JP6357669B2 - Vapor deposition apparatus and optical substrate holding member for vapor deposition apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vapor deposition apparatus for depositing a thin film on the surface of an optical substrate and an optical substrate holding member for a vapor deposition apparatus that holds an optical substrate disposed in such a vapor deposition apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed a vapor deposition apparatus that deposits a thin film on the surface of a lens substrate disposed on the upper portion of a casing by heating and evaporating a vapor deposition substance in a decompressed casing. For example, Patent Document 1 is cited as an example of such a vapor deposition apparatus. In the vapor deposition apparatus of Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 9, a holder (substrate holder 5) as an optical substrate holding member for holding a lens substrate is a flat plate member in the shape of a wing plate, and a plurality of sheets are arranged in the circumferential direction. (In this case, 8 sheets) are arranged and arranged so as to hang slightly toward the outside. In the vapor deposition apparatus of Patent Document 1, vapor deposition is performed on each of the front and back surfaces of the lens substrate by reversing the holder disposed at the upper part in the housing (vacuum chamber 2) by 180 degrees. Further, as a lens substrate holder used in the vapor deposition apparatus, for example, a dome-shaped holder such as the lens holder 40 of FIG. However, since the holder of Patent Document 2 does not have a reversible structure like that of Cited Document 1, when the vapor deposition process is performed on the lower surface, which is the deposition surface of the lens substrate, the reduced pressure state is temporarily released by human hands. The lens substrate held by the holder is turned upside down and started again from the decompression process, and a new deposition surface is deposited.

JP-A-63-307260 JP 2000-266904 A

When the holders of Patent Documents 1 and 2 are compared, it can be said that a holder such as Patent Document 1 that does not need to reverse the lens substrate is advantageous. However, the holder as in Patent Document 1 has a characteristic that uneven deposition easily occurs compared to the holder of Patent Document 2. This is because the vapor deposition material radiates in a spherical shape when it evaporates, and the dome-shaped shape close to the curvature of the gas spherical surface is less likely to cause uneven deposition. For this reason, a vapor deposition apparatus equipped with a lens substrate holding member of the type as disclosed in Patent Document 1 that can reverse the direction of the lens substrate according to the evaporation state of the vapor deposition material, or such a lens substrate holding member. It was desired. In addition, these are problems that have generally occurred even with optical substrates other than lens substrates, such as optical filters.
The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems existing in the prior art. The purpose thereof is a vapor deposition apparatus capable of performing a desired vapor deposition process according to the evaporation state of the vapor deposition material when performing vapor deposition on the front and back of the optical substrate using a reversible optical substrate holding member, and for such a vapor deposition apparatus An optical substrate holding member is provided.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the means 1 lowers the pressure inside the casing, the casing that can be sealed, the vapor deposition material disposed in the lower position in the casing, the heating means that heats the vapor deposition material, and the casing. In a vapor deposition apparatus comprising: a decompression unit for holding; and one or more optical substrate holding members that are disposed at an upper position in the housing and hold one or a plurality of optical substrates in a state where a deposition surface is exposed, The optical substrate holding member has a surrounding portion that surrounds the outer periphery and front and rear surfaces near the outer periphery of the optical substrate, and the surrounding portion has a movement space that allows the optical substrate accommodated in the surrounding portion to move in the thickness direction. And the width of the portion surrounding the front and back surfaces near the outer periphery of the optical substrate is non-uniform so that the optical substrate that has moved in the moving space does not move in parallel. A first support position; The optical substrate, which is supported so as to be able to stop at the second support position reversed with respect to the first support position, and held at the time of reversal is moved in a swinging manner in the moving space, and accompanying the swinging The gist is that the direction of the deposition surface is displaced.

With such a configuration, the optical substrate held by the optical substrate holding member is synchronized with the inside of the surrounding portion when the optical substrate holding member is reversed between the first support position and the second support position. The moving space is moved in the thickness direction of the optical substrate. In this case, the width of the portion surrounding the front and back surfaces near the outer periphery of the optical substrate is not uniform so that the optical substrate moved in the moving space does not move in parallel. In most of the cross-sectional directions, the movement swings in a fan shape (the movement is parallel at a position facing 180 degrees in the direction orthogonal to the largest swinging direction). Therefore, for example, the orientation of the deposition surface of the optical substrate is displaced in a desired direction so that the desired deposition can be performed in accordance with the deposition environment such as the position (orientation), tilt and height of the optical substrate holding member and the shape of the optical substrate. Can be made.
Here, the “optical substrate” is a glass or resin lens or flat plate, and examples thereof include a lens, a dichroic mirror / filter, a cold mirror / filter, an ND filter, a bandpass filter, and a half mirror.
“The optical substrate holding member is reversed” means that the front and back of the optical substrate are interchanged and the deposition surface is generally directed downward. The “uneven width” may be such that the width is discontinuously displaced as well as a case where the width is smoothly displaced around the lens as in the following embodiment, for example. Moreover, not only when completely enclosing, you may have the area | region which is not surrounded partially, for example, a window-shaped or notch-shaped hole part. The “enclosure” may be integral with or separate from the optical substrate holding member. In the case of another member, it is advantageous in terms of attachment work if the optical substrate is housed in the surrounding portion and then attached to the optical substrate holding member together with the surrounding portion. In the case of “the optical substrate holding member is supported so as to be able to stop at the first support position and the second support position inverted with respect to the first support position”, for example, the optical substrate holding member is provided with a rotation function and a stop function. Even in this case, for example, it means both cases where rotation is blocked by another stopping mechanism. For example, when a plurality of optical substrate holding members are arranged, it is preferable to arrange each optical substrate holding member in a ring shape, and as a whole, it rotates in the circumferential direction and interferes with interference members arranged in the circumferential direction. Then, it is preferable to configure so as to invert. “Displace the direction of the deposition surface” may be considered to be the displacement of the optical axis direction in the case of a lens, for example.
Here, “moving in a swinging manner” refers to a moving state in which the optical substrate is not parallel before and after the movement, and the moving distance in the thickness direction is different at positions spaced apart in the width direction so as to open the fan, for example.

