JP3086137B2 - Method and apparatus for manufacturing microlens substrate - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate used for high-definition optical elements and optical components.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the present specification, a microlens means a minute lens having a size of about several mm or less, and a plurality of such minute lenses are one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally. It includes an arrayed microlens array and a lenticular lens.

In recent years, for example, a liquid crystal panel, which is a liquid crystal display element, has been increasingly demanded not only as a direct view type but also as a projection type display element such as a projection television. When the liquid crystal panel is used as a projection type, if the enlargement ratio is increased with the conventional number of picture elements, the roughness of the screen becomes conspicuous. Therefore, in order to obtain a fine image even at a high magnification,
It is necessary to increase the number of picture elements.

However, when the number of picture elements of the liquid crystal panel is increased, especially in an active matrix type liquid crystal panel,
The area occupied by the parts other than the picture elements becomes relatively large, and the area of the black matrix covering these parts increases. When the area of the black matrix increases, the area of picture elements contributing to display decreases, and the aperture ratio of the display element decreases. Then, when the aperture ratio decreases, the screen becomes dark, and the image quality deteriorates.

In order to prevent such a decrease in aperture ratio due to an increase in the number of picture elements, it has been proposed to form a plurality of microlenses on one surface of a liquid crystal panel (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) no.
60-165621-165624, JP-A-60-262131). As described above, by providing the microlenses corresponding to the respective picture elements, it is possible to condense the light, which was conventionally blocked by the black matrix, in the picture elements.

In addition to the above-mentioned applications, the above-mentioned microlens is used as a condensing means for an optical pickup such as a laser disk, a compact disk, and a magneto-optical disk; and for condensing an optical fiber with a light emitting element or a light receiving element. Means; CC
In order to enhance the sensitivity of a solid-state image sensor such as D or a one-dimensional image sensor used in a facsimile, a condensing means or an imaging means for condensing incident light on a photoelectric conversion area (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-17620) Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-9180); image forming means for forming an image to be printed on a photoreceptor in a liquid crystal printer or an LED printer (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-44624); And so on. As described above, the microlens is used in the optical device in combination with various optical elements or optical components (hereinafter, simply referred to as optical elements).

As a method for producing a microlens, an ion exchange method (Appl. Optics, 21 (6) p.1052 (198)
4), Electron Lett., 17 p.452 (1981)), swelling method (Suzuki et al., “A New Method for Fabricating Plastic Microlenses,” The 24th Meeting of the Society for Microoptics), thermal sag method (Zoran D. Popovic)
et al., Appl. Optics, 27 p.1281 (1988)), and a machining method.

If the ion exchange method is used, a flat plate type microlens array having a refractive index distribution type microlens can be obtained. If the other method is used, a hemispherical or rotating parabolic (aspherical) refraction is obtained. A microlens array having a surface is obtained. In particular, in the case of a microlens array having a hemispherical or paraboloidal refracting surface, a mass can be produced by using the master as a master (master) and molding using this master ( 2P
Method, see JP-A-5-134103).

By attaching these microlens arrays to one surface of the liquid crystal panel, the effective aperture ratio of the liquid crystal panel is improved, and a bright display screen can be obtained. The above-mentioned effective aperture ratio indicates the transmittance of a liquid crystal panel excluding a color filter, a polarizing plate, and the like.

However, in a liquid crystal panel for a projection television which performs high-definition display with a picture element pitch of about several tens of micrometers, the area of the opening of the display element is further reduced. Therefore, there is a limit in improving the effective aperture ratio by the micro lens. This is because the effective aperture ratio is determined by the magnitude relationship between the size of the condensing spot of the microlens and the area of the pixel aperture.

Assuming that the divergence (half-vertex angle) of incident light is θ and the focal length of the microlens is f (μm), the diameter D (μm) of the condensed spot is D = 2 · f · tan θ. (1) Therefore, when the area of the converging spot is larger than the area of the pixel opening, light that does not enter the pixel opening does not contribute to display. Therefore, the effect of improving the effective aperture ratio decreases.

In the above equation (1), in order to enhance the light collecting effect, it is conceivable to reduce the divergence θ of the incident light and to shorten the focal length f of the microlens. Of these, the divergence θ of the incident light becomes smaller as the light emitting area of the light source used is smaller and the distance from the light source to the liquid crystal panel is larger. However, at the current technical level of the light source, it is difficult to reduce the divergence θ to several degrees or less in order to secure the long life of the light source and the brightness required for display. Therefore, in order to enhance the light condensing effect, it is necessary to shorten the focal length f of the microlens and to bring the focal point of the microlens closer to the vicinity of the pixel opening of the liquid crystal panel.

