JP7326876B2 - Resin mold, replica mold manufacturing method, and optical element manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a resin mold, a replica mold manufacturing method, and an optical element manufacturing method.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a microfabrication technology has been developed for transferring a fine structure on a mold to a workpiece made of resin, metal, or the like, and is attracting attention.
In this imprinting technique, an original mold in which a pattern to be transferred is formed in advance is pressed against a material to be transferred, such as a liquid resin on a base material, and cured while being irradiated with light. It is a method of transferring a pattern of a mold to a material to be transferred by pressing it against the material. Fine concave-convex patterns range from those on the nanoscale of 10 nm to those on the order of 100 μm, and are used in various fields such as semiconductor materials, electronic/optical devices, recording media, biotechnology, environment, and micromachines. .

On the other hand, in recent years, display devices such as liquid crystal display devices and light-emitting display devices are desired to have a larger area and higher performance. 2. Description of the Related Art Display devices use various optical elements having a fine structure in which a fine concave-convex pattern is transferred to the surface thereof. Therefore, there is a demand for a technique for forming a large-area fine concavo-convex pattern.

However, a mold with a nano-order fine uneven pattern on its surface is very expensive because it takes time to form the pattern, and in many cases, only a small-area master can be produced due to restrictions on manufacturing methods and equipment.

Accordingly, a large-area microstructure is disclosed in which a plurality of pieces of microstructures (basic microstructures) are arranged side by side on a substrate.
For example, in Patent Document 1, in a microstructure in which a plurality of basic microstructures having a fine concavo-convex pattern formed on the surface are arranged side by side on a base material, the concavo-convex patterns of the basic microstructures adjacent to each other A microstructure characterized in that the ends of the basic microstructures are shaped so that the distance between the ends of the basic microstructures can be arranged within a specific range. is disclosed. It is stated that the microstructure of Patent Document 1 is a microstructure in which the basic microstructures are arranged as close as possible to each other and positioned with high precision. However, a resist film formed on the surface of an object to be transferred is embossed using a large-area microstructure in which a plurality of individual microstructures (basic microstructures) are arranged side by side as a mold. As a result, the resist enters the spaces between the adjacent basic microstructures, forming protrusions that differ greatly in height from the reversal pattern of the microstructures. Various problems arise, such as being unable to remove the mold.

Therefore, a method has been proposed to enable imprinting of a large area by repeating imprinting using a small-area unit mold while shifting the position of the mold so that the processing areas do not overlap (step-and-repeat method). law).
However, according to the conventional method of repeating the process while shifting the position of the unit mold so that the processing areas do not overlap, a portion where the pattern is not formed is visible between the transferred patterns. There is a problem that the joint portion where the pattern is not formed may not satisfy the desired performance.

In Patent Document 2, when forming a large area mold from one resin mold, the mold on one side is provided for the purpose of providing a resin mold that does not separate the joined parts or impair the appearance. A connecting portion is provided between the component and the mold component on the other side, the connecting portion is configured by an inclined surface, the height of the connecting portion is in the range of 100 nm to 100 μm, and the inclined surface is The resin is inclined with respect to a plane containing the mold components on the one side, and the plane containing the mold components on the one side and the plane containing the mold components on the other side are parallel to each other. A manufacturing mold is disclosed.

In Patent Document 3, as a method for manufacturing a fine structure pattern assembly capable of joining a plurality of basic fine structure patterns with high precision in order to eliminate joints where no pattern is formed, a first step of supplying a photocurable resin dropwise to the photocurable resin; a second step of pressing the microstructure mold against the photocurable resin to spread it; A basic fine structure pattern forming unit step comprising: a third step of forming a circular basic fine structure pattern; and a fourth step of releasing and moving the fine structure mold from the basic fine structure pattern and lifting the mold. a plurality of times to produce a fine structure pattern assembly, wherein when forming a new basic fine structure pattern adjacent to the already formed basic fine structure pattern, the already formed A method for manufacturing a fine structure pattern assembly is described, characterized in that the outer periphery of the new basic fine structure pattern is formed such that the outer periphery of the new basic fine structure pattern partially overlaps with the outer periphery of the basic fine structure pattern. there is

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-80670 Japanese Patent No. 6100651 JP 2013-161997 A

However, what is actually manufactured by the technique of Patent Document 2 has a width of about 30 μm at the joint portion of the resin mold as shown in FIG. The difference in level between the flat surface and the flat surface including the mold component on the other side is as large as about 10 μm, and there is a problem that the joint portion is visible.

Further, according to the technique of Patent Document 3, as described in FIG. 5 of Patent Document 3 (FIG. 10 of the present application), the concave-convex pattern 102 transferred next to the already-transferred concave-convex pattern portion 101 As a result, at the joint between 101 and 102, a step of about the height of the convex portion of the concave/convex pattern or more is formed.
When such a resin mold having a step of about the height of the convex portion or more at the joint is applied to imprint patterning on an etching resist film as described in detail later, the resist of the material to be transferred also has a Similarly, an uneven pattern having steps is transferred. When etching the residual film of the concave portion of the resist, if the residual film of the concave portion of the portion that is raised by riding on it is etched, the concave and convex pattern itself that is relatively low due to riding on is etched. There is a problem that it will be lost. In FIG. 5 of Patent Document 3 (FIG. 10 of the present application), it is schematically described that one convex portion of the pattern is overlaid. It is difficult to adjust the riding width to 10 μm or less by eye. In the technique of Patent Document 3, the width of the step that has been run over increases, or a difference in height between the uneven pattern that has already been transferred and the uneven pattern that has been transferred next occurs in the resin layer height over the entire surface. The size of the eye portion becomes visible, and the uneven pattern that is not etched becomes visible, adversely affecting various performances exhibited by the uneven pattern.
Therefore, there has been a demand for a large-area resin mold in which uneven patterns are connected so that the joints of small-area unit molds are not visible.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and includes a resin mold in which uneven patterns are connected so that the joints of unit molds cannot be seen, a method for manufacturing a replica mold using the resin mold, Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an optical element using the resin mold or replica mold.

One embodiment of the present disclosure is a resin mold formed by transferring a concave-convex pattern of a unit mold a plurality of times on the surface,
One transferred uneven pattern region and the other transferred uneven pattern region adjacent to the transferred uneven pattern region have the same height of the plane formed by the convex portions of the transferred uneven pattern region,
A concavo-convex pattern is provided between the one transferred concavo-convex pattern region and the adjacent transferred concavo-convex pattern region, and the height of the surface formed by the convex portion is equal to the plane formed by the convex portions of the transferred concavo-convex pattern region. has a transfer boundary lower than the height of
The width of the transfer boundary is within 2 μm,
A resin mold, wherein the lowest convex portion with the lowest height of the convex portion in the transfer boundary portion is positioned closer to one of the transferred concave-convex pattern regions than the center in the width direction in the width direction of the transfer boundary portion. I will provide a.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the surface formed by the projections in the transfer boundary is a gently sloping surface bounded by the lowest projection having the lowest height of the projections in the width direction of the transfer boundary, and Provided is a resin mold having a surface with a greater inclination with respect to the plane formed by the projections of the transferred concavo-convex pattern area than the gently inclined surface.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the height difference between the lowest convex portion and a plane formed by the convex portions of the transferred concave-convex pattern region is 90% or less of the average height of the convex portions of the transferred concave-convex pattern region. , provides a resin mold.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the height difference between the total number of protrusions included in the width direction of the transfer boundary portion and the plane formed by the protrusions of the transfer uneven pattern area is the same as that of the transfer uneven pattern area. Provided is a resin mold in which 50% or more of the protrusions have an average height of 30% or less.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a resin mold is provided in which the static contact angle of pure water in the transferred concave-convex pattern region of the resin mold is 105° or more according to the θ/2 method.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a resin mold having a reverse pattern of the resin mold of the embodiment of the present disclosure.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing a replica mold, including the step of transferring the uneven pattern of the resin mold of the one embodiment of the present disclosure.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a concave-convex pattern is formed using the resin mold of the embodiment of the present disclosure or a replica mold manufactured by the method of manufacturing the resin mold of the embodiment of the present disclosure. Provided is a method for manufacturing an optical element, comprising the step of:

Embodiments of the present disclosure are a resin mold in which uneven patterns are connected so that the joints of unit molds are not visible, a method for manufacturing a replica mold using the resin mold, and a method for manufacturing a replica mold using the resin mold. It is possible to provide a method for manufacturing an optical element having a thickness.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view schematically showing an example of the resin mold of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the resin mold of the present disclosure, where (A) is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line AA' in FIG. 1, and (B) is of (A). It is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged sectional view of FIG. 2(B). 4A to 4E are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the steps of manufacturing the resin mold of the present disclosure. 5A to 5C are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the steps of manufacturing the resin mold of the present disclosure in (F) to (J). FIG. 6 is a photograph taken with a scanning electron microscope of a portion of the cross section of the resin mold of the present disclosure, including the transfer boundary. FIG. 7 is a photograph taken with a scanning electron microscope of a part of the cross section of the resin mold of Comparative Example manufactured by the method described in the prior art (Patent Document 3), including the transfer boundary portion. FIG. 8 is a photograph taken with a scanning electron microscope of a part of the cross section of the resin mold according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, including the transfer boundary. FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view schematically explaining an example of a partial heating device. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a superimposed state of basic fine structure patterns obtained by an embodiment of the prior art (Patent Document 3).

Hereinafter, the resin mold, replica mold manufacturing method, and optical element manufacturing method according to the present disclosure will be described in detail.
In addition, the terms such as "parallel", "perpendicular", "same" and the like, length and angle values, etc. that specify shapes and geometric conditions and their degrees used in this specification are strictly It shall be interpreted to include the extent to which similar functions can be expected without being bound by the meaning.
Moreover, in this specification, (meth)acryl represents each of acryl and methacryl.
In the present specification, "light" means actinic rays or radiation, and examples thereof include emission line spectra of mercury lamps, far ultraviolet rays represented by excimer lasers, extreme ultraviolet rays (EUV light), X-rays, electron beams, and the like. It is included.

I. Resin mold (1) First embodiment A resin mold according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is a resin mold formed by transferring a concave-convex pattern of a unit mold a plurality of times on its surface,
One transferred uneven pattern region and the other transferred uneven pattern region adjacent to the transferred uneven pattern region have the same height of the plane formed by the convex portions of the transferred uneven pattern region,
A concavo-convex pattern is provided between the one transferred concavo-convex pattern region and the adjacent transferred concavo-convex pattern region, and the height of the surface formed by the convex portion is equal to the plane formed by the convex portions of the transferred concavo-convex pattern region. has a transfer boundary lower than the height of
The width of the transfer boundary is within 2 μm,
A resin mold, wherein the lowest convex portion with the lowest height of the convex portion in the transfer boundary portion is positioned closer to one of the transferred concave-convex pattern regions than the center in the width direction in the width direction of the transfer boundary portion. is.

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the drawings attached to this specification, for convenience of illustration and ease of understanding, there are cases where the reduced scale, vertical and horizontal dimension ratios, etc. are changed and exaggerated from those of the real thing.
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view schematically showing an example of the resin mold of the present disclosure. 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA' of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 2A. Furthermore, FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged sectional view of FIG. 2(B).

The resin mold 100 of the present disclosure is a resin mold having a plurality of transferred concave-convex pattern regions (1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) formed on the surface by transferring the concave-convex pattern of a unit mold multiple times. As shown in FIG. 2(A), the resin mold 100 is made of resin having an uneven pattern (1A, 1B, . A layer 40 is provided.
In FIG. 1, four transferred uneven pattern regions 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D are shown for convenience, but the number of transferred pattern regions formed by transferring a plurality of times is appropriately adjusted. Any, but not limited.

In the resin mold 100 of the present disclosure, one transferred uneven pattern region (1A) and the other transferred uneven pattern region (1B) adjacent to the transferred uneven pattern region (1A) are convex portions of the transferred uneven pattern region. The heights of planes (10A and 10B) formed by are the same. Here, the surface or plane formed by the projections means a virtual surface or a virtual plane connecting the tops of the projections. When the plane formed by the projections of one transferred uneven pattern region (1A) is defined as the reference plane 11, the plane formed by the projections of the other transferred uneven pattern region (1B) has no height difference from the reference plane 11. , lie on the same plane. In the present disclosure, when a virtual plane connecting the tops of the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region is assumed to be a virtual plane, or the height of the plane formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region is the same, or the height of the plane formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region The range of no difference includes an error range of 5% or less of the average height of the projections in the transferred uneven pattern area.

The resin mold 100 of the present disclosure has a concavo-convex pattern between the one transfer concavo-convex pattern region (1A) and the adjacent transfer concavo-convex pattern region (1B). It has a transfer boundary portion 20 whose height is lower than the height of the planes (10A, 10B) formed by the projections of the transfer concavo-convex pattern region. The height of the surface formed by the projections of the transfer boundary portion 20 is lower than the reference plane 11, which is the plane formed by the projections of the one transfer uneven pattern region (1A).
The width 21 of the transfer boundary portion 20 is within 2 μm. Here, the width of the transfer boundary portion 20 is the shortest between the point 24 at the end of the one transfer uneven pattern region (1A) and the adjacent end of the other transfer uneven pattern region (1B). Refers to the distance between points 25 in the distance.
The width 21 of the transfer boundary portion 20 is more preferably within 1.5 μm, and even more preferably within 1 μm.
The width 21 of the transfer boundary portion 20 is preferably as small as possible, but is preferably 0.5 μm or more from the viewpoint of the action of the resin adjustment region by the transfer boundary portion, which will be described later.

In the prior art, there is originally a height difference between one transferred uneven pattern region and the other adjacent transferred uneven pattern region, or there is no height difference between one transferred uneven pattern region and the other adjacent transferred uneven pattern region. Since the distance to the mold is large, the seams of the unit molds are visible, and defects in the uneven pattern become visible, adversely affecting various performances exhibited by the uneven pattern.
In the resin mold 100 of the present disclosure, in this way, one transferred uneven pattern region (1A) and the other adjacent transferred uneven pattern region (1B) are formed by the plane (10A and 10B) have the same height, and the width 21 of the transfer boundary portion 20, which has a difference in height, is within 2 μm. Therefore, when a concave-convex pattern is formed using the resin mold of the present disclosure, defects in the concave-convex pattern become invisible, and adverse effects on various performances exhibited by the concave-convex pattern can be suppressed.

The lowest convex portion 22 having the lowest height of the convex portion in the transfer boundary portion 20 is located in one of the transfer concave-convex pattern regions ( 1A) Located near the side. That is, in the width 21 direction of the transfer boundary portion 20, the number of convex portions from the position of the lowest convex portion 22 to the height of the reference plane 11 is small on one side of the transfer uneven pattern region (1A), and on the other side. is larger on the side of the transfer concave-convex pattern region (1B).
In this case, in the width 21 direction of the transfer boundary portion 20, the surface formed by the projections on the transfer uneven pattern region (1B) side returning to the height of the reference plane 11 with more projections from the position of the lowest projection 22 is a relatively gentle slope with respect to the reference plane 11, and the surface formed by the projections on the transfer uneven pattern area (1A) side that returns to the height of the reference plane 11 with fewer projections from the position of the lowest projection 22 is relatively steep with respect to the reference plane 11 .
In the resin mold 100 of the present disclosure, in this way, the surface formed by the convex portions in the transfer boundary portion 20 is bounded by the lowest convex portion where the height of the convex portion is the lowest in the width direction of the transfer boundary portion. , a surface having a relatively gentle slope with respect to the reference plane 11 (hereinafter referred to as a gentle slope) and a surface having a relatively steep slope (hereinafter referred to as a steep slope). , the occurrence of defects in the concave-convex pattern can be further suppressed.
That is, when the uneven pattern is transferred using the resin mold, the transfer boundary portion 20 serves as a resin amount adjustment area of the transferred object, and blocks the surplus resin of the transferred object on the steep slope side. In addition, it is possible to remove air bubbles, so that the occurrence of defects in the uneven pattern can be further suppressed. .