Further, in the means 2, the direction to be directed when the direction of the deposition surface of the optical substrate is displaced in the surrounding portion is the same in both the first support position and the second support position. The gist is to make it.
That is, when the optical substrate is reversed and moved in a swinging manner, the direction in which the deposition surface faces is the same in the first support position and the second support position. As a result, the vapor deposition conditions for the vapor deposition surfaces on the front and back surfaces are the same, so that substantially the same vapor deposition surfaces are formed on the front and back surfaces. Moreover, even if vapor deposition unevenness occurs, the tendency is the same, so that the vapor deposition tendency on the front and back is unified.
Further, in the means 3, the directions to be directed by the direction of the deposition surface of the optical substrate being displaced in the surrounding portion are different directions in the first support position and the second support position, respectively. The gist is to make it.
That is, when the optical substrate is reversed and moved in a swinging manner, the direction in which the deposition surface faces is not the same direction. This makes it possible to configure vapor deposition surfaces with different characteristics on the front and back sides.

Further, the gist of the means 4 is that the direction in which the direction of the vapor deposition surface of the optical substrate is displaced is the direction of the center of curvature of the gas spherical surface of the vapor deposition material that evaporates in the housing.
The vapor deposition material that evaporates in the housing becomes a gas spherical surface that spreads with a certain curvature. Therefore, if the direction of the deposition surface is in the direction of the center of curvature of the gas spherical surface, it is easy to deposit evenly during deposition, but if the angle is shifted, uneven deposition tends to occur. For this reason, by setting the direction in which the direction of the deposition surface is displaced to be the direction of the center of curvature of the gas spherical surface of the vapor deposition material that evaporates, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of uneven deposition.

Further, the gist of the means 5 is that the rotation axis direction when the optical substrate holding member is reversed is parallel to a line segment extending outward from the center of the casing.
By setting such a direction as the rotation axis direction when the optical substrate holding member is reversed, when arranging a plurality of optical substrate holding members, all of the optical substrate holding members are directions along the tangential direction of the gas spherical surface. It becomes easy to arrange them evenly, which contributes to uniform vapor deposition on the optical substrate. Here, “parallel” is a concept including matching.
Further, the gist of the means 6 is that the rotation axis direction when the optical substrate holding member is reversed is parallel to a line segment that faces downward from the center of the housing.
By setting such a direction as the rotation axis direction when the optical substrate holding member is reversed, when arranging a plurality of optical substrate holding members, the tangent to the gas spherical surface of the vapor deposition material that evaporates all of the optical substrate holding members It becomes easy to arrange | position in the direction along the direction correctly according to a direction, and will contribute to the uniform vapor deposition process to an optical substrate.
Further, in the means 7, the line segment connecting the two positions in the surrounding portion having the largest movement amount and the smallest movement amount between the edge portions at the 180-degree opposed positions of the optical substrate is a direction along the rotation axis. The gist is to be arranged in
Since such a direction is the direction in which the displacement of the optical substrate is the largest, by making this direction and a line segment going outward from the center of the housing, the shape of the gas spherical surface of the evaporation material to be evaporated more is obtained. It becomes easy to adjust to the angle along.
Further, in the means 8, the optical substrate holding member has a second surrounding portion surrounding the outer periphery and the front and back surfaces near the outer periphery of the optical substrate at a position facing the curvature center direction of the gas spherical surface of the vapor deposition material. The surrounding portion has a moving space that allows the optical substrate accommodated in the second surrounding portion to move in the thickness direction, and the surrounding portion has the parallel movement of the optical substrate moved in the moving space. The gist of the invention is that the widths of the portions surrounding the front and back surfaces near the outer periphery of the optical substrate are made uniform.
The optical substrate is moved in an oscillating manner within the surrounding portion (in the following description, the first surrounding portion is different in meaning from the second surrounding portion). This is because the deposition surface is directed in the direction. However, depending on the position of the optical substrate holding member, there may be a case where the optical substrate is positioned in the direction of the center of curvature of the gas spherical surface of the vapor deposition material that evaporates the deposition surface without swinging the optical substrate. In that case, although it is not necessary to swing, the distance from the vapor deposition source can be increased by moving the optical substrate in the same manner as the optical substrate accommodated in the first enclosure (so that the movement amount should be substantially the same). This is because it is preferable to make the deposition amount uniform in the same manner.