Conventionally, as a technique for shortening the focus of a microlens, a cover glass or a film having a thickness corresponding to the focal length is adhered to the surface of the microlens, and the microlens is attached to one substrate (opposite substrate) of a liquid crystal panel. There is known a method of manufacturing the inside (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-248125). Also, using a 2P method, a lens-shaped portion is formed on a microlens substrate with a photosensitive resin, and then the adhesive is formed on the microlens substrate with an adhesive having a refractive index different from that of the photosensitive resin. A method is known in which a cover glass having the same coefficient of thermal expansion is bonded to thereby improve mass productivity and adhesion (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-233417). Furthermore, a method of laminating a resin layer having a thickness corresponding to the focal length on the surface of a microlens using a transparent photosensitive resin (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-27)
No. 3512) is also known. As described above, in any of the techniques for shortening the focus, in order to shorten the focus of the microlens, the microlens is formed inside the liquid crystal panel, that is, the opposing substrate of the liquid crystal display element.

[0014]

However, when the microlens substrate is manufactured by the above-mentioned conventional method, the following problems occur. That is, when manufacturing a microlens substrate, a transparent electrode, a black matrix, an alignment film, and the like must be laminated on the surface of the cover glass or the surface of the resin layer after bonding the cover glass to form the microlens. . Of these, the transparent electrode and the alignment film are uniformly formed in the display area, and thus there is no need to perform alignment with respect to the microlens.

On the other hand, the black matrix has a lattice-like pattern and has a thin film transistor (TFT).
r) A light-shielding film for protecting the element from light. The above-mentioned black matrix is usually formed by uniformly sputtering a thin film made of aluminum or the like on the surface of a cover glass, and then patterning the thin film with an exposure machine using a mask. Then, in order to increase the effective aperture ratio of the black matrix, the opening of the black matrix must be accurately located at the converging spot of the microlens.

However, in the above conventional method, the microlens is hidden by a thin film made of aluminum or the like,
It disappears. Therefore, it becomes impossible to position the mask and the microlens by microscopic observation. That is, in the above-described conventional method, no consideration is given to the point of performing the alignment between the mask and the microlens. Therefore, the black matrix is patterned at a position completely different from the position corresponding to the microlens, and the microlens substrate, that is, an optical element such as a liquid crystal display element manufactured using the same may not function at all. There is a problem that.

Incidentally, if the step of forming the black matrix is omitted to avoid the above problems, stray light which does not contribute to the display is irradiated to the TFT element. Therefore, TF
The electrical characteristics of the T element are shifted, causing another problem (bad effect) such as a decrease in the reliability of an optical element such as a liquid crystal display element and a decrease in display quality.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has as its object to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate capable of forming a pattern at an accurate position with respect to a microlens. Is to provide. Specifically, for example, at the focus of the micro lens,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate capable of forming a pattern such as a black matrix so that the opening is accurately located.
The microlens substrate manufactured by the manufacturing method or the manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention can be suitably used for a high-definition optical element or an optical component, and thereby, an optical element excellent in reliability, display quality, and the like. And optical components, for example,
It is possible to manufacture a high-quality liquid crystal display element or the like capable of obtaining a fine image with a bright screen.

[0019]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a microlens substrate, comprising: forming a pattern on a substrate body having a microlens; In the method, a substantially parallel light is applied to a microlens located at a predetermined position of the substrate main body, and a focused spot of the substantially parallel light formed by the microlens and a mark provided at a predetermined position of a pattern forming mask. It is characterized by performing alignment with

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate, comprising: a substrate holding means for holding a substrate body; and a pattern forming means capable of forming a pattern on the substrate body. A microlens substrate manufacturing apparatus comprising: a irradiating means capable of irradiating substantially parallel light to the microlenses of the substrate body held by the substrate holding means; and a substantially parallel light formed by the microlenses. And a detecting means capable of detecting the condensed spot.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate according to the second aspect of the present invention.
In the microlens substrate manufacturing apparatus described above, the irradiation means can irradiate the microlens with substantially parallel light at an arbitrary irradiation angle.

[0022]

According to the method of the first aspect of the present invention, the spot of the substantially parallel light formed by the microlens located at the predetermined position of the substrate body and the mark provided at the predetermined position of the pattern forming mask are formed. Perform an alignment. Thereby, the pattern can be formed at an accurate position with respect to the microlens. That is, for example, when the pattern is a black matrix or the like, the black matrix or the like can be formed so that the opening is accurately located at the focal point of the microlens, so that the effective aperture ratio can be improved. it can.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the microlenses of the substrate main body held by the substrate holding means are
Irradiation means irradiates substantially parallel light, and a converging spot of substantially parallel light formed by the microlens can be detected by the detection means. Therefore, it is possible to accurately align the position of the converging spot detected by the detecting means with the position of, for example, a pattern forming mask provided in the pattern forming means.

