JP2011197555A - Optical component and method of producing optical component - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical component that prevents an anti-reflection film from cracking or separating even when being subjected to thermal hysteresis due to soldering or the like, in an optical element made by forming the anti-reflection film on the optical component made of resin.SOLUTION: The anti-reflection film is formed by alternately laminating a low-refractive index layer made of resin and a high-refractive index layer made by dispersing metal into resin, on the surface of the optical component made of resin. The low-refractive index layer is formed by vapor deposition of an organic material, and the high-refractive index layer is formed by co-vapor deposition of an organic material and metal.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical component in which an antireflection film is formed on the surface of a resin optical component such as a plastic lens, and a method for manufacturing the optical component.

  Conventionally, glass lenses (glass lenses) have been used as various camera lenses and mobile phone camera lenses.

As is well known, a glass lens has various optical advantages such as a high refractive index, high accuracy and easy formation of an aspheric surface. On the other hand, glass lenses are expensive.
Therefore, resin lenses (plastic lenses) are used as lenses for mobile phone cameras and inexpensive digital cameras.

By the way, in order to take a high-quality image, the lens of the camera is often provided with an antireflection film (AR film (AR coating)) on the surface.
The antireflection film is usually produced by alternately forming a plurality of high refractive index layers and low refractive index layers. That is, the antireflection film is an alternating laminate of a high refractive index layer and a low refractive index layer.
In such an antireflection film, a film of an inorganic compound such as tantalum oxide or zirconium oxide is often used for the high refractive index layer. In addition, as the low refractive index layer, a film of an inorganic compound such as silicon oxide or magnesium fluoride is often used.

Here, a camera of a mobile phone or the like is a package (photographing unit) in which a lens is fixed on an image sensor such as a CCD sensor, and this package is placed on a printed circuit board to be soldered such as a CCD sensor. It is made by attaching.
When soldering, the lens is naturally heated. However, plastic has a high coefficient of thermal expansion. for that reason. When a plastic lens is used, during this soldering process, the antireflection film is cracked due to the difference in thermal expansion between the antireflection film, which is an inorganic compound, and the plastic lens. Problems arise.

As a solution to such a problem, it is conceivable to use a resin antireflection film.
As an antireflection film made of an organic compound, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a poly [acetoxystyrene- (2-hydroxyethyl acrylate)] copolymer or a poly [acetoxystyrene- (3-hydroxypropyl acrylate)] copolymer. A coating material prepared by dissolving an organic compound having a predetermined structure such as the above and a crosslinking agent in an organic solvent such as propylene glycol methyl ether acetate is prepared, and this coating material is applied to a substrate. An antireflection film obtained by heat treatment for 1000 seconds is disclosed.

  In Patent Document 2, a paint containing a resin such as a (meth) acrylic resin or a novolac resin, a fluorine-containing (meth) acrylate polymer and oligomer as a fluorine surfactant, and a crosslinking agent is prepared. It is disclosed that after forming a coating film by applying this paint to a substrate, the coating film at the edge of the substrate is removed with a solvent, and then the antireflection film is formed by baking.

Japanese Patent No. 3848551 Japanese Patent No. 3994270

  By using such an antireflection film made of resin, even when a plastic lens is used, cracking or peeling of the antireflection film caused by a difference in thermal expansion from the lens during soldering etc. Can be prevented.

However, a sufficiently high refractive index cannot be obtained with a resin antireflection film.
Therefore, even if an antireflection film formed by alternately laminating low-refractive index layers and high-refractive index layers made of resin is formed on the surface of an optical component such as a lens, a sufficient antireflection effect can be obtained. For example, when used for a lens of a mobile phone camera, a digital camera, or the like, there are many cases where an image with sufficient image quality cannot be taken.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and in an optical component in which an antireflection film is formed on a resin optical component having a high coefficient of thermal expansion, such as a plastic lens, An antireflection film having a high refractive index layer having a sufficiently high refractive index is formed without causing cracks or peeling due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient of the optical system, and a high antireflection effect is imparted. An object of the present invention is to provide a component and a method of manufacturing an optical component that can suitably manufacture the optical component.

  In order to achieve the above object, an optical component of the present invention uses a resin optical component as a base material, a low refractive index layer made of resin on the surface of the base material, and at least one of a metal and a metal compound on the resin. Provided is an optical component comprising an antireflection film having at least one laminate with a high refractive index layer formed by dispersion.