  Further, the means 9 includes a case that can be sealed, a vapor deposition material disposed at a lower position in the case, a heating means that heats the vapor deposition material, and a pressure reduction means that lowers the atmospheric pressure in the case. Is disposed to hold one or a plurality of optical substrates in a state in which the deposition surface is exposed, at an upper position in the housing of the vapor deposition apparatus comprising the first support position and the first support position. Each of the optical substrate holding members that can be stopped at the inverted second support position, the optical substrate holding member having a surrounding portion that surrounds the outer periphery and front and back surfaces of the optical substrate, The optical substrate accommodated in the surrounding portion has a moving space that allows movement in the thickness direction, and the surrounding portion has an outer periphery of the optical substrate so that the optical substrate moved in the moving space does not move in parallel. Of the part surrounding the front and back There the gist that it is unequal.

  If the optical substrate holding member having such a configuration is applied to the vapor deposition apparatus, the optical substrate held by the optical substrate holding member is inverted between the first support position and the second support position. At the same time, the moving space is moved in the thickness direction of the optical substrate in the surrounding portion in synchronism. In this case, the width of the portion surrounding the front and back surfaces near the outer periphery of the optical substrate is not uniform so that the optical substrate moved in the moving space does not move in parallel. In most of the cross-sectional directions, the movement swings in a fan shape (the movement is parallel at a position facing 180 degrees in the direction orthogonal to the largest swinging direction). Therefore, for example, the direction of the deposition surface of the optical substrate can be displaced in a desired direction so that desired deposition can be performed in accordance with the deposition environment such as the position (orientation), inclination, and height of the optical substrate holding member. The meaning of lexical terms is the same as above.

Further, in the means 10, the line segment connecting the two positions in the surrounding portion, which has the largest movement amount and the smallest movement amount between the edge portions at the 180-degree facing position of the optical substrate, is the rotation axis when reversing. Its gist is to be arranged in the direction along.
Since such a direction is the direction in which the displacement of the optical substrate is the largest, by making this direction and a line segment going outward from the center of the housing, the shape of the gas spherical surface of the evaporation material to be evaporated more is obtained. It becomes easy to adjust to the angle along.
Further, the gist of the means 11 is that the optical substrate holding member is composed of two plate-like bodies divided into two in the thickness direction.
In this way, when the optical substrate holding member is composed of two plate-like bodies divided into two in the thickness direction, the optical substrate is placed together with the surrounding portion on one plate-like body, and the other plate-like body is used. A mode in which the surrounding portion is pressed and supported becomes possible, and workability is improved.
Further, the gist of the means 12 is that the surrounding portion can be attached as a separate member to an attachment hole formed in the optical substrate holding member.
In this way, when the surrounding portion is a separate member, the swinging direction of the optical substrate can be freely changed by changing the phase of the surrounding portion with respect to the mounting hole. Further, the enveloping part can be attached to the optical substrate holding member in a state in which the optical substrate is accommodated in the encircling part, and workability is improved.
Further, the gist of the means 13 is that the surrounding portion is formed by combining the divided parts divided in the width direction to form the moving space.
With this configuration, after the optical substrate is accommodated in one divided body, the optical substrate is not dropped from the moving space by combining the other divided body, so that the combined optical substrate is handled. Thus, the optical substrate can be safely transported.
Further, in the means 14, the inner peripheral surface facing the outer periphery of the optical substrate of the surrounding portion is formed with a curved surface that is convex outward in a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction. The gist.
By forming such a curved surface, even when the optical substrate is in a position close to the inner peripheral surface of the surrounding portion when the optical substrate is accommodated, the inner peripheral surface of the surrounding portion is moved when the optical substrate is swung. No longer interferes with

  In the present invention, when vapor deposition processing is performed on the front and back surfaces of the optical substrate using the reversible optical substrate holding member, desired vapor deposition processing according to the evaporation state of the vapor deposition material is possible.

