JP7366215B2 - Mold release method and mold release device for molded products - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for releasing a molded product from a mold, and an apparatus therefor. The molded product is preferably an imprint molded product.

In recent years, mobile electronic devices such as mobile phones and smartphones are required to improve product value by incorporating optical components such as sensors and cameras. In addition, as devices become smaller and thinner year by year, smaller and thinner parts are required. Conventionally, such demands have been met by manufacturing parts by injection molding, but the injection molding method has reached its limits in responding to miniaturization and thinning. Therefore, imprint molding is attracting attention as a new molding method to replace injection molding. However, in the imprint molding method, problems tend to occur in the releasability of the molded product from the mold, and molding accuracy may be impaired.

Methods for releasing a molded product from a mold in imprint molding include a method in which a pin is inserted between the mold and the molded product (for example, Patent Document 1), a method in which the peripheral part of the molded product is held and the molded product is vertically A method of releasing the mold from the mold in a diagonal direction (for example, Patent Document 2), a method of holding a part of the molded product and releasing it from the mold in an oblique direction (for example, Patent Documents 3 and 4), A method of assisting mold release by irradiating the mold (for example, Patent Document 5), a method of tilting the mold and releasing from the molded product (for example, Patent Document 6), and the like have been reported.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-118552 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-181855 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-284822 WO2010/142958 pamphlet Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-254559 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-253303

In the imprint molding method, a fine pattern is generally formed on a mold, and a high degree of molding precision is required. In particular, when molding an assembly of multiple products in one molding process, such as a wafer-level lens array, it is necessary to separate the products into individual products by dicing, which minimizes warping of the entire molded product and furthermore Excellent positional accuracy between products is required. However, with the methods of Patent Documents 1 to 4, it has been found that excessive load is applied to a part of the molded product, especially at the start of mold release, which causes problems such as warping of the molded product and deterioration of positional accuracy. did. Furthermore, when resin or glass is used for the mold, the strength of the mold itself is low, and it has been difficult to employ methods of applying force from the outside, such as in Patent Documents 5 and 6.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a mold release method that can take out a molded product with high precision from a mold.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mold release device that can take out a molded product with high precision from a mold.

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventors of the present invention found that when a molded product attached to the molding surface of a mold is released from the mold, the entire surface of the molded product that is not attached to the mold is By pasting the material and releasing the mold, the load during mold release is evenly distributed over the entire molded product, resulting in less warping of the entire molded product and a high-precision molded product with high positional accuracy of the molding pattern. It has been found that it can be stably taken out from the mold. The present invention was completed based on these findings.

That is, the present invention has a first surface to which the pattern shape of the molding surface is transferred, which is formed by curing a curable material supplied to the molding surface of the mold, and a second surface on the back side thereof. The present invention provides a method for releasing a molded product from the mold, the method comprising the following steps.
First step: attaching a base material to the entire second surface of the molded product;
Second step: The molded product is released from the mold by relatively moving the base material and the mold in a direction in which the base material and the mold are separated.

In the method for releasing a molded product, the molded product is an array having two or more optical elements two-dimensionally arranged on the first surface and a substrate portion that connects these optical elements to each other. It's okay.

In the method for releasing a molded product, it is preferable that at least a flat portion to which the base material sticks exists on the second surface.

In the method for releasing a molded product, the base material may be a resin sheet.
The resin sheet may have an adhesive layer on one side.

The method for releasing the molded product may further include the following steps.
Third step: The base material is peeled off from the second surface of the molded product obtained in the second step.

The method for releasing the molded product may further include the following steps.
3' step: dicing the molded product obtained in the second step, which has a plurality of optical elements two-dimensionally arranged on the first surface and whose second surface is fixed to the base material. The optical element is separated into individual pieces to obtain an optical member.

In the method for releasing a molded product, the optical element may be a wafer level lens.

In the method for releasing a molded article, the curable material may be a curable epoxy resin composition.

In the method for releasing a molded product, the material constituting the mold may be at least one selected from the group consisting of resin, metal, and glass.

In the method for releasing a molded product, at least a part of the pattern area on the molding surface of the mold may be treated with a mold release agent.

Further, the present invention provides a molding device having a first surface to which a pattern of the molding surface is transferred and a second surface on the back side, which is formed by curing a curable material supplied to the molding surface of the mold. A device for releasing a product from the mold, the device comprising:
A pasting means for pasting a base material on the second surface;
a moving means for relatively moving the base material and the mold;
Pasting control means for controlling the pasting means and pasting the base material on the entire second surface of the molded product;
A mold release device is provided, comprising: a movement control means that controls the movement means to relatively move the base material and the mold in a direction in which the base material and the mold are separated from each other. .

Since the mold release method and mold release device of the present invention have the above configuration, the load when releasing the molded product from the mold is uniformly distributed over the entire molded product, and as a result, the warpage of the entire molded product is small, and the molding pattern is High-precision molded products with high positional accuracy can be stably removed from the mold.
The mold release method or mold release device of the present invention can be used for a molded product that is an aggregate of a plurality of products in one molding (preferably imprint molding), thereby preventing warping of the entire molded product and the position of individual products. Since it is possible to stably manufacture high-precision molded products with small relationship deviations, it is useful for efficiently manufacturing sensor lenses and camera lenses for mobile electronic devices such as mobile phones and smartphones. It can be suitably applied to manufacturing a wafer level lens array.

