JP2006346939A - Molding equipment of composite optical element and molding method of composite optical element - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide molding equipment of a composite optical element dispensing with the time and labor required for the molding and measurement of a mold member inclusive of curing shrink quantity, also dispensing with the sharp review of the molding equipment while preventing the damage of a base material certainly, and capable of shortening a molding cycle time to enhance productivity, and to provide a molding method of the composite optical element. <P>SOLUTION: The molding equipment 1 of the composite opticial element forms a resin layer comprising an ultraviolet curable resin on a base material as shown by the Fig. 1 and equipped with the mold member 11 having a transferable optical functional surface 11a, a resin supply device 3 for supplying the ultraviolet curable resin W to the optical functional surface, a cooler 33 for preliminarily cooling the ultraviolet curable resin W before supplying the ultraviolet curable resin W to the optical functional surface, a drive mechanism for raising the mold member so as to press the ultraviolet curable resin supplied to the optical functional surface with respect to the base material to spread the same and an ultraviolet irradiator 12 for irradiating the ultraviolet curable resin, which is pressed and spread between the base material 2 and the mold member, with ultraviolet rays. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a composite optical element molding apparatus for forming a resin layer made of an energy curable resin on a substrate to obtain a desired optical functional surface, and a molding method therefor.

  In general, as a method of molding a composite optical element, an energy curable resin is supplied onto a mold member having a desired optical function surface, the optical function surface of the mold member to which the energy curable resin is supplied, and a glass product. After forming the desired resin layer by making the at least one surface of the base material relatively close to each other and pressing and spreading the energy curable resin between the optical functional surface of the mold member and the surface of the base material The resin layer is cured by energy irradiation, and then the cured resin layer is peeled off from the mold member to obtain a composite optical element in which a resin layer having an optical functional surface is formed on a substrate. ing. Thus, for example, a composite optical element having an optical functional surface such as an aspheric surface that is difficult to process with a glass material can be obtained.

  However, in such a molding method, in the step of curing the resin layer by energy irradiation, the accuracy of transferring the optical functional surface of the mold member to the resin layer is deteriorated due to curing shrinkage of the energy curable resin.

  From this point, conventionally, there is a method of molding using a mold member that anticipates the amount of effective shrinkage in advance, or a molding method of pressing in a step of curing the resin layer by energy irradiation (see, for example, Patent Document 1). It is taken.

As another molding method of the composite optical element, a liquid energy curable resin is sandwiched between the optical functional surface of the mold member and the base material, and in this state, energy irradiation is performed to perform energy curing. When the resin is cured, the energy curable resin is bonded onto the substrate, and the optical functional surface of the mold member is roughly transferred to the energy curable resin. After this step, with the energy curable resin sandwiched between the mold member and the substrate, the mold member is heated with a heater, and the energy curable resin is heated above the glass transition point to have fluidity. , The optical function surface of the mold member is transferred to the energy curable resin with high accuracy by the pressure due to thermal expansion, and then cooled to form a resin mold with a highly accurate optical function surface on the substrate. An element is obtained (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP-A-62-258401 JP 2001-121554 A

  However, the prior art includes the following problems.

  In other words, when using a mold member that anticipates the amount of cure shrinkage in advance, the mold member is molded and measured each time the shape of the desired optical element changes, and after calculating the expected amount based on the measured value, A regular mold member must be created, which requires a lot of time and effort.

  In addition, as shown in Patent Document 1, when pressure is applied during curing of the energy curable resin, it is not effective at low pressure, so it is necessary to apply a certain amount of pressure, and as a result, the substrate may be damaged during pressurization. There is.

  Furthermore, as shown in Patent Document 2, in addition to a normal composite optical element molding process, that is, an energy curable resin supply process, a curing process by energy irradiation, and a mold release process for peeling the mold member from the resin layer In addition, a step of heating the energy curable resin to a temperature higher than the glass transition point and a step of cooling are required. In order to carry out these two steps, it is necessary to incorporate a device for adjusting the temperature of the base material and the mold member into the molding device, and in order to adopt this, it is necessary to reexamine the design of the molding device significantly. is there. In addition, since heating and cooling cannot be performed instantaneously, the cycle time of molding becomes longer, and productivity is deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such various points, and the object of the present invention is to eliminate the time and labor required for molding measurement of mold members in consideration of the amount of cure shrinkage, and reliably prevent damage to the base material. On the other hand, it is an object of the present invention to provide a molding apparatus for a composite optical element and a molding method thereof, which can eliminate the need for significant design review of the molding apparatus and can improve the productivity by shortening the molding cycle time.