The schematic diagram of the vapor deposition apparatus of embodiment. (A) And (b) is a top view of the plate piece which comprises the holder of embodiment. (A) is explanatory drawing of the state which has arrange | positioned the 1st ring above the through-hole of a plate piece, (b) is explanatory drawing of the state which has arrange | positioned the 1st ring in the through-hole. 3A is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the lens base material is placed in the first ring in the state of FIG. 3B, and FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of the first ring that forms a pair on the other side. Explanatory drawing of the state which has arrange | positioned the plate piece. (A) is explanatory drawing of the state which accommodated the lens base material in the holder, (b) is explanatory drawing of the state which reversed (a). The perspective view of a 1st ring. (A) is explanatory drawing of the state which has arrange | positioned the 2nd ring above the through-hole of a plate piece, (b) is explanatory drawing of the state which has arrange | positioned the 2nd ring in the through-hole. The top view of the holder which accommodated the lens base material. The schematic diagram explaining the relationship between a lens base material and the curvature center direction of a gas spherical surface. (A) And (b) is explanatory drawing explaining the holder of other embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying a vapor deposition apparatus and an optical substrate holding member for a vapor deposition apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the vapor deposition apparatus of this Embodiment has the decompression chamber 1 as a housing | casing. Access to the decompression chamber 1 is performed by opening a door (not shown). The decompression chamber 1 can be in a sealed state in which the inside is shut off from the outside air by closing the door. A pump device 3 is connected to the decompression chamber 1 through a duct 2. By driving the pump device 3 during vapor deposition, the inside of the decompression chamber 1 can be evacuated to a vacuum degree of about 1 × 10 ⁻⁴ to 1 × 10 ⁻³ . A first vapor deposition source 5 and a second vapor deposition source 6 are disposed on the lower floor board 1 a in the decompression chamber 1. In the present embodiment, the first vapor deposition source 5 is composed of an electron gun as a heating means and a vapor deposition tank containing vapor deposition material, and the second vapor deposition source 6 is a resistance heating device and vapor deposition material by Joule heat as a heating means. It is comprised from the vapor deposition tank which accommodated. Each of the vapor deposition sources 5 and 6 is provided with a shutter 7. The evaporation of the vapor deposition material is controlled by the position of the shutter 7. That is, by moving the shutter 7 and placing it on the upper surface of each vapor deposition source 5, 6, the vapor deposition material does not evaporate, and by placing the shutter 7 at a position shifted from the upper surface of each vapor deposition source 5, 6 Allow transpiration. A halogen heater 8 is disposed facing the side wall 1 b in the decompression chamber 1. The halogen heater 8 is used to heat the inside of the decompression chamber 1 and reduce the moisture contained in the lens substrate L. A pair of right and left correction plates 9 are disposed on two opposing surfaces of the side wall 1b in the decompression chamber 1. The correction plate 9 controls the transpiration direction of the vapor deposition material to be transpiration. An engaging protrusion 10 is formed to project from the position above the correction plate 9.

  On the top plate 1c of the decompression chamber 1, a motor device 11 as a driving means is disposed. A rotating shaft (not shown) of the motor device 11 passes through the top plate 1 c and is connected to a rotor 12 disposed on the lower surface of the top plate 1 c in the decompression chamber 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a plurality of (six in the present embodiment) identical shapes as optical substrate holding members are disposed at the outer peripheral position of the rotor 12 disposed at the upper position in the decompression chamber 1. A holder 13 is provided. Each holder 13 is disposed in a cantilever shape at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the rotor 12, and is detachably supported on a ratchet portion 15 on the rotor 12 side through an insertion portion 14 as shown in FIG. Yes. In the present embodiment, each holder 13 extends outward from the rotor 12 disposed at the center position of the top plate 1c and is attached to the outer side. Each holder 13 can take a first support position in which the width direction is horizontally arranged and one surface faces downward, and a second support position reversed 180 degrees.

Next, a detailed configuration of the holder 13 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the holder 13 includes two plate pieces 13A and 13B having the same shape. Each of the plate pieces 13A and 13B is formed of a trapezoidal thin flat plate in a plan view. At the time of use, both plate pieces 13A and 13B are overlapped so that the opposing surfaces 13a abut each other.
Four through holes 21 are formed in each of the plate pieces 13A and 13B. The through-holes 21 are arranged in the order of 1-1-2 from the trapezoidal short side (becomes the base side). In FIG. 2, the uppermost through hole 21 is a through hole 21A, the middle is a through hole 21B, and the lowermost is a through hole 21C. Since the through holes 21A to 21C are arranged so as to be line symmetric (or mirror images) in the left-right direction in FIG. 2, the positions of the through holes 21A to 21C do not change even if they are turned upside down around the rotation axis. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a concave step portion 22 is formed on the outer circumference of each of the through holes 21 </ b> A to 21 </ b> C on the facing surface 13 a side of each plate piece 13 </ b> A, 13 </ b> B. A total of six (a plurality of) screw holes 23 are formed at positions adjacent to the through holes 21A to 21C. A first mark 26 as a positioning means is formed on the opposing surface 13a adjacent to the through holes 21A and 21C of the plate piece 13A. As shown in FIG. 2A, in the present embodiment, the first mark 26 is indicated by a white triangle by printing. As will be described later, due to the difference in the orientation of the first ring 27, the through hole 21A and the through hole 21C are formed at different positions, that is, at positions shifted by 180 degrees in phase.
An engagement hook 24 having a cross-shaped hook portion is formed at the center of the tip, which is the wide side of the plate piece 13A. The insertion portion 14 is formed at the center position on the base end side which is the narrow side of the plate piece 13B. The center line direction along the longitudinal direction of the insertion portion 14 is the rotation axis direction.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 8, first and second rings 27 and 28 as surrounding portions are disposed in the through holes 21 </ b> A to 21 </ b> C. The first ring 27 is used for the through holes 21A and 21C, and the second ring 28 is used for the through holes 21B. Since both the rings 27 and 28 are the same in basic configuration, the first ring 27 will be described first, and then the second ring 28 will be described in comparison with the first ring 27.
The first ring 27 surrounds the inside in a perfect circle shape, the convex stepped portion 30 surrounding the entire periphery outside the peripheral wall 29, and the entire periphery outside the convex stepped portion 30. It is comprised from the flange part 31. FIG. The peripheral wall 29, the convex stepped portion 30, and the flange portion 31 are arranged in steps on the outer peripheral side of the ring, and the inner peripheral side of the ring, that is, the inner peripheral surface 37 is the peripheral wall 29, the convex stepped portion 30, and the flange portion 31. And a three-dimensional curved surface that is curved (swelled) so as to be slightly convex outward in the width direction.