In the resin mold 100 of the present disclosure, the surface formed by the projections in the transfer boundary is a gently inclined surface ( 30), and a surface (31) having a greater inclination with respect to the plane formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern area than the gently inclined surface (30) (see FIG. 3). This embodiment is a preferred embodiment because it can further suppress the occurrence of defects in the concave-convex pattern.

In the direction of the width 21 of the transfer boundary portion, a plane (reference plane 11) formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region of the gently inclined surface (30) bounded by the lowest projection 22 having the lowest height of the projections The inclination angle with respect to is preferably more than 0° and 10° or less, preferably more than 0° and 5° or less, more preferably more than 0° and 3° or less, more than 0°, 2 ° or less is even more preferable.
On the other hand, in the width 21 direction of the transfer boundary portion, the inclination of the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region to the plane formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern area is greater than the gentle slope (30) bounded by the lowest projection 22 having the lowest height of the projections. The inclination angle of the large surface (31) with respect to the plane (reference plane 11) formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region is preferably 10° or more and 80° or less, and more preferably 15° or more and 80° or less. More preferably, it is 20° or more and 80° or less.

In the resin mold 100 of the present disclosure, the lowest convex portion 22 is within a range of 0.5 μm or less from either end of the transfer uneven pattern region in the width 21 direction of the transfer boundary portion 20. is preferable, and it is preferably in the range of 0.4 μm or less.

In the resin mold 100 of the present disclosure, the height difference (32) between the lowest convex portion 22 and the plane (reference plane 11) formed by the convex portions of the transferred concave-convex pattern region is the convex portion of the transferred concave-convex pattern region. is preferably 90% or less of the average height (10 h) of the uneven pattern from the viewpoint of further suppressing the occurrence of defects, more preferably 80% or less, and 70% or less. is even more preferable (see FIG. 3).
Here, the average height (10h) of the projections is obtained by measuring the heights of 10 projections in contact with the plane (reference plane 11) formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region. Calculate the average value of 10 heights. In addition, the height of the convex portion is measured by measuring the height difference between the peak of the convex portion and the bottom point of the concave portion of the adjacent concave and convex portions.

In the resin mold 100 of the present disclosure, the height difference (32) between the lowest convex portion 22 and the plane (reference plane 11) formed by the convex portions of the transferred concave-convex pattern region varies appropriately depending on the size of the concave-convex pattern. However, for example, when the average height of the projections is about 100 nm, it can be less than 100 nm, can be 90 nm or less, or can be 80 nm or less, or 70 nm or less.

Further, in the resin mold 100 of the present disclosure, the height difference from the plane formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region is the same as the total number of projections included in the width 21 direction of the transfer boundary portion 20. It is preferable that the number of protrusions that are 30% or less of the average height (10 h) of the protrusions in the transferred uneven pattern region is 50% or more from the viewpoint of further suppressing the occurrence of defects in the uneven pattern. Furthermore, it is more preferably 60% by number or more (see FIG. 3).

Further, in the resin mold 100 of the present disclosure, the height difference from the plane formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region is the same as the total number of projections included in the width 21 direction of the transfer boundary portion 20. It is preferable that the number of protrusions that are 25% or less of the average height (10 h) of the protrusions in the transferred uneven pattern region is 50% or more from the viewpoint of further suppressing the occurrence of defects in the uneven pattern. Furthermore, it is more preferably 60% by number or more (see FIG. 3).

Further, in the resin mold 100 of the present disclosure, the height difference from the plane formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region is the same as the total number of projections included in the width 21 direction of the transfer boundary portion 20. The number of protrusions exceeding 90% of the average height (10h) of the protrusions in the transferred uneven pattern region is 15% or less, more preferably 10% or less, and even more preferably 0%, and 50% or more and 90%. 40% by number or less of the convex portions is preferable from the viewpoint of further suppressing the occurrence of defects in the concave-convex pattern, and more preferably 30% by number or less (see FIG. 3).
Note that the percentage of the number of each convex portion to the total number of convex portions included in the width 21 direction of the transfer boundary portion 20 is determined by observing a cross section including the transfer boundary portion using a scanning electron microscope, as will be described later. can be obtained by

In the resin mold 100 of the present disclosure, the static contact angle of pure water in the transfer concave-convex pattern region of the resin mold is preferably 105° or more by the θ/2 method from the standpoint of releasability. On the other hand, the upper limit of the static contact angle of pure water may be 180° or less from the standpoint of molding (transferability).
The static contact angle of pure water in the transfer uneven pattern area is measured by an automatic contact angle meter (for example, model number: DM-SA manufactured by Kyowa Interface Science Co., Ltd.), 1 μL of pure water is dropped on the sample, and water is applied to the sample. It can be determined by measuring the contact angle after 500 ms.

Further, in the resin mold 100 of the present disclosure, the surface of the transfer uneven pattern region of the resin mold has a Martens hardness of 5 N/ ^{mm 2} or more and 300 N/mm ^{2 or} less. The following is preferable in terms of releasability, lack of shape, and molding (transferability).
The Martens hardness of the surface of the transferred concave-convex pattern region of the resin mold is the maximum when the convex portions of the transferred concave-convex pattern region are subjected to a nanoindentation method (for example, manufactured by Fischer Synstrument, model number: Picodenter HM-500). It can be obtained by measuring under the condition of a load of 0.2 mN.

Examples of the resin that forms the resin layer 40 of the resin mold of the present disclosure include at least one selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic resins, thermosetting resins, and photocurable resins. are, for example, poly(meth)acrylic resins, polyester resins, polyolefin resins, polyurethane resins, polyamide resins, polycarbonate resins, epoxy resins, oxetane resins, phenol resins, cellulose resins, diallyl phthalate resins, silicone resins, polyarylate resins, polyacetal resins, (meth)acrylic resins, and mixtures thereof.
The resin forming the resin layer 40 preferably has a softening temperature of 40° C. or higher, more preferably 50° C. or higher, in terms of handling and storage at room temperature. On the other hand, if the softening temperature is too high, there is a risk of damage to the already-transferred portion or damage to the support during the transfer of the concave-convex pattern. is preferred.
The softening temperature of the resin layer can be measured according to JIS K7196:2012 using a TMA (thermo-mechanical analysis) device.

Moreover, the material of the resin layer may contain additives such as a polymerization initiator and a release agent as appropriate.
Since the release agent is contained in the resin layer, it is possible to suppress the removal of the resin when transferring the concave-convex pattern of the resin mold, and the mold can be used continuously for a long period of time. preferable.

As the mold release agent, conventionally known mold release agents, for example, solid waxes such as polyethylene wax, amide wax, and Teflon powder (Teflon is a registered trademark), fluorine-based and phosphate ester-based surfactants, and silicones are all available. Available.
A silicone-based release agent is particularly preferable, and it is possible to make the static contact angle of pure water 90° or more, further 105° or more. Examples of silicone-based release agents include polysiloxane, modified silicone oil, polysiloxane containing trimethylsiloxysilicate, and silicone-based acrylic resin.

The thickness of the resin layer 40 may be selected as appropriate, and is not particularly limited.

