JP2006039265A - Microlens array plate, its manufacturing method, electrooptical device, and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize display with excellent characteristics and to keep structural stability in an electrooptical device. <P>SOLUTION: The microlens array plate comprises a 1st transparent substrate for which the lens surfaces of a plurality of microlenses arrayed at a prescribed pixel pitch are formed on one surface, and a 2nd transparent substrate arranged to be opposed to the one surface of the 1st transparent substrate. A hermetically sealed space regulated so that the lens surface may be a part of its inner wall and the opposed surface opposed to the lens surface on the 2nd transparent substrate may be another part of the inner wall and having prescribed size is formed between the 1st and the 2nd transparent substrates. The inside of the hermetically sealed space is made in an evacuated state and is an evacuated layer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field of a microlens array plate suitably used for an electro-optical device such as a liquid crystal device and a manufacturing method thereof. The present invention further relates to a technical field of an electro-optical device including the microlens array plate and an electronic apparatus including the electro-optical device.

  In an electro-optical device such as a liquid crystal device, various wiring elements such as data lines, scanning lines, and capacitance lines, and various electronic elements such as thin film transistors (hereinafter referred to as TFT (Thin Film Transistor) as appropriate) are included in the image display area. Built. For this reason, when parallel light is incident on the electro-optical device, only the amount of light corresponding to the aperture ratio of each pixel can be used as it is.

  Therefore, conventionally, a microlens array including a microlens corresponding to each pixel is formed on the counter substrate, or a microlens array plate is attached to the counter substrate. With such a microlens, the light that travels toward the non-opening area excluding the opening area in each pixel as it is is condensed in units of pixels and transmitted through the electro-optic material layer. It is guided in the opening area. As a result, bright display is possible in the electro-optical device.

  This type of microlens array plate is manufactured by bonding a cover glass with an adhesive to a transparent substrate on which lens surfaces of a plurality of microlenses are formed. The adhesive used in this case is generally made of a material having a refractive index different from that of the transparent substrate as described in Patent Document 1 and the like, and is embedded in a recess formed by the lens surface of the transparent substrate to make the microlens function. It has the side. Such an adhesive may be composed of a resin.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-6113

  However, since the resin material may be destroyed by expansion or contraction at the time of curing, there is a problem that its thickness is limited to a certain value or less. Further, the cover glass may be peeled off due to deterioration or shrinkage peculiar to the resin. In addition, commonly used resin adhesive has a refractive index of about 1.4, and the refractive index is sufficiently low to be used as a low refractive index layer for a transparent substrate (for example, a quartz substrate having a refractive index of 1.46). However, there is a need for further lowering the refractive index or searching for a material having a lower refractive index.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and a microlens array plate capable of good display and having structural stability, a manufacturing method thereof, and an electro-optical device including the microlens array plate. It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic apparatus including the electro-optical device.

  In order to solve the above problems, the first microlens array plate of the present invention has a first transparent substrate on which a lens surface of a plurality of microlenses arranged at a predetermined pixel pitch is formed on one surface, and the one surface. Between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate disposed opposite to the first transparent substrate, the lens surface is a part of the inner wall and the second transparent substrate is opposed to the lens surface. And a decompression layer that is defined as the other part of the inner wall and that creates a decompressed state in a sealed space of a predetermined size.

  According to the first microlens array plate of the present invention, the decompression layer is formed between the lens surface of each microlens and the second transparent substrate. The lens surface exhibits a refracting action as a microlens according to the refractive index difference between the first transparent substrate and the reduced pressure layer. The second transparent substrate may be, for example, a cover glass attached to the outermost surface of the first transparent substrate for the purpose of heat resistance or dust prevention of the microlens.

  Here, the decompression layer consists of a space between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate whose internal pressure is equal to or lower than atmospheric pressure, and is specifically formed by decompressing the air in the sealed space. That is, “reduced pressure” here means lowering pressure than atmospheric pressure, and “reduced pressure state” is defined as “vacuum” physical or JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) definition “pressure lower than atmospheric pressure”. It is synonymous with “a state of a specific space filled with gas”. The gas in the decompression layer is not necessarily limited to air, but may be other various gases, or a mixed gas of at least one of them and air.

  The refractive index of such a decompression layer is almost 1 as can be seen from the refractive index of the atmosphere (1.006) and the refractive index of vacuum (1). In other words, the reduced pressure layer has a remarkably lower refractive index than a resin (refractive index of about 1.4) generally used as a low refractive medium, and functions as a low refractive index layer for the first transparent substrate. In addition, since the refractive index difference with respect to the first transparent substrate made of quartz (refractive index 1.46) or the like can be considerably increased, the light collecting ability of the microlens can be improved. In this case, the lens surface is convex with respect to the decompression layer because of the value of the refractive index.

  Further, since the vacuum layer has a high degree of vacuum, it hardly expands as compared with other media such as the resin and the atmosphere, and the substrates are prevented from being peeled off due to an increase in internal pressure when attempting to expand. The normal low refractive index layer is embedded in the irregularities on the lens surface and is also an adhesive that bonds the substrates together, so the layer itself may be destroyed by expansion, but if this is a reduced pressure layer, Is not physically destroyed.

  Note that the thickness and refractive index of each component such as the first transparent substrate, the second transparent substrate, and the decompression layer are the size of the microlens actually used experimentally, empirically, theoretically, or by simulation. Further, it may be set individually and specifically according to the performance required for the micro lens, the device specification, and the like.

  As described above, according to the first microlens array plate of the present invention, the low refractive index layer constituting the microlens together with the first transparent substrate is a decompression layer. A large difference in refractive index can be secured, and the light collecting performance is improved. At the same time, there is little or no practical problem with deterioration or thermal expansion that occurs when the low refractive index layer is made of resin or the like. Accordingly, the electro-optical device to which the microlens array plate is applied enables bright display, improves the structural stability, and contributes to reducing manufacturing defects.

In one aspect of the first microlens array plate of the present invention, the internal pressure of the reduced pressure layer is 1.333 Pa (1 × 10 ⁻² Torr) or less.

According to this aspect, the degree of vacuum of the decompression layer is defined to be relatively high. Therefore, the internal pressure of the decompression layer becomes a pressure of a molecular flow level lower than the pressure level as a gas fluid, and the adverse effect on the expansion is further eliminated. An internal pressure of 1.333 Pa (1 × 10 ⁻² Torr) or less is considered to be practically free of gas atoms or molecules, such as excluding moisture in the atmosphere to prevent sample deterioration. It is a value that is an index of the state that can be.