The rear surface side of the flange portion 31 is a contact surface 32 configured in a plane. The first ring 27 uses a pair of the same shape as a pair, and the pair of first rings 27 (ring 27A and ring 27B) are brought into contact with each other at the contact surfaces 32 to accommodate the lens base L. The moving space E to be moved inside is configured. Each contact surface 32 of the first ring 27 is formed with a concave portion 33 and a convex body 34 as positioning means. Hereinafter, the side on which the concave portion 33 is formed is referred to as a ring 27A, and the side on which the convex body 34 is formed is referred to as a ring 27B.
As shown in FIG. 6B, the ring 27A is provided with a second mark 35 as a positioning means on the front side of the flange portion 31 at a position just opposite to the concave portion 33 by 180 degrees. In the present embodiment, the second mark 35 is indicated by a white circle by printing.
The peripheral wall 29 has a shape as if the height of the peripheral wall 29 is continuously displaced in the circumferential direction as if the bamboo was sheared diagonally. The highest position H1 and the lowest position H2 of the peripheral wall 29 are arranged at positions that face each other exactly 180 degrees. That is, only the positions that face 180 degrees in the direction orthogonal to the straight line Ln in the diameter direction connecting the highest position H1 and the lowest position H2 are the facing positions where the height of the peripheral wall 29 is uniform. In the present embodiment, the highest position H1 and the lowest position H2 have a ratio of 4: 1, but the ratio can be changed depending on conditions such as the angle and shape of the holder 13. Thus, since the height of the peripheral wall 29 is not uniform, the inner peripheral surface 37 of the ring 27 is a surface that is not uniform in the height (width) direction. A small flange 36 that protrudes inward is formed at the tip of the peripheral wall 29. The small flange 36 is formed with the same protruding amount over the entire circumference of the peripheral wall 29.
The above is the description of the first ring 27. Next, the second ring 28 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the second ring 28 does not have the peripheral wall 29 in the first ring 27 and has an outer shape only of the convex stepped portion 30 and the flange portion 31. Therefore, the inner peripheral surface 37 of the second ring 28 is a uniform surface in the height (width) direction. Further, since there is no specificity in the circumferential phase of the second ring 28 with respect to the through hole 21B (that is, any position is acceptable), there is no positioning means such as the concave portion 33 and the convex body 34.

The mounting operation of the ring 27 to the holder 13 is performed together with the lens base material L to be deposited. First, a method of attaching the first ring 27 to the through holes 21A and 21C will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3A, the ring 27A is dropped into the through hole 21A of the plate piece 13A of the holder 13 from the concave stepped portion 22 side. At this time, by aligning the direction of the second mark 35 formed on the flange portion 31 of the ring 27A with the position of the first mark 26, the ring 27A is positioned with respect to the holder 13 (predetermined phase). To be arranged).
When the ring 27A is disposed in the through hole 21A, the flange 31 is just fitted into the concave stepped portion 22, and the convex stepped portion 30 is in contact with the inner periphery of the through hole 21A. The ring 27A is integrated with the plate piece 13A so that only the peripheral wall 29 is exposed outward from the opposite side of the through hole 21A (the state shown in FIG. 3B). Next, as shown in FIG. 4A, the lens base material L is arranged in the ring 27A so that the peripheral edge thereof rests on the small flange 36.
Subsequently, the ring 27B is placed on the ring 27A as indicated by an arrow 1 in FIG. At this time, by positioning the convex body 34 of the ring 27B so as to be fitted into the concave portion 33, the positioning of the ring 27B with respect to the ring 27A is automatically performed. This state is a phase state in which the highest position H1 and the lowest position H of the rings 27A and 27B coincide with each other as shown in FIGS. In this way, by combining the ring 27A and the ring 27B, a moving space E in which the width of the inner peripheral surface 37 is greatly different is formed.
The above is the operation when the ring 27A is attached to the through hole 21A. In the present embodiment, the case where the ring 27A is attached to the through hole 21C is basically the same as the case where the ring 27A is attached to the ring 27A. However, when the ring 27A is attached to the through hole 21C as shown in FIG. The direction of 180 ° is changed so that the direction of the lowest position H2 is just a mirror image with the case where it is attached to the ring 27A.