Further, the surface of the resin layer 40 may be subjected to release treatment to prevent adhesion to the transferred body. As the release treatment for the surface of the resin mold, a release layer may be provided on the surface of the resin layer 40 . The thickness of the release layer is preferably in the range of 0.5 nm to 10 nm, more preferably 0.5 nm to 5 nm. For the release treatment or the formation of the release layer, the release agent can be appropriately selected and used.

The shape of the uneven pattern on the surface of the resin mold of the present disclosure is not particularly limited. Examples of the shape of the convex portion include linear, cylindrical, moth-eye, cone, polygonal pyramid, and microlens.
As for the size of the uneven pattern on the surface of the resin mold of the present disclosure, the period is 10 nm to 5 μm, and the height of the protrusions (depth of the recesses) is 10 nm to 3 μm. The concave-convex pattern on the surface of the resin mold of the present disclosure can adopt a so-called fine concave-convex pattern. A pattern is preferably used.

The size of the unit mold used for transferring the resin mold of the present disclosure is usually within the range of 5 mm×5 mm to 200 mm×200 mm.
The size of the region of the resin layer of the resin mold of the present disclosure where the concave-convex pattern is formed may be 200 mm or more in length on one side, and may be 300 mm or more, and further 1000 mm or more. . The size of the resin mold of the present disclosure is not particularly limited, and the region can be expanded to a desired size and can be connected to any shape.

The support 50, which may be separated from the resin layer 40 if necessary, is not particularly limited as long as it has the function of supporting the resin layer 40, and is appropriately selected according to the use of the resin mold. Good luck.
Materials for the support include, for example, acetylcellulose-based resin, polyethylene terephthalate, polyester-based resin, polyolefin-based resin, poly(meth)acrylic-based resin, polyurethane-based resin, polyamide-based resin, polyimide-based resin, polycarbonate-based resin, poly Resin materials such as (meth)acrylonitrile-based resins and cycloolefin (co)polymers can be mentioned. When the support is peeled off, glass such as soda glass, potash glass, alkali-free glass, and lead glass, ceramics such as lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT), and transparent inorganic materials such as quartz and fluorite can be used. Paper containing colorants such as pigments and dyes, fabrics, wood, ceramics, metals, stone materials, and composite materials obtained by laminating or mixing two or more of these materials, and these and the resin material A composite material or the like may be used.
The support may be either a sheet or a film, and may be any of those that can be rolled up, those that do not bend enough to be rolled up but bend when a load is applied, and those that do not bend completely. good too. The thickness of the support can be appropriately selected depending on the application, and is not particularly limited, but is usually in the range of about 10 μm to 1000 μm.

The resin mold of the present disclosure may be manufactured by any method, and is not particularly limited. The resin mold of the present disclosure can be manufactured, for example, as follows. 4 and 5 are diagrams schematically showing an example of steps for manufacturing the resin mold of the present disclosure.
First, as shown in FIG. 4A, a concave-convex pattern forming substrate having a resin layer 41 over the entire pattern forming region and a unit mold 70 are prepared on a support 51 . The resin layer 41 in FIG. 4A is a resin layer having thermoplasticity, and is provided so as to have a uniform height over the entire pattern forming region. By providing the resin layer 41 so as to have a uniform height over the entire region where the pattern is formed, after pattern formation, one transferred uneven pattern region and the other transferred uneven pattern region adjacent to the transferred uneven pattern region. The height of the plane formed by the projections of the transferred uneven pattern region is the same. It is preferable that the height of the resin layer is set so that the variation is less than 5 nm in the range where the cross section is observed by SEM (observation width of 5 μm).
As a method for providing the resin layer 41 so as to have a uniform height, a resin layer-forming composition is usually prepared in a coating liquid state using a diluted solvent, and then the composition is applied to the surface of the support. A resin layer is formed by uniformly applying and removing (drying) the diluting solvent from the coating film of the composition after application by appropriately heating as necessary. As the coating method, any method can be used as long as it can form a film having a desired thickness with high accuracy, and it may be selected as appropriate. For example, gravure coating method, reverse coating method, knife coating method, dip coating method, spray coating method, air knife coating method, spin coating method, roll coating method, printing method, immersion pick-up method, curtain coating method, die coating method, casting method, bar coat method, extrusion coat method, and the like.
The resin layer 41 is a resin layer having thermoplasticity, and may have a property of being softened by heating at a predetermined shaping temperature. When heating at a predetermined shaping temperature, a portion of the unit mold 70 to which the concave-convex pattern is to be transferred may be partially heated 60 , and a portion adjacent to the heated portion may be cooled 61 .