  According to another aspect of the first microlens array plate of the present invention, the decompression layer includes air.

  According to this aspect, the decompression layer comprises decompressed air. In other words, the microlens array plate can be manufactured relatively easily because it can be configured by depressurizing the atmosphere to a predetermined degree of vacuum.

  According to another aspect of the first microlens array plate of the present invention, the decompression layer includes an inert gas.

According to this aspect, since the decompression layer contains an inert gas such as argon (Ar), neon (Ne), and nitrogen (N ₂ ), for example, the first and first components constituting the inner wall of the decompression layer are included. 2 It is possible to further prevent chemical deterioration of the transparent substrate.

  According to another aspect of the first microlens array plate of the present invention, the first microlens array plate further includes an adhesive layer for bonding the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate at a peripheral portion, and the peripheral portion of the first transparent substrate; Both the top of the lens surface are in contact with the facing surface, on the other surface of the first transparent substrate opposite to the one surface and on the opposite side of the facing surface of the second transparent substrate. The first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate are in close contact with each other due to a pressure difference between an external pressure acting on the other surface located and an internal pressure of the decompression layer.

  According to this aspect, the decompression layer is formed in a space formed by bonding the peripheral edges of the two substrates with the adhesive. The use of the adhesive in this way is suitable when the pressure difference is not so large between the inside and outside of the microlens array plate or when it is desired to ensure sealing. Since the adhesive is used only on the peripheral edge of the substrate, there are few adverse effects caused by the above-described low refractive index layer and the resin functioning as the adhesive.

  In this case, the reduced pressure layer is in close contact with the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate due to a differential pressure between an external pressure applied to the outer surface (that is, atmospheric pressure) and an internal pressure generated by the reduced pressure layer applied to the inner wall surface. Therefore, more tightness is guaranteed. Note that the two substrates are in contact with not only the peripheral edge but also the top of the lens surface so that the decompression layer is not crushed by the external pressure. That is, the decompression layer is structurally stable because a plurality of microlenses are supported like pillars.

  In order to solve the above problems, a second microlens array plate of the present invention has a first transparent substrate on which one lens surface of a plurality of microlenses arranged at a predetermined pixel pitch is formed, and the one surface. A second transparent substrate disposed opposite to the first transparent substrate, and the lens surface between the first and second transparent substrates as a part of the inner wall, and a surface facing the lens surface of the second transparent substrate is the inner wall. It is disposed in a sealed space of a predetermined size defined as the other part, and includes at least one of the atmosphere and an inert gas so that the internal pressure in the sealed space is equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure. A gas medium layer.

  According to the second microlens array plate of the present invention, instead of the reduced pressure layer of the first microlens array plate, the gas medium layer formed by filling the space between the two substrates with the atmosphere or the inert gas or both. Is formed. The internal pressure of the gas medium layer is not less than the atmospheric pressure, unlike the above-described decompression layer.

  Even in such a case, the atmosphere and inert gas constituting the gas medium layer have poor chemical reactivity, and the refractive index can be set as low as about 1, for example, so that the light collecting performance can be improved. Is possible. In addition, the material deterioration can be hardly or practically not a problem, and the structural stability of the microlens array plate and thus the electro-optical device to which the microlens array plate is applied can be improved.

  According to another aspect of the first and second microlens array plates of the present invention, the other surface of the first transparent substrate located opposite to the one surface is refracted more than the first transparent substrate. A high refractive index layer having a high refractive index is provided.

  According to this aspect, the light emitted from the first or second microlens array passes through the second transparent substrate, the reduced pressure layer or gas medium layer, and the first transparent substrate in this order. Here, a high refractive index layer is further disposed on the light emission side of the first transparent substrate. From the viewpoint of optical design and simplification of the configuration, the high refractive index layer is preferably in contact with the first transparent substrate, but may be provided on the first transparent substrate via another optical medium. Absent. Even in such a case, it is possible to satisfy the optical relationship described below.

  Since the refractive index of the high refractive index layer is higher than that of the first transparent substrate, the light emission angle is shallower than the incident angle at the interface between the first transparent substrate side and the high refractive index layer. At this time, the light beam focused by the individual microlenses has an irradiation area that decreases according to the distance from the lens, but the degree of decrease of the irradiation area with respect to the distance decreases.

  In other words, in this case, the incident light to each microlens is once stopped at the lens surface as the first stage of refraction, and relaxed at the position of the first transparent substrate as the second stage. It is bent in the opposite direction to the first stage (to be parallel light). Then, the aperture area of each pixel is irradiated with the irradiation area almost the same size as in the second stage.

  This means that the irradiation area of the emitted light from the microlens array plate becomes insensitive to the change in distance. For this reason, the emitted light is irradiated to the aperture region of each pixel in a state where it is narrowed down relatively gently. In other words, the irradiation margin for the opening area of the emitted light is generally ensured even if the thickness of the components attached to the emission side such as the first transparent substrate and the high refractive index layer changes somewhat.

  For this reason, even if the thicknesses of these components vary somewhat, the amount of light that is guided from the individual microlenses to the aperture region and actually contributes to the display can hardly be reduced. For example, the thickness of the substrate is generally adjusted by a polishing process. At this time, the thickness may vary from microlens array plate to microlens array plate. Even in such a case, according to this aspect, the amount of light guided from the microlens to the opening region is relatively uniform between the microlens array plates. Therefore, in the electro-optical device to which the microlens array plate of the present invention is applied, manufacturing variations in the projection transmittance of the electro-optical device including the microlens array plate are suppressed.

  Since the margin with respect to the thickness of the substrate is increased in this manner, manufacturing variations in terms of device performance are reduced, and a microlens array plate capable of maintaining the projection transmittance in the electro-optical device can be manufactured relatively easily. Become. Also, by adopting such a configuration, the incident angle of light incident on the electro-optical material (for example, liquid crystal) from the microlens array plate becomes relatively shallow, so that the substantial modulation degree in the electro-optical material is improved. It is also possible to improve the contrast ratio in the electro-optical device.

  The microlens of the present invention can be used regardless of whether light is incident from the first transparent substrate side or the second transparent substrate side. Therefore, the same thing as above can be said when light is incident from the first transparent substrate side. However, in such a case, since the refractive index of the second transparent substrate is generally higher than that of the reduced pressure layer, it is conceivable to adopt such a structure without special consideration.