  In order to achieve the above object, the solution provided by the present invention is premised on a molding apparatus for a composite optical element that forms a resin layer made of an energy curable resin on a substrate. Then, a mold member having a transferable optical function surface, an energy curable resin supply means for supplying an energy curable resin to the optical function surface of the mold member, and an optical of the mold member by the energy curable resin supply means A drive mechanism for relatively approaching the base material and the mold member so as to press and spread the energy curable resin supplied to the functional surface between the base material and the base material, and the mold member by this drive mechanism Energy irradiating means for irradiating energy to the energy curable resin spread between and a cooling means for pre-cooling the energy curable resin before being spread between the base material and the mold member And.

  By this specific matter, the energy curable resin before being spread between the base material and the mold member is cooled in advance by the cooling means, so that the energy curing before being spread between the base material and the mold member. Since the volume of the mold resin is reduced by heat shrinkage due to cooling, the energy curable resin that has been released from heat shrinkage due to cooling can be used at room temperature without using a mold member that anticipates the amount of cure shrinkage due to energy irradiation in advance. When returning to, more energy curable resin is spread between the base material and the mold member than the energy curable resin that is supplied at normal temperature and spread between the base material and the mold member, An energy curable resin that anticipates the amount of curing shrinkage caused by energy irradiation is supplied between the substrate and the mold member. At this time, the energy curable resin rises in temperature and thermally expands due to the irradiation of energy, so that the volume decrease of the energy curable resin due to the curing shrinkage is compensated by the thermal expansion. This eliminates the need to use a mold member that anticipates the amount of cure shrinkage of the energy-curable resin due to energy irradiation in advance, and based on measurement values obtained by measuring the mold member every time the shape of the desired optical element changes. It is no longer necessary to create a regular mold member for which the expected amount is calculated, and it is possible to eliminate the time and labor required for molding measurement of the mold member in consideration of the amount of cure shrinkage. Moreover, it is not necessary to apply pressure when the energy curable resin is cured, and it is possible to reliably prevent the substrate from being damaged.

  In addition, the energy curable resin that has been reduced in volume due to thermal contraction due to cooling because the energy curable resin before being spread between the base material and the mold member is cooled in advance by the cooling means, Will return to room temperature and cure while thermally expanding. For this reason, in the energy curable resin, the decrease in the volume due to the curing shrinkage is relieved by the increase in the volume due to the thermal expansion, the deterioration of the shape accuracy due to the curing shrinkage, the cracking of the energy curable resin, or the sink of the energy curable resin due to the sink. The deterioration of the shape accuracy is prevented, and the optical function surface of the mold member can be transferred with high accuracy.

  In addition, since the cooling means is for pre-cooling the energy curable resin before being spread between the base material and the mold member, it only needs to be attached to the molding apparatus, and the molding apparatus design. Therefore, it is not necessary to reexamine the process significantly, and it can be easily incorporated into the molding apparatus. In addition, the cooling of the energy curable resin by the cooling means may be performed in advance before being sandwiched between the base material and the mold member. Therefore, it is necessary to incorporate the cooling process of the energy curable resin into the molding process. In addition, it is possible to improve the productivity by shortening the molding cycle time.

  Here, in the case where a heating means for heating the energy curable resin spread between the base material and the mold member to a temperature lower than the glass transition temperature of the energy curable resin is provided, for example, by cooling The energy curable resin whose volume has been reduced by heat shrinkage is heated by the heating means during the irradiation of energy, and is cured while smoothly thermally expanding. For this reason, the energy curable resin is further reduced in volume reduction due to curing shrinkage due to the increase in volume due to smooth thermal expansion, deterioration of shape accuracy due to curing shrinkage, energy curing resin cracking, or energy curing due to sink marks. The deterioration of the shape accuracy of the mold resin is effectively prevented, and the optical function surface of the mold member can be transferred with higher accuracy.

  In addition, since the energy curable resin is heated to a temperature below its glass transition temperature by the heating means, the energy curable resin does not flow after being cured by irradiation of energy, and energy is not generated during the molding cycle. There is no need to cool the curable resin, and the mold member can be quickly released from the mold member. Furthermore, since it is only necessary to heat the energy curable resin to a temperature below its glass transition temperature, the heating means can be made simple and inexpensive, and can be incorporated into an existing molding apparatus. It can be easily performed.

  When the cooling means is provided integrally with the energy curable resin supply means, the energy curable resin supplied from the energy curable resin supply means is uniformly cooled by the cooling means. For this reason, unevenness when the temperature of the energy curable resin rises is eliminated, and the shape accuracy of the energy curable resin can be effectively maintained.

  In particular, in order to achieve the above-described object, the composite optical element molding method adopted by the present invention includes a supply step of supplying a cooled energy curable resin to the optical functional surface of the mold member, and this supply means. A transfer process in which the supplied energy curable resin is pressed and spread between the optical functional surface of the mold member and the substrate, and the optical functional surface of the mold member is transferred to the energy curable resin, and the transfer process A curing step of irradiating and curing the energy curable resin having the optical functional surface transferred thereto, and a releasing step of releasing the energy curable resin cured by the curing step from the mold member. .