Next, the second ring 28 attached to the through hole 21B will be described. Also in this case, it is basically the same as the first ring 27 described above, and a pair of second rings 27 (ring 28A and ring 28B) are combined. However, the ring 28B is not shown. As shown in FIG. 7A, the ring 28A is dropped from the concave stepped portion 22 side into the through hole 21B of the plate piece 13A of the holder 13. In this case, the first mark 26 is not formed in the concave stepped portion 22, and there is no need to particularly consider the circumferential phase. The flange portion 31 is fitted into the concave step portion 22 and the convex step portion 30 is in contact with the inner periphery of the through hole 21A, but the peripheral wall 29 is exposed to the opposite side like the through holes 21A and 21C. There is nothing, and it fits exactly in the thickness of the plate piece 13A (the state of FIG. 7B). Thereafter, like the first ring 27, the lens substrate L is arranged in the ring 28A so that the peripheral edge thereof rests on the small flange 36. The ring 28 </ b> B having the same shape is placed without considering the circumferential phase.
At the stage where a set of first rings 27 and a set of second rings 28 are arranged in all the through holes 21A to 21C, the plate pieces 13B are overlapped with the plate pieces 13A as indicated by the arrow 2 in FIG. Next, the collated screw hole 23 is fastened with a screw 38 as a fixing means, whereby the attachment of the ring 27 to the holder 13 is completed as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, in the present embodiment, the first ring 27 attached to the through-hole 21A has the highest position H1 arranged on the base side (insertion part 14 side) and the lowest with the highest position H1. The position in the circumferential direction is such that the straight line Ln connecting the positions H2 is parallel (or coincides) with the rotation axis. The first ring 27 attached to the through hole 21C has the highest position H1 disposed on the tip side, and a straight line Ln connecting the highest position H1 and the lowest position H2 is parallel (or coincides) with the rotation axis. It is set as such a circumferential direction position.

  Thus, the holder 13 in which the lens base material L is accommodated in the first and second rings 27 and 28 is an upper portion in the decompression chamber 1 so that the wide side of the trapezoidal shape faces outward as shown in FIG. It is attached to the ratchet portion 15 of the rotor 12 arranged at the position via the insertion portion 14. The insertion portion 14 is detachably attached to the ratchet portion 15 and is supported so as to be rotatable in one direction with respect to the ratchet portion 15.

In the vapor deposition apparatus having such a configuration, the vapor deposition process is performed as follows.
The pump device is driven according to the fixed stone, the pressure inside the decompression chamber 1 is reduced, and the first vapor deposition source 5 and the second vapor deposition source 6 are driven in a state heated by the halogen heater 8 to evaporate the vapor deposition material. In the decompression chamber 1, the gas spherical surface of the vapor deposition material spreads with a certain curvature.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram for explaining the relationship between the lens base L and the direction of the center of curvature of the gas spherical surface. In order to reduce uneven deposition, it is preferable that the deposition surface (that is, the lens front and back surfaces) of the lens substrate L on the holder be directed in the direction of the center of curvature of the gas spherical surface as much as possible. In FIG. 9, the center of curvature is directed at the B position, but is shifted at the A position and the C position. Therefore, the orientation is displaced toward the center of curvature as indicated by a broken line. The first ring 27 realizes the displacement at the A position and the C position. In the present embodiment, the through hole 21A corresponds to the A position, the through hole 21B corresponds to the B position, and the through hole 21C corresponds to the C position. The following description is based on these points.
In the present embodiment, the holder 13 can rotate around the rotation axis as described above to take the first support position and the second support position reversed 180 degrees. First, it is assumed that the vapor deposition operation is performed using the first support position of the holder 13 as a reference position. The angle at which the holder 13 is lowered downward with respect to the horizontal direction at the reference position is set so that the lens base material L disposed in the through hole 21B is directed in the direction of the center of curvature of the gas spherical surface. That is, the curvature center direction of the gas spherical surface is substantially perpendicular to the extending direction of the holder 13. Therefore, the lens base L is held in the second ring 28 so as to always move in parallel through the through-hole 21 </ b> B without being inclined with respect to the extending direction of the holder 13.
On the other hand, in the through hole 21A arranged on the center side, as shown in FIG. 5A, a peripheral wall 29 is provided on the first ring 27 and an angle is provided on the peripheral wall 29 with respect to the extending direction of the holder 13. Therefore, the lens base L is held in a state slightly inclined with respect to the extending direction of the holder 13. This inclination is a direction that approximately coincides with the direction of the center of curvature of the gas spherical surface (the direction of the solid arrow). Since the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the holder 13 is a dotted arrow direction, the through hole 21 </ b> A is displaced in a direction that does not cause uneven deposition.
Similarly, the lens substrate L is held in an inclined state by the first ring 27 even in the through hole 21 </ b> C arranged at an outer position away from the center. However, since the angle of the peripheral wall 29 is opposite to the state shown in FIG. 5A, the lens base L is directed in the opposite direction to the lens base L held in the through hole 21A. Similar to the lens base L in the hole 21A, the direction is substantially the same as the curvature center direction (solid arrow direction) of the gas spherical surface.

Now, when a predetermined vapor deposition process is performed on one side of the lens substrate L according to a fixed stone, the motor device 11 is driven and the rotor 12 performs a predetermined rotation operation. The holder 13 is moved in the circumferential direction along with the rotation of the rotor 12, and the engagement hook 24 of the plate piece 13A interferes with the engagement protrusion 10 in the decompression chamber 1 and is turned upside down and stopped. This rotated position is the second support position of the holder 13. Then, the vapor deposition process is continuously performed on the opposite surface.
At this time, as shown in FIG. 5B, in the through hole 21A, the lens base L moves while swinging in the moving space E so as not to be parallel, and is held by the small flange 36 on the opposite side. Will be. Even if it is reversed in this way, the lens substrate L is held by the first ring 27 at the same angle as before the reversal. That is, even if the lens base material L accommodated in the through-hole 21A is inverted, it always points in the direction of the center of curvature of the gas spherical surface. The same applies to the through hole 21C. In the through hole 21B, the lens substrate L moves in parallel.
After a predetermined vapor deposition process is performed in accordance with a fixed stone at such a position, the decompressed state in the decompression chamber 1 is released, the holder 13 and the holder 13 are taken out from the decompression chamber 1 and the first and second rings 27 and 28 together with the lens base. The material L is removed from the holder 13.