Thus, the pattern forming means
A pattern can be formed at an accurate position with respect to the substrate body, that is, the microlens. That is, for example, when the pattern is a black matrix or the like, the black matrix or the like can be formed so that the opening is accurately located at the focal point of the microlens, so that the effective aperture ratio can be improved. it can.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the irradiating means can irradiate the microlens with substantially parallel light at an arbitrary irradiating angle. For this reason, for example, when manufacturing a microlens substrate used for a twisted nematic (TN) type liquid crystal display device, the irradiating means irradiates the above-mentioned substantially parallel light to the microlens from an optimal viewing angle direction. can do. Therefore,
The liquid crystal display device using the microlens substrate manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention can make maximum use of its viewing angle characteristics. That is, the liquid crystal display device using the microlens substrate has a maximum image contrast, so that a good contrast can be obtained.
Image quality can be improved.

The microlens substrate manufactured by the above method or the manufacturing apparatus having the above configuration can be suitably used for a high-definition optical element or optical component. This makes it possible to manufacture an optical element or an optical component having excellent reliability and display quality, for example, a high-quality liquid crystal display element capable of obtaining a fine image with a bright screen.

[0027]

【Example】

[Embodiment 1] FIGS. 1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described below. In the present embodiment, a case where the microlens substrate is used for a liquid crystal display device, that is, a case where a microlens substrate suitably used for a liquid crystal display device (optical element, optical component, or the like) is manufactured. And will be described. In addition, a case where an active matrix type liquid crystal display element is manufactured as the liquid crystal display element will be exemplified.

The method of manufacturing a microlens substrate according to the present embodiment is a method of forming a pattern on a substrate body provided with microlenses, and irradiating substantially parallel light to the microlenses located at predetermined positions on the substrate body. In addition, this method aligns the converging spot of the substantially parallel light formed by the microlens with a mark provided at a predetermined position of the pattern forming mask.

First, the structure of a liquid crystal display device using a microlens substrate manufactured by the above manufacturing method will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the above liquid crystal display element
It is an active matrix type liquid crystal display element, and has a transparent substrate 7 made of quartz glass or the like. On the transparent substrate 7, a picture element electrode (not shown), a switching element,
Bus wiring and the like are formed. A liquid crystal layer 6 is sealed between the transparent substrate 7 and an opposing substrate 9 facing the transparent substrate 7 by sealing materials 5.

The counter substrate 9 includes a microlens substrate (substrate body) 8 and a black matrix (pattern).
10, a transparent electrode 11 and an alignment film 12. The microlens substrate 8 includes a transparent substrate 1 made of quartz glass or the like and a microlens array 2.
And an adhesive layer 3 made of an adhesive, and a cover glass 4 made of quartz glass or the like. Then, the black matrix 10, the transparent electrode 11, and the alignment film 12 are sequentially placed on the cover glass 4, that is, the liquid crystal layer 6 in this order.
On the side surface. The black matrix 10 has a lattice-like pattern, and has a TFT (Thin).
Film Transistor is a light shielding film for protecting the element from light. The transparent electrode 11 and the alignment film 12 are formed with a certain thickness in a display area of the liquid crystal display device.
Note that the microlens substrate 8 may include a transparent resin layer instead of the cover glass 4.

The microlens array 2 has a plurality of microlenses 2 ′ provided on the transparent substrate 7 corresponding to the respective pixel electrodes. In the present embodiment, the micro lenses 2 'of the micro lens array 2 have a hemispherical (spherical) convex lens shape, and are manufactured by the above-described 2P method.

As shown in FIG. 1D, the microlens substrate manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment has a stage (substrate holding means) having collimators (irradiation means) 22 and 22 (FIG. 3) as a transmission illumination system. 17) and a microscope (detection means)
18. Exposure mask (pattern forming means) 19
And an ultraviolet irradiation device (pattern forming means) not shown.

As shown in FIG.
Are formed in such a size that the microlens substrate 8 can be placed (held), and holes 17a and 17
a is open. The above collimators 22
Light with high parallelism, that is, substantially parallel light is emitted. Further, the collimators 22 can irradiate the microlenses 13 (described later, FIG. 1) of the microlens substrate 8 with substantially parallel light at an arbitrary irradiation angle. The substantially parallel light emitted from the collimators 22 and 22 passes through the holes 17a and 17a and passes through the microlenses 13 and 13 of the microlens substrate 8.
Is to be irradiated.