It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a mold. (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a top view, and (c) is a side view. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a molded article. (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a top view, and (c) is a side view. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a state in which the first surface of the molded product is attached to the molding surface of the mold. (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a top view, and (c) is a side view. It is an explanatory view showing an example of the 1st process of the mold release method of the present invention. (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a top view, and (c) is a side view. It is an explanatory view showing an example of the 2nd process of the mold release method of the present invention. (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a side view. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the second step of the mold release method of the present invention. (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a side view. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a molded product in which a base material obtained by the mold release method of the present invention is stuck to the second surface. (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a top view, and (c) is a sectional view taken along line XX'. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a mold release device of the present invention. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a mold release method of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a lower mold used in Examples and Comparative Examples. (a) is a top view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA'. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram (cross-sectional view) showing the steps of Manufacturing Example 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a mold release method of Comparative Example 1. (a) is a top view, and (b) is a sectional view taken along YY'. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a mold release method of Comparative Example 2. (a) is a top view, and (b) is a sectional view along II', II-II', and III-III'.

Typical embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto and is merely an example.

[How to release molded products]
The mold release method for a molded product of the present invention (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "mold release method of the present invention") includes supplying the molded product to the molding surface of a mold (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "mold of the present invention"). A molded product (hereinafter referred to as "molded product of the present invention") having a first surface to which the pattern shape of the molded surface is transferred and a second surface on the back side thereof, which is formed by curing a curable material. This is a method for releasing a product (sometimes referred to as a mold) from the mold, and is characterized by having the following steps.
First step: attaching a base material to the entire second surface of the molded product;
Second step: The molded product is released from the mold by relatively moving the base material and the mold in a direction in which the base material and the mold are separated.

[mold]
FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an example of the mold of the present invention. (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a top view, and (c) is a side view.

The mold 1 of the present invention has at least a molding surface 1A having a pattern area 11 (pattern shape is not shown). In addition to the pattern area 11, the molding surface 1A of the mold 1 of the present invention may have a non-pattern area 12 around the pattern area 11.

In the mold of the present invention, the pattern area is provided with an inverse uneven pattern shape (an inverted shape of the desired molded product) corresponding to the desired shape in order to give the molded product a desired shape. The shape of the horizontal plane of the patterned portion of the mold is not particularly limited, but the aspect ratio is preferably 0.1 to 1, more preferably 0.5 to 1, and the closer it is to 1, the more preferable it is. The aspect ratio is the ratio of the length in the vertical direction to the length in the horizontal direction when the longest direction of the shape of the horizontal plane is the horizontal direction. When the aspect ratio is within the above range, the degree of curing is likely to be uniform throughout the molded product of the present invention, and positional shift is less likely to occur before and after curing. As shown in FIG. 1(a), the shape of the horizontal plane is the pattern shape seen from the top surface (corresponding to FIG. 1(b)) when the mold is placed in a horizontal position so that the pattern area 11 is the top surface. This is the shape of the part.

The material constituting the mold of the present invention is not particularly limited, and examples include resin, metal, glass, and combinations of these materials.

The resin constituting the mold of the present invention is not particularly limited, but it should be considered in consideration of compatibility with the above-mentioned curable material (wettability, etc.), shape accuracy of the molded product after curing, peelability (mold releasability), etc. For example, silicone resins (dimethylpolysiloxane, etc.), fluorine resins, polyolefin resins (polyethylene, polypropylene, polycyclic olefins, etc.), polyether sulfone resins, polycarbonate resins, polyester resins (polyarylate, (polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, etc.), polyamide resins, polymethyl methacrylate, etc.

Metals constituting the mold of the present invention are not particularly limited, but include iron, iron alloys (stainless steel, permalloy, etc.), nickel, brass, silicon wafers, copper, copper alloys, gold, silver, cobalt, aluminum, zinc, tin. , tin alloy, titanium, chromium, and other metal materials. When the mold of the present invention is made of metal, the molding surface may be subjected to electroless plating with a metal material such as nickel, plating treatment such as electroforming, or shape processing by photolithography.

As the material constituting the mold of the present invention, resin is preferable, and silicone resin is especially preferable. When silicone resin is used, it has excellent compatibility with curable materials containing epoxy compounds and has excellent shape accuracy. Furthermore, since the molded product has excellent mold releasability and mold flexibility, the molded product can be taken out more easily.

The mold of the present invention may be a commercially available product or a manufactured product. When manufacturing the mold of the present invention, it can be manufactured, for example, by molding (preferably imprint molding) a resin composition that forms the mold, and then thermally curing it. A mold having a desired uneven shape can be used for molding the resin composition, and can be manufactured by, for example, the following methods (1) and (2).
(1) A method of pressing a mold against a coating film of a resin composition applied on a substrate, curing the coating film of the resin composition, and then peeling off the mold. (2) A method of peeling off the resin composition from the mold. A method in which the object is directly coated, a substrate is placed on top of it, the resin composition coating is cured, and the mold is removed.

On the molding surface of the mold of the present invention, at least a portion of the pattern area may be treated with a mold release agent. Methods for treating mold release agents include, for example, a method of forming a mold release film by applying a mold release agent such as a fluorine-based mold release agent, a silicone-based mold release agent, a wax-based mold release agent, etc.; Examples include a method of forming a vapor-deposited release film by vacuum vapor-depositing. Examples of the method for applying the release agent include spray coating, dip coating, spin coating, and screen printing.

The above mold release film may be one layer or multilayer. Moreover, when the mold release film is multilayered, each layer may be formed of the same component or may be formed of different components. In the present invention, a mold having a mold release film coated with a fluorine-based mold release agent on the molding surface is particularly preferred because it has excellent mold release properties.