  By this specific matter, when the cooled energy curable resin is supplied to the optical functional surface of the mold member, the optical functional surface of the mold member is spread between the optical functional surface of the mold member and the substrate. Since the transferred energy curable resin is cured by irradiating energy, it is cured before being spread between the base material and the mold member, that is, supplied to the optical functional surface of the mold member. Since the volume of the mold resin has already been reduced by heat shrinkage due to cooling, it is more than the energy curable resin supplied at room temperature without using a mold member that anticipates the amount of cure shrinkage due to energy irradiation in advance. The energy curable resin will be spread between the base material and the mold member, and the energy curable resin with the expected amount of cure shrinkage due to energy irradiation will be between the base material and the mold member. It will be supplied to. At this time, the energy curable resin rises in temperature and thermally expands due to the irradiation of energy, so that the volume decrease of the energy curable resin due to the curing shrinkage is compensated by the thermal expansion. This eliminates the need to use a mold member that anticipates the amount of cure shrinkage of the energy-curable resin due to energy irradiation in advance, and based on measurement values obtained by measuring the mold member every time the shape of the desired optical element changes. It is no longer necessary to create a regular mold member for which the expected amount is calculated, and it is possible to eliminate the time and labor required for molding measurement of the mold member in consideration of the amount of cure shrinkage. Moreover, it is not necessary to apply pressure when the energy curable resin is cured, and it is possible to reliably prevent the substrate from being damaged.

  In addition, when the cooled energy curable resin is supplied to the optical functional surface of the mold member, the energy curable resin whose volume has been reduced by thermal contraction due to cooling returns to normal temperature by energy irradiation, and thermal expansion. It will cure while. For this reason, in the energy curable resin, the decrease in the volume due to the curing shrinkage is relieved by the increase in the volume due to the thermal expansion, the deterioration of the shape accuracy due to the curing shrinkage, the cracking of the energy curable resin, or the sink of the energy curable resin due to the sink. The deterioration of the shape accuracy is prevented, and the optical function surface of the mold member can be transferred with high accuracy.

  In addition, since the energy curable resin is supplied to the optical function surface of the mold member in a precooled state, it is only necessary to attach a means for cooling the energy curable resin to the molding apparatus. It is not necessary to review the design significantly, and it can be easily incorporated into a molding apparatus. In addition, since the energy curable resin is cooled before being supplied to the optical functional surface of the mold member, it is not necessary to incorporate the energy curable resin cooling process into the molding process, thereby shortening the molding cycle time. Thus, productivity can be improved. Further, since the energy curable resin is cooled before being supplied to the optical functional surface of the mold member, the energy curable resin is uniformly cooled, and the temperature of the energy curable resin is increased. Therefore, the shape accuracy of the energy curable resin can be effectively maintained.

  In order to achieve the above object, another composite optical element molding method adopted by the present invention includes a supply step of supplying an energy curable resin to the optical functional surface of the mold member, and a supply step of this supply step. A cooling process for cooling the energy curable resin, and the energy curable resin cooled by the cooling process is pressed and spread between the optical functional surface of the mold member and the base material, to the energy curable resin A transfer process for transferring the optical functional surface of the mold member, a curing process for irradiating and curing the energy curable resin to which the optical functional surface has been transferred by the transfer process, and an energy curing cured by the curing process. A mold release step for releasing the mold resin from the mold member.

  By this specific matter, when the energy curable resin supplied to the optical functional surface of the mold member is cooled, the energy curable resin is pushed and spread between the optical functional surface of the mold member and the base material. Since the energy-curable resin is irradiated with energy after the optical functional surface of the material is transferred, it is cured before being spread between the base material and the mold member, that is, the optical function of the mold member. Since the energy curable resin supplied to the surface is cooled and contracted by heat shrinkage, the energy curable resin is pushed and spread between the substrate and the mold member. Even without using a mold member, more energy curable resin is spread between the base material and the mold member than the energy curable resin supplied at room temperature. Previously expected but energy curable resin curing shrinkage amount is to be supplied between the substrate and the mold member. At this time, the energy curable resin rises in temperature and thermally expands due to the irradiation of energy, so that the volume decrease of the energy curable resin due to the curing shrinkage is compensated by the thermal expansion. This eliminates the need to use a mold member that anticipates the amount of cure shrinkage of the energy-curable resin due to energy irradiation in advance, and based on measurement values obtained by measuring the mold member every time the shape of the desired optical element changes. It is no longer necessary to create a regular mold member for which the expected amount is calculated, and it is possible to eliminate the time and labor required for molding measurement of the mold member in consideration of the amount of cure shrinkage. Moreover, it is not necessary to apply pressure when the energy curable resin is cured, and it is possible to reliably prevent the substrate from being damaged.