In such an optical component of the present invention, the low refractive index layer is formed by vapor deposition of an organic compound, and the high refractive index layer is co-deposited with an organic compound and at least one of a metal and a metal compound. Preferably, the resin of the low refractive index layer and the resin of the high refractive index layer are the same resin.
The metal is preferably one or more of silicon, tantalum, zirconium, and titanium, and the metal compound is one or more of an oxide of tantalum, an oxide of zirconium, and an oxide of titanium. It is preferable that the metal and the metal compound of the high refractive index layer are one substance.
Furthermore, the substrate is preferably a lens.

  The optical component manufacturing method of the present invention is a method for manufacturing an optical component in which an antireflection film having one or more combinations of a low refractive index layer and a high refractive index layer is formed on the surface of a resin optical component. The low refractive index layer is formed by vapor deposition of an organic compound, and the high refractive index layer is formed by co-vapor deposition of an organic compound and at least one of a metal and a metal compound. Provide a method.

In such a method for producing an optical component of the present invention, it is preferable that the high refractive index layer and the low refractive index layer are alternately deposited in the same vacuum chamber, and in this case, in the same vacuum chamber. A first evaporation source filled with the low refractive index layer forming material and a second evaporation source filled with at least one of a metal and a metal compound forming material, and by vapor deposition using the first evaporation source Preferably, the low refractive index layer is formed, and the high refractive index layer is formed by co-evaporation using the first evaporation source and the second evaporation source. The first evaporation source is preferably filled with one or more of radically polymerizable monomers, oligomers and prepolymers, and the second evaporation source is preferably filled with only one substance.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the resin optical component is a lens.

The optical component of the present invention is an optical component in which an antireflection film is formed on a resin optical component such as a plastic lens, and the antireflection film includes a high refractive index layer mainly composed of a resin, and a resin. It is a product formed by alternately laminating low refractive index layers made of metal. Therefore, for example, even when the plastic lens according to the present invention is packaged integrally with the CCD sensor and the CCD sensor is soldered to the printed circuit board, it is caused by the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the lens and the antireflection film. Further, cracks and peeling of the antireflection film can be suitably prevented.
Moreover, since the high refractive index layer is formed by dispersing a metal and / or a metal compound with a resin as a main component, a sufficiently high refractive index can be obtained by the action of a metal or the like. Therefore, according to the present invention, an optical component having a sufficient antireflection effect can be obtained by a high refractive index layer having a high refractive index. For example, the optical component can be used for a camera lens of a mobile phone. Thus, high-quality images can be stably obtained, and the cost of the mobile phone can be reduced.

In the production method of the present invention, a low refractive index layer is formed (film formation) by vapor deposition of an organic compound, and a high refractive index layer is formed by co-vapor deposition of an organic compound and a metal or the like.
Therefore, the metal or metal compound can be uniformly dispersed in the high refractive index layer at the atomic / molecular level size, and an optical component having excellent characteristics as described above can be suitably manufactured. it can.

It is a figure which shows notionally an example using the optical component of this invention for the lens. It is a figure which shows notionally the film-forming apparatus which enforces an example of the manufacturing method of the optical component of this invention.

  Hereinafter, the optical component and the method of manufacturing the optical component of the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 conceptually shows a part of an example in which the optical component of the present invention is applied to a lens.
The lens 10 in the illustrated example is formed by forming an antireflection film (AR film (anti-reflection film) 20) on the surface of a lens substrate 12.
In the present invention, the antireflection film 20 is an alternating laminate of a high refractive index layer 14 and a low refractive index layer 18, in which a high refractive index layer 14 and a low refractive index layer 18 are alternately laminated. . In the lens 10 shown in FIG. 1, the antireflection film 20 includes two high refractive index layers 14a and 14b, two low refractive index layers 18a and 18b, and a high refractive index layer 14 and a low refractive index layer. 18 is a film having a four-layer structure in which 18 and 18 are stacked alternately. In other words, the antireflection film 20 is a four-layer film having two pairs of the high refractive index layer 14 and the low refractive index layer 18.

In the present invention, the lens substrate 12 is a known resin lens.
In the optical element of the present invention, the resin-made optical element serving as the base material is not limited to the lens as shown in the illustrated example, and various optical elements in which an antireflection film is formed as required are all used. Is possible.
Specifically, various optical filters, prisms, and the like are exemplified in addition to the lens shown in the illustrated example.
Among them, a lens is suitably used in that a high antireflection effect is obtained and the antireflection film is cracked or peeled off by the above-described soldering.