[Molded product]
FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an example of a molded product of the present invention. (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a top view, and (c) is a side view.

The molded product 2 of the present invention has a first surface 2A to which the pattern shape 11 of the molding surface 1A of the mold 1 of the present invention is transferred, and a second surface 2B on the back side thereof. The shape of the molded product 2 of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it has the first surface 2A and the second surface 2B, but as shown in FIG. A substrate with 2B is preferred.

The first surface 2A of the molded product of the present invention has a transfer region 21 (the pattern shape is not shown) having an inverted shape to which the pattern shape of the pattern region 11 of the molding surface 1A of the mold of the present invention is transferred. In addition to the transfer area 21, the first surface 2A may have a non-transfer area 22 around the transfer area 21.

The pattern shape formed in the transfer area 21 on the first surface 2A is not particularly limited, but is preferably applied to high-quality optical members, such as lenses, prisms, LEDs, organic EL elements, semiconductor lasers, transistors, etc. Examples include solar cells, CCD image sensors, optical waveguides, optical fibers, substitute glass (for example, display substrates, hard disk substrates, polarizing films), optical diffraction elements, etc. Lenses that require high precision are particularly preferred.

The type and shape of the lens is not particularly limited, but examples include eyeglass lenses, lenses for optical equipment, lenses for optoelectronics, lenses for lasers, lenses for pickups, lenses for car cameras, lenses for mobile cameras, lenses for smartphones, and digital lenses. Examples include camera lenses, OHP lenses, Fresnel lenses, microlenses, wafer level lenses, etc., and it is particularly preferably applicable to wafer level lenses that are small, thin, and require high precision.

The molded product of the present invention includes, but is not particularly limited to, a substrate portion in which two or more of the elements (optical elements) of the optical member are arranged two-dimensionally on the first surface and connects these optical elements to each other. It can be suitably applied to an array (optical element array) having the following. The molded product of the present invention has small warpage of the entire molded product and high positional accuracy of the molded pattern, so when the optical element array is separated into individual optical elements, multiple optical elements with uniform shape accuracy can be created. Obtainable. When the optical element array is a wafer level lens array, the diameter of the lens is, for example, 1 to 5 mm. Further, the width of the substrate portion is, for example, 1 mm or less, preferably 0.05 to 1 mm, particularly preferably 0.05 to 0.5 mm.

Although the second surface of the molded product of the present invention is not particularly limited, it may have a pattern shape or may have a planar shape without a pattern shape. It is preferable to have at least a flat part to which the base material sticks and is stably fixed to the second surface in the process. The ratio of the area of the flat portion to the total area (100%) of the second surface is not particularly limited, but is preferably 15% or more, more preferably 25% or more, and still more preferably 35% or more. When the area ratio of the flat portion is 15% or more, the second surface can be stably fixed to the base material, and the molded product can be reliably released from the mold. The upper limit of the area ratio of the flat portion is not particularly limited, and may be 100%, that is, the entire second surface may be the flat portion. The area of the flat part and the total area of the second surface are the upper surface when the molded product is placed in a horizontal position with the second surface facing upward (see FIG. (b) This is the area of the entire projected view of the plane part and the second surface as seen from (a). Hereinafter, in the specification of this application, "area" shall be defined in the same manner.

When the second surface of the molded product of the present invention has a pattern shape, it is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the second surface has no convex portion on the plane portion to which the base material is attached. If the second surface has a convex portion relative to the flat portion, the base material may not be able to sufficiently adhere to the flat portion of the second surface, and the molded product may not be released properly.

When the second surface of the molded product of the present invention has a pattern shape, it may have a recessed portion relative to the flat portion to which the base material is attached, although it is not particularly limited. In this case, when the molded product of the present invention is an optical element array, the two or more recesses present on the second surface are arranged at positions corresponding to the two or more optical elements present on the first surface. It is preferable that

When the second surface of the molded product of the present invention has a recess with respect to the plane portion to which the base material is attached, the ratio of the area of the recess to the entire area (100%) of the second surface 2B is Although not particularly limited, it is preferably 85% or less, more preferably 75% or less, and still more preferably 65% or less. When the area ratio of the recessed portion is 85% or less, the second surface can be stably fixed to the base material of the present invention, and the molded product can be reliably released from the mold. The lower limit of the ratio of the area of the recess to the total area of the second surface is not particularly limited, and the present invention also includes a case where the ratio is 0%, that is, there is no recess on the second surface.

The molded article of the present invention can be formed by supplying a curable material to the molding surface of the mold of the present invention and curing it.

The above-mentioned curable material is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of mass production and moldability of molded products, resins that cure in a short time and have excellent heat resistance are preferred, such as epoxy-based cation-curable resin compositions, acrylic-based radical-curable resin compositions, etc. curable resin compositions, curable silicone resin compositions, etc. Among these, silicone resin compositions that cure in a short time, have a short casting time in a mold, have a low curing shrinkage rate, have excellent dimensional stability, and are susceptible to oxygen inhibition during curing. An epoxy-based cationically curable resin composition (curable epoxy resin composition) is preferred.

As the epoxy resin, known or commonly used compounds having one or more epoxy groups (oxirane ring) in the molecule can be used, such as alicyclic epoxy compounds, aromatic epoxy compounds, aliphatic epoxy compounds, etc. Can be mentioned. In the present invention, in particular, a polycyclic resin having an alicyclic structure and two or more epoxy groups as a functional group in one molecule is advantageous in that a cured product with excellent heat resistance and transparency can be formed. Preferred are functional cycloaliphatic epoxy compounds.