  According to another aspect of the first and second microlens array plates of the present invention, lens surfaces of a plurality of microlenses arranged at the predetermined pixel pitch are formed on the facing surface.

  According to this aspect, the first or second microlens array plate has a structure in which two lenses face each other via the decompression layer. In such a structure, the manufacturing freedom of the distance between two lenses (that is, the thickness of the medium between the lenses) greatly affects the lens performance. In this case, the medium between the lenses is made of resin. As in the case, it is not necessary to limit the thickness to a certain value or less in order to avoid an adverse effect due to expansion, and it is possible to secure good lens performance while ensuring a degree of design freedom.

  In order to solve the above problems, the electro-optical device of the present invention includes the above-described first or second microlens array plate (including various aspects thereof) of the present invention and the first or second microlens plate. In order to drive the pixel electrode formed on the other substrate, the plurality of pixel electrodes formed on the other substrate, arranged on the other substrate, and arranged on the predetermined pixel pitch. Wiring and electronic elements.

  According to the electro-optical device of the present invention, since the above-described microlens array plate of the present invention is provided, bright display is possible, the productivity is excellent, and the structural stability can be maintained. Note that such an electro-optical device is an active matrix driving type liquid crystal in which scanning electrodes, data lines, and other electronic elements such as TFTs are connected to display electrodes such as island-shaped pixel electrodes or stripe-shaped electrodes. It is constructed as an electro-optical device such as a device.

  In order to solve the above problems, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the above-described electro-optical device according to the present invention.

  According to the electronic apparatus of the present invention, since it is configured to include the above-described electro-optical device of the present invention, it is bright, excellent display quality is maintained, productivity is excellent, and structural stability is maintained. Various electronic devices such as a projector, a liquid crystal television, a mobile phone, an electronic notebook, a word processor, a viewfinder type or a monitor direct-view type video tape recorder, a workstation, a video phone, a POS terminal, and a touch panel can be realized.

  In order to solve the above problems, a method of manufacturing a microlens array plate of the present invention includes a first transparent substrate having lens surfaces of a plurality of microlenses arranged at a predetermined pixel pitch on one surface, and the one transparent substrate. Between the second transparent substrate disposed opposite to the surface, and the first and second transparent substrates, the lens surface is a part of the inner wall, and an opposite surface facing the lens surface in the second transparent substrate is provided. A microlens array plate manufacturing method for manufacturing a microlens array plate, comprising: a pressure reducing layer that is defined as the other part of the inner wall and that has a reduced pressure inside a sealed space of a predetermined size. Depressurizing the airtight container for assembling the array plate and setting the inside of the airtight container to a predetermined depressurized atmosphere, and after the pressure reducing process, the first transparent substrate and the front in the airtight container A second transparent substrate is brought into close contact so that a peripheral portion of the first transparent substrate and a top of the lens surface are in contact with the opposing surface, and at the same time the microlens array plate is assembled, the first transparent substrate And a reduced pressure layer forming step of forming the reduced pressure layer between the second transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate.

  According to the method for manufacturing a microlens array plate of the present invention, the substrate is assembled (ie, the step of combining the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate) in a reduced pressure atmosphere. At that time, when the peripheral portions of both the substrates are brought together, the sealed space of the present invention is formed between them. Since the inside of this sealed space is in the same reduced pressure state as the working atmosphere, this space naturally becomes a reduced pressure layer. Therefore, for example, after assembling the substrate, it is possible to form a decompression layer that is decompressed to a desired degree of vacuum faster and more reliably than decompressing the space between the substrates.

  Here, the substrate is assembled such that the top of the lens surface of the first transparent substrate is in contact with the opposing surface of the second transparent substrate. Therefore, since the inside of the decompression layer is supported by the lens surface, it is possible to avoid the possibility that the decompression layer is crushed after the microlens array plate is taken out from the decompression atmosphere into the atmosphere.

  In assembling the substrate, the contact portion between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate may be bonded and fixed with an adhesive, or may be simply brought into close contact. According to the former, it is possible to reliably prevent the substrates from peeling off. As described above, the latter is a method for maintaining the shape by utilizing the pressure difference between the outer surface and the inner surface of the first and second transparent substrates after being taken out into the atmosphere. In addition to simple assembly, it is not necessary to consider the deterioration or expansion / contraction of the resin as the adhesive.

  Such an operation and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiments described below.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(1: First embodiment)
A microlens array plate according to a first embodiment of the present invention and an electro-optical device including the same will be described with reference to FIGS.

(1-1: Micro lens array plate)
First, the microlens plate according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a microlens array plate according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion related to four microlenses. FIG. 3 shows an enlarged partial cross section of the microlens array plate of the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, the microlens array plate 20 of the present embodiment includes a transparent plate member 210 made of, for example, a quartz plate covered with a cover glass 200. A large number of convex lens surfaces 210 ′ are formed in a matrix on the transparent plate member 210. Here, the cover glass 200 is disposed in contact with the lens surface 210 '. Moreover, the gap | interval comprised with the cover glass 200 and the transparent plate member 210 is sealed, and the inside becomes the decompression layer 220 which is the space of a decompression state. By these, the microlenses 500 arranged in a matrix form on a plane are constructed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, an example of the “first transparent substrate” according to the present invention is configured from the transparent plate member 210, and an example of the “depressurized layer” according to the present invention is configured from the decompression layer 220. ing. The cover glass 200 is an example of the “second transparent substrate” according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the curved surface of each microlens 500 is generally defined by a transparent plate member 210 and a decompression layer 220 having different refractive indexes. Each microlens 500 is constructed as a convex lens protruding upward in FIG. When the microlens array plate 20 is used, each microlens 500 is arranged so as to correspond to each pixel of an electro-optical device such as a liquid crystal device described later. Then, incident light L (see FIG. 3) incident on each microlens 500 is condensed toward the opening area of each pixel in the electro-optical device by the refraction action of the microlens 500.

The decompression layer 220 according to the present embodiment includes a space whose internal pressure is equal to or lower than atmospheric pressure. The inside may contain not only air but also various gases or a mixed gas thereof. When only decompressed air is included, the microlens array plate can be manufactured relatively easily because it can be configured by decompressing the atmosphere to a predetermined degree of vacuum. In addition, when an inert gas such as argon (Ar), neon (Ne), and nitrogen (N ₂ ) is sealed in the decompression layer 220, the physical and chemical stability of the decompression layer 220 is further improved. be able to.