  In addition, the energy curable resin supplied to the optical functional surface of the mold member is cooled, so that the energy curable resin whose volume is reduced by the thermal contraction due to cooling returns to normal temperature by thermal irradiation and thermally expands. It will harden. For this reason, in the energy curable resin, the decrease in the volume due to the curing shrinkage is relieved by the increase in the volume due to the thermal expansion, the deterioration of the shape accuracy due to the curing shrinkage, the cracking of the energy curable resin, or the sink of the energy curable resin due to the sink. The deterioration of the shape accuracy is prevented, and the optical function surface of the mold member can be transferred with high accuracy.

  In addition, since the energy curable resin supplied to the optical function surface of the mold member is cooled, it is only necessary to attach a means for cooling the energy curable resin to the molding apparatus, which greatly increases the design of the molding apparatus. There is no need to review it, and it can be easily incorporated into the molding apparatus. In addition, the cooling of the energy curable resin is performed after being supplied to the optical functional surface of the mold member, so that only the cooling process of the energy curable resin is incorporated in the molding process, and the time required for cooling the energy curable resin. Therefore, it is possible to improve the productivity by shortening the molding cycle time. Furthermore, since the energy curable resin is cooled after being supplied to the optical functional surface of the mold member, the energy curable resin is cooled almost uniformly, and unevenness occurs when the temperature of the energy curable resin rises. Thus, the shape accuracy of the energy curable resin can be effectively maintained.

  Here, before the energy curable resin having the optical functional surface transferred by the transfer process is transferred to the curing process between the transfer process and the curing process, for example, to a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the energy curable resin. In the case where a temperature raising step for raising the temperature of the energy curable resin is added, the energy curable resin whose volume is reduced by heat shrinkage due to cooling is the glass transition point in the temperature raising step before moving to the curing step. The temperature is raised to a temperature lower than the temperature and is thermally expanded. For this reason, the energy curable resin is further reduced in volume reduction due to curing shrinkage due to increase in volume due to thermal expansion, deterioration of shape accuracy due to curing shrinkage, cracking of energy curable resin, or energy curable resin due to sinking The deterioration of the shape accuracy is effectively prevented, and the optical function surface of the mold member can be transferred with higher accuracy.

  On the other hand, the energy curable resin having the optical functional surface transferred by the transfer process is heated in parallel with the curing process, for example, the temperature of the energy curable resin is raised to a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the energy curable resin. In the case where a process is added, the energy curable resin whose volume is reduced by thermal contraction due to cooling is heated to a temperature below the glass transition temperature in a temperature rising process in parallel with the curing process, and is thermally expanded. It will cure while. For this reason, the energy curable resin is further reduced in volume reduction due to curing shrinkage due to increase in volume due to thermal expansion, deterioration of shape accuracy due to curing shrinkage, cracking of energy curable resin, or energy curable resin due to sinking The deterioration of the shape accuracy is effectively prevented, and the optical function surface of the mold member can be transferred with higher accuracy.

  In short, the energy curable resin before being spread between the base material and the mold member is cooled in advance, so that the volume of the energy curable resin is reduced by thermal contraction due to cooling, and curing by energy irradiation is performed. An energy curable resin with a shrinkage amount is supplied between the base material and the mold member, and the energy curable resin is heated and contracted by the thermal expansion of the energy curable resin that rises in temperature and thermally expands when irradiated with energy. Therefore, there is no need to use a mold member that anticipates the amount of cure and shrinkage of the energy curable resin due to energy irradiation, and the time and labor required for molding measurement of the mold member that anticipates the amount of cure shrinkage is reduced. It can be made unnecessary, and it is not necessary to pressurize when curing the energy curable resin to reliably prevent damage to the substrate. It can be. In addition, the volume increase due to thermal expansion of the energy curable resin alleviates the decrease in volume due to cure shrinkage, and the shape accuracy of the energy curable resin deteriorates due to cure shrinkage, the energy curable resin cracks, or sinks. The optical function surface of the mold member can be transferred with high accuracy. Furthermore, it is only necessary to attach the cooling means to the molding apparatus, and it can be easily incorporated into the molding apparatus without requiring a significant review of the molding apparatus design, and before being sandwiched between the base material and the mold member. It is sufficient to cool the energy curable resin in advance, and the productivity can be improved by shortening the molding cycle time without incorporating the cooling process of the energy curable resin into the molding process.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a composite optical element molding apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, a molding apparatus 1 includes a mold member 11 having an optical functional surface 11a that can be transferred to a desired resin layer surface, and a mold member drive mechanism (not shown) that drives the mold member 11 up and down. And an ultraviolet irradiation device 12 (energy irradiation means) that irradiates ultraviolet rays as energy, and a resin supply device 3 (energy) that supplies an ultraviolet curable resin W as an energy curable resin to the optical functional surface 11a of the mold member 11. Curable resin supply means).