Specifically, the polyfunctional alicyclic epoxy compound includes:
(i) A compound having an epoxy group composed of two adjacent carbon atoms and an oxygen atom constituting an alicyclic ring (i.e., an alicyclic epoxy group) (ii) A compound having an epoxy group directly bonded to an alicyclic ring with a single bond. (iii) A compound having an alicyclic ring and a glycidyl group.

Examples of the above-mentioned compound (i) having an alicyclic epoxy group include a compound represented by the following formula (i).

In the above formula (i), X represents a single bond or a connecting group (a divalent group having one or more atoms). Examples of the above-mentioned linking group include a divalent hydrocarbon group, an alkenylene group in which part or all of the carbon-carbon double bond is epoxidized, a carbonyl group, an ether bond, an ester bond, a carbonate group, an amide group, and the like. Examples include a group in which a plurality of are connected. In addition, a substituent (for example, an alkyl group, etc.) may be bonded to the cyclohexene oxide group in formula (i).

Examples of the divalent hydrocarbon group include a linear or branched alkylene group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, a divalent alicyclic hydrocarbon group, and the like. Examples of the linear or branched alkylene group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms include a methylene group, a methylmethylene group, a dimethylmethylene group, an ethylene group, a propylene group, and a trimethylene group. Examples of the divalent alicyclic hydrocarbon group include a 1,2-cyclopentylene group, a 1,3-cyclopentylene group, a cyclopentylidene group, a 1,2-cyclohexylene group, and a 1,3-cyclopentylene group. Examples include cycloalkylene groups (including cycloalkylidene groups) such as cyclohexylene group, 1,4-cyclohexylene group, and cyclohexylidene group.

Examples of the alkenylene group in which part or all of the carbon-carbon double bond is epoxidized (sometimes referred to as an "epoxidized alkenylene group") include a vinylene group, a propenylene group, and a 1-butenylene group. , 2-butenylene group, butadienylene group, pentenylene group, hexenylene group, heptenylene group, octenylene group, and other straight or branched alkenylene groups having 2 to 8 carbon atoms. In particular, the epoxidized alkenylene group is preferably an alkenylene group in which all of the carbon-carbon double bonds are epoxidized, more preferably an alkenylene group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms in which all of the carbon-carbon double bonds are epoxidized. It is an alkenylene group.

The linking group in alkenylene group; a group in which a plurality of these groups are connected; and a group in which one or more of these groups are connected to one or more of the above divalent hydrocarbon groups.

Representative examples of the compound represented by the above formula (i) include (3,4,3',4'-diepoxy)bicyclohexyl, bis(3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl)ether, 1,2- Epoxy-1,2-bis(3,4-epoxycyclohexan-1-yl)ethane, 2,2-bis(3,4-epoxycyclohexan-1-yl)propane, 1,2-bis(3,4- Examples include epoxycyclohexan-1-yl)ethane and compounds represented by the following formulas (i-1) to (i-10). L in the following formula (i-5) is an alkylene group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, and among them, a linear or branched chain having 1 to 3 carbon atoms such as a methylene group, ethylene group, propylene group, and isopropylene group. An alkylene group having a shape is preferable. n ¹ to n ⁸ in the following formulas (i-5), (i-7), (i-9), and (i-10) each represent an integer of 1 to 30.

The above-mentioned compound (i) having an alicyclic epoxy group also includes epoxy-modified siloxane.

Examples of the epoxy-modified siloxane include chain or cyclic polyorganosiloxanes having a structural unit represented by the following formula (i').

In the above formula (i'), R ¹ represents a substituent containing an epoxy group represented by the following formula (1a) or (1b), and R ² represents an alkyl group or an alkoxy group.

In the formula, R ^1a and R ^1b are the same or different and represent a linear or branched alkylene group, such as methylene group, methylmethylene group, dimethylmethylene group, ethylene group, propylene group, trimethylene group, tetra Examples include linear or branched alkylene groups having 1 to 10 carbon atoms such as methylene group, pentamethylene group, hexamethylene group, and decamethylene group.

The epoxy equivalent weight (according to JIS K7236) of the epoxy-modified siloxane is, for example, 100 to 400, preferably 150 to 300.

As the epoxy-modified siloxane, for example, commercially available products such as epoxy-modified cyclic polyorganosiloxane (trade name "X-40-2670", manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) represented by the following formula (i'-1) can be used. Can be used.

Examples of the compound (ii) having an epoxy group bonded directly to the alicyclic ring with a single bond include a compound represented by the following formula (ii).

In formula (ii), R' is a group (p-valent organic group) obtained by removing p hydroxyl groups (-OH) from the structural formula of a p-valent alcohol, and p and n ⁹ each represent a natural number. Examples of the p-valent alcohol [R'-(OH) _p ] include polyhydric alcohols (alcohols having 1 to 15 carbon atoms, etc.) such as 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)-1-butanol. p is preferably 1-6, and n ⁹ is preferably 1-30. When p is 2 or more, n ⁹ in the groups within each square bracket (outer bracket) may be the same or different. Specifically, the compound represented by the above formula (ii) is a 1,2-epoxy-4-(2-oxiranyl)cyclohexane adduct of 2,2-bis(hydroxymethyl)-1-butanol [e.g. , trade name "EHPE3150" (manufactured by Daicel Corporation), etc.].