  The refractive index of the decompression layer 220 can take a considerably low value close to 1 from the refractive index of air or vacuum. That is, the decompression layer 220 functions as a low refractive index layer for the transparent plate member 210. Due to the high and low refractive indexes, each microlens 500 acts as a convex lens that focuses incident light from the cover glass 200 side or the transparent plate member 210 side. In addition, in this case, since the refractive index difference with respect to the transparent plate member 220 made of quartz (refractive index 1.46) or the like can be considerably increased, it is possible to improve the light condensing performance of the configured microlens 500.

  In a normal case, a resin material that also functions as an adhesive for bonding substrates is used for the low refractive index layer in contact with the lens surface. In such a case, due to the nature of the resin, for example, during thermosetting In some cases, quality defects may occur due to expansion or deterioration. On the other hand, since the physical and chemical changes hardly occur in the decompression layer 220, the structural stability of the microlens array plate 20 can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the microlens array plate 20 has an atmospheric pressure (indicated by a thick arrow in FIG. 3) that effectively acts on the outer surface and presses both surfaces due to the presence of the decompression layer 220. Naturally, it can take the form illustrated. However, here, in order to securely seal the decompression layer 220, the peripheral portions of the transparent plate member 210 and the cover glass 200 are bonded and fixed by the adhesive layer 230.

  Note that the thickness and refractive index of the cover glass 200, the decompression layer 220, the transparent plate member 210, and the like are determined according to the size of the microlens actually used by experiment, experience, theory, or simulation. What is necessary is just to set individually according to the performance, apparatus specification, etc. which are requested | required as a micro lens.

(1-2: Modification of microlens array plate)
For example, the microlens array plate 20 can take the following modifications. Here, FIGS. 4 to 6 show configurations of modified examples of the microlens array plate 20.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the microphone lens array plate of the present invention may be configured only by bringing the transparent plate member 211 and the cover glass 201 into close contact with each other without being bonded through an adhesive layer. If the decompression layer 221 is sufficiently decompressed, the microlens array plate under atmospheric pressure can maintain the structure shown in the figure by the pressure difference described above. In addition, since the resin material can be completely eliminated, it is possible to avoid the possibility of inconveniences such as manufacturing defects due to deterioration or expansion peculiar to the resin.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the cover glass 202 may be in contact with the transparent plate member 212 only at the peripheral edge. The peripheral portions of both are joined by an adhesive layer 231. In this case, the distance between the transparent plate member 212 and the cover glass 202 (that is, the thickness of the decompression layer 222) can be adjusted, and the degree of freedom in optical design can be expanded.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a lens surface may be formed on both the transparent plate member 213 and the cover glass 203, and the two lenses may be opposed to each other through the decompression layer 223. The peripheral edges of both are joined by an adhesive layer 232. The microlens array plate having such a configuration operates in the same manner as in the embodiment, but the degree of freedom in manufacturing the distance between two lenses (that is, the thickness of the decompression layer 223) greatly affects the lens performance. In this case, unlike the case where the medium between the lenses is made of resin, it is not necessary to limit the thickness to a certain value or less in order to avoid an adverse effect due to expansion, and a good lens performance is ensured by ensuring a degree of design freedom. Can be realized.

(1-3: electro-optical device)
Next, the electro-optical device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, as an example of the electro-optical device of the present invention, a TFT active matrix driving type liquid crystal device with a built-in driving circuit will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view of the TFT array substrate as viewed from the above-described microlens array plate used as a counter substrate together with each component formed thereon, and FIG. 8 is a view taken along line HH ′ of FIG. It is sectional drawing.

  7 and 8, in the electro-optical device according to the present embodiment, a TFT array substrate 10 and a microlens array plate 20 used as a counter substrate are disposed to face each other. A liquid crystal layer 50 is sealed between the TFT array substrate 10 and the microlens array plate 20, and the TFT array substrate 10 and the microlens array plate 20 are provided in a seal region positioned around the image display region 10a. They are bonded to each other by a sealing material 52.

  The sealing material 52 is made of, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin, a thermosetting resin, or the like for bonding the two substrates together. Further, a gap material such as glass fiber or glass bead is dispersed in the sealing material 52 to set the distance between the TFT array substrate 10 and the microlens array plate 20 (inter-substrate gap) to a predetermined value. Such a structure is suitable for a small and enlarged display for a projector light valve. However, if the electro-optical device is a large-sized liquid crystal device that displays an equal magnification, such a gap material may be used for the liquid crystal layer 50. It may be included.

  On the inside of the sealing material 52 on the microlens array plate 20, a light-shielding frame light-shielding film 53 that defines the frame area of the image display region 10a is provided. However, a part or all of such a frame light shielding film may be provided as a built-in light shielding film on the TFT array substrate 10 side.

  A data line driving circuit 101, a scanning line driving circuit 104, and an external circuit connection terminal 102 are provided in the peripheral area of the image display area 10 a on the TFT array substrate 10, and these are connected to each other by a plurality of wirings 105. Has been. In addition, the TFT array substrate 10 includes a sampling circuit that samples an image signal and supplies the data line to a data line, a precharge circuit that supplies a precharge signal having a predetermined voltage level to the data line prior to the image signal, You may form the inspection circuit etc. which test | inspect the quality of the said electro-optical apparatus at the time of shipment, a defect, etc. The microlens array plate 20 is provided with a vertical conduction member 106 that functions as a vertical conduction terminal between the two substrates.

  In FIG. 7, on the TFT array substrate 10, an alignment film is formed on the pixel electrode 9a after the pixel switching TFT, the scanning line, the data line and the like are formed. On the other hand, on the microlens array plate 20, the counter electrode 21 is formed in addition to the cover glass 200, the transparent plate member 210, and the microlens 500 described above, and the uppermost layer portion (under the microlens array plate 20 in FIG. 7). An alignment film is formed on the side surface. Further, the liquid crystal layer 50 is made of, for example, a liquid crystal in which one or several types of nematic liquid crystals are mixed, and takes a predetermined alignment state between the pair of alignment films.

  Next, the circuit configuration and operation of the electro-optical device will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 illustrates an equivalent circuit of various elements, wirings, and the like in a plurality of pixels formed in a matrix that forms an image display area of the electro-optical device.