  The resin supply device 3 includes a syringe 31 that stores the ultraviolet curable resin W therein, and a compressor 32 that discharges the ultraviolet curable resin W in the syringe 31 from the discharge port 31a by air pressure. The syringe 31 is accommodated in a main body casing 30 of the resin supply device 3, and a cooling device 33 as a cooling unit is integrally connected to the main body casing 30. The ultraviolet curable resin W stored in the syringe 31 is cooled by the refrigerant supplied and discharged from the cooling device 33 into the main body casing 30 (outside the syringe 31) through the refrigerant introduction pipe 33a and the refrigerant outlet pipe 33b. It has come to be.

  The base material 2 is a spherical glass lens and is gripped from both sides by a pair of gripping mechanisms 13.

  Next, an example of a molding method in the case where a composite optical element in which a resin layer W1 made of an ultraviolet curable resin W is formed on a substrate is molded by a molding apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, as a supplying step, the ultraviolet curable resin W stored in the syringe 31 cooled by the cooling device 33 is discharged from the discharge port 31a by the air pressure from the compressor 32, and the optical function surface 11a of the mold member 11 is discharged. Supply appropriate amount on top.

  Next, as a transfer step, the ultraviolet curable resin W supplied on the optical functional surface 11a of the mold member 11 in the supply step is relatively approached between the substrate 2 and the mold member 11 as shown in FIG. That is, the mold member 11 is pressed and expanded by raising the mold member 11 with respect to the base material 2 to form a resin layer W1 having a desired aspherical shape on the base material 2. In this case, if the working temperature T which is the temperature of the molding environment is 20 ° C. and the cooling temperature Tr of the ultraviolet curable resin W by the cooling device 33 is −10 ° C., the temperature T 1 of the resin layer W 1 at this time point Is −10 ° C. equal to the cooling temperature Tr. This temperature is an almost limit temperature at which the ultraviolet curable resin W has fluidity. In this case, the cooling temperature Tr can be adjusted by changing the refrigerant circulating in the cooling device 33.

  Thereafter, as the curing step, the resin layer W1 formed on the substrate 2 in the transfer step is irradiated with ultraviolet rays by the ultraviolet irradiation device 12 from the substrate 2 side to cure the resin layer W1.

  Thereafter, as a mold release process, the resin layer W1 is released from the mold member 11 by lowering the mold member 11 with respect to the base material 2 with respect to the resin layer W1 cured in the curing process.

  In this case, when the resin layer W1 is cured by ultraviolet irradiation, even if the curing shrinkage rate of the ultraviolet curable resin W is several percent, the resin layer W1 undergoes curing shrinkage, which adversely affects the shape accuracy. At the same time, since energy is transferred by ultraviolet irradiation, the temperature of the resin layer W1 rises and the resin layer W1 expands thermally. At this time, since the volume reduction of the resin layer W1 due to curing shrinkage is compensated by thermal expansion, the shape of the resin layer W1 due to peeling from the mold member 11 during curing of the resin layer W1, cracking of the resin layer W1, or sinking The deterioration of accuracy is prevented, and the shape of the optical functional surface 11a of the mold member 11 is accurately transferred to the resin layer W1.

Further, when the temperature T1 of the resin layer W1 is raised to 40 ° C., for example, the volume expansion coefficient β of the ultraviolet curable resin W (epoxy system) used is 20 × 10 ⁻⁵ / ° C., and the curing shrinkage rate dP is 1. Assuming 0.5%, the volume increase Vβ of the resin layer W1 at this time is approximated by the following equation.

Vβ = β × (T-Tr) × 100 = 1.0 [%]
Therefore, the pressure corresponding to the increase in volume becomes a transfer force to perform precise transfer.

  Further, since the cure shrinkage rate dP = 1.5 [%], the cure shrinkage of 1.0 / 1.5 × 100 = 67 [%] is cancelled. That is, when the volume reduction due to the curing shrinkage of the resin layer W1 is supplied onto the optical functional surface 11a of the mold member 11 in advance by the ultraviolet curable resin W whose volume is shrunk using the thermal shrinkage due to cooling, in advance. Since it is replenished, the curing shrinkage of the resin layer W1 is suppressed.