Examples of the above-mentioned compound (iii) having an alicyclic ring and a glycidyl group include hydrogenated bisphenol A diglycidyl ether, hydrogenated bisphenol F diglycidyl ether, hydrogenated biphenol type epoxy compounds, hydrogenated phenol novolak type epoxy compounds, Hydrogenated aromatic glycidyl ether type epoxy compounds such as hydrogenated cresol novolac type epoxy compounds, hydrogenated cresol novolac type epoxy compounds of bisphenol A, hydrogenated naphthalene type epoxy compounds, hydrogenated products of trisphenolmethane type epoxy compounds, etc. It will be done.

As the polyfunctional alicyclic epoxy compound, a compound (i) having an alicyclic epoxy group is preferable, since a cured product having high surface hardness and excellent transparency can be obtained, and is represented by the above formula (i). Particularly preferred are the compounds, especially (3,4,3',4'-diepoxy)bicyclohexyl.

The curable resin composition of the present invention may contain other curable compounds in addition to the epoxy resin, for example, one or two cationic curable compounds such as oxetane compounds and vinyl ether compounds. It can contain more than one species.

The proportion of the epoxy resin in the total amount (100% by weight) of the curable compound contained in the curable resin composition is, for example, 50% by weight or more, preferably 60% by weight or more, particularly preferably 70% by weight or more, and most preferably It is 80% by weight or more. Note that the upper limit is, for example, 100% by weight, preferably 90% by weight.

Further, the proportion of the compound (i) having an alicyclic epoxy group in the total amount (100% by weight) of the curable compounds contained in the curable resin composition is, for example, 20% by weight or more, preferably 30% by weight or more, particularly Preferably it is 40% by weight or more. The upper limit is, for example, 70% by weight, preferably 60% by weight.

Further, the proportion of the compound represented by formula (i) in the total amount (100% by weight) of the curable compounds contained in the curable resin composition is, for example, 10% by weight or more, preferably 15% by weight or more, particularly preferably is 20% by weight or more. The upper limit is, for example, 50% by weight, preferably 40% by weight.

The curable resin composition preferably contains a polymerization initiator together with the curable compound, and particularly contains one or more photo or thermal polymerization initiators (particularly photo or thermal cationic polymerization initiators). It is preferable to do so.

A photocationic polymerization initiator is a compound that generates acid upon irradiation with light and starts a curing reaction of a curable compound (especially a cationic curable compound) contained in a curable resin composition, and absorbs light. It consists of a cation part and an anion part which is a source of acid generation.

Examples of photocationic polymerization initiators include diazonium salt compounds, iodonium salt compounds, sulfonium salt compounds, phosphonium salt compounds, selenium salt compounds, oxonium salt compounds, ammonium salt compounds, bromine salt compounds, etc. can be mentioned.

In the present invention, it is particularly preferable to use a sulfonium salt-based compound since a cured product with excellent curability can be formed. Examples of the cation moiety of the sulfonium salt compound include (4-hydroxyphenyl)methylbenzylsulfonium ion, triphenylsulfonium ion, diphenyl[4-(phenylthio)phenyl]sulfonium ion, and 4-(4-biphenylylthio)phenyl. Examples include arylsulfonium ions (particularly triarylsulfonium ions) such as -4-biphenylylphenylsulfonium ion and tri-p-tolylsulfonium ion.

The anion moiety of the photocationic polymerization initiator is, for example, [(Y) _s B(Phf) _4-s ] ^- (wherein, Y represents a phenyl group or a biphenylyl group. Phf represents a hydrogen atom in which at least one hydrogen atom is represents a phenyl group substituted with at least one selected from a perfluoroalkyl group, a perfluoroalkoxy group, and a halogen atom (s is an integer of 0 to 3), BF ₄ ^- , [(Rf) _t PF _6-t ] ^- (wherein, Rf represents an alkyl group in which 80% or more of the hydrogen atoms are substituted with fluorine atoms; t represents an integer from 0 to 5), AsF ₆ ^- , SbF ₆ ^- , SbF ₅ Examples include OH ^- .

Examples of the photocationic polymerization initiator include (4-hydroxyphenyl)methylbenzylsulfonium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, 4-(4-biphenylylthio)phenyl-4-biphenylylphenylsulfonium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl) Borate, 4-(phenylthio)phenyldiphenylsulfonium Phenyltris(pentafluorophenyl)borate, [4-(4-biphenylylthio)phenyl]-4-biphenylylphenylsulfonium Phenyltris(pentafluorophenyl)borate, diphenyl[4 -(phenylthio)phenyl]sulfonium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate, diphenyl[4-(phenylthio)phenyl]sulfonium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate, diphenyl[4-(phenylthio)phenyl]sulfonium hexafluorophosphate, 4 -(4-biphenylylthio)phenyl-4-biphenylylphenylsulfonium tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate, bis[4-(diphenylsulfonio)phenyl]sulfide phenyltris(pentafluorophenyl)borate, [4- (2-thioxanthonylthio)phenyl]phenyl-2-thioxantonylsulfonium phenyltris(pentafluorophenyl)borate, 4-(phenylthio)phenyldiphenylsulfonium hexafluoroantimonate, trade name "Cyracure UVI-6970", " CYRACURE UVI-6974'', ``CYRACURE UVI-6990'', ``CYRACURE UVI-950'' (manufactured by Union Carbide, USA), ``Irgacure250'', ``Irgacure261'', ``Irgacure264'', ``CG-24-61'' (all of the above) , manufactured by BASF), "Optomer SP-150", "Optomer SP-151", "Optomer SP-170", "Optomer SP-171" (manufactured by ADEKA Co., Ltd.), "DAICAT II" (manufactured by ADEKA Co., Ltd.) ) manufactured by Daicel), “UVAC1590”, “UVAC1591” (manufactured by Daicel Cytec Corporation), “CI-2064”, “CI-2639”, “CI-2624”, “CI-2481”, “CI -2734'', ``CI-2855'', ``CI-2823'', ``CI-2758'', ``CIT-1682'' (manufactured by Nippon Soda Co., Ltd.), ``PI-2074'' (manufactured by Rhodia, Tetrakis ( (pentafluorophenyl)borate tolylkumyliodonium salt), "FFC509" (manufactured by 3M), "BBI-102", "BBI-101", "BBI-103", "MPI-103", "TPS-103" , "MDS-103", "DTS-103", "NAT-103", "NDS-103" (manufactured by Midori Chemical Co., Ltd.), "CD-1010", "CD-1011", "CD- Commercial products such as "1012" (manufactured by Sartomer, USA), "CPI-100P", and "CPI-101A" (manufactured by San-Apro Co., Ltd.) can be used.