In addition, the lens base 12 (the optical element serving as the base) is not limited to the one formed only by the resin lens, and a protective layer, an adhesion layer, a light shielding layer, a buffer layer, a stress relaxation layer, and the like on the surface. The thing in which the layer (film | membrane) for obtaining various functions is formed may be sufficient.
That is, in the present invention, lenses having various configurations can be used as long as the lens (optical element) serving as the base (matrix) of the lens 10 of the present invention is made of resin.

The material for forming the lens substrate 12 is not particularly limited, and any of various resins (plastics / polymer compounds / polymers) used for optical parts as exemplified above can be used.
Specifically, various transparent resins such as polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polypropylene, polystyrene, polyamide, polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polyacrylonitrile, polyimide, etc. Illustrated.
In addition, nanocomposite resins to which various compounds are added can also be used.

An antireflection film 20 is formed on the surface of the lens substrate 12.
As described above, the antireflection film 20 is formed by alternately stacking the two high refractive index layers 14a and 14b and the two low refractive index layers 18a and 18b. It is a four-layer film.

In the lens 10 (optical element) of the present invention, if the antireflection film 20 is formed by alternately laminating the high refractive index layers 14 and the low refractive index layers 18, the number of layers is the same as in the illustrated example. It is not limited to four layers.
For example, it may be an antireflection film having one high refractive index layer 14 and one low refractive index layer 18, and each having three or more high refractive index layers 14 and low refractive index layers 18. It may be an antireflection film. That is, the antireflection film in the optical element of the present invention may have only one pair of the high refractive index layer 14 and the low refractive index layer 18, and the high refractive index layer 14 and the low refractive index layer. There may be three or more combinations with 18.

The number of layers of the high refractive index layer 14 and the low refractive index layer 18 may be different from each other. The lowermost layer of the antireflection film 20 may be either the high refractive index layer 14 or the low refractive index layer 18, but the uppermost layer of the antireflection film 20 is preferably the low refractive index layer 18.
Moreover, it is preferable that the antireflection film 20 includes at least two layers of the high refractive index layer 14 and the low refractive index layer 18 in terms of obtaining good antireflection performance.

The high refractive index layer 14 has a resin as a main component (matrix), and at least one of a metal and a metal compound is dispersed in the resin.
In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish between a metal and a metal compound, both are collectively referred to simply as “metal”.

There are no particular limitations on the resin that is the main component of the high refractive index layer 14, and various resins can be used.
Specifically, polyester, polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, methacrylic acid-maleic acid copolymer, polystyrene, transparent fluororesin, polyimide, fluorinated polyimide, polyamide, polyamideimide, polyetherimide, cellulose acylate, polyurethane, poly Ether ether ketone, polycarbonate, alicyclic polyolefin, polyarylate, polyether sulfone, polysulfone, fluorene ring modified polycarbonate, alicyclic modified polycarbonate, fluorene ring modified polyester, acryloyl compound, thermoplastic resin, or polysiloxane, etc. Examples include organosilicon compounds.

  Among them, acrylic resin and methacrylic resin are preferably used because they are inexpensive, and polycarbonate is also used in terms of adhesion to the lens substrate 12 and the adjacent low refractive index layer 18, heat resistance, and the like. It is preferably used.

The resin that is the main component of the high refractive index layer 14 is preferably a resin obtained by polymerizing / curing at least one of a radical polymerizable monomer that becomes the above-described resin, an oligomer such as a dimer or a trimer, and a prepolymer. is there.
Preferable examples of such radical polymerizable monomers include BEPAG and TMPTA.

Various metals that improve the refractive index of the resin layer can be used as the metal dispersed in the high refractive index layer 14.
Specifically, silicon, tantalum, zirconium, titanium and the like are preferably exemplified.
Among these, tantalum is preferably used from the viewpoint of obtaining a high refractive index, and zirconium is also preferably used from the viewpoint of being inexpensive.

On the other hand, various metal compounds that improve the refractive index of the resin layer can be used as the metal compound dispersed in the high refractive index layer 14.
Specifically, tantalum oxide is preferably used in terms of obtaining a high refractive index, and zirconium oxide is preferably used in terms of being inexpensive.

Such metals and metal compounds may be used in combination of a plurality of types of metals and / or metal compounds.
However, it is preferable to use only one metal or one metal compound for the high refractive index layer 14.

In the lens 10 of the present invention, the amount ratio between the resin and the metal in the high refractive index layer 14 is not particularly limited, and may be set as appropriate according to the metal used, the target refractive index, and the like.
Here, according to the study of the present inventors, the amount ratio of the resin and the metal in the high refractive index layer 14 is preferably such that the weight of the metal is about 0.01 to 10% with respect to the weight of the resin. . By having such a configuration, it is preferable in terms of obtaining a good antireflection performance and obtaining an antireflection film having a thermal expansion coefficient close to that of the lens substrate 12.

In the lens 10 of the present invention, the refractive index of the high refractive index layer 14 is not particularly limited and may be any refractive index higher than that of the low refractive index layer 18 described later, but is about 1.6 to 2.2. Preferably there is.
Such a configuration is preferable in that good antireflection performance can be obtained.
In the high refractive index layer 14, the refractive index can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of metal dispersed in the resin (the higher the refractive index, the higher the refractive index). Accordingly, the amount of metal may be appropriately set (preferably set in the above range).

Further, the film thickness of the high refractive index layer 14 is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately set according to the number of layers of the antireflection film 20, required antireflection performance, etc. It is preferably 5 to 200 nm.
Such a configuration is preferable in that good antireflection performance can be obtained.

In the high refractive index layer 14, the size of the metal dispersed in the resin is not particularly limited.
However, the optical element of the present invention is basically manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention described later. That is, the high refractive index layer 14 is formed by co-evaporation of an organic compound and a metal. Therefore, in the present invention, the size of the metal dispersed in the high refractive index layer 14 is the level of the atomic size (molecular size) of the metal (metal compound) used, and a very fine metal is uniformly dispersed. Is done. In addition, in the film | membrane formed by vapor deposition, it is also considered that several atoms (molecules) joined and it has become a cluster shape, The high refractive index layer of the antireflection film 20 of the optical element of this invention 14 may include such cluster-like metal particles.

In the antireflection film 20 of the lens 10, the low refractive index layer 18 alternately laminated with the high refractive index layer 14 is a layer made of resin.
There is no limitation in particular in resin used as the low reflection layer 18. FIG. Among these, the resin exemplified in the high refractive index layer 14 is preferably exemplified.

As is clear from the above description, in the optical component of the present invention, the antireflection film is formed by alternately laminating a high refractive index layer containing a resin (main component) and a resin low refractive index layer. It is a thing. Therefore, when the lens 10 using the resin lens base 12 is packaged integrally with the CCD sensor and the CCD sensor is soldered to the printed circuit board, the heat of the lens base 12 and the antireflection film 20 is also affected. It is possible to prevent the antireflection film 20 from being cracked or peeled off due to the difference in expansion coefficient.
Further, since the high refractive index layer 14 is formed by dispersing a metal (metal compound) using a resin as a base material, a sufficiently high refractive index can be obtained by the action of the metal, and the amount of the metal can be reduced. By adjusting, the refractive index can be adjusted. Therefore, according to the present invention, the lens 10 having a sufficient antireflection effect can be obtained by the high refractive index layer 14 having a high refractive index. For example, by using it for a camera of a mobile phone, Cost can be reduced and high quality images can be stably captured.
In addition, unlike a resin antireflection film lens manufactured using a paint, the binder does not remain in the film (in each layer), so there is no fear of characteristic deterioration due to the binder or the like.

In the lens 10 of the present invention, the refractive index of the low refractive index layer 18 is not particularly limited, and may be any refractive index lower than that of the high refractive index layer 14, but is about 1.2 to 1.6. Is preferred.
Such a configuration is preferable in that good antireflection performance can be obtained.

Further, the film thickness of the low refractive index layer 18 is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately set according to the number of layers of the antireflection film 20, required antireflection performance, etc. It is preferably 5 to 200 nm.
Such a configuration is preferable in that good antireflection performance can be obtained.

In the present invention, the resin that becomes the base of the high refractive index layer 14 and the resin that becomes the low refractive index layer 18 may be different, but considering the manufacturing method of the present invention described later, The same resin is preferable.
As will become apparent later, this makes it possible to manufacture the lens 10 of the present invention with good productivity and simple operation.

  FIG. 1 conceptually shows a film forming apparatus for manufacturing the lens 10 by the method for manufacturing an optical element of the present invention.

  A film forming apparatus 30 shown in FIG. 1 forms an antireflection film 20 by forming (depositing) a high refractive index layer 14 and a low refractive index layer 18 on the surface of a lens substrate 12 by vacuum deposition. The vacuum chamber 32, the substrate holder 34, the rotating means 36, the organic evaporation source 38, the inorganic evaporation source 40, and the shutters 42 and 46 are configured.

Although not shown, the film forming apparatus 30 is provided with a vacuum exhaust means for exhausting the inside of the vacuum chamber 32 to a predetermined pressure corresponding to the vacuum deposition.
Further, although not shown, the film forming apparatus 30 includes an ultraviolet irradiation means, an electron beam, and an electron beam for promoting the polymerization / curing of the high refractive index layer 14 and the low refractive index layer 18 deposited on the lens substrate 12. Resin curing means such as irradiation means and heating means for the lens substrate 12 (film formation substrate) are arranged.

The vacuum chamber 32, the vacuum evacuation unit, and the rotation unit 36 are all known ones used in vacuum deposition apparatuses.
The substrate holder (rotary dome) 34 is also a known lens holder that is used in a vacuum deposition apparatus that holds a plurality of lens base materials 12 and that coats the lens. The substrate holder 34 may also serve as temperature adjustment for the lens base 12 by a known means.

The organic evaporation source 38 is filled with a film forming material of a resin to be the low refractive index layer 18 and a resin to be a base material of the high refractive index layer 14, and is heated / evaporated. On the other hand, the inorganic evaporation source 40 is filled with a metal (metal compound) dispersed in the high refractive index layer 14 and heated / evaporated.
Both evaporation sources are known evaporation sources (crucibles) used in vacuum evaporators.
Also, the heating method for both evaporation sources is not particularly limited, and any known heating means such as resistance heating, electron beam heating, induction heating, etc. can be used. Further, different heating means may be used for the organic evaporation source 38 and the inorganic evaporation source 40.

A shutter 42 is disposed on the organic evaporation source 38, and a shutter 46 is disposed on the inorganic evaporation source 40.
Both shutters are well-known shutters that shield the film forming material vapor from the corresponding evaporation source and prevent it from being deposited on the lens substrate 12 held by the substrate holder 34. As an example in the illustrated example, as shown by a solid line and a dotted line in FIG. 2, by moving to the shielding position located above the evaporation source and the open position retracted from the upper part of the evaporation source, Shield / open the deposition material vapor.

  Hereinafter, the method of manufacturing the optical element of the present invention will be described in detail by explaining the operation of the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 2 by taking the manufacturing of the lens 10 as an example.

  First, the vacuum chamber 32 is opened, and the organic evaporation source 38 is filled with a resin film forming material that becomes the main component of the high refractive index layer 14 and the low refractive index layer 18, and the inorganic evaporation source 40 has a high refractive index. A metal film forming material dispersed in the layer 14 is filled.

The organic evaporation source 38 may be filled with an organic compound serving as a resin for forming the low refractive index layer 18 or the like as a film forming material. Preferably, the low refractive index layer 18 such as BEPAG or TMPTA described above is used. One or more of radically polymerizable monomers, oligomers, and prepolymers that form a resin that forms a film is filled as a film forming material.
If necessary, the organic evaporation source 38 may be filled with a polymerization initiator (crosslinking agent) together with the film forming material.
On the other hand, the film forming material to be filled in the inorganic evaporation source 40 may be filled with a known film forming material similar to that used when vacuum depositing the metal film according to the substance to be dispersed in the high refractive index layer 14.

When the evaporation source is filled with the film forming material, the vacuum chamber 32 is closed, and evacuation by the vacuum evacuation unit is started, and heating of the film forming material is started in each evaporation source.
At this point, both shutters are closed. That is, the shutter 42 is located at a position indicated by a dotted line, and the shutter 46 is located at a position indicated by a solid line.

When the pressure in the vacuum chamber 32 is stabilized at the predetermined pressure and the temperatures of the organic evaporation source 38 and the inorganic evaporation source 40 are stabilized at the predetermined temperature, the rotation means 36 is driven to start the rotation of the substrate holder 34. Thereafter, the shutter 42 is moved to the solid line position and the shutter 46 is moved to the dotted line position to open both shutters.
Thereby, the formation (film formation) of the high refractive index layer 14a is started by co-evaporating the organic material and the metal on the surface of the lens base material 12, in which the metal is dispersed in the base resin.

Note that the amount ratio of the resin that is the main component of the high refractive index layer 14 and the metal dispersed in the resin is the adjustment of the size of the vapor outlet in the evaporation source, the adjustment of the heating temperature (the amount of electricity supplied to the heating device). Adjustment).
In the film forming apparatus 30, the vapor source may have a fixed vapor outlet size, but the vapor outlet may be adjustable by a known opening size adjusting unit.

After the high refractive index layer 14a having a predetermined thickness is formed, the shutter 46 is moved to the position indicated by the solid line to shield the film forming material vapor from the inorganic evaporation source 40. Thereby, vapor deposition of the metal from the inorganic evaporation source 40 is stopped, and formation of the low refractive index layer 18a formed only from resin is started. During film formation, the entire substrate holder 34 (the holding surface of the lens base material 12) is irradiated with ultraviolet rays or an electron beam to accelerate the curing of the resin.
Alternatively, when the high refractive index layer 14a having a predetermined thickness is formed, both the shutter 42 and the shutter 46 are closed to stop vapor deposition, and the entire substrate holder 34 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays or an electron beam, After the curing is completed, only the shutter 42 is opened, and the formation of the low refractive index layer 18a formed only from the resin is started. That is, in the manufacturing method of the present invention, a resin curing step may be provided between the film forming steps of the high refractive index layer 14 and the low refractive index layer 18.
The same is true for the other layers.
Note that the film thickness may be controlled in the same manner as known vacuum deposition. Further, during the evaporation stop, the temperature of the inorganic evaporation source 40 may be lowered to a temperature at which the film forming material does not evaporate as necessary.

When the low refractive index layer 18a having a predetermined thickness is formed, the shutter 46 is moved to the dotted line position. As a result, the formation of the high refractive index layer 14b in which the metal is dispersed in the resin as the main component is started by co-evaporation of the organic material and the metal, as before. Alternatively, when the low refractive index layer 18a is formed, vapor deposition is stopped, curing by ultraviolet irradiation is performed, and then formation of the high refractive index layer 14b is started.
When the high refractive index layer 14b having a predetermined thickness is formed, the shutter 46 is moved to the position of the solid line to shield the film forming material vapor from the inorganic evaporation source 40 and form the low refractive index layer 18b. To start. Alternatively, when the high refractive index layer 14b is formed, vapor deposition is stopped, curing by ultraviolet irradiation is performed, and then formation of the low refractive index layer 18b is started.

When the low refractive tank 18b having a predetermined thickness is formed, heating of both evaporation sources is stopped, both shutters are closed, and rotation of the substrate holder 34 is stopped. Further, an inert gas or purified air is introduced into the vacuum chamber 32 to bring the vacuum chamber 32 to atmospheric pressure.
When the temperature is lowered to a sufficiently safe temperature, the vacuum chamber 32 is opened, and the lens 10 of the present invention on which the antireflection film 20 is formed is removed from the substrate holder 34.

According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, the high refractive index layer 14 in which a metal is dispersed in a resin is formed by co-evaporation of an organic material and a metal (metal compound). Therefore, it is possible to very uniformly disperse a metal having an atomic level or molecular size in the resin that is the main component of the high refractive index layer 14. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to manufacture the lens 10 having the antireflective film 20 having the high-refractive index layer 14 and the good antireflection performance.
In addition, in this example, since the high refractive index layer 14 and the low refractive index layer 18 can be formed by a simple operation of opening / closing one shutter, the lens 10 can be operated with a simple operation and good productivity. Can be manufactured.

The optical element and the optical element manufacturing method of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described examples, and various improvements and modifications are made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course, you may.
For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the high refractive index layer 14 and the low refractive index layer 18 are formed in one vacuum chamber. However, in the present invention, the low refractive index layer 18 is made of an organic material and a metal. If co-evaporation is performed, the high refractive index layer 14 and the low refractive index layer 18 may be formed in separate vacuum chambers.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to specific examples of the present invention.

[Example 1]
The lens 10 in which the antireflection film 20 was formed on the surface of the lens substrate 12 was manufactured using the film forming apparatus 30 shown in FIG.
For the organic evaporation source 38, 40 g of BEPGA (polymerizable monomer V-3PA manufactured by Osaka Organic Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), which is a resin film forming material that becomes the main component of the high refractive index layer 14 and the low refractive index layer 18, An ultraviolet polymerization initiator (Lamberti TZT) was mixed at a ratio of 1.5 g, and a mixed solution was filled.
Further, the inorganic evaporation source 40 was filled with titanium as a metal film forming material dispersed in the high refractive index layer 14.
As the lens substrate 12, a polycarbonate lens was used.
Further, an ultraviolet lamp was disposed in the vacuum chamber 32 so that the entire surface of the substrate holder 34 was irradiated with ultraviolet rays. The irradiation energy of ultraviolet rays was ² J / cm ² .