  Therefore, in Example 1 described above, the ultraviolet curable resin W is supplied before being spread between the base material 2 and the optical functional surface 11a of the mold member 11, that is, on the optical functional surface 11a of the mold member 11. Since the inside of the syringe 31 has been previously cooled by the cooling device 33 before, the volume of the ultraviolet curable resin W supplied onto the optical functional surface 11a of the mold member 11 is reduced by heat shrinkage due to cooling. For this reason, even if the mold shrinkage due to the irradiation of ultraviolet rays is not used in advance, when the ultraviolet curable resin W that has been released from the thermal shrinkage due to cooling returns to room temperature, it is supplied at room temperature and the substrate and mold More UV curable resin W is spread between the base member 2 and the mold member 11 than the ultraviolet curable resin (energy curable resin) that is spread between the members, and is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. An ultraviolet curable resin W with an expected amount of curing shrinkage is supplied between the substrate 2 and the mold member 11. At this time, since the ultraviolet curable resin W rises in temperature and thermally expands due to the irradiation of ultraviolet rays, the volume expansion of the ultraviolet curable resin W (resin layer W1) due to curing shrinkage is compensated by thermal expansion. Accordingly, it is not necessary to use a mold member that anticipates the amount of cure shrinkage of the ultraviolet curable resin W due to ultraviolet irradiation, and based on a measurement value obtained by measuring the mold member every time the shape of the desired optical element changes. Therefore, it is not necessary to create a regular mold member for which the expected amount is calculated, and it is possible to eliminate the time and labor required for molding measurement of the mold member in consideration of the amount of cure shrinkage. In addition, it is not necessary to apply pressure when the ultraviolet curable resin W is cured, and it is possible to reliably prevent the base material 2 from being damaged.

  In addition, since the ultraviolet curable resin W in the syringe 31 is cooled in advance by the cooling device 33 before being supplied onto the optical function surface 11a of the mold member 11, the volume is reduced by heat shrinkage due to cooling. The ultraviolet curable resin W returns to room temperature when irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and is cured while thermally expanding. For this reason, the UV curable resin W is reduced in volume due to curing shrinkage due to an increase in volume due to thermal expansion, deterioration of shape accuracy due to curing shrinkage, cracking of the UV curable resin W, or UV curing due to sink marks. The deterioration of the shape accuracy of the resin W is prevented, and the optical functional surface 11a of the mold member 11 can be transferred with high accuracy.

  In addition, since the cooling device 33 is for pre-cooling the ultraviolet curable resin W stored in the syringe 31 before being supplied onto the optical functional surface 11a of the mold member 11, the molding device The design of the molding apparatus 1 does not need to be reexamined significantly, and can be easily incorporated into the molding apparatus 1.

  Further, the cooling of the ultraviolet curable resin W by the cooling device 33 may be performed in advance in the syringe 31 before being supplied onto the optical function surface 11a of the mold member 11, and therefore the ultraviolet curable resin W is cooled. It is not necessary to incorporate the process into the molding process, that is, the supply process, the transfer process, the curing process, and the release process, and the process of raising the temperature of the resin layer 5 also serves as a curing process by ultraviolet irradiation. Productivity can be improved by shortening the cycle time.

  Since the cooling device 33 is integrally connected to the main body casing 30 of the resin supply device 3, the ultraviolet curable resin W stored in the syringe 31 is made uniform by the refrigerant supplied to and discharged from the main body casing 30. It is supplied on the optical function surface 11a of the mold member 11 in a cooled state. For this reason, unevenness when the temperature of the ultraviolet curable resin W rises is eliminated, and the shape accuracy of the ultraviolet curable resin W can be effectively maintained.

  Furthermore, since the cooling device 33 is integrally connected to the main body casing 30 of the resin supply device 3, it is not necessary to make a significant design change to the molding device 1, and the resin layer W1 is formed on the substrate 2. Since the molding process of the composite optical element obtained in this manner is exactly the same as the molding process of the conventional composite optical element, it is not necessary to change the operation program of the molding apparatus 1 or to review the production plan. Thereby, the cooling device 1 can be introduced in a short time and at low cost.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the second embodiment, a temperature raising device is added to the molding device. The other configurations except for the temperature raising device are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 3, the compound optical element molding apparatus 1 ′ includes a temperature raising device 5 as a heating means. For example, a warm air heater is applied as the temperature raising device 5.

  Here, an example of a molding method in the case where the composite optical element in which the resin layer W1 made of the ultraviolet curable resin W is formed on the substrate is molded by a molding apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, as a supplying step, the ultraviolet curable resin W stored in the syringe 31 cooled by the cooling device 33 is discharged from the discharge port 31a by the air pressure from the compressor 32, and the optical function surface 11a of the mold member 11 is discharged. Supply appropriate amount on top.