As the unit mold 70, a mold having a reverse pattern of a desired concave-convex pattern of a large-area resin mold to be manufactured is prepared. The unit mold 70 may be a quartz mold formed by electron beam lithography, a Si mold formed by photolithography, or a mold by cutting. Ni electroforming molds manufactured from these molds or resin molds may also be used. As the resin mold as the unit mold 70, the resin mold of the present invention may be used.
The concave-convex pattern on the surface of the unit mold 70 has a constant depth of the concave portions (the height of the convex portions) so that the height of the convex portions of the inverted pattern after transferring the concave-convex pattern to the resin layer 41 is constant. Preferably.
Further, the indentation hardness of the uneven pattern of the unit mold 70 by the nanoindenter at the predetermined shaping temperature is higher than the indentation hardness of the dried resin layer 41 by the nanoindenter at the predetermined shaping temperature. Adjust to be larger.
The indentation hardness by a nanoindenter can be measured, for example, by using a microindentation tester (eg, TI950 Triboindenter (manufactured by HYSITRON)), using a Berkovich indenter, and indenting with a load of 100 μN.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, by pressing the unit mold 70 against the softened resin layer 41 , the uneven pattern of the unit mold 70 is transferred to a part of the resin layer 41 .
Next, the heated resin layer 41 is cooled 61 in a state where the unit mold 70 is pressure-bonded, thereby hardening the resin layer 41 and forming a region having an uneven pattern in a part of the resin layer 41, After that, as shown in FIG. 4(C), the unit mold 70 is peeled off. When the heated resin layer 41 is cooled 61 while the unit mold 70 is pressure-bonded, the concave-convex pattern forming substrate may be allowed to cool at room temperature.
Next, as shown in FIG. 4(D), among the area (Y) where the uneven pattern is to be formed next and the area (X) having the uneven pattern, the area where the uneven pattern is to be formed next. Partial heating 60 of the resin layer 41 is performed including a part of the side adjacent to (Y). By the partial heating 60, as shown in FIG. 4E, the uneven pattern is formed next in the area (Y) where the uneven pattern is to be formed next and the area (X) having the uneven pattern. A portion (X') of the resin layer on the side adjacent to the intended area (Y) is softened and becomes uncured or semi-cured. During the partial heating 60, the portion adjacent to the heated portion is preferably cooled 61 so as not to soften the resin layer.
Partial heating can be performed, for example, by using a partial heating device 95, as shown in FIG. can.
For example, a hot plate or the like can be used as the heating unit. For example, a cooling plate, a Peltier element, or the like can be used as the cooling part.
The boundary portion for partial heating is controlled by the boundary distance between the heating portion and the cooling portion.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5F, by pressing the unit mold 70 against the softened resin layer 41, the uneven pattern of the unit mold 70 is transferred to a part of the resin layer 41. Next, as shown in FIG. Since the resin layer is softened in a part (X') of the region (X) having the concave-convex pattern, the concave-convex pattern of the unit mold 70 can be overwritten. By overlapping the unit mold 70 on a part (X') of the region (X) and transferring the pattern of the unit mold, no pattern is formed between the transferred patterns. , it is possible to connect the patterns of the unit molds of small area to each other and suppress the step at the joint of the unit molds. By introducing a mechanism for forcibly cooling the portion adjacent to the heated portion and controlling the temperature gradient propagating from the heated portion to the non-heated portion to a minimum, the width of the transfer boundary portion is suppressed to within 2 μm. When the unit mold 70 is superimposed on the part (X') of the region (X), the influence of the uneven pattern originally formed in the part (X') of the region (X) and the unsoftened Due to the influence of the portion of the region (X), only the end portion of the portion (X') of the region (X) of the unit mold 70 is compared with the region (Y) where the uneven pattern is to be formed next. In some cases, the resin layer cannot be sufficiently pressed. Even in such a case, it is preferable that the unit mold is flexible and made of resin so that other parts of the unit mold 70 can be pressed sufficiently to transfer the concave-convex pattern.
As shown in FIG. 5(F), only the end portion (X') of the region (X) of the unit mold 70 is sufficiently large compared to the region (Y) where the uneven pattern is to be formed next. If the pressing of the unit mold 70 is not possible, the pressing of the unit mold 70 is performed on a surface slightly inclined in the direction of the area (Y) where the concave-convex pattern is to be formed next, and also on the edge on (X'). A softened resin layer may enter into the part which cannot be done.
Next, the heated resin layer 41 is cooled 61 in a state where the unit mold 70 is pressure-bonded, thereby hardening the resin layer 41 and forming a region having an uneven pattern in a part of the resin layer 41, After that, as shown in FIG. 5(G), the unit mold 70 is peeled off.
In this way, as shown in FIG. 5(H), a resin mold 101 having a resin layer 45 on the surface of which the uneven pattern of the unit mold 70 is transferred a plurality of times on the support 51 is obtained. It is formed. Only the end portion (X') of the region (X) of the unit mold 70 could not be sufficiently pressed against the resin layer compared to the region (Y) where the concave-convex pattern was to be formed next. When the unit mold 70 is pressed on a surface slightly inclined in the direction of the region (Y) where the concave-convex pattern is to be formed next, the resin mold 101 has one transferred concave-convex pattern region and the other transferred concave-convex pattern region. The pattern area has the same height of the plane formed by the projections of the transferred uneven pattern area, and has an uneven pattern between the one transferred uneven pattern area and the other adjacent transferred uneven pattern area. , the height of the surface formed by the projections is higher than the height of the plane formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region. In the resin mold 101, the one transfer uneven pattern region and the other transfer uneven pattern region have the same height of the plane formed by the recesses of the transferred uneven pattern region, and are adjacent to the one transfer uneven pattern region. It has a concavo-convex pattern between the transfer concavo-convex pattern region and the other transfer concavo-convex pattern region, and has a transfer boundary portion in which the height of the plane formed by the concave portion is higher than the height of the plane formed by the concave portion of the transferred concave-convex pattern region. In that case, as shown in FIG. 5(I), the uneven pattern on the surface of the resin mold 101 is transferred to another resin layer 42, and as shown in FIG. to obtain a resin mold 100 having In this way, the concave-convex pattern of the unit mold is transferred a plurality of times to the surface, and one transferred concave-convex pattern region and the other transferred concave-convex pattern region are planes formed by the convex portions of the transferred concave-convex pattern region. have the same height, and have a concavo-convex pattern between the one transfer concavo-convex pattern region and the other adjacent transfer concavo-convex pattern region, and the height of the surface formed by the convex portions is equal to the transfer concavo-convex pattern region It is possible to obtain the resin mold 100 of the present disclosure, which includes the resin layer 40 on the support 50, the resin layer 40 having a transfer boundary lower than the height of the plane formed by the projections of the pattern region.

In addition, when the unit mold 70 is superimposed on a part (X') of the region (X), the unit mold 70 may When only the end portion on a part (X') of the region (X) of is pressed against the resin layer more strongly than on the region (Y) where the uneven pattern is to be formed next, that portion The height of the surface formed by the projections is lower than the height of the plane formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region (not shown). In this case, the resin layer 41 is cooled 61 to harden the resin layer 41 in a state where the unit mold 70 is pressure-bonded, thereby forming a region having an uneven pattern in a part of the resin layer 41 . By peeling off, the one transferred uneven pattern region and the other transferred uneven pattern region have the same height of the plane formed by the convex portions of the transferred uneven pattern region, and are adjacent to the one transferred uneven pattern region. A transfer boundary portion having a concavo-convex pattern between the transfer concavo-convex pattern region and the other transfer concavo-convex pattern region, and the height of the plane formed by the convex portion is lower than the height of the plane formed by the convex portion of the transfer concavo-convex pattern region. It is possible to obtain the resin mold 100 of the present disclosure, which includes the resin layer 40 having the resin layer 40 on the support 50 .

FIG. 6 is a photograph of a part of the cross-section of the resin mold of the present disclosure including the transfer boundary portion 20 taken with a scanning electron microscope, and corresponds to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2(B).
In the example of the resin mold of the present disclosure shown in FIG. are the same, and between the one transferred uneven pattern region (10A) and the other adjacent transferred uneven pattern region (10B), an uneven pattern is provided, and the height of the surface formed by the protrusions is , a transfer boundary portion 20 which is lower than the height of the plane formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region, the width 21 of the transfer boundary portion is 1.7 μm, which is within 2 μm, and the projections in the transfer boundary portion The lowest convex portion 22 having the lowest height of the portion is located closer to one of the transfer concave-convex pattern regions than the center 23 in the width direction in the width direction of the transfer boundary portion.
In the resin mold of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 6, the seams of the unit molds are invisible. When the uneven pattern is transferred using the resin mold of the present disclosure in FIG. 6, defects in the uneven pattern become invisible, and adverse effects on various performances exhibited by the uneven pattern can be suppressed.

In the example of FIG. 6, the height difference between the lowest convex portion 22 and the plane formed by the convex portions of the transfer concave-convex pattern region is 64 nm, which is 65% of the average height of the convex portions of the transferred concave-convex pattern region of 99 nm. is.
Further, in the example of FIG. 6, the difference in height from the plane formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region is the same as the transfer uneven pattern, with respect to the total number of protrusions included in the width 21 direction of the transfer boundary portion 20. The number of projections that are 30% or less of the average height (10h) of the projections in the area is 68%.
Further, in the example of FIG. 6, the difference in height from the plane formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern region is the same as the transfer uneven pattern, with respect to the total number of protrusions included in the width 21 direction of the transfer boundary portion 20. 11 % of the number of protrusions is 50% or more and 90% or less of the average height (10h) of the protrusions in the region.
Further, in the example of FIG. 6, in the width 21 direction of the transfer boundary portion, the convex portion of the transfer concave-convex pattern region of the gently inclined surface (30) bounded by the lowest convex portion 22 having the lowest height of the convex portion is 2.0° with respect to the plane (reference plane 11) formed by . The inclination angle of the large surface (31) with respect to the plane (reference plane 11) formed by the projections of the transfer uneven pattern area is 13°.

On the other hand, FIG. 7 is a photograph taken with a scanning electron microscope of a part including the transfer boundary part of the cross section of the resin mold of the comparative example manufactured by the method described in Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-161997). . When a photocurable resin is dropped and the mold is spread by pressing it as in Patent Document 3, when the unit mold is superimposed on the end of the concave-convex pattern after curing and the concave-convex pattern is transferred, the resin rides up on the overlapped part and creates a joint. One of the transferred concave-convex pattern regions and the other transferred concave-convex pattern region have a height of a plane formed by the convex portions of the transferred concave-convex pattern regions. There is a height difference of about the height or more. If the width of the transfer boundary is within 2 μm, the heights of one transferred concave-convex pattern region and the other transferred concave-convex pattern region are not the same.
In the resin mold of the comparative example shown in FIG. 7, the joints of the unit molds are visible. When the concave-convex pattern is transferred using the resin mold of the comparative example of FIG. 7, defects in the concave-convex pattern become visible and adversely affect various performances exhibited by the concave-convex pattern.

