film by pressing the mold material while controlling the temperature below the polymerization reaction start temperature of the resin thin film. Then, after separating the mold material and baking the resin thin film at a temperature higher than the polymerization reaction start temperature and lower than the glass transition temperature of the resin thin film, a reflective film and the alignment film are formed on the micro uneven pattern. A method for manufacturing a reflector, comprising: