JP2014000779A - Fine structure transfer-molding device having release plate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fine structure transfer-molding device, in which a microstructure, which is a dense microstructure with high aspect ratio or a fine structure in a nanometer order having a large release resistance from a stamper, can be quickly released from a stamper without damages.SOLUTION: The fine structure transfer-molding device transfers and molds a fine structure into a resin by cooperation of a lower mold that holds a stamper having the fine structure and an upper mold opposing to the lower mold. The device comprises: a release plate which is shaped to have a window to accommodate the fine structure and is disposed on an upper surface of the stamper; and guide means and drive means to vertically move the release plate in a perpendicular direction to the stamper.

Description

  The present invention relates to a microstructure transfer molding apparatus provided with a release plate that can easily peel a molded object transferred and molded in a press-type microstructure transfer molding apparatus from a stamper to which the object is attached.

  In the fields of electronic devices, optical devices, recording media, biodevices, etc., resin molded bodies having a fine structure are produced by various methods. Among such methods for producing a fine structure, there is a method for producing a fine structure in which the fine structure is transferred by pressing a resin against a stamper having a fine structure. Although this method is attracting attention because various resins can be used and the productivity is high, it is not easy to peel off the transfer-molded microstructure from the stamper, and the fineness at the time of peeling is not good. Damage to the structure is a problem.

  In order to solve the problem of peeling of the fine structure, for example, in Patent Document 1, in a thermal transfer press molding apparatus that performs thermal transfer by pressing a molding against a stamper on which a desired pattern is formed, At least one of the press movable parts has a stamper holding part to which the stamper can be attached, and the stamper holding part is a knockout capable of extruding the molding after thermal transfer contacting the stamper in a direction away from the stamper. There has been proposed a thermal transfer press molding apparatus that includes a pin, and the knockout pin has an air ejection portion capable of air ejection in the vicinity of a position where the molding object can be extruded.

  Patent Document 2 proposes an invention relating to an apparatus for separating a shaped base material from a stamping tool (stamper) in a press-type shaping apparatus. In other words, a base material holding part that moves up and down by air pressure around the outer periphery of the stamping tool is provided, and the base material holding part presses and fixes the base material to the base material support part facing the stamping tool when transfer molding is performed. Later, an apparatus for removing the base material from the stamping tool has been proposed.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a transfer method for transferring a microstructure formed on a stamper to the surface of a molding member, a transfer method in which a molding member that has been transfer molded and attached to the stamper is sucked and released from the stamper, and further There has been proposed a transfer method in which compressed air is introduced between a stamper and a molded member after applying a suction force to the molded member to promote mold release.

  In Patent Document 4, in a press-type fine structure transfer molding apparatus, the fine concavo-convex part is attached to the fine concavo-convex part while the transfer body transferred to the thermoplastic tree is adhered to the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic resin. A step of rapidly cooling to reduce the adhesive force between the fine irregularities and the transfer body; and the upper mold and the lower mold are removed from the fine irregularities while adhering the transfer body to the mirror surface. There has been proposed a method for producing a molded body, which includes a step of releasing the transfer body from the fine concavo-convex portion by opening in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the portion.

JP 2008-254353 A JP 2002-509499 A JP 2009-190373 A JP 2008-265001 A

  As a means for releasing or releasing (peeling) the transferred microstructure from the stamper, a method of applying mechanical force to the transferred microstructure as in the apparatus proposed in Patent Document 1 or 2 is as follows. Although the fine structure can be quickly peeled from the stamper, there is a problem that the fine structure is easily damaged. The method using the air pressure as in the transfer method proposed in Patent Document 3 is a method in which an external force is applied to the fine structure, although damage to the fine structure is smaller than the method of applying the mechanical force described above. In the case of a fine structure having a dense fine structure, a high-aspect ratio fine structure, or a nano-order fine structure, damage may occur.

  On the other hand, the manufacturing method proposed in Patent Document 4 is capable of peeling the microstructure from the stamper in the vertical direction without applying an external force such as mechanical force or air pressure to the microstructure. Excellent. However, there is a problem that the mold temperature must be lowered until the adhesion between the microstructure and the stamper is reduced to such an extent that the microstructure can be easily peeled off, resulting in poor productivity.

  In view of such a conventional problem, the present invention does not damage a dense structure having a high aspect ratio or a microstructure having a nano-order structure and a large separation resistance from the stamper from the stamper. It is another object of the present invention to provide a fine structure transfer molding apparatus that can be quickly peeled off.

  The inventors of the present invention focused on the fact that it is important to peel the microstructure vertically from the stamper in order to safely peel it from the stamper without damaging the transferred microstructure. Completed.

  The fine structure transfer molding apparatus according to the present invention is a fine structure transfer device in which a fine structure is transferred to a resin by cooperation of a lower mold holding a stamper having a fine structure and an upper mold facing the lower mold. A molding apparatus having a shape provided with a window for accommodating the fine structure, and a peeling plate disposed on an upper surface of the stamper, and the peeling plate vertically moving with respect to the stamper It has a guiding means and a driving means.

  In the above invention, the stamper is a divided type in which a plurality of unit stampers each having a fine structure are fitted into the stamper receiver, and the peeling plate has a plurality of window portions that respectively accommodate the fine structures of the respective unit stampers. Can be. In this fine structure transfer molding apparatus, the upper mold is preferably provided with a pressing portion for pressing the resin against the stamper for each unit stamper.

  The stamper may include a plurality of unit microstructures, and the release plate may include a plurality of windows that accommodate the unit microstructures.

  In the above invention, the resin to be transferred and molded is preferably supplied by applying a molten resin to the stamper. The molten resin is preferably applied to the stamper so that the molten resin is integrated with the upper surface of the release plate.

  In the above-described microstructure transfer molding apparatus, a recovery device for peeling and collecting the resin having the microstructure transferred and molded from the release plate can be provided.

  According to the microstructure transfer molding apparatus of the present invention, even if the transferred microstructure is a microstructure having a high peel resistance from a stamper such as a dense, high aspect or nano-order microstructure. It can be quickly peeled off from the stamper without damaging the microstructure. For this reason, according to the microstructure transfer molding apparatus according to the present invention, a microstructure having a high aspect ratio or a microstructure having a dense or nano-order size microstructure can be suitably manufactured.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the microstructure transfer molding apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing in the case of manufacturing a microstructure from molten resin using the microstructure transfer molding apparatus which concerns on FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the lower mold part of the other Example of the microstructure transfer molding apparatus which concerns on this invention. 3A is a plan view, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AB.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a microstructure transfer molding apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1A shows a front view, and FIG. 1B shows a plan view of a release plate. As shown in FIG. 1, the fine structure transfer molding apparatus according to the present invention has a fine structure formed by the cooperation of a lower mold 30 holding a stamper 20 having a fine structure 25 and an upper mold 40 facing the lower mold 30. This is a microstructure transfer molding apparatus that transfers the structure 25 to a resin. The microstructure transfer molding apparatus has a shape in which a window portion 13 in which the microstructure 25 is accommodated is provided, the release plate 10 disposed on the upper surface of the stamper 20, and the release plate 10 to the stamper 20. It has a guide means and a drive means for moving up and down in the vertical direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the peeling plate 10 has a main body portion 11 having a flat plate shape and a window portion 13. As the peeling plate 10, for example, a stainless steel plate or a brass plate having a thickness of 0.2 to 1 mm can be used. The release plate 10 is preferably excellent in peelability with respect to the resin and stamper.

  The window 13 is sized to accommodate the fine structure 25. The window portion 13 is surrounded by a body portion 11 that forms a window frame. The shape of the window portion 13 can be a rectangular shape as in this example, a circular shape or other shapes, and an appropriate shape and arrangement of the window portion 13 is adopted depending on the shape and distribution of the fine structure 25. The

  The main body portion 11 of the release plate 10 is preferably in close contact with the surface of the stamper 20 so that the resin to be transferred and molded does not easily enter the gap between the main body portion 11 and the stamper 20. Further, the width of the main body portion 11 forming the window frame is determined to be equal to or longer than the length of the resin that enters the gap between the main body portion 11 and the stamper 20. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the resin enters the outer edge portion of the stamper 20 and the resin adheres to the stamper receiver 35, and it is possible to prevent the transfer molding process quality from being lowered or the workability from being lowered.

  The stamper 20 may be any mold that can transfer and mold a fine structure, and a known one can be used. For example, a Ni-based metal material, silicon, quartz, silicon carbide, or a carbon-based material can be used. The stamper 20 is not limited to a type attached to the mold, and may be a mold having a fine structure. Further, the stamper 20 may be attached to the lower mold 30 via the stamper receiver 35 as shown in FIG. 1 or directly attached to the lower mold 30.

  The stamper 20 may be a split type in which a plurality of stampers 20 (unit stampers) having the same shape are fitted in the stamper receiver 35, or may be a single type stamper in which the whole is integrated. Good. In the case of this example, as shown in FIG. 1, the stamper 20 includes four unit stampers, and each unit stamper is provided with a fine structure, and each fine structure is accommodated in each window portion 13. It is like that.

  The fine structure 25 provided in the stamper 20 can adopt various forms. For example, it may be a fine structure having a dense, high aspect or nano-order fine structure that has a high peel resistance with a transfer-molded resin. A fine structure having a diameter, a side length or a width of 10 nm to 1 μm, a height or a depth of 10 nm to 100 μm, or a fine structure having an aspect ratio of 1 to 20 may be used.

  Further, the fine structure 25 provided in the stamper 20 can be a single form of fine structure having the same shape, distribution, etc. in the entire stamper 20, and the unit fine structure having the same shape, distribution, etc. It can be made into the form (microstructure group) where two or more structures gathered. The fine structure group may have a form in which a plurality of unit fine structures having different shapes, distributions, and the like are collected. The microstructure 25 provided in the stamper 20 may have various forms according to the characteristics thereof, and the stamper 20 may be a single type or a divided type according to the form.

  In this fine structure transfer molding apparatus, after the transfer molding is performed, the release plate 10 is moved up and down in the vertical direction with respect to the stamper 20 to release the transferred resin from the stamper. For this reason, the microstructure transfer molding apparatus includes a guide unit and a drive unit that move the peeling plate 10 up and down in the vertical direction with respect to the stamper 20 as described above.

  In this example, the hole 22 drilled in the direction perpendicular to the stamper receiver 35 functions as a guide means. That is, the hole 22 functions as a guide means. The collection device 50 functions as a driving unit. The collection device 50 is inserted into a predetermined work position between the lower mold 30 and the upper mold 40, can move up and down, and can be retracted to a predetermined position. Therefore, after transfer molding, the recovery device 50 is inserted into the working position, and the arm 54 provided in the recovery device 50 is inserted into the hole 22 of the stamper receiver 35 through the hole 18 of the release plate 10, and the arm 54 is fixed to the release plate 10. After that, the separation plate 10 can be raised in the vertical direction with respect to the stamper 20 by raising the recovery device 50.

  In the present invention, the resin to be transferred and molded may be a heat-softened resin sheet, but is preferably a molten resin. That is, the present invention applies a microstructure resin to the stamper 20 by applying a molten resin, performing a transfer molding on the applied molten resin, and then cooling and solidifying the microstructure. It can be suitably used for a molding apparatus.

  FIG. 2 illustrates a case where transfer molding is performed on a molten resin using the microstructure transfer molding apparatus shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2A, a microstructure transfer molding apparatus having a lower mold 30 in which a stamper 20 having a fine structure 25 is held via a stamper receiver 35 and an upper mold 40 facing the lower mold 30 is provided. Then, the molten resin 60 is applied to the stamper 20 by a resin supply device (not shown). Application of the molten resin 60 is performed so that an integral molten resin is formed on the upper surface of the release plate 10, and the molten resin is supplied through the window portion 13 so as to integrally cover the fine structure 25 of the stamper 20.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the upper mold 40 is lowered, and the molten resin 60 is pressed against the stamper 20 by the pressing portion 45, and transfer molding is performed. The resin subjected to the transfer molding is cooled and solidified to form a fine structure in which the fine structure is transferred and molded. After the transfer molding, the upper mold 40 is raised, and the recovery device 50 is inserted into the working position. In general, the fine structure has a large adhesion force with the stamper 20, so that the fine structure is peeled off from the pressing portion 45 and adhered to the stamper 20.

  Next, the recovery device 50 is lowered, the tip of the arm 54 is inserted into the hole 22, and the arm 54 is fixed integrally with the peeling plate 10. When the recovery device 50 starts to rise, the arm 54 rises in the direction perpendicular to the stamper 20 together with the peeling plate 10 with the hole 22 as a guide, as shown in FIG. Since the contact force between the peeling plate 10 and the stamper 20 is weak, the peeling force for peeling the fine structure from the stamper 20 is small. The fine structure is safely peeled in the vertical direction from the stamper 20 with the periphery held by the peeling plate 10.

  The fine structure peeled off from the stamper 20 is recovered at a predetermined position by the recovery device 50. The microstructure has a small contact force and contact area with the release plate 10 and can be easily released from the release plate 10. The peeling plate 10 from which the fine structure has been peeled is used for reuse.