By configuring as described above, the following effects are exhibited in the present embodiment.
(1) The pair of first rings 27 (ring 27A and ring 27B) always directs the deposition surface of the lens base L in the same direction at the first support position and the second support position for vapor deposition. Since the direction is a direction in consideration of the curvature of the gas spherical surface of the vapor deposition material that evaporates the deposition surface of the lens base L, the uneven deposition can be effectively reduced in the holder 13 of such a reversal method. it can.
(2) Since the set of first rings 27 as the enclosure is separate from the holder 13, the lens base L can be accommodated in advance in the set of first rings 27 with respect to the holder 13. In the mounting operation, the work is efficient and advantageous. Further, since the phase can be changed (rotated) in the circumferential direction relative to the through-hole 21A (through-hole 21C) of the holder 13, the mounting position can be adjusted on site, and the air flow in the decompression chamber 1 can be adjusted. It is also possible to easily change the orientation direction of the lens base material L according to the situation.
(3) Since the pair of first rings 27 (ring 27A and ring 27B) have basically the same shape, when they are reversed, they are directed in the same direction as the lens substrate L, for example, uneven deposition occurs. Even then, there will be no uneven deposition unevenly biased between the front and back sides. Further, since the common formwork can be used when the ring 27A and the ring 27B are produced, the manufacturing cost is reduced.
(4) Since the orientation of the pair of first rings 27 can be determined by fitting the convex body 34 to the concave portion 33, the work efficiency is improved. Further, when the ring 27A is disposed in the through hole 21A (the through hole 21C), the first mark 26 and the second mark 35 can be collated and positioned, so that the work efficiency is improved.
(5) Since the inner peripheral surface 37 of the first ring 27 swells outward, the lens base L can be moved smoothly when it swings.
(6) Since the outer peripheral portion of the lens base material L is not fixed, it is possible to prevent the edge portion from cracking when vapor deposition is performed on the lens base material L having a thin edge portion, for example, a plus power lens.

It should be noted that the present invention can be embodied with the following modifications.
The shape of the holder 13 in the above embodiment is merely an example, and it is also possible to change to another shape, change the number of the holders, change the number of the through holes 21, and the like. For example, a window portion may be formed in a part of the holder 13. The shape of the peripheral wall 29 may not be a smooth continuous inclination as described above.
The equipment in the decompression chamber 1 is an example. These facilities can be replaced with other facilities.
In the above embodiment, the lens base material L is not inclined with respect to the through hole 21B, but the lens base material L at which through hole position is appropriately inclined according to the center of curvature direction of the gas spherical surface of the vapor deposition material. It can be changed (or not tilted). For example, in the above description, the lens base L held on the ring 28 is configured to move in parallel without swinging. However, the ring 28 may be configured to swing also.
The holder 13 of the above embodiment is configured to be divided into two pieces (plate pieces 13A and 13B) and hold a pair of first and second rings 27 and 28 therebetween. As shown in FIG. 10, a pair of first rings 27 may be held by a holder 41 composed of a single sheet. After the ring 27A is attached to the holder 41, the upper ring 27B is disposed. The flange portion 31 of the ring 27B is configured wider than the above embodiment, and is formed in the through hole 21A (through hole 21C). A screw hole 42 to be matched with the screw hole 23 formed adjacent to the screw hole is provided. Fastening these screw holes 23 and 42 with screws 38 completes the mounting of the pair of first rings 27. In FIG. 10, the same components as those in the above embodiment are indicated by common numbers.
In the above description, when the holder 13 is reversed using the set of first rings 27, the lens base material L is displaced at each position. You may comprise as a ring body (enclosure). In that case, what is necessary is just to make it have a cover member for taking in and out the lens base material L in a ring body.
In the above description, the direction with the largest inclination of the first ring 27 (the direction of the straight line Ln) is the direction that coincides with the rotation axis, but this direction may be changed depending on the state of transpiration. That is, it is not always necessary to reverse the holder 13 along the direction with the largest inclination. In addition, since such a precise directionality is not required, it is only necessary that the direction of the straight line Ln is substantially along the rotation axis direction.
In the above description, the positioning means may be not a mark such as the first and second marks 26 and 35 but a concavo-convex relationship such as the convex body 34 and the concave portion 33.
-Positioning not only for positioning between the pair of rings 27A and 27B but also for preventing relative rotational movement around this point when the concave portion 33 is fitted to the convex body 34. Means may be provided.
In the above embodiment, the first and second rings 27 and 28 are prepared as separate enclosures, but the first and second rings 27 and 28 are directly inside the through holes 21A to 21C. The enclosure may be integrated with the optical substrate holding member so as to form a structure as described above. By doing so, the number of members is reduced, which is advantageous in handling.
In the above embodiment, the pair of first rings 27 is configured in the same shape, but the direction of the lens base L when the front and back are reversed by changing the angle of one peripheral wall 29 is different. You may make it do. With this configuration, for example, when the front and back shapes of the lens substrate L are greatly different, it is possible to perform vapor deposition processing as uniform as possible in this way.
-Fixing means other than the screw 38 can be used. For example, a latch device may be used to fix the plate pieces 13A and 13B.
In the above description, when the holder 13 is reversed, the rotor 12 is rotated and the engagement hook 24 is caused to interfere with the engagement protrusion 10 so as to be reversed upside down. However, the holder 13 itself rotates. It may be a structure.
In addition to the lens substrate L, the optical substrate may be applied to a dichroic mirror / filter, a cold mirror / filter, an ND filter, a bandpass filter, a half mirror, and the like.
-Besides, it is free to implement in a mode that does not depart from the gist of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Decompression chamber as a housing | casing, 5, 6 ... Vapor deposition material, the vapor deposition source which comprises a heating means, 3 ... The pump apparatus as a decompression means, 13 ... The holder as an optical board | substrate holding member, 27 ... The 1st as an enclosure part 1 ring, E ... moving space, L ... lens substrate as an optical substrate.