When both evaporation sources were filled with a film forming material and the lens base material 10 was attached to the substrate holder 34, the vacuum chamber 32 was closed, and exhaust of the vacuum chamber 32 and heating of both evaporation sources were started. The shutters 42 and 46 are closed.
In addition, the heating of both evaporation sources was performed with the electric current value set beforehand by experiment so that evaporation amount might become appropriate. Further, by setting the current value, the weight ratio of the resin and the metal in the high refractive index layer 14a is set so that the weight of the metal is 0.1% with respect to the weight of the resin.
When the ultimate pressure in the vacuum chamber 32 was stabilized at 1 × 10 ⁻³ Pa, the rotation means 36 was driven to start the rotation of the substrate holder 34. Next, both shutters were opened, and formation of the high refractive index layer 14a was started.

Both shutters were closed when the film thickness of the high refractive index layer 14a reached 40 nm. Note that the film thickness was controlled by using a film formation rate obtained in an experiment performed in advance. This is the same for the other layers.
Subsequently, the ultraviolet lamp was turned on for 3 seconds to cure the resin.

When the curing of the resin was completed, only the shutter 42 was opened, and the film formation of the low refractive index layer 18a was started. When the film thickness of the low refractive index layer 18a reached 20 nm, the shutter 42 was closed.
Subsequently, the ultraviolet lamp was turned on for 2 seconds to cure the resin.

When the curing of the resin was completed, a high refractive index layer 14b having a thickness of 40 nm was formed in the same manner as the high refractive index layer 14a.
Next, only the shutter 42 was opened, and the film formation of the low refractive index layer 18b was started. When the thickness of the low refractive index layer 18a reached 80 nm, both shutters were closed. Further, the ultraviolet lamp was turned on for 5 seconds to cure the resin, and the formation of the antireflection film 20 was completed. That is, this lens has a four-layer antireflection film 20 having two pairs of a high refractive index layer / low refractive index layer combination.
Thereafter, nitrogen gas was introduced into the vacuum chamber 32 to obtain atmospheric pressure. When the temperature dropped sufficiently, the vacuum chamber 32 was opened and the manufactured lens 10 was removed from the substrate holder 34.
In addition, when each layer was formed in advance in the same manner on a glass substrate and the refractive index was measured with an ellipsometer, the refractive index of the high refractive index layer 14 was 1.8, and the refractive index of the low refractive index layer 18 was 1. .4.

[Example 2]
The thickness of the low refractive index layer 18b is set to 20 nm, and the third high refractive index layer 14 is formed to 40 nm thereon, and the third low refractive index layer 18 is formed to 80 nm thereon. Each layer was formed in the same manner as in Example 1 to produce a lens on which an antireflection layer was formed. In other words, this lens has an antireflection film 20 having a six-layer structure having three pairs of high refractive index layers / low refractive index layers.
The amount ratio of the resin and the metal in the high refractive index layer 14 was the same as that of the high refractive index layer 14a of Example 1.
The curing time in the third low refractive index layer was 5 seconds.
When the refractive index of each layer was measured in the same manner as in Example 1, the refractive index of the high refractive index layer 14 was 1.8, and the refractive index of the low refractive index layer 18 was 1.4.

[Comparative Example 1]
Using the film forming apparatus 30, a lens having an antireflection film made of an inorganic compound was produced.
The organic evaporation source 38 was filled with titanium oxide which is a film forming material for the high refractive index layer. The inorganic evaporation source 40 was filled with silicon oxide, which is a film forming material for the low refractive index layer.
The same lens substrate as in Example 1 was used.

When both evaporation sources were filled with the film forming material and the lens base material was attached to the substrate holder 34, the vacuum chamber 32 was closed, and the exhaust and heating of both evaporation sources were started. As in Example 1, the heating of both evaporation sources was performed at a current value set in advance by experiments so that the amount of evaporation was appropriate.
The shutters 42 and 46 are closed.
When the ultimate pressure in the vacuum chamber 32 is stabilized at 1 × 10 ⁻³ Pa, the rotation means 36 is driven to start the rotation of the substrate holder 34, and then only the shutter 42 corresponding to the organic evaporation source 38 is opened. The formation of a high refractive index layer was started.