  In this microstructure transfer molding apparatus, the microstructure thus transferred and molded can be peeled off from the stamper 20 safely and easily, so that it can be peeled off from the stamper 20 without damaging the microstructure transferred. can do. Therefore, even a fine structure having a dense, high aspect or nano-order fine structure with high peel resistance can be peeled from the stamper 20 without damaging the fine structure. According to the fine structure transfer molding apparatus, for example, a fine structure having a fine structure in which the diameter, side length or width of the unevenness, protrusion, hole or groove is 10 nm to 1 μm, and the height or depth is 10 nm to 100 μm. The body can be shaped. In addition, a fine structure having a fine structure with an aspect ratio of 1 to 20 can be formed. This microstructure transfer molding apparatus can be suitably used for producing a microstructure having a microstructure with a diameter, side length or width of a hole or groove of less than 0.1 μm.

  In the present microstructure transfer molding device, the material of the molten resin 60 is not particularly limited. The present invention peels off the molded microstructure from the stamper when the thickness of the microstructure is low or when the strength is low, or when the microstructure has a coarse or dense structure, regardless of the resin material used. It can be suitably used when the fine structure or the fine structure portion of the stamper is easily damaged.

  The microstructure transfer molding apparatus according to the present invention has been described above. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the present invention may be configured as shown in FIG. The microstructure transfer molding apparatus of this example has a circular single stamper 20 and is characterized by a microstructure 25 provided in the stamper 20. That is, the fine structure 25 forms a fine structure group in which unit fine structures having the same shape, distribution and the like are divided into four sections. Further, the peeling plate 10 has a flat plate-like main body portion 11 and a peripheral wall portion 12 at the periphery thereof, and has a boss 14. The boss 14 is fitted into a bearing 27 provided in the stamper 20. The bottom surface of the boss 14 communicates with an air hole 37, and the air hole 37 communicates with a vacuum pump and a compressor (not shown). The stamper 20 is fixed to the lower mold via the stamper receiver 35.

  In this microstructure transfer molding apparatus, by sucking or feeding air through the air holes 37, the boss 14 can be moved up and down in the vertical direction with respect to the stamper 20 using the bearing 27 as a guide. That is, the peeling plate 10 can be moved up and down in the vertical direction with respect to the stamper 20 through the boss 14 by sucking or supplying air. In this microstructure transfer molding apparatus, the bearing 27 functions as a guide means, and a vacuum pump and a compressor that sucks or feeds air through the air holes 37 function as drive means.

  This microstructure transfer molding apparatus has an advantage that the release plate 10 and the stamper 20 are integrally formed, and the release plate 10 does not have to be disposed on the stamper 20 for each operation. In the present microstructure transfer molding apparatus, the fine structure peeled off from the stamper 20 can be easily peeled off from the peeling plate 10 by a suction means and collected.

10 Release plate
11 Body
12 Perimeter wall
13 Window
14 Boss
18 holes
20 Stamper
22 holes
25 Microstructure
27 Bearing
30 Lower mold
35 Stamper holder
37 Air holes
40 Upper mold
45 Pressing part
50 Recovery device
54 Arm
60 Molten resin

Claims (7)

A microstructure transfer molding apparatus for transferring and molding the microstructure to a resin by the cooperation of a lower mold holding a stamper having a microstructure and an upper mold facing the stamper,
A peeling plate disposed on the upper surface of the stamper, and a guide means and a driving means for vertically moving the peeling plate in a vertical direction with respect to the stamper. A fine structure transfer molding apparatus. The stamper is a divided type in which a plurality of unit stampers having a fine structure are fitted into a stamper receiver,
The microstructure transfer molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the release plate has a plurality of windows that respectively accommodate the microstructures of the unit stampers.   The microstructure transfer molding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the upper mold is provided with a pressing portion for pressing the resin against the stamper for each unit stamper. The stamper has a plurality of unit microstructures,
The microstructure transfer molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the peeling plate has a plurality of window portions for accommodating the unit microstructures.   The microstructure transfer molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the resin to be transferred and molded is supplied by applying a molten resin to a stamper.   6. The microstructure transfer molding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the molten resin is applied to the stamper so that the molten resin is integrated with the upper surface of the release plate.   The fine structure transfer molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a collection device that peels and recovers the resin on which the fine structure is transferred from the release plate. Molding equipment.

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