By the way, the black matrix 10
The shape of the opening is generally rectangular. In addition, if the length of the short side of the opening is substantially equal to the diameter of the converging spot of the microlens 2 ′, the alignment described later can be easily performed. Then, the parallelism θ of the substantially parallel light
L = 2 · f · tan θ (2) where L (μm) is the length of the short side of the opening and f (μm) is the focal length of the microlens 2 ′. Therefore, the collimators 22 may adjust the parallelism θ of the substantially parallel light so as to satisfy the above equation (2). Thereby, alignment can be performed with high accuracy.

It is sufficient that the transmission illumination system as the illumination means has a configuration capable of emitting the above-mentioned substantially parallel light. Therefore, the configuration of the transmission illumination system is the same as that of the above-described collimators 22.
It is not limited only to. Also, holes 17a and 17
It is sufficient that a is opened so that the above-mentioned substantially parallel light can be applied to the microlenses 13. Therefore, hole 17
The size, shape, and the like of a 17a are not particularly limited. Further, instead of opening the holes 17a, the stage 17 may be formed of a transparent material so that the entire stage 17 can transmit the above-mentioned substantially parallel light.

As shown in FIG. 1D, the microscope 1
Reference numerals 8 and 18 are provided at positions corresponding to the microlenses 13. The microscope 18 is capable of observing (detecting) the position of the converging spot P of the substantially parallel light formed by the microlenses 13. That is,
The substantially parallel light acts as illumination of the microlens substrate 8. The number of the microscopes 18 depends on the number of the microlenses 13.
May be the same as the number of micro lenses 13 when the microscope 18 is movably disposed.
It may be less than the number of.

The exposure mask (pattern forming mask) 19 is a mask 19 a for forming the black matrix 10 on the surface facing the microlens substrate 8.
And a black matrix (mark) 20 used for alignment. The mask 19a has a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the black matrix 10. The black matrix 20 is provided at a predetermined position on the exposure mask 19. The black matrix 20 has openings 20a and 2
0a, and the alignment described later (so-called,
Used for mask alignment). The exposure mask 19 is
It is movably provided and can be inserted between the microlens substrate 8 and the microscopes 18.

The above-mentioned ultraviolet irradiation device (not shown) is arranged on the opposite side of the stage 17 with the exposure mask 19 interposed therebetween. Then, the ultraviolet irradiation device irradiates a resist layer 16 (described later) formed on the microlens substrate 8 with ultraviolet light to expose the resist layer 16. Therefore, the pattern forming means is constituted by the exposure mask 19 and the ultraviolet irradiation device.

Next, a method of manufacturing a microlens substrate according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to each step shown in FIG. Note that the microlens substrate 8 shown in FIG. 1 is upside down in the drawing from the microlens substrate 8 shown in FIG.

First, as shown in FIG.
The microlens substrate 8 is formed by various predetermined methods such as the P method.
Is prepared. At this time, at a predetermined position, for example, an end of the microlens array 2, that is, the microlens substrate 8,
Microlenses 13 used for alignment are provided. The microlenses 13 are used for alignment when forming the black matrix 10. Therefore, the micro lenses 13 are at least 2
It is only necessary that at least two or more be provided. In addition, the micro lens 13
Are provided outside the display area of the microlens substrate 8, that is, the liquid crystal display element.

In this embodiment, a case where two microlenses 13 are provided will be described.
Accordingly, as described above, the manufacturing apparatus has a configuration including the two collimators 22 and the two microscopes 18.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, metal plate masks 15 are provided on the cover glass 4 at positions corresponding to the microlenses 13. Next, a light-shielding film 14 to be the black matrix 10 is formed on the cover glass 4 at a position corresponding to the microlens array 2 by sputtering or the like. The light shielding film 14 is a thin film made of aluminum or the like. Since the positions on the cover glass 4 corresponding to the microlenses 13 are protected by the masks 15, the light-shielding film 14 is not formed at these positions.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3C, after the masks 15 are removed, a photoresist (so-called ultraviolet curable resin) is applied on the light-shielding film 14, that is, on the cover glass 4 in a predetermined manner. The resist layer 16 is formed by applying a thickness and baking it under predetermined conditions.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3D, the microlens substrate 8 is placed on the stage 17 of the manufacturing apparatus, and the positions of the microlenses 13 and the stage 1 are adjusted.
7 are positioned so that the positions of the holes 17a 17a coincide with each other. Next, the collimators 22 and 22 (FIG. 3)
The microlens substrate 8, that is, the microlenses 13, is irradiated with substantially parallel light through 7 a and 17 a, and the condensed spots P and P of the microlenses 13 and 13 are observed with the microscopes 18 and 18.

Then, while performing the above observation, the exposure mask 19 is moved so that the above-mentioned condensed spots P, P enter the openings 20a, 20a of the black matrix 20 formed on the exposure mask 19, Position. That is, the alignment between the microlens substrate 8 and the mask 19a of the exposure mask 19 is performed.

As described above, the black matrix 1
In order to increase the effective aperture ratio of 0, the aperture of the black matrix 10 must be accurately located at the converging spot of the microlenses 2 '. For this reason, as described above, it is necessary to perform the alignment with high precision so that no positional shift occurs between the microlenses 2 ′ and the black matrix 10.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3E, the resist layer 16 on the microlens substrate 8 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from an ultraviolet irradiation device (not shown) through an exposure mask 19 to expose the resist layer 16 to light. I do. Thereby, the resist layer 16 is cured corresponding to the pattern of the mask 19a of the exposure mask 19. That is, in the resist layer 16, the portion where the ultraviolet rays are blocked by the mask 19 a (for convenience, the portion is shaded) is not cured, but only the portion irradiated with the ultraviolet rays is cured (so-called patterning).

After the exposure step, the resist layer 1
Develop 6. Accordingly, the resist layer 16 in the shaded portion, that is, the uncured photoresist is removed, and only the light shielding film 14 in that portion is exposed. Subsequently, the light shielding film 14 is etched to expose the exposed light shielding film 14.
Is removed. As a result, only the portion of the light-shielding film 14 covered with the cured resist layer 16 remains on the cover glass 4. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2F, the cured resist layer 16 is peeled off, so that the light shielding film 14 is removed.
Becomes the black matrix 10. That is, the black matrix 10 is formed on the cover glass 4. Thereby, the microlens substrate according to the present embodiment is manufactured.

Next, a transparent electrode 11 and an alignment film 12 are formed on the microlens substrate 8, that is, on the black matrix 10 by various predetermined methods. Through the above steps, the opposing substrate 9 is manufactured. Since the transparent electrode 11 and the alignment film 12 are formed with a certain thickness in the display area of the liquid crystal display device, there is no need to perform alignment.

Then, a liquid crystal display element is manufactured by various predetermined methods using the counter substrate 9, the transparent substrate 7, the liquid crystal (liquid crystal layer 6), and the sealing materials 5 produced as described above. You.

As described above, the manufacturing method of the microlens substrate according to the present embodiment is such that the black matrix 1 is provided on the microlens substrate 8 having the microlens array 2.
In this method, substantially parallel light is applied to the microlenses 13 located at predetermined positions on the microlens substrate 8, and a converging spot P · of substantially parallel light formed by the microlenses 13 is formed. This is a method of aligning P with the openings 20a of the black matrix 20 formed at predetermined positions of the exposure mask 19.

Thus, the black matrix 10 can be formed at an accurate position with respect to the micro lens array 2. That is, at the focal point of the micro lens 2 ′,
Since the black matrix 10 can be formed so that the openings are accurately located, the effective aperture ratio can be improved.

As described above, the apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate according to the present embodiment includes the stage 17, the exposure mask 19 as a pattern forming means, and the ultraviolet irradiation device. And a collimator 2 capable of irradiating substantially parallel light at an arbitrary irradiation angle.
2 and 22, and microscopes 18 that can observe the positions of the converging spots PP of the substantially parallel light formed by the microlenses 13. Therefore, the microscope 18
The positions of the converging spots P and P observed at 18 and the positions of the openings 20a and 20a of the black matrix 20 can be accurately aligned.

Thus, the black matrix 10 can be formed at an accurate position with respect to the microlens substrate 8, that is, the microlens array 2. That is, since the black matrix 10 can be formed such that the opening is accurately located at the focal point of the microlenses 2 ′, the effective aperture ratio can be improved.

The microlens substrate manufactured by the above method or the manufacturing apparatus having the above configuration can be suitably used for a high-definition optical element or optical component. This makes it possible to manufacture an optical element or an optical component having excellent reliability and display quality, for example, a high-quality liquid crystal display element capable of obtaining a fine image with a bright screen.

In the above embodiment, the case where the micro lenses 13 are provided outside the display area of the liquid crystal display element has been described as an example. For example, instead of the micro lenses 13. It is also possible to select at least two or more of the microlenses 2 'and perform alignment using these microlenses 2'.

Embodiment 2 Another embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to FIGS. For the sake of convenience, the same reference numerals are given to the components having the same functions as those shown in the drawings of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the present embodiment,
The case of manufacturing a microlens substrate suitably used for a twisted nematic (TN) type liquid crystal display device will be described as an example.

The liquid crystal display device using the microlens substrate manufactured by the manufacturing method according to this embodiment is a twisted nematic liquid crystal display device. This liquid crystal display element has a feature that, when the viewing direction of the display screen is different, the contrast of the image is correspondingly different. In the liquid crystal display element, there is a direction in which the contrast of an image is maximized, that is, an optimal viewing angle direction. Therefore, in general, in a projection-type liquid crystal display device, good contrast is obtained by illuminating light from the above-described optimal viewing angle direction.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the above liquid crystal display device, the position where the microlens array 2 is formed and the position where the black matrix 10 is formed are shifted by a predetermined amount. That is, the black matrix 10 is formed so as to be shifted by a predetermined amount with respect to the microlenses 2 ′.

Here, the normal to the liquid crystal display element, that is, the microlens substrate 8, is H, and the illumination light incident from the optimal viewing angle direction is S. The angle of incidence of the illumination light S with respect to the normal H, that is, the optimal viewing angle is α. Then, the shift amount d (μ
m) is represented by d = f · tan α (3) since the focal length of the micro lens 2 ′ is f (μm). Therefore, as is apparent from the above equation (3), the black matrix 10 needs to be formed shifted from the microlens array 2 by f · tan α (μm). That is, the formation position of the black matrix 10 must be shifted by f · tan α (μm) from the formation position of the microlens array 2. The other configuration of the microlens substrate is the same as the configuration of the microlens substrate of the first embodiment. Further, the configuration of the microlens substrate manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus of the first embodiment.

Next, a method of manufacturing a microlens substrate according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. In the following description, the description of the same steps as those of the manufacturing process of the microlens substrate described in the first embodiment will be simplified.

First, the microlens substrate 8 is manufactured by a predetermined various method such as the above-described 2P method, and the cover glass 4 is formed.
The masks 15 are provided at positions corresponding to the microlenses 13 above. Next, at a position corresponding to the microlens array 2 on the cover glass 4, a light shielding film 14 to be the black matrix 10 is formed.
Is formed by sputtering or the like. Subsequently, a photoresist is applied to a predetermined thickness on the cover glass 4 and baked under predetermined conditions, thereby forming a resist layer 16.
To form

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4, the microlens substrate 8 is placed on the stage 17 of the manufacturing apparatus.
Positioning is performed so that the position of the microlenses 13 and the positions of the holes 17a of the stage 17 coincide. On the other hand, the stage 17 is adjusted so that the incident angle (irradiation angle) of the illumination light S with respect to the normal H, that is, the optimal viewing angle becomes α.
The collimators 22 provided below are inclined with respect to the normal line H by the optimum viewing angle α. Thus, the illumination light S, which is substantially parallel light, is incident on the microlenses 13 from the optimal viewing angle direction.

Next, the microlens substrate 8, that is, the microlenses 13, is irradiated with illumination light S from the collimators 22 through the holes 17 a, 17 a, and the condensing spot P of the microlenses 13, 13 is irradiated. Observe P with a microscope 18. At this time, the focusing spot P
P is a position shifted by f · tan α (μm) with respect to the center line (normal H) of the microlenses 13 as described above because the illumination light S is incident from the optimal viewing angle direction. Is formed.

Then, while performing the above observation, the exposure mask 19 is moved so that the above-mentioned condensed spots P, P enter the openings 20 a, 20 a of the black matrix 20 formed in the exposure mask 19. Position. That is, the alignment between the microlens substrate 8 and the mask 19a of the exposure mask 19 is performed. As a result, the mask 19a is moved with respect to the center line of the microlenses 2 ′.
・ Positioning is accurately performed at a position shifted by tan α (μm).

Subsequently, the resist layer 16 on the microlens substrate 8 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from an ultraviolet irradiation device (not shown) through an exposure mask 19 to expose the resist layer 16 to light. After the exposure step, the resist layer 16 is developed, the light-shielding film 14 is etched, and the cured resist layer 16 is peeled off to form the black matrix 10 on the cover glass 4. Thereby, the microlens substrate according to the present embodiment is manufactured.

As shown in FIG. 5, the opening of the black matrix 10 formed in the manner described above has f · tan α (μm) with respect to the center line of the micro lens 2 ′.
m). That is, the black matrix 10 is
It is formed shifted by an amount corresponding to the optimum viewing angle α.

Next, a transparent electrode 11 and an alignment film 12 are formed on the microlens substrate 8, that is, on the black matrix 10 by various predetermined methods. Through the above steps, the opposing substrate 9 is manufactured. Then, the counter substrate 9, the transparent substrate 7, and the
Using the liquid crystal (liquid crystal layer 6) and the sealing materials 5, a liquid crystal display element is manufactured by various predetermined methods.

As described above, in the method and apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate according to the present embodiment, the black matrix is manufactured similarly to the method and apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate described in detail in the first embodiment. 10 can be formed at an accurate position with respect to the microlens array 2. That is, at the focal point of the micro lens 2 ′,
Since the black matrix 10 can be formed so that the openings are accurately located, the effective aperture ratio can be improved.

The collimators 22 can irradiate the microlenses 13 with substantially parallel light at an arbitrary irradiation angle. For this reason, the collimators 22 and 22 convert the above substantially parallel light into the microlenses 13 and
13 can be irradiated from the optimal viewing angle direction.
That is, in the method and apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate according to the present embodiment, the irradiation angle of substantially parallel light, that is, the optimum viewing angle α is changed in accordance with the viewing angle characteristics of the liquid crystal display element, so that the black matrix 10 is manufactured. Can be arbitrarily changed.

Therefore, in the liquid crystal display device using the microlens substrate manufactured by the manufacturing method or the manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the black matrix 10 is arranged with respect to the microlens array 2 by an amount corresponding to the optimum viewing angle α. Since it is formed shifted, the viewing angle characteristics can be utilized to the maximum. That is, the liquid crystal display device using the microlens substrate has the highest image contrast, so that a good contrast can be obtained and the image quality can be improved.

Embodiment 3 The following will describe still another embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG.
For the sake of convenience, the same reference numerals are given to components having the same functions as those shown in the drawings of the second embodiment, and
The description is omitted.

The microlens substrate manufactured by the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment is suitably used for a twisted nematic liquid crystal display device, and the configuration is the same as the configuration of the microlens substrate according to the second embodiment. It is.

The microlens substrate manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment is different from the manufacturing apparatus according to the second embodiment in that
The mask 19a of the exposure mask 19 is arranged such that the black matrix 20 used for alignment is f · tan α
(Μm). That is, when the mask 19a of the manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment is aligned, its pattern is shifted by f · tan α (μm) from the center line (normal H) of the microlenses 2 ′. It is formed so that. Other configurations of the microlens substrate manufacturing apparatus are the same as those of the microlens substrate manufacturing apparatus of the second embodiment.

Next, a method of manufacturing a microlens substrate according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. In the following description, the description of the same steps as those of the manufacturing process of the microlens substrate described in the second embodiment will be simplified.

First, a microlens substrate 8 is manufactured, and a mask 15 is placed at a position corresponding to the microlenses 13.
15 are provided. Next, a light shielding film 14 is formed at a position corresponding to the microlens array 2. Subsequently, a resist layer 16 is formed on the cover glass 4.

After that, as shown in FIG. 7, the microlens substrate 8 is placed on the stage 17 of the manufacturing apparatus.
Positioning is performed so that the position of the microlenses 13 and the positions of the holes 17a of the stage 17 coincide. In addition, the collimators 22 provided below the stage 17 are positioned so that the normal line H and the illumination light S are parallel. Thereby, the illumination light S, which is substantially parallel light, is applied to the microlenses 13 in the normal H direction (vertical direction).
Will be incident.

Next, the microlenses 13 are irradiated with illumination light S from the collimators 22 and 22 through the holes 17a and 17a, and the condensed spots P and P of the microlenses 13 and 13 are examined by the microscopes 18 and 18. Observe. At this time, the condensed spots P and P are
Are formed on the center line.

Then, while performing the above observation, the exposure mask 19 is moved so that the above-mentioned condensed spots P, P enter the openings 20a, 20a of the black matrix 20 formed on the exposure mask 19, Position. That is, the alignment between the microlens substrate 8 and the mask 19a of the exposure mask 19 is performed.

As described above, the mask 19a has a pattern of f · ta with respect to the center line of the microlenses 2 ′.
It is formed so as to be shifted by n α (μm). As a result, the mask 19a is attached to the micro lens 2 ′.
Are accurately positioned at a position shifted by f · tan α (μm) from the center line of.

Subsequently, the resist layer 16 on the microlens substrate 8 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and the resist layer 16 is exposed. After the exposure step, the resist layer 16 is developed, the light-shielding film 14 is etched, and the cured resist layer 16 is peeled off to form the black matrix 10 on the cover glass 4. Thereby, the microlens substrate according to the present embodiment is manufactured.

The opening of the black matrix 10 formed as described above is shifted by f · tan α (μm) from the center line of the microlenses 2 ′. That is, the black matrix 10 is formed to be shifted from the microlens array 2 by an amount corresponding to the optimum viewing angle α.