  In FIG. 9, a pixel electrode 9a and a TFT 30 for controlling the switching of the pixel electrode 9a are formed in a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix in the image display area 10a. The data line 6 a is electrically connected to the source of the TFT 30. Image signals S1, S2,... Sn are respectively supplied to a plurality of data lines 6a arranged corresponding to the pixel columns. The image signals S1, S2,... Sn may be supplied line-sequentially in this order, or may be supplied for each group to a plurality of adjacent data lines 6a.

  A scanning line 3a is electrically connected to the gate of the TFT 30, and is configured to supply scanning signals G1, G2,... Gm to the scanning line 3a line-sequentially in accordance with horizontal scanning. That is, the TFT 30 opens and closes according to the input timing of the scanning signals G1, G2,. The pixel electrode 9a is electrically connected to the drain of the TFT 30, and by opening and closing the TFT 30 at a predetermined timing, the image signals S1, S2,... Sn supplied from the data line 6a are written, Is held for a certain period of time. The liquid crystal modulates light by changing the orientation and order of the molecular assembly in accordance with the potential level between the pixel electrode 9a and the counter electrode 21, thereby enabling gradation display. Here, in order to prevent the held image signal from leaking, a storage capacitor 70 is added in parallel with the liquid crystal capacitor formed between the pixel electrode 9a and the counter electrode.

  Next, a specific configuration of the image display area 10a of the electro-optical device will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 shows a planar configuration on the TFT array substrate 10. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ′ of FIG. 10. In FIG. 11, the scales are different for each layer and each member so that each layer and each member have a size that can be recognized on the drawing.

  In FIG. 10, pixel electrodes 9a (outlined by dotted line portions 9a ') are provided in the opening regions of the respective pixels arranged in a matrix in the X direction and the Y direction. The non-opening region of the pixel is defined by wiring extending along the vertical and horizontal boundaries of the pixel electrode 9a, such as the data line 6a, the scanning line 3a, and the capacitor line 300. In addition, the scanning line 3a is arranged so as to face the channel region 1a 'in the semiconductor layer 1a, and the scanning line 3a functions as a gate electrode. As described above, the pixel switching TFT 30 is provided at each of the intersections between the scanning line 3a and the data line 6a.

  10 and 11, each circuit element of the pixel portion described above is patterned and stacked as a conductive film on the TFT array substrate 10. Each circuit element includes, in order from the bottom, the first layer including the lower light-shielding film 11a, the second layer including the gate electrode 3a, the third layer including the storage capacitor 70, the fourth layer including the data line 6a, and the like. It consists of a fifth layer including the electrode 9a and the like. Further, the base insulating film 12 is provided between the first layer and the second layer, the first interlayer insulating film 41 is provided between the second layer and the third layer, the second interlayer insulating film 42 is provided between the third layer and the fourth layer, and the fourth layer. A third interlayer insulating film 43 is provided between each of the layers and the fifth layers to prevent the above-described elements from being short-circuited.

  The TFT array substrate 10 is made of, for example, a quartz substrate, a glass substrate, or a silicon substrate. On the lower layer side of the TFT 30 on the TFT array substrate 10, a lower light shielding film 11 a is provided in a lattice shape. The lower light-shielding film 11a is made of, for example, a simple metal, an alloy containing at least one of refractory metals such as Ti (titanium), Cr (chromium), W (tungsten), Ta (tantalum), and Mo (molybdenum). It is made of metal silicide, polysilicide, or a laminate of these.

  The TFT 30 has an LDD (Lightly Doped Drain) structure. The TFT 30 has a scanning line 3a, a channel region 1a ′ of the semiconductor layer 1a in which a channel is formed by an electric field from the scanning line 3a, the scanning line 3a and the semiconductor layer 1a. Insulating film 2 including a gate insulating film that insulates, low concentration source region 1b and low concentration drain region 1c of semiconductor layer 1a, high concentration source region 1d and high concentration drain region 1e of semiconductor layer 1a. The high concentration source region 1 d is connected to the data line 6 a through the contact hole 81, and the high concentration drain region 1 e is connected to the relay layer 71 of the storage capacitor 70 through the contact hole 83.

  A storage capacitor 70 is provided above the TFT 30. The storage capacitor 70 includes a relay layer 71 as a pixel potential side capacitor electrode connected to the high concentration drain region 1e of the TFT 30 and the pixel electrode 9a and a part of the capacitor line 300 as a fixed potential side capacitor electrode. It is formed by being opposed to each other through the film 75. The capacitor line 300 is electrically connected to a constant potential source to have a fixed potential. The capacitor line 300 is formed in a stripe shape along the scanning line 3a as viewed in a plan view, and protrudes up and down in FIG. Such a capacitor line 300 is made of a light-shielding conductive film containing metal, for example, and has a function as a light-shielding film that shields the TFT 30 from incident light on the upper side of the TFT 30 in addition to a function as a fixed potential side capacitor electrode. In FIG. 10, the lower light-shielding film 11a formed in a lattice shape, and the lattice-shaped light-shielding film formed by intersecting the data line 6a extending in the vertical direction and the capacitor line 300 extending in the horizontal direction. The opening area of each pixel is defined.

  The data line 6a is electrically connected to the high-concentration source region 1d in the semiconductor layer 1a made of, for example, a polysilicon film via the contact hole 81. Note that a relay layer made of the same film as the relay layer 71 described above may be formed, and the data line 6a and the high-concentration source region 1d may be electrically connected through the relay layer and the two contact holes.

  The pixel electrode 9a is electrically connected to the high-concentration drain region 1e in the semiconductor layer 1a through the contact holes 83 and 85 by relaying the relay layer 71. An alignment film 16 that has been subjected to an alignment process such as a rubbing process is provided on the upper layer side of the pixel electrode 9a. The pixel electrode 9a is made of a transparent conductive film such as an ITO film. The alignment film 16 is made of a transparent organic film such as a polyimide film.

  On the other hand, a counter electrode 21 is provided on the entire surface of the microlens array plate 20, and an alignment film 22 that has been subjected to a predetermined alignment process such as a rubbing process is provided thereon. The counter electrode 21 is made of a transparent conductive film such as an ITO film. The alignment film 22 is made of a transparent organic film such as a polyimide film. The microlens array plate 20 may be provided with a light shielding film 240 in a lattice shape or a stripe shape corresponding to the non-opening region of each pixel. The light shielding film 240 defines an opening area, and it is easy to align the microlens 500 and the opening area so as to face each other. Then, liquid crystal is sealed between the TFT array substrate 10 and the microlens array plate 20 arranged so that the pixel electrode 9a and the counter electrode 21 face each other, and a liquid crystal layer 50 is formed.