Thermal cationic polymerization initiator is a compound that generates acid by heat treatment and starts the curing reaction of the cationic curable compound contained in the curable resin composition. It consists of an anion part that is the source of generation. One type of thermal cationic polymerization initiator can be used alone or two or more types can be used in combination.

Examples of the thermal cationic polymerization initiator include iodonium salt compounds and sulfonium salt compounds.

Examples of the cation moiety of the thermal cationic polymerization initiator include 4-hydroxyphenyl-methyl-benzylsulfonium ion, 4-hydroxyphenyl-methyl-(2-methylbenzyl)sulfonium ion, and 4-hydroxyphenyl-methyl-1-naphthyl. Examples include methylsulfonium ion, p-methoxycarbonyloxyphenyl-benzyl-methylsulfonium ion, and the like.

Examples of the anion part of the thermal cationic polymerization initiator include the same examples as the anion part of the photo-cationic polymerization initiator.

Examples of the thermal cationic polymerization initiator include 4-hydroxyphenyl-methyl-benzylsulfonium phenyltris(pentafluorophenyl)borate, 4-hydroxyphenyl-methyl-(2-methylbenzyl)sulfonium phenyltris(pentafluorophenyl)borate , 4-hydroxyphenyl-methyl-1-naphthylmethylsulfonium phenyltris(pentafluorophenyl)borate, p-methoxycarbonyloxyphenyl-benzyl-methylsulfonium phenyltris(pentafluorophenyl)borate, and the like.

The content of the polymerization initiator is, for example, in a range of 0.1 to 5.0 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the curable compound (in particular, the cationic curable compound) contained in the curable resin composition. If the content of the polymerization initiator is below the above range, curing failure may occur. On the other hand, when the content of the polymerization initiator exceeds the above range, the cured product tends to be easily colored.

The curable resin composition of the present invention contains the above-mentioned curable compound and polymerization initiator, and other components as necessary (for example, a solvent, an antioxidant, a surface conditioner, a photosensitizer, an antifoaming agent, a leveling agent, etc.). (coupling agents, surfactants, flame retardants, ultraviolet absorbers, colorants, etc.). The amount of other components blended is, for example, 20% by weight or less, preferably 10% by weight or less, particularly preferably 5% by weight or less, based on the total amount of the curable resin composition.

The viscosity at 25° C. of the curable resin composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 5000 mPa·s or less, more preferably 2500 mPa·s or less. By adjusting the viscosity of the curable resin composition of the present invention within the above range, fluidity is improved, bubbles are less likely to remain, and the mold can be filled while suppressing an increase in injection pressure. . That is, the coating properties and filling properties can be improved, and the workability can be improved throughout the entire molding operation of the curable resin composition of the present invention. The viscosity in this specification is a value measured using a rheometer ("PHYSICA UDS200" manufactured by Paar Physica) at a temperature of 25° C. and a rotation speed of 20/sec.

As the curable resin composition in the present invention, commercially available products such as "CELVENUS OUH106" and "CELVENUS OTM107" (all manufactured by Daicel Corporation) can be used, for example.

For example, when a photocurable resin composition is used as the curable resin composition, the curable material can be cured by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays. As a light source for ultraviolet irradiation, a high-pressure mercury lamp, an ultra-high-pressure mercury lamp, a carbon arc lamp, a xenon lamp, a metal halide lamp, etc. are used. The irradiation time varies depending on the type of light source, the distance between the light source and the coating surface, and other conditions, but is several tens of seconds at most. The illumination intensity is about 5 to 200 mW. After irradiation with ultraviolet rays, heating (post-curing) may be performed as necessary to accelerate curing.

For example, when a thermosetting resin composition is used as the curable resin composition, the curable resin composition can be cured by heat treatment. The heating temperature is, for example, about 60 to 150°C. The heating time is, for example, about 0.5 to 20 hours.

The method of supplying and curing the above-mentioned curable material to the molding surface of the mold of the present invention can preferably be carried out by an imprint molding method, and for example, the following methods (1) to (3) can be used. Can be mentioned.
(1) A method of applying a curable material to the molding surface of the mold of the present invention, adhering a substrate thereon, curing the coating film of the curable material, and then peeling off the substrate (2) ) A method of pressing the molding surface of the mold of the present invention against a coating film of a curable material applied on a substrate, curing the coating film of the curable material, and then peeling off the substrate. A method in which a curable material is applied to the molding surface of a mold, a substrate coated with the curable material is brought into close contact with the molded surface, the combined coating film of the curable material is cured, and then the substrate is peeled off.