Claims (14)

A case capable of being sealed; a vapor deposition material disposed at a lower position in the case; a heating means for heating the vapor deposition material; a decompression means for lowering the atmospheric pressure in the case; and an upper part in the case In a vapor deposition apparatus comprising one or more optical substrate holding members that are arranged at positions and hold one or a plurality of optical substrates in a state in which a vapor deposition surface is exposed,
The optical substrate holding member has a surrounding portion that surrounds the outer periphery and front and rear surfaces near the outer periphery of the optical substrate, and the surrounding portion has a movement space that allows the optical substrate accommodated in the surrounding portion to move in the thickness direction. And having the width of the portion surrounding the front and back surfaces near the outer periphery of the optical substrate so that the optical substrate moved in the moving space does not move in parallel.
The optical substrate holding member is supported so as to be able to stop at a second support position that is inverted with respect to the first support position and the first support position, and the optical substrate held when the optical substrate is inverted is moved into the moving space. The vapor deposition apparatus is characterized in that the direction of the deposition surface is displaced in accordance with the rocking movement.   The direction to be directed when the direction of the deposition surface of the optical substrate is displaced in the surrounding portion is set to be the same in both the first support position and the second support position. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1.   The direction to be directed when the direction of the deposition surface of the optical substrate is displaced in the surrounding portion is different in the first support position and the second support position. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1.   The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a direction in which a direction of a vapor deposition surface of the optical substrate is displaced is a central direction of curvature of a gas spherical surface of a vapor deposition material that evaporates in the housing.   The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a rotation axis direction when the optical substrate holding member is reversed is parallel to a line segment extending outward from the center of the casing.   The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a rotation axis direction when the optical substrate holding member is reversed is parallel to a line segment that is downwardly directed outward from the center of the casing.   A line segment connecting the two positions in the surrounding portion that has the largest movement amount and the smallest movement amount between the edges at the 180-degree opposed positions of the optical substrate is arranged in a direction along the rotation axis. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that   The optical substrate holding member has a second surrounding portion that surrounds the outer periphery and front and back surfaces of the optical substrate at a position facing the curvature center direction of the gas spherical surface of the vapor deposition material, and the second surrounding portion is the same. The optical substrate accommodated in the second enclosure portion has a movement space that allows movement in the thickness direction, and the enclosure portion moves in parallel with the optical substrate that has moved in the movement space. The vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the widths of the portions surrounding the front and back surfaces near the outer periphery are made uniform. An evaporation apparatus comprising: a sealable casing; a deposition material disposed at a lower position in the casing; a heating unit that heats the deposition material; and a decompression unit that lowers the atmospheric pressure in the casing. The second support which is disposed to hold the one or more optical substrates at an upper position in the housing with the deposition surface exposed, and is inverted with respect to the first support position and the first support position. An optical substrate holding member that can be stopped at each supporting position,
The optical substrate holding member has a surrounding portion that surrounds the outer periphery and front and rear surfaces near the outer periphery of the optical substrate, and the surrounding portion has a movement space that allows the optical substrate accommodated in the surrounding portion to move in the thickness direction. And the width of a portion surrounding the front and back surfaces near the outer periphery of the optical substrate is not uniform so that the optical substrate moved in the moving space does not move in parallel. An optical substrate holding member for a vapor deposition apparatus.   The line segment connecting the two positions in the surrounding portion, which has the largest movement amount and the smallest movement amount between the edges at the 180 ° -opposing positions of the optical substrate, is arranged in a direction along the rotation axis when reversing. The optical substrate holding member for a vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 9.   11. The optical substrate holding member for a vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the optical substrate holding member is composed of two plate-like bodies divided into two in the thickness direction.   The optical substrate holding member for a vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the surrounding portion can be attached as a separate member to an attachment hole formed in the optical substrate holding member. .   13. The optical substrate holding member for a vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the surrounding portion forms the moving space by combining divided parts that are divided into two in the width direction.   10. A curved surface that is convex outward is formed on an inner peripheral surface of the surrounding portion facing the outer periphery of the optical substrate in a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction. The optical substrate holding member for vapor deposition apparatus in any one of 13.

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