  Here, the light collecting function of the microlens array plate 20 in the electro-optical device will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 shows how incident light is collected by each microlens 500 in the microlens array plate 20. In FIG. 12, each microlens 500 is arranged such that its lens center coincides with each pixel center.

  In FIG. 12, the microlens array plate 20 includes a plurality of microlenses 500 arranged in a matrix that collects incident light incident from above onto a plurality of pixel electrodes 9a of each pixel. Then, on the transparent plate member 210 (on the lower side in the figure), a light shielding film 240 that defines the opening region, the counter electrode 21, and the alignment film 22 are formed. The counter electrode 21 is made of a transparent conductive film such as an ITO film. The alignment film 22 is made of a transparent organic film such as a polyimide film.

  In the electro-optical device having such a configuration, incident light that is incident from the side of the microlens array plate 20 is condensed on the pixel electrodes 9a of the corresponding pixels by the plurality of microlenses 500 during driving. Therefore, the effective aperture ratio in each pixel is increased as compared with the case without the microlens 500.

  Here, since the reduced pressure layer 220 having a very low refractive index is provided as the low refractive index layer in contact with the microlens 500, the light condensing performance of the microlens 500 is improved, and a bright display is possible. In addition, since a decompressed space containing a gas is used as an optical medium instead of an adhesive layer such as a resin, there is almost no risk of deterioration or thermal expansion in the resin or the like, and manufacturing defects can be reduced.

  In such an electro-optical device, for example, the TN (Twisted Nematic) mode, VA (Vertically) are respectively provided on the side on which the projection light of the microlens array plate 20 enters and the side on which the emission light of the TFT array substrate 10 exits. Aligned) mode, PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal) mode, and other modes, and normal white mode / normally black mode, polarizing films, retardation films, polarizing plates, etc. are arranged in a predetermined direction. .

(1-4: Manufacturing method of microlens array plate)
Next, the manufacturing method of the microlens array in this embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIG.13 and FIG.14. FIGS. 13A to 13D sequentially show the manufacturing process of the microlens array plate 20. FIGS. 14A and 14B show the assembly process.

  The transparent plate member 210 having the lens surface 210 ′ formed on one surface can be manufactured by, for example, a generally known method. Here, an example is shown, and subsequently, subsequent steps will be described.

  13A, a photoresist layer 601 having photosensitivity and heat deformability is formed on a transparent original plate 210a such as a quartz substrate. Subsequently, of the original plate 210a, a mask having a positive image of a region to be etched is aligned with the resist layer 601, and the photoresist layer 601 is exposed by irradiating ultraviolet rays through the mask. Further, the exposed photoresist layer 601 is developed to remove the exposed portion. As a result, the photoresist layer 601 remains in the portion where the microlens 500 is formed.

  Next, heating is performed in the step of FIG. As a result, the photoresist layer 601 is softened and the corners of the photoresist layer 601 are rounded.

  Next, in the step of FIG. 13C, dry etching with high directivity is performed on the upper surface in which the photoresist layer 601 is arranged in a matrix as a convex surface from above in the drawing. As a result, the convex surface of the photoresist is transferred to the original plate 200a to complete the transparent plate member 210 having a plurality of microlenses 500 formed on the surface as a microlens array.

Next, in the process of FIG. 13D, an “assembly process” for assembling the transparent plate member 210 and the glass plate 200a is performed. For this purpose, first, as shown in FIG. 14A, the inside of the assembly operation chamber 700 is deaerated by a vacuum pump or the like connected to the cock 702, for example, 1.333 Pa (1 × 10 ⁻² Torr). A reduced pressure atmosphere. At this time, the cock 71 connected to a tank of an inert gas such as nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas may be opened and supplied to the chamber 700 at a predetermined partial pressure to create an inert atmosphere. Next, as shown in FIG. 14B, a microlens array plate is assembled in the chamber 700.

  Specifically, a photocurable or thermosetting adhesive is applied to the peripheral edge of the transparent plate member 210, and a glass plate 200a made of, for example, quartz plate or neoceram is pressed and bonded. Here, the glass plate 200 a is disposed so as to contact not only the peripheral edge of the transparent plate member 210 but also the top of the lens surface 210 ′. Thereafter, the adhesive is cured by ultraviolet irradiation or heat irradiation, and the adhesive layer 230 is completed.

  At this time, a sealed space is formed between the transparent plate member 210 and the glass plate 200a. Since the inside of the sealed space is in the same decompressed state as the working atmosphere, this space naturally becomes the decompressed layer 220. Here, since the inside of the decompression layer 220 is supported by the lens surface 210 ′, the possibility that the decompression layer 220 is crushed after the assembled microlens array plate is taken out of the chamber 700 into the atmosphere is avoided. Thus, the manufacturing method of this embodiment can form the decompression layer 220 at the same time in the assembling process, and is very excellent from the viewpoint of ease.

  Next, in the step of FIG. 13 (e), the glass plate 200a is polished and removed by CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) or the like to complete the cover glass 200 having a predetermined film thickness. Let In addition, it is also possible to stick the cover glass 200 with a predetermined film thickness from the beginning. Thus, the microlens array plate 20 according to this embodiment is completed.

  Especially in the manufacturing method of this embodiment mentioned above, since the atmosphere in the chamber 700 constitutes the decompression layer 220 as it is, from the viewpoint of the refractive index and the activity in the layer, the pressure of the atmosphere and Control of ingredients and the like is important.

  In addition, although the transparent plate member 210 and the glass plate 200a are bonded and fixed with the adhesive 230, they may be simply brought into close contact as in the modification of FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, a lattice-shaped or stripe-shaped light shielding film 240 or a protective film 241 may be formed on the transparent plate member 210. These can be formed by sputtering, patterning or the like. Thereafter, the counter electrode 21 made of an ITO film or the like is formed on the protective film 241 by sputtering or the like, and the alignment film 22 is further formed. At this time, it is possible to omit the protective film 241 and directly form the counter electrode 21 on the light shielding film 240.