In addition, for the uneven pattern surface of the resin mold and the cross section including the transfer boundary part (joint part), for example, a scanning electron microscope (SEM, for example, manufactured by Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation: Scanning electron microscope SU-8000) can be observed using The cross-sectional photograph including the transfer boundary portion (joint portion) is a transfer boundary portion (joint portion) in which the height of the plane formed by the convex portions of the transfer uneven pattern area is different from the height of the surface formed by the convex portions in the resin mold. ), a cross section cut in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the support, for example, in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the linear protrusions, is observed. It is preferable to photograph and observe the cross-sectional photograph so that the lateral direction is parallel to the surface of the support and the joint portion of the uneven pattern is approximately in the center.
Observation with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) can be performed, for example, at an acceleration voltage of 1 to 15 kV and an imaging magnification of 25000 times.

(2) Second Embodiment A resin mold according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure is a resin mold having a reverse pattern of the resin mold according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
That is, the resin mold of the second embodiment of the present disclosure is a resin mold formed by transferring the uneven pattern of the unit mold multiple times on the surface,
One transferred uneven pattern region and the other transferred uneven pattern region adjacent to the transferred uneven pattern region have the same height of the plane formed by the recesses of the transferred uneven pattern region,
A concavo-convex pattern is provided between the one transferred concavo-convex pattern region and the other adjacent transferred concavo-convex pattern region, and the height of the surface formed by the concave portion is the height of the plane formed by the concave portion of the transferred concave-convex pattern region. has a transfer boundary that is higher than the
The width of the transfer boundary is within 2 μm,
The highest concave portion with the highest height of the concave portion in the transfer boundary portion is a resin mold located closer to either one of the transfer uneven pattern regions than the center in the width direction in the width direction of the transfer boundary portion. .

The resin mold of the first embodiment of the present disclosure has the above-described remarkable effects over the conventional technology. Since the resin mold of the second embodiment of the present disclosure is a resin mold (for example, 101 in FIG. 5(H)) having a reverse pattern of the resin mold of the first embodiment of the present disclosure, By transferring the uneven pattern of the resin mold of the second embodiment, the resin mold of the first embodiment of the present disclosure can be manufactured (for example, FIG. 5 (I), FIG. 5 (J)) . Thus, the resin mold of the second embodiment of the present disclosure is useful as an intermediate plate for creating a replica mold of the resin mold of the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a photograph of a part of the cross section of the resin mold 101 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, including the transfer boundary portion 20′, taken with a scanning electron microscope.
In the example of the resin mold of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 8, one transfer uneven pattern region (1A′) and the other transfer uneven pattern region (1B′) are planes formed by recesses of the transfer uneven pattern region. having the same height, having a concavo-convex pattern between said one transfer concavo-convex pattern region (1A′) and said other transfer concavo-convex pattern region (1B′) adjacent thereto, and the height of the surface formed by said concave portions; has a transfer boundary portion 20′ whose height is higher than the height (10A′, 10B′) of the plane formed by the concave portions of the transfer uneven pattern region, and the width 21′ of the transfer boundary portion is 1.8 μm; The highest concave portion 22', which is within 2 μm and has the highest height of the concave portion in the transfer boundary portion, is closer to either one of the transfer concave-convex pattern regions than the center 23' in the width direction in the width direction of the transfer boundary portion. located in In FIG. 8, the reference plane 11' is a plane formed by the concave portions of the one transfer concave-convex pattern region (10A').
In the resin mold of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 8, the seams of the unit molds are invisible. When the concave-convex pattern is transferred using the resin mold of the present disclosure in FIG. 8 , defects in the concave-convex pattern become invisible, and adverse effects on various performances exhibited by the concave-convex pattern can be suppressed.

In the example of FIG. 8, the height difference between the highest concave portion 22′ and the plane (reference plane 11′) formed by the concave portions of the transferred concave-convex pattern region is 58 nm, and the average height of the convex portions of the transferred concave-convex pattern region is 58 nm. 56% of the thickness of 104 nm.
Further, in the example of FIG. 8, the difference in height from the plane formed by the recesses in the transfer uneven pattern region is the same as the transfer uneven pattern, with respect to the total number of recesses included in the width 21′ direction of the transfer boundary portion 20′. The number of concave portions that are 30% or less of the average height (10h) of the convex portions in the region is 59%.
Further, in the example of FIG. 8, the difference in height from the plane formed by the recesses in the transfer uneven pattern region is the same as the transfer uneven pattern, with respect to the total number of recesses included in the width 21′ direction of the transfer boundary portion 20′. The number of concave portions exceeding 90% of the average height (10h) of the convex portions in the region was 0%, and the number of convex portions of 50% or more and 90% or less was 12%.
In the example of FIG. 8, in the width 21' direction of the transfer boundary, the transfer The inclination angle with respect to the plane (reference plane 11') formed by the recesses of the uneven pattern region is 2.2°, and the recesses of the transfer uneven pattern region are more inclined than the gentle slope (30') bounded by the highest recesses 22'. The angle of inclination of the plane (31'), which is greatly inclined with respect to the plane formed by , with respect to the plane (reference plane 11') formed by the projections of the transferred uneven pattern region is 12.1°.

As for the size of the resin mold of the present disclosure, the length of one side can be 200 mm or more, further 300 mm or more, further 1000 mm or more, and there is no particular limitation on the size, and the desired size can be used. Since the area can be widened and can be connected to any shape, the resin mold of the present disclosure can be applied to various uses.
The resin mold of the present disclosure is used in the field of semiconductor materials, the field of electronic and optical devices such as optical elements as described later, the field of displays, the field of recording media such as magnetic recording media and optical disks, etc., where it is necessary to form an uneven pattern. It can be applied to various fields such as μ-TAS such as DNA chips, protein chips and separation chips, members for regenerative medicine such as cell culture sheets, chemical and bio fields such as μ reactors and micromixers, and MEMS.

(3) Replica mold manufacturing method The replica mold manufacturing method of the present disclosure is a step of transferring the uneven pattern of the resin mold of the first embodiment of the present disclosure or the resin mold of the second embodiment. characterized by having
As for the method of transferring the concave-convex pattern in the replica mold manufacturing method, a conventionally known method can be appropriately selected and used.
In the replica mold manufacturing method, as the resin layer for transferring the uneven pattern of the resin mold of the first embodiment of the present disclosure or the resin mold of the second embodiment, a photocurable resin layer or a heat A curable resin layer is preferred from the standpoint of durability of the resin mold. As with the resin layer of the resin mold of the first embodiment of the present disclosure, it is preferable to appropriately select and use an additive such as a release agent for the resin layer to which the uneven pattern is transferred. It is preferable to perform a surface treatment such as

II. Method for manufacturing an optical element A method for manufacturing an optical element according to the present disclosure includes a step of forming an uneven pattern using a resin mold according to the present disclosure or a replica mold manufactured by the method for manufacturing a resin mold according to the present disclosure. have
An optical element manufactured using the method for manufacturing an optical element of the present disclosure forms a concave-convex pattern using the resin mold of the present disclosure or its replica mold, so that the seams are invisible. Since the concavo-convex patterns are connected and the patterns are connected to each other without a portion having no concavo-convex pattern at the joint portion, it is possible to manufacture an optical element in which defects caused by the transfer boundaries are suppressed. can.

Examples of optical elements include any element selected from the group consisting of wire grid polarizers, antireflection plates, light diffusion plates, light collectors, contact prevention plates, optical diffraction gratings, light guide plates, and holograms.

Hereinafter, as one embodiment of the method for manufacturing an optical element of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a wire grid polarizer using the resin mold of the present disclosure will be described, but the method is not limited to this method. do not have.