  Next, as a transfer process, the ultraviolet curable resin W supplied on the optical functional surface 11a of the mold member 11 in the supply process is relatively approached between the substrate 2 and the mold member 11 as shown in FIG. That is, the mold member 11 is pressed and expanded by raising the mold member 11 with respect to the base material 2 to form a resin layer W1 having a desired aspherical shape on the base material 2. In this case, the working temperature T that is the temperature of the molding environment is 20 ° C., and the cooling temperature Tr of the ultraviolet curable resin W by the cooling device 33 is −10 ° C., which is lower than the working temperature T.

  Thereafter, as the curing step, the temperature of the resin layer W1 formed on the substrate 2 in the transfer step is raised to a temperature Tu = 50 ° C. lower than the glass transition temperature of the ultraviolet curable resin W by a temperature raising device. However, the resin layer W1 is cured by irradiating the substrate 2 with ultraviolet rays from the ultraviolet irradiation device 12. At this time, a heat ray cut filter (not shown) is attached to the ultraviolet irradiation device 12 so that the temperature of the resin layer W1 does not rise due to ultraviolet irradiation, so that the heat rays are blocked.

  Thereafter, as a mold release process, the resin layer W1 is released from the mold member 11 by lowering the mold member 11 with respect to the base material 2 with respect to the resin layer W1 cured in the curing process.

  In this case, when the resin layer W1 is cured by ultraviolet irradiation, even if the curing shrinkage rate of the ultraviolet curable resin W is several percent, the resin layer W1 undergoes curing shrinkage, which adversely affects the shape accuracy. At the same time, the temperature of the resin layer W1 is raised by the temperature raising device 5 and thermally expanded. At this time, since the volume reduction of the resin layer W1 due to curing shrinkage is compensated by thermal expansion, the shape of the resin layer W1 due to peeling from the mold member 11 during curing of the resin layer W1, cracking of the resin layer W1, or sinking The deterioration of accuracy is prevented, and the shape of the optical functional surface 11a of the mold member 11 is accurately transferred to the resin layer W1.

When the temperature T1 of the resin layer W1 is raised to 50 ° C., for example, the volume expansion coefficient β of the ultraviolet curable resin W (epoxy type) used is 20 × 10 ⁻⁵ / ° C., and the curing shrinkage rate dP is 1. If it is 0.5%, the volume increase Vβ ′ of the resin layer W1 at this time is approximated by the following equation.

Vβ ′ = β × (Tu−Tr) × 100 = 1.2 [%]
Therefore, the pressure corresponding to the increase in volume becomes a transfer force to perform precise transfer.

  Further, since the cure shrinkage rate dP = 1.5 [%], the cure shrinkage of 1.2 / 1.5 × 100 = 80 [%] is cancelled. That is, when the volume reduction due to the curing shrinkage of the resin layer W1 is supplied onto the optical functional surface 11a of the mold member 11 in advance by the ultraviolet curable resin W whose volume is shrunk using the thermal shrinkage due to cooling, in advance. Since it is replenished, the curing shrinkage of the resin layer W1 is suppressed.

  Therefore, in Example 2 described above, in the curing step of irradiating with ultraviolet rays, curing shrinkage occurs in the resin layer W1, but the resin layer W1 is heated by the temperature raising device 5 to thermally expand, and the ultraviolet curable resin is used. The effect similar to the said 1st Example can be acquired by cooling and heat-shrinking before supplying W and replenishing hardening shrinkage to some extent beforehand.

  Then, the ultraviolet curable resin W whose volume is reduced by the thermal shrinkage due to cooling is heated to a temperature not higher than the glass transition temperature by the temperature raising device 5 in the curing step and thermally expands. For this reason, the UV curable resin W has a volume increase due to thermal expansion and a certain amount of cure shrinkage due to thermal shrinkage due to cooling before supply, and thus the volume decrease due to cure shrinkage is further reduced. Deterioration of shape accuracy due to aging, cracking of energy curable resin, or deterioration of shape accuracy of energy curable resin due to sink marks are effectively prevented, and the optical function surface of the mold member can be transferred more accurately. Can do.

  Moreover, since the temperature of the ultraviolet curable resin W that is cured in the curing process is raised by the temperature raising device 5, the amount of curing shrinkage of the resin layer W 1 is further suppressed, and the temperature of the ultraviolet curable resin W is raised by the temperature raising device 5. Since the temperature Tu is considerably lower than the glass transition temperature of the ultraviolet curable resin W, it does not have fluidity again after curing by ultraviolet irradiation, and it is not necessary to provide a cooling process during the molding cycle. A mold release process can be performed after completion. Further, the configuration of the temperature raising device 5 is simpler than that when the temperature of the resin layer W1 is raised to the glass transition temperature, and an inexpensive temperature raising device can be easily incorporated into the existing molding device 1 '. .