  In addition to the method of forming the lens surface 210 ′ by dry etching as shown in FIGS. 13A to 13C as described above, for example, each microlens is formed on a transparent original plate by wet etching. It is possible to manufacture the microlens substrate 20 in the above-described embodiment also by a manufacturing method including a step of forming a concave portion to be an aspheric lens surface and filling the inside with a transparent medium having a higher refractive index than the original plate. It is. Alternatively, the microlens substrate 20 in the present embodiment described above can be manufactured also by a manufacturing method including a step of forming an aspheric lens surface on a transparent substrate using the 2P method (photopolymer method). . In any manufacturing method, the same lens efficiency can be obtained as long as a predetermined lens surface shape or the like is formed.

  As described above, according to the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the microlens array plate 20 in which the microlenses 500 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 are formed in an array shape is manufactured relatively efficiently and easily. it can.

(2: Second embodiment)
Next, a microlens array plate according to a second embodiment and an electro-optical device including the same will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. Note that the microlens array plate and the electro-optical device in this embodiment are configured almost in the same manner as in the first embodiment except for the high refractive index layer 250. Therefore, in the following, the same components will be described as the first. The same reference numerals as those in the embodiment are attached, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

(2-1: Micro lens array plate)
A microlens plate according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the microlens array plate of the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 15, the microlens array plate 21 of the present embodiment is provided with a high refractive index layer 250 having a higher refractive index than the transparent plate member 210 on the surface of the transparent plate member 210 opposite to the lens surface 210 ′. ing. For example, when the transparent plate member 210 is a quartz substrate (refractive index 1.46), the high refractive index layer 250 may be a general resin material having a refractive index of about 1.57 to 1.60, or a refractive index of 1.60. A glass material of about ~ 2.0 may be used. As such a high refractive index glass material, for example, a glass to which at least one of barium (Ba) and lanthanum (La) is added is known.

  Here, from the relationship between the refractive indexes, the outgoing light from each microlens 510 has a smaller outgoing angle than an incident angle at the interface between the transparent plate member 210 and the high refractive index layer 250.

  The light L1 incident on the microlens array plate 21 from the cover glass 200 side is first bent by a predetermined angle in the direction of focusing by the microlens 510 and travels straight in the transparent plate member 210 as light L2. The refraction angle at that time is determined according to the refractive index difference between the decompression layer 220 and the transparent plate member 210. Here, since the refractive index difference is large, the incident light L1 is bent at a relatively large angle. On the other hand, the light L2 is bent so as to be emitted at a shallower angle at the interface between the transparent plate member 210 and the high refractive index layer 250, and travels straight through the high refractive index layer 250 as light L3. That is, the light L3 is slightly less focused than the light L0 incident when the high refractive index layer 250 has the same refractive index as that of the transparent plate member 210.

  The irradiation area of the light beam focused on each microlens 510 is gradually reduced according to the distance from the microlens 510. Here, the irradiation to the distance is performed by the second refraction in the high refractive index layer 250 described above. The degree of area reduction is reduced. That is, in the microlens array plate 21 in this embodiment, the light beam focused by the microlens 510 is directed to the electro-optical device while maintaining the irradiation area at the interface between the transparent plate member 210 and the high refractive index layer 250. Are emitted. For this reason, the margin of the irradiation surface with respect to the opening region D is ensured substantially satisfactorily even if the thickness of each part of the microlens array plate 21 and the distance from each microlens 500 to the pixel electrode 9a are slightly changed.

As described above, in the microlens array plate 21, in addition to the operation and effect of the microlens array plate 20 of the first embodiment, the irradiation area of the emitted light is insensitive to changes in optical conditions on the optical axis. The amount of light that is guided from the individual microlenses 500 to the aperture region D and actually contributes to the display can hardly be reduced. In addition, since the amount of light incident on the opening region D hardly changes even with respect to a thickness error of the high refractive index layer 250 or the like, it can be manufactured relatively easily.
(2-2: Electro-optical device)
Next, the light collecting function of the microlens array plate 21 in the electro-optical device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 shows how incident light is collected by each microlens 510 in the microlens array plate 21.

  In FIG. 16, as described above, the size of the irradiation surface of the emitted light from the transparent plate member 210 is different for each microlens array plate 20 due to the second refraction at the interface between the transparent plate member 210 and the high refractive index layer 250. There is little or no practical variation. For this reason, the projection transmittance as an electro-optical device can be maintained well without substantially varying regardless of the microlens array plate 21. Normally, in order to improve the projection transmittance in the electro-optical device, a contrivance is made such as designing the lens surface to be aspherical in order to eliminate the spherical aberration in the microlens. This objective can be achieved based on a completely different design method (irradiating the opening area with parallel light as much as possible).

  In this electro-optical device, the incident angle of the light incident on the liquid crystal layer 50 from the microlens array plate 21 becomes relatively shallow due to the second refraction, so that the substantial modulation degree by the liquid crystal is improved and the contrast is increased. The ratio is improved. Other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

As described above, in the first and second embodiments, the case where the decompression layer is provided as the low refractive index layer for the microlens has been described. It is also possible to provide an undepressurized or pressurized gaseous medium layer. This gas medium layer includes, for example, the atmosphere, one of inert gases such as argon (Ar), neon (Ne), and nitrogen (N ₂ ), or a mixed gas thereof. That is, the difference between this embodiment and the first and second embodiments depends on whether the pressure in the layer is greater than or equal to atmospheric pressure.

  Also in this case, the microlens array plate can be configured as shown in FIGS. 3, 5, 6 and 15, for example. In addition, such a microlens array plate assembles a transparent plate member and a cover glass in the atmosphere, for example, forms a sealed space in which the atmosphere is sealed, and further mixes an inert gas in the sealed space. Alternatively, as described above in the first embodiment, the sealed space can be reduced in pressure and the inert gas can be sealed in the reduced pressure. However, even in such a case, the atmosphere and inert gas constituting the gas medium layer are poor in chemical reactivity, and the refractive index can be set as low as about 1, for example. As a result, it is possible to improve the light collecting performance and the structural stability.

  In the above embodiments, only the case where light is incident from the second transparent substrate side has been described. However, the microlens array plate of the present invention may be configured such that light is incident from the first transparent substrate side. It can be used similarly to the embodiment.

  In this embodiment, the microlens array plate 20 is used as the counter substrate of the electro-optical device. However, the microlens array plate 20 can be used as a TFT array substrate and a circuit can be constructed thereon. . The microlens array plate according to the present invention can be constructed as a microlens array plate of the type shown in FIG. 1 on the TFT array substrate or counter substrate, or as a type of microlens array plate attached to the TFT array substrate or counter substrate. it can.