For example, when using a photocurable resin composition as a curable material, it is preferable to use a substrate having a light transmittance of 90% or more at a wavelength of 400 nm, and a substrate made of quartz, glass, or resin. can be suitably used. Note that the light transmittance at the wavelength is determined by using a substrate (thickness: 1 mm) as a test piece and measuring the light transmittance at the wavelength irradiated onto the test piece using a spectrophotometer.

For example, when a thermosetting resin composition is used as the curable material, the curable resin composition can be cured by heat treatment. The heating temperature is, for example, about 60 to 150°C. The heating time is, for example, about 0.5 to 20 hours.

In the methods (1) to (3) above, the surface of the molded product exposed by peeling off the substrate is the second surface, which is held on the molding surface of the mold of the present invention, and the pattern shape is reversely transferred. The surface is the first surface.

The substrate may be a mold having a patterned portion, or may be a flat substrate. For example, if the second surface of the molded product of the present invention does not have an uneven shape, a flat substrate can be used. On the other hand, when the second surface has an uneven shape, a mold having a corresponding uneven shape can be used as the substrate, but it is preferable to have at least a flat portion. Since the substrate has a flat portion, the flat portion is transferred to the second surface, and the base material is easily attached and stably fixed.

The substrate may be made of a different material from the mold of the present invention, or may be made of the same material. Moreover, the molding surfaces of the substrate and the mold of the present invention may have the same or corresponding pattern shapes, or may have different pattern shapes.

A curable material is applied to at least one of the molding surface of the mold of the present invention and the substrate before being superimposed, but in order to prevent the generation of voids (bubbles) in the molded product, the hardening material of the present invention is applied. It is preferable to use a mold whose molding surface is coated with a curable material. In this case, the substrate may or may not be coated with a curable material.

The curable material can be applied to the molding surface of the mold of the present invention and/or the substrate by a known or commonly used coating method. Examples of the above coating include spin coating, roll coating, spray coating (spray atomization), dispense coating, dip coating, inkjet coating, airbrush coating (airbrush atomization), and ultrasonic coating (ultrasonic atomization). Can be mentioned.

By the methods (1) to (3) above, a molded product with the first surface attached to the molding surface of the mold can be obtained. FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of an example of a state in which the first surface of the molded product is attached to the molding surface of the mold. (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a top view, and (c) is a side view.

The first surface 2A of the molded product 2 is attached to the molding surface 1A of the mold 1, and has a pattern region 11 (not shown) on the molding surface 1A and a transfer region 21 (not shown) in which the pattern shape of the pattern region 11 is reversely transferred. (pattern shapes are not shown) are in close contact with each other in an interlocking state. Therefore, when the molded product 2 is released from the molding surface 1A of the mold 1, a load is applied to the pattern shape formed in the transfer area 21, causing warping of the entire molded product 2 or deteriorating the positional accuracy of the pattern shape. Cheap.

The first step of the mold release method of the present invention is a step of attaching a base material (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the base material of the present invention") to the entire second surface of the molded product. FIG. 4 shows an example of the first step of the mold release method of the present invention. The base material 3 of the present invention is attached to the entire second surface 2B of the molded product 2 of the present invention.

"The base material sticks to the entire second surface" means that the base material sticks not only to the non-transfer area 22 of the second surface but also to the entire surface of the second surface corresponding to the transfer area 21. means. However, if a recess is present on the second surface, the recess does not need to be in contact with the base material. In other words, it is sufficient that the entire plane portion existing on the second surface sticks to the base material.

The material constituting the base material of the present invention is not particularly limited, but paper, resin, nonwoven fabric, metal, glass, silicone, etc. can be used. is preferably a resin.

The resin as the material constituting the base material of the present invention is not particularly limited, but includes, for example, polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl chloride, and polyvinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer. , poly(meth)acrylic esters, polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymers, cellulose derivatives such as cellulose acetate, polyesters (polyalkylene terephthalates such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, etc.) polyalkylene naphthalate, etc.), polycarbonate, polyamide (polyamide 6, polyamide 6/6, polyamide 6/10, polyamide 6/12, etc.), polyester amide, polyether, polyimide, polyamideimide, polyether ester, etc. Furthermore, copolymers, blends, and crosslinked products of these may also be used. In order to uniformly distribute the load during mold release over the entire molded product, polyester resins and polyolefin resins are preferred.

The shape of the base material of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be in the form of a film, sheet, or plate. However, in order to uniformly distribute the load during mold release over the entire molded product, A sheet form is preferred, and a resin sheet is particularly preferred.

When the base material of the present invention is in the form of a sheet, its area is not particularly limited as long as it is larger than the second surface of the molded product of the present invention. In order to hold it, it is preferably wider than the molding surface of the mold of the present invention. The ratio of the area of the base material of the present invention to the area (100%) of the molding surface of the mold of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 100 to 500%, more preferably 100 to 400%.

When the base material of the present invention is in the form of a sheet, its thickness is not particularly limited, but in order to uniformly distribute the load during mold release over the entire molded product, it is preferably 50 to 300 μm, more preferably 50 μm. ~200μm.

The breaking stress of the base material of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 20 to 200 MPa, more preferably 25 to 180 MPa. When the breaking stress of the base material of the present invention is within this range, it becomes easier to uniformly distribute the load during mold release over the entire molded product. That is, if the breaking stress of the base material of the present invention is lower than 20 MPa, the base material of the present invention becomes too soft, and it may be difficult to uniformly distribute the load during mold release over the entire molded product. . On the other hand, when the breaking stress of the base material of the present invention is higher than 200 MPa, the base material of the present invention becomes too hard, and mold release itself may become difficult.
The above breaking stress is a value measured at a sample size of 15 mm x 10 mm and a tensile speed of 200 mm/min.