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said each Example, The other various modifications are included. For example, in Example 2 described above, the resin layer W1 was cured by irradiating the resin layer W1 with the ultraviolet irradiation device 12 while the resin layer W1 was heated by the temperature raising device in the curing step, but the glass transition point of the ultraviolet curable resin was used. A temperature raising step for raising the temperature of the resin layer to a temperature lower than the temperature by a temperature raising device may be provided between the transfer step and the curing step, and the same effect can be obtained.

  In each of the above embodiments, the ultraviolet curable resin W in the syringe 31 is cooled in advance by the cooling device 33 before being supplied onto the optical function surface 11a of the mold member 11. However, the optical function of the mold member is not limited. The ultraviolet curable resin supplied on the surface may be cooled by a cooling device before shifting to the transfer process. In this case, the ultraviolet curable resin is cooled after being supplied to the optical functional surface of the mold member, so that only the cooling process of the energy curable resin is incorporated in the molding process and is required for cooling the energy curable resin. Since the time is very short, it is possible to shorten the molding cycle time and improve productivity.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows roughly the whole structure of the shaping | molding apparatus concerning Example 1 of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the shaping | molding apparatus which shows the state which is pressing the mold member similarly with respect to the ultraviolet curable resin on a mold member. It is a schematic block diagram which shows roughly the whole structure of the shaping | molding apparatus concerning Example 2 of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the shaping | molding apparatus which shows the state which is pressing the mold member similarly with respect to the ultraviolet curable resin on a mold member.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1 'Molding device 11 Mold member 11a Optical functional surface 12 Ultraviolet irradiation device (energy irradiation means)
2 Substrate 3 Resin supply device (energy curable resin supply means)
33 Cooling device (cooling means)
5 Temperature riser (heating means)
W UV curable resin (energy curable resin)
W1 resin layer

Claims (9)

A molding device for a composite optical element that forms a resin layer made of an energy curable resin on a substrate,
A mold member having a transferable optical functional surface;
Energy curable resin supply means for supplying energy curable resin to the optical functional surface of the mold member;
Drive that relatively closes the substrate and the mold member so that the energy curable resin supplied to the optical functional surface of the mold member by the energy curable resin supply means is pressed between the substrate and spread. Mechanism,
Energy irradiating means for irradiating energy to the energy curable resin that has been spread between the substrate and the mold member by this drive mechanism;
A molding apparatus for a composite optical element, comprising: cooling means for cooling in advance the energy curable resin before being spread between the base material and the mold member. In the molding apparatus of the composite optical element according to claim 1,
An apparatus for molding a composite optical element, comprising heating means for heating an energy curable resin that is spread between a base material and a mold member. In the molding apparatus of the composite optical element according to claim 2,
The apparatus for molding a composite optical element, wherein the heating temperature of the energy curable resin heated by the heating means is set to be equal to or lower than the glass transition temperature of the energy curable resin. In the molding apparatus of the composite optical element according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The apparatus for molding a composite optical element, wherein the cooling means is provided integrally with the energy curable resin supply means. Supplying the cooled energy curable resin to the optical functional surface of the mold member;
A transfer step of pressing and spreading the energy curable resin supplied by the supply means between the optical functional surface of the mold member and the substrate, and transferring the optical functional surface of the mold member to the energy curable resin; ,
A curing step of irradiating and curing energy curable resin having the optical functional surface transferred by this transfer step;
A molding method for a composite optical element, comprising: a mold release process for releasing the energy curable resin cured by the curing process from the mold member. Supplying the energy curable resin to the optical functional surface of the mold member;
A cooling step for cooling the energy curable resin supplied by this supply step;
The energy curing type resin cooled by this cooling process is pressed between the optical function surface of the mold member and the base material to spread it, and the transfer process of transferring the optical function surface of the mold member to the energy curing type resin; ,
A curing step of irradiating and curing energy curable resin having the optical functional surface transferred by this transfer step;
A molding method for a composite optical element, comprising: a mold release process for releasing the energy curable resin cured by the curing process from the mold member. In the molding method of the composite optical element according to claim 5 or 6,
A composite mold characterized in that a temperature raising step is added between the transfer step and the curing step to raise the temperature of the energy curable resin having the optical functional surface transferred by the transfer step before the transfer to the curing step. Optical element molding method. In the molding method of the composite optical element according to claim 5 or 6,
A molding method for a composite optical element, characterized in that a heating step is added for raising the temperature of an energy curable resin having an optical functional surface transferred by a transfer step in parallel with the curing step. In the molding method of the composite optical element according to claim 7 or 8,
A method for molding a composite optical element, wherein a temperature rising temperature of an energy curable resin heated by a temperature increasing step is set to be equal to or lower than a glass transition temperature of the energy curable resin.

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