When the film thickness of the high refractive index layer reached 40 nm, the shutter 42 was closed, the shutter 46 corresponding to the inorganic evaporation source 40 was opened, and the film formation of the low refractive index layer was started.
When the film thickness of the low refractive index layer reached 20 nm, the shutter 46 was closed and the shutter 42 was opened, and the film formation of the second high refractive index layer was started.
Further, when the film thickness of the second high refractive index layer reached 40 nm, the shutter 42 was closed and the shutter 46 was opened, and the film formation of the second low refractive index layer was started.

When the film thickness of the second low-refractive index layer reached 80 nm, the formation of the antireflection film was finished in the same manner as in Example 1 and the manufactured lens was removed from the substrate holder 34. That is, this lens has an antireflection film having a four-layer structure, as in Example 1, having two pairs of high refractive index layer / low refractive index layer combinations.
When the refractive index of each layer was measured in the same manner as in Example 1, the refractive index of the high refractive index layer was 1.9, and the refractive index of the low refractive index layer was 1.5.

[Evaluation]
The reflectance of each lens with respect to a wavelength of 300 to 1200 nm was measured with a reflectance meter.
As a result, it was confirmed that the reflectance in the visible region was within 1% for the lenses of Example 1 and Example 2 and the comparative example.

Further, a heating test was performed in which each lens was held at 260 ° C. for 180 seconds. As a result, no peeling was observed in the antireflection films of the lenses of Example 1 and Example 2, but peeling was observed in the antireflection film of the lens of the comparative example.
Further, a package for a cellular phone in which each lens is fixed on the CCD sensor was manufactured, and this package was placed on a printed board, and the CCD sensor was soldered. As a result, as in the heating test, peeling was not observed in the antireflection films of the lenses of Examples 1 and 2, but peeling was observed in the antireflection film of the lens of the comparative example.
From the above results, the effects of the present invention are clear.

  The optical element of the present invention can be suitably used for a lens of a mobile phone camera or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Lens 12 Lens base material 14 High refractive index layer 18 Low refractive index layer 20 Antireflection film 30 Film-forming apparatus 32 Vacuum chamber 34 Substrate holder 36 Rotating means 38 Organic evaporation source 40 Inorganic evaporation source 42, 46 Shutter

Claims (13)

  Using a resin optical component as a base material, one or more laminates of a low refractive index layer made of resin and a high refractive index layer in which at least one of a metal and a metal compound is dispersed in the resin on the surface of the base material An optical component formed by forming an antireflection film.   2. The low refractive index layer is formed by vapor deposition of an organic compound, and the high refractive index layer is formed by co-vapor deposition of an organic compound and at least one of a metal and a metal compound. The optical component described in 1.   The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the resin of the low refractive index layer and the resin of the high refractive index layer are the same resin.   The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the metal is one or more of silicon, tantalum, zirconium, and titanium.   The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the metal compound is one or more of a tantalum oxide, a zirconium oxide, and a titanium oxide.   The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the metal and the metal compound of the high refractive index layer are one substance.   The optical component according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a lens. A method for producing an optical component, wherein an antireflection film having one or more combinations of a low refractive index layer and a high refractive index layer is formed on the surface of a resin optical component,
The method for producing an optical component, wherein the low refractive index layer is formed by vapor deposition of an organic compound, and the high refractive index layer is formed by co-vapor deposition of the organic compound and at least one of a metal and a metal compound.   The method for manufacturing an optical component according to claim 8, wherein the high refractive index layer and the low refractive index layer are alternately deposited in the same vacuum chamber. In the same vacuum chamber, a first evaporation source filled with a material for forming the low refractive index layer and a second evaporation source filled with a material for forming at least one of a metal and a metal compound are installed.
The optical system according to claim 9, wherein the low refractive index layer is formed by vapor deposition using the first evaporation source, and the high refractive index layer is formed by co-vapor deposition using the first evaporation source and the second evaporation source. A manufacturing method for parts.   The method for manufacturing an optical component according to claim 10, wherein the first evaporation source is filled with one or more of radically polymerizable monomers, oligomers, and prepolymers.   The method for manufacturing an optical component according to claim 10, wherein the second evaporation source is filled with only one substance.   The method of manufacturing an optical component according to claim 8, wherein the resin optical component is a lens.