First, the resin mold of the present disclosure is prepared.
On the other hand, a laminate is prepared in which an aluminum layer and a silica layer are laminated on a glass substrate.
A resist layer is formed by coating a photosensitive composition (resist) on the silica layer of the laminate in which an aluminum layer and a silica layer are laminated on the glass substrate.
Next, a resin mold is pressed against the resist layer, and while the resin mold is being pressed, exposure is performed from the resin mold side to cure the resist layer and transfer the uneven pattern of the resin mold to the resist layer.
Next, the resin mold is peeled off to obtain a laminate having a resist uneven pattern formed on the surface.
After removing the remaining film in the recesses of the resist uneven pattern by etching, the silica layer in the recesses is etched until the aluminum layer is exposed in the recesses.
Here, according to the manufacturing method of the present disclosure, since the uneven pattern is connected in the resin mold so that the joint portion is not visible, the joint portion is also invisible in the resist of the transfer material. An uneven pattern is transferred. Therefore, when etching the remaining film of the recesses of the resist uneven pattern, even if there is a problem that the pattern of the protrusions in the low part disappears when the recesses in the high part are matched, the width is not visible to the naked eye, and there is no defect. A suppressed optical element can be produced.
Dry etching is used as the etching, and examples of dry etching include reactive ion etching (RIE) in which ions are mainly involved, plasma etching (PE) in which radicals are mainly involved, and the like. As the etchant gas used in the dry etching, an etchant gas appropriately selected according to the material of the film to be dry-etched is used.
Next, by etching the aluminum layer exposed in the concave portions using the silica layer of the convex portions as a mask, an uneven pattern having convex portions of the aluminum layer is formed on the glass substrate. The silica layer on the protrusions used as a mask is removed by a suitable peeling treatment or etching.
The method for manufacturing a wire grid polarizer may include other conventionally known steps.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. The above-described embodiment is an example, and any device having substantially the same configuration as the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention and exhibiting the same effect is the present invention. included in the technical scope of

(Example 1: Production of resin mold)
(1) Preparation of unit mold On one side of synthetic quartz of 150 mm × 150 mm and thickness of 6.35 mm, the pattern area is set to 100 mm × 100 mm, and linear depressions of width 50 nm and depth 100 nm are formed at a pitch of 100 nm (linear A mold formed by dry etching with a convex width of 50 nm was prepared as an original.
A photo-curing resin is dropped on the uneven surface of the synthetic quartz mold of the above-mentioned original plate, and a 100 μm thick easy-adhesive PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film is superimposed thereon, followed by ultraviolet irradiation to remove the photo-curing resin. Hardened.
By peeling the PET film from the synthetic quartz mold, a resin unit mold was obtained in which the uneven pattern of the original mold was reproduced on the surface of the cured photocurable resin.

(2) Preparation of uneven pattern forming substrate After bar-coating a thermoplastic resin (polyacrylic resin, softening temperature 50 ° C) on the easy-adhesive surface of a 100 μm-thick easy-adhesive PET film, dry at 110 ° C in a constant temperature dryer. , and dried for 30 seconds to form a coating film having a coating weight of 1.7 g/m ² to obtain a substrate for forming a concave-convex pattern having a resin layer on a PET film substrate.

(3) Concavo-convex pattern transfer Molding device A partial heating device is installed on the pressure stage of a hot roll transfer device (Navitas RH-150), heating at 70 ° C. in the heating part and cooling at 23 ° C. in the cooling part, The substrate for forming an uneven pattern was placed on the heating unit so that the resin layer faced upward, and partial heating was performed. As a partial heating device, as shown in FIG. 9, a cooling unit 90 (an acrylic resin plate with a water cooling pipe installed) is placed around a heating unit 80 (a hot plate in which a heater and a thermocouple temperature sensor are attached to an aluminum flat plate, manufactured by our company). A partial heating device 95 was used, in which an inserted one (manufactured by our company) is arranged and the portion adjacent to the heating portion can be forcibly cooled. In the partial heating device 95, the heating part 80 and the cooling part 90 are brought into contact with each other without steps and gaps on the front side, and the heating part 80 and the cooling part 90 are separated from each other on the back side in order to increase the cooling efficiency. , a heating unit 80 and a cooling unit 90 are installed.
As shown in FIG. 4B, the unit mold is superimposed on the resin layer of the heated substrate for forming a concave-convex pattern so that the concave-convex pattern surface is in contact with the resin layer, and pressed by a pressure roll of a transfer device. The resin layer and the unit mold were integrated by pressing against a hot plate and applying heat and pressure. (Linear pressure of pressure roll: 10 kg/150 mm width, roll speed: 5 mm/sec)
With the unit mold pressed, the uneven pattern forming substrate is removed from the partial heating device and allowed to cool at room temperature (23° C.) to cool the resin layer to room temperature (23° C.). By peeling off the unit mold as shown in (C), a resin layer was obtained on the surface of which the area (X) having the concave-convex pattern of the unit mold was formed.

(4) Next-surface concavo-convex pattern transfer As shown in FIG. 4(D), the concavo-convex pattern is next selected from the region (Y) where the concavo-convex pattern is to be formed next and the region (X) having the concavo-convex pattern. Partial heating of the resin layer was carried out, including the region (Y) where was to be formed and part of the adjacent side.
Forming apparatus By installing the partial heating apparatus on the pressure stage of a hot roll transfer apparatus (Navitas RH-150) and performing partial heating by heating at 70 ° C. and cooling at 23 ° C., As shown in (E), the area (Y) where the uneven pattern is to be formed next and the area (X) having the uneven pattern are adjacent to the area (Y) where the uneven pattern is to be formed next. A portion (X') of the resin layer on the side to be bent was softened.
Next, as shown in FIG. 5(F), a portion (X′) of the side adjacent to the region (Y) where the concave-convex pattern is to be formed next is applied to the softened resin layer. The unit mold was superimposed on the softened part (X') of them, and the resin layer and the unit mold were integrated by pressing against a hot plate with a pressure roll of a transfer device and applying heat and pressure.
While the unit mold is pressed, the uneven pattern forming substrate is removed from the partial heating device and left to cool at room temperature (23° C.) to harden the resin layer and form an uneven pattern on a part of the resin layer. After that, the unit mold was peeled off as shown in FIG. 5(G).
After that, in the same manner as the step of transferring the uneven pattern on the next surface, the steps of partially heating the resin layer, pressurizing the unit mold, cooling the resin layer, and peeling off the unit mold are successively repeated to obtain the unevenness of the unit mold on the resin layer. A resin mold with multiple patterns was manufactured.
In the resin mold of Example 1 thus obtained, as shown in FIG. 8, one transferred uneven pattern region and the other transferred uneven pattern region adjacent to the transferred uneven pattern region The height of the plane formed by the recesses of the uneven pattern regions is the same, the uneven pattern is provided between the one transferred uneven pattern region and the adjacent transferred uneven pattern region, and the surface formed by the recessed portions It has a transfer boundary portion whose height is higher than the height of the plane formed by the concave portions of the transfer concave-convex pattern region, the width of the transfer boundary portion is within 2 μm, and the height of the concave portion in the transfer boundary portion is the highest. In the width direction of the transfer boundary portion, the highest concave portion was located closer to one of the transfer concave-convex pattern regions than the center in the width direction. In the resin mold of Example 1, the seams of the unit molds were invisible.