Next, a transparent electrode 11 and an alignment film 12 are formed on the black matrix 10. Through the above steps, the opposing substrate 9 is manufactured. Then, a liquid crystal display element is manufactured by a predetermined various method using the counter substrate 9, the transparent substrate 7, the liquid crystal (the liquid crystal layer 6), and the sealing materials 5 manufactured as described above.

As described above, in the method and apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate according to the present embodiment, the black matrix is manufactured similarly to the method and apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate described in detail in the second embodiment. 10 can be formed at an accurate position with respect to the microlens array 2. That is, at the focal point of the micro lens 2 ′,
Since the black matrix 10 can be formed so that the openings are accurately located, the effective aperture ratio can be improved.

Further, the liquid crystal display device using the microlens substrate manufactured by the manufacturing method or the manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment has a structure in which the black matrix 10 has an amount corresponding to the optimum viewing angle α with respect to the microlens array 2. Since it is formed shifted, the viewing angle characteristics can be utilized to the maximum. That is, the liquid crystal display device using the microlens substrate has the highest image contrast, so that a good contrast can be obtained and the image quality can be improved.

[0086]

According to the method of manufacturing a microlens substrate according to the first aspect of the present invention, as described above, a microlens located at a predetermined position of a substrate main body is irradiated with substantially parallel light to form a microlens. This is a method of aligning a focused spot of substantially parallel light with a mark provided at a predetermined position of a pattern forming mask.

In the apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate according to the second aspect of the present invention, as described above, the irradiation capable of irradiating the microlens of the substrate main body held by the substrate holding means with substantially parallel light. And a detecting means capable of detecting a converging spot of substantially parallel light formed by the microlens.

Thus, there is an effect that the pattern can be formed at an accurate position with respect to the microlens. That is, for example, when the pattern is a black matrix or the like, the black matrix or the like can be formed so that the opening is accurately located at the focal point of the microlens, so that the effective aperture ratio can be improved. It has the effect of being able to.

In the apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate according to the third aspect of the present invention, the irradiating means can irradiate the microlens with substantially parallel light at an arbitrary irradiating angle as described above. .

Thus, for example, in the case of manufacturing a microlens substrate used for a twisted nematic (TN) type liquid crystal display element, the irradiating means applies the above-mentioned substantially parallel light to the microlens with an optimum viewing angle. Irradiation from any direction. Therefore, the liquid crystal display device using the microlens substrate manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention can make maximum use of its viewing angle characteristics. That is, the liquid crystal display device using the microlens substrate has an effect that the contrast of an image is maximized, so that a good contrast can be obtained and the image quality can be improved.

The microlens substrate manufactured by the above method or the manufacturing apparatus having the above configuration can be suitably used for a high-definition optical element or optical component. This makes it possible to manufacture an optical element or an optical component having excellent reliability and display quality, for example, a high-quality liquid crystal display element capable of obtaining a fine image with a bright screen.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating steps of a method for manufacturing a microlens substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid crystal display device manufactured using the microlens substrate.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a stage constituting the apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view illustrating a method for manufacturing a microlens substrate according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a microlens substrate manufactured by the manufacturing method of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid crystal display device manufactured using the microlens substrate of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view illustrating a method for manufacturing a microlens substrate according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 transparent substrate 2 microlens array 2 'microlens 6 liquid crystal layer 8 microlens substrate (substrate body) 9 counter substrate 10 black matrix (pattern) 13 microlens 17 stage (substrate holding means) 18 microscope (detection means) 19 exposure mask (Pattern forming means, pattern forming mask) 19a Mask 20 Black matrix (mark) 22 Collimator (irradiating means) P Focused spot S Illumination light (substantially parallel light) α Optimal viewing angle (irradiation angle)

Continuation of the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G02B 3/00 G03F ⁷ /20-7/24 G03F 9/00-9/02

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing a microlens substrate for forming a pattern on a substrate body provided with a microlens, wherein the microlens located at a predetermined position on the substrate body is irradiated with substantially parallel light to form a pattern. A method for manufacturing a microlens substrate, comprising: aligning a focused spot of substantially parallel light with a mark provided at a predetermined position on a pattern forming mask. 2. An apparatus for manufacturing a microlens substrate, comprising: a substrate holding means for holding a substrate main body; and a pattern forming means capable of forming a pattern on the substrate main body, wherein the substrate main body held by the substrate holding means is provided. A microlens comprising: an irradiating means capable of irradiating substantially parallel light to the microlens; and a detecting means capable of detecting a converging spot of the substantially parallel light formed by the microlens. Substrate manufacturing equipment. 3. The microlens substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said irradiating means can irradiate the microlens with substantially parallel light at an arbitrary irradiation angle.