(3: Electronic equipment)
Next, as a specific example of an electronic apparatus using the electro-optical device described above in detail as a light valve, an overall configuration, particularly an optical configuration, of an embodiment of a double-plate color projector will be described. FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a double-plate color projector.

  In FIG. 17, a liquid crystal projector 1100, which is an example of a double-plate type color projector in the present embodiment, prepares three liquid crystal modules including an electro-optical device having a drive circuit mounted on a TFT array substrate, and each of them is an RGB light. It is configured as a projector used as the valves 100R, 100G, and 100B.

  In the liquid crystal projector 1100, when projection light is emitted from a lamp unit 1102 of a white light source such as a metal halide lamp, light components R, G, and R corresponding to the three primary colors of RGB are obtained by three mirrors 1106 and two dichroic mirrors 1108. B is divided into the light valves 100R, 100G and 100B corresponding to the respective colors. At this time, in particular, the B light is guided through a relay lens system 1121 including an incident lens 1122, a relay lens 1123, and an exit lens 1124 in order to prevent light loss due to a long optical path. The light components corresponding to the three primary colors modulated by the light valves 100R, 100G, and 100B are synthesized again by the dichroic prism 1112 and then projected as a color image on the screen 1120 via the projection lens 1114.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit or idea of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and a microlens array plate with such a change In addition, a manufacturing method thereof, an electro-optical device and an electronic apparatus including the microlens array plate are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment according to a microlens array plate of the present invention. It is a partial expanded plan view which expands and shows the part which concerns on four microlenses among embodiment which concerns on a microlens array board. It is a partial expanded sectional view of an embodiment concerning a micro lens array board. It is a partial expanded sectional view which shows the modification of embodiment which concerns on a micro lens array board. It is a partial expanded sectional view which shows the modification of embodiment which concerns on a micro lens array board. It is a partial expanded sectional view which shows the modification of embodiment which concerns on a micro lens array board. It is the top view which looked at the TFT array board | substrate in embodiment which concerns on the electro-optical apparatus of this invention from the opposing board | substrate side with each component formed on it. It is H-H 'sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an equivalent circuit of various elements, wirings, and the like provided in a plurality of pixels in a matrix that form an image display area in an embodiment related to an electro-optical device. 4 is a plan view of a plurality of pixel groups adjacent to each other on a TFT array substrate on which data lines, scanning lines, pixel electrodes, and the like are formed in an embodiment related to an electro-optical device. It is A-A 'sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a state in which incident light is collected by each microlens of a microlens array plate used as a counter substrate in the embodiment according to the electro-optical device. It is process drawing showing the manufacturing method of a micro lens array board. It is process drawing showing the detail of the process shown in FIG.13 (d). It is a partial expanded sectional view of other embodiments concerning a micro lens array board. Sectional drawing which shows schematically a mode that incident light is condensed by each microlens of the microlens array board used as a counter substrate in embodiment which concerns on the electro-optical apparatus carrying the microlens array board of other embodiment. It is. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a color liquid crystal projector as an example of a double-plate color projector that is an embodiment of an electronic apparatus of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... TFT array substrate, 20 ... Micro lens array board, 21 ... Counter electrode, 50 ... Liquid crystal layer, 200 ... Cover glass, 210 ... Transparent plate member, 210 '... Lens surface, 220 ... Decompression layer, 230 ... Adhesion layer, 250: high refractive index layer, 500: microlens.

Claims (11)

A first transparent substrate having lens surfaces of a plurality of microlenses arranged at a predetermined pixel pitch on one surface;
A second transparent substrate disposed opposite to the one surface;
Between the first and second transparent substrates, the lens surface is defined as a part of an inner wall, and a facing surface facing the lens surface in the second transparent substrate is defined as the other part of the inner wall. A microlens array plate, comprising: a reduced pressure layer in which a sealed space having a size is in a reduced pressure state. The microlens array plate according to claim 1, wherein an internal pressure of the decompression layer is 1.333 Pa (1 × 10 ⁻² Torr) or less.   The microlens array plate according to claim 1, wherein the decompression layer includes air.   The microlens array plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the decompression layer contains an inert gas. An adhesive layer for adhering the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate at a peripheral edge;
The peripheral edge of the first transparent substrate and the top of the lens surface are both in contact with the opposing surface, the other surface of the first transparent substrate located on the opposite side of the one surface, and the second transparent The first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate are in close contact with each other by a pressure difference between an external pressure acting on the other surface of the substrate located on the opposite side of the opposing surface and an internal pressure of the reduced pressure layer. The microlens array plate according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A first transparent substrate having lens surfaces of a plurality of microlenses arranged at a predetermined pixel pitch on one surface;
A second transparent substrate disposed opposite to the one surface;
A predetermined size in which the lens surface is a part of the inner wall between the first and second transparent substrates, and a facing surface facing the lens surface in the second transparent substrate is defined as the other part of the inner wall. And a gas medium layer including at least one of the atmosphere and an inert gas so that the internal pressure in the sealed space is equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure. A microlens array plate.   2. The high refractive index layer having a higher refractive index than that of the first transparent substrate is provided on the other surface of the first transparent substrate located on the opposite side of the first surface. The microlens array plate according to any one of 6 to 6.   The microlens array plate according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein lens surfaces of a plurality of microlenses arranged at the predetermined pixel pitch are formed on the facing surface. The microlens array plate according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Another substrate disposed opposite to the microlens plate;
A plurality of pixel electrodes formed on the other substrate and arranged at the predetermined pixel pitch;
An electro-optical device comprising: a wiring and an electronic element that are formed on the other substrate and drive the pixel electrode.   An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 9. A first transparent substrate having lens surfaces of a plurality of microlenses arranged at a predetermined pixel pitch on one surface; a second transparent substrate opposed to the one surface; and the first and second transparent substrates Between the substrates, the lens surface is a part of the inner wall, and the opposite surface of the second transparent substrate that faces the lens surface is defined as the other part of the inner wall. A microlens array plate manufacturing method for manufacturing a microlens array plate with a reduced pressure layer that is in a reduced pressure state,
Depressurizing the sealed container for assembling the microlens array plate and setting the inside of the sealed container to a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere; and
After the decompression step, the peripheral edge of the first transparent substrate and the top of the lens surface are in contact with the opposing surface of the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate in the sealed container. And a pressure reducing layer forming step of forming the pressure reducing layer between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate simultaneously with assembling the micro lens array plate. A manufacturing method of a board.

Images