(Example 2: Production of resin mold)
As in Example 1, one transferred concave-convex pattern region and the other transferred concave-convex pattern region adjacent to the transferred concave-convex pattern region as shown in FIG. are the same in height, and a concavo-convex pattern is provided between the one transfer concavo-convex pattern region and the adjacent transfer concavo-convex pattern region, and the height of the surface formed by the concave portions is equal to the transfer concavo-convex pattern The region has a transfer boundary that is higher than the height of the plane formed by the recesses, the width of the transfer boundary is within 2 μm, and the highest recess with the highest height of the recesses in the transfer boundary is the transfer boundary. In the width direction of the part, a resin mold was manufactured that was positioned closer to either one of the transferred uneven pattern regions than the center in the width direction.
Using the resin mold, the uneven pattern on the surface of the resin mold was transferred to another resin layer as shown in FIG. 5(I). Specifically, a photocurable resin is dropped on the uneven surface of the resin mold, and an easily adhesive PET film having a thickness of 100 μm is superimposed thereon, and then irradiated with ultraviolet rays to cure the photocurable resin. let me By peeling the PET film from the resin mold, a resin mold was obtained in which a reverse pattern of the uneven pattern on the surface of the resin mold was reproduced on the surface of the cured photocurable resin.
In the resin mold of Example 2 obtained in this way, as shown in FIG. 6, the concave-convex pattern of the unit mold was transferred a plurality of times on the surface to form one transfer concave-convex pattern region, The other transferred uneven pattern region has the same height of the plane formed by the convex portions of the transferred uneven pattern region, and the unevenness is formed between the one transferred uneven pattern region and the other adjacent transferred uneven pattern region. a pattern, and a transfer boundary portion in which the height of the surface formed by the convex portions is lower than the height of the plane formed by the convex portions in the transfer uneven pattern region, and the width of the transfer boundary portion is within 2 μm. and the lowest convex portion having the lowest height of the convex portion in the transfer boundary portion was located closer to one of the transferred concave-convex pattern regions than the center in the width direction in the width direction of the transfer boundary portion. . In the resin mold of Example 2, the seams of the unit molds were invisible.

(Comparative Example 1: Production of comparative resin mold)
Using a unit mold similar to that of Example 1, a comparative resin mold of Comparative Example 1 was produced by the method described in Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-161997). As described in Patent Document 3, in a manufacturing method in which a photocurable resin is dropped and a mold is pressed and spread, when a unit mold is superimposed on the end of the concave-convex pattern after curing and the concave-convex pattern is transferred, the overlapped part is formed. The resin rides up and a step of about the height of the convex portion or more is generated at the joint portion, and one transferred concave-convex pattern region and the other transferred concave-convex pattern region are on the plane formed by the convex portions of the transferred concave-convex pattern region. There was a height difference of about the height of the convex part or more. When the width of the transfer boundary was within 2 μm, the heights of one transferred concave-convex pattern region and the other transferred concave-convex pattern region did not become the same (FIG. 7). In the resin mold of the comparative example, the seams of the unit molds were visible.

[Evaluation of concavo-convex pattern transfer using resin mold]
Using the resin molds of Examples 1 and 2 and the comparative resin mold of Comparative Example 1, the transfer of the uneven pattern was evaluated.
Specifically, a photocurable resin is dropped on the uneven surface of the resin mold, and an easily adhesive PET film having a thickness of 100 μm is superimposed thereon, and then irradiated with ultraviolet rays to cure the photocurable resin. let me By peeling the PET film from the resin mold, a reverse pattern of the uneven pattern on the surface of the resin mold was transferred to the surface of the cured photocurable resin.
In the concave-convex pattern formed by transferring the concave-convex pattern using the comparative resin mold of Comparative Example 1, an unformed area was generated at a location corresponding to the boundary portion of the unit mold, and defects were visually observed. This is thought to be because a part of the concave-convex pattern of the comparative resin mold was not shaped into the photo-curing resin due to air bubbles caused by the step corresponding to the boundary of the unit mold in the comparative resin mold. was taken.
On the other hand, the concave-convex pattern formed by transferring the concave-convex pattern using the resin mold of Example 1 did not generate an unshaped area even in the part corresponding to the boundary part of the unit mold, and the reverse pattern was obtained. was formed and no defect was visually observed. In addition, in the concave-convex pattern formed by transferring the concave-convex pattern using the resin mold of Example 2, a reverse pattern was formed without generating an unshaped area even at the location corresponding to the boundary of the unit mold. and no defects were observed. This is probably because the resin molds of Examples 1 and 2 were less likely to be affected by air bubbles because the steps corresponding to the boundaries of the unit molds were suppressed, and the photocurable resin was sufficiently shaped. Ta.

1A, 1B, 1C, 1D transferred uneven pattern regions 1A', 1B' transferred uneven pattern regions 10A, 10B planes 10A' and 10B' formed by convex portions of transferred uneven pattern regions plane 10h formed by concave portions of transferred uneven pattern regions convex portions reference planes 20, 20' transfer boundaries 21, 21' width 22 of the transfer boundary minimum protrusion 22' in the width direction of the transfer boundary maximum recess 23 in the width direction of the transfer boundary, 23' center of the transfer boundary in the width direction 24 point at the end of one transferred uneven pattern area (1A) 25 point at the end of the transferred uneven pattern area (1B) adjacent to the transferred uneven pattern area (1A) Points 30, 30' located at the shortest distance, gently sloping surfaces 31, 31' in the width direction of the transfer boundary portion, surfaces 32 having a large inclination in the width direction of the transfer boundary portion, and a plane formed by the lowest convex portion and the convex portion of the transfer concave-convex pattern region. Height differences 40, 41, 42, 45 Resin layers 50, 51 Support body 60 Heating 61 Cooling 70 Unit molds 100, 101 Resin mold X Area Y having uneven pattern Area X' where uneven pattern is to be formed next Part of the area (X) having the uneven pattern, adjacent to the area (Y) where the uneven pattern is to be formed next

Claims (8)

In a resin mold formed by transferring a concave-convex pattern of a unit mold to the surface a plurality of times,
One transferred uneven pattern region and the other transferred uneven pattern region adjacent to the transferred uneven pattern region have the same height of the plane formed by the convex portions of the transferred uneven pattern region, and the convex portions of the transferred uneven pattern region are the same. The height of the plane formed by the part is the height from the bottom of the resin mold,
A concavo-convex pattern is provided between the one transferred concavo-convex pattern region and the adjacent transferred concavo-convex pattern region, and the height of the surface formed by the convex portion is equal to the plane formed by the convex portions of the transferred concavo-convex pattern region. has a transfer boundary lower than the height of
The width of the transfer boundary is within 2 μm,
A resin mold, wherein the lowest convex portion with the lowest height of the convex portion in the transfer boundary portion is positioned closer to one of the transferred concave-convex pattern regions than the center in the width direction in the width direction of the transfer boundary portion. . In the width direction of the transfer boundary portion, the surface formed by the projections in the transfer boundary portion is divided into a gently inclined surface bordering on the lowest projected portion where the height of the projected portion is the lowest, and the transfer unevenness more than the gently inclined surface. 2. The resin mold according to claim 1, further comprising a surface inclined with respect to a plane formed by the projections of the pattern area. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the difference in height between the lowest convex portion and a plane formed by the convex portions of the transferred concave-convex pattern region is 90% or less of the average height of the convex portions of the transferred concave-convex pattern region. Resin mold. With respect to the total number of protrusions included in the width direction of the transfer boundary portion, the difference in height from the plane formed by the protrusions of the transfer uneven pattern region is 30 times the average height of the protrusions of the transfer uneven pattern region. % or less is 50 number % or more, the resin mold according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. The resin mold according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the static contact angle of pure water in the transferred concavo-convex pattern region of the resin mold is 105° or more according to the θ/2 method. A resin mold having a reverse pattern of the resin mold according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A method for manufacturing a replica mold, comprising the step of transferring the concave-convex pattern of the resin mold according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A step of forming an uneven pattern using the resin mold according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or a replica mold manufactured by the resin mold manufacturing method according to claim 7. , a method for manufacturing an optical element.

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