When the base material of the present invention is in the form of a sheet, it is preferable to have an adhesive layer on one surface of the base material in order to fix it to the second surface of the molded product of the present invention.

The adhesives constituting the above adhesive layer are not particularly limited, but include acrylic adhesives, rubber adhesives (natural rubber adhesives, synthetic rubber adhesives, etc.), silicone adhesives, and polyester adhesives. , urethane adhesive, polyamide adhesive, epoxy adhesive, vinyl alkyl ether adhesive, fluorine adhesive, etc. can be used. The above-mentioned pressure-sensitive adhesives may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The adhesive may be in any form such as an emulsion adhesive, a solvent adhesive, a hot melt adhesive, an oligomer adhesive, or a solid adhesive. Acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives and the like are preferred from the viewpoint of easily distributing the load during mold release uniformly over the entire molded product.

The adhesive layer may be a single layer or a laminate consisting of multiple layers, and when consisting of multiple layers, it may be a laminate of adhesive layers of the same type, It may also be a laminate of different types of adhesive layers. Further, it may be laminated on the base material of the present invention via an intermediate layer, an undercoat layer, or the like.

The above-mentioned adhesive layer may be laminated on the entire one side of the base material of the present invention, as long as the adhesive layer can adhere to the entire second side of the molded product. It may be laminated on a part of the surface.

The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer may be protected by a release sheet, and in that case, the release sheet is removed before use in the mold release method of the present invention.

The thickness of the adhesive layer is not particularly limited, but is preferably 5 to 50 μm, more preferably 5 to 40 μm, from the viewpoint of making it easier to uniformly distribute the load during mold release over the entire molded product.

The adhesive force of the adhesive layer is not particularly limited as long as it is strong enough to release the molded product from the molding surface of the mold while holding the base material of the present invention on the second surface, but preferably It is 3N/20mm or more, more preferably 4N/20mm or more, even more preferably 5N/20mm or more. By setting the adhesive force of the adhesive layer to 3N/20mm or more, the molded product can be reliably released from the molding surface of the mold, and the load when releasing the mold can be easily distributed evenly over the entire molded product. This makes it easier to improve the precision of molded products. On the other hand, the upper limit of the adhesive force of the adhesive layer is not particularly limited, but is preferably 25 N/20 mm or less, more preferably 24 N/20 mm or less, and still more preferably 23 N/20 mm or less. If the adhesive force of the adhesive layer exceeds 25N/20mm, it becomes difficult to peel the base material from the second surface of the molded product after the molded product is released from the mold, and when the base material is peeled off, the molded product Accuracy may decrease or adhesive residue may be left on the second surface after peeling.
The above adhesive strength is a value measured as a 180° peel adhesive strength to a silicon mirror wafer in accordance with JIS-Z-0237.

The adhesive constituting the adhesive layer may be a non-curing type or a curable type. When the above-mentioned pressure-sensitive adhesive is a curable type, it may be a thermosetting type or a photocurable type (a type that is cured by active energy rays such as ultraviolet rays or electron beams). When the above-mentioned adhesive is a curable type, the above-mentioned adhesive is solidified by heating or light irradiation after the mold release method of the present invention, so that the obtained molded product of the present invention cannot be peeled from the base material. It becomes easier.

As the base material of the present invention, commercially available adhesive sheets can be used without limitation, and those manufactured by Nitto Denko Co., Ltd., Lintec Co., Ltd., 3M Co., Ltd., Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., Denka Adtex Co., Ltd., etc. Commonly sold adhesive tapes, UV release tapes, heat release tapes, and the like can be used.

The first step of the mold release method of the present invention is not particularly limited, but when the base material of the present invention is a sheet having an adhesive layer, the adhesive layer is in close contact with the entire second surface of the molded product. This can be done by pasting it on. The surface of the base material of the present invention that does not have an adhesive layer may be pressed with a roller or the like so that the adhesive layer reliably adheres to the entire second surface.

In the second step of the mold release method of the present invention, the molded product of the present invention is released from the mold by relatively moving the base material and the mold in a direction in which the base material of the present invention and the mold of the present invention are separated from each other. This is the process of In the second step, the molded product is released from the molding surface of the mold while being held on the base material.

The movement of the base material and/or the mold may be relative as long as the two are spaced apart, and it may be possible to move only the base material, only the mold, or both, but it is not necessary to move the base material and/or the mold in an efficient manner. In order to release the molded product, it is preferable to fix the mold and move the base material in a direction away from the mold.

Although the movement of the base material and/or the mold is not particularly limited, it may be performed manually, for example, the end portion of the base material may be held by a holding member and moved.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the second step of the mold release method of the present invention. (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a side view. Hold one end of the base material 3 manually or with a holding member, and as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 5(a2) and 5(b2), the base material and the mold are diagonally separated by applying force F to separate the molded product 2 from the base material 3. Release from the molding surface.

FIG. 6 shows another example of the second step of the mold release method of the present invention. (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a side view. At least two or more ends of the base material 3 are held manually or with a holding member, and as shown in FIGS. Apply force F to horizontally separate the base material and the mold as shown in FIGS. Make a mold.

When releasing the mold, in order to uniformly distribute the load over the entire molded product and improve the precision of the molded product, the end of the base material is spaced diagonally away from the mold, as shown in Figure 5. Preferably, the molded product is released from the molding surface of the mold while being held on the base material.

By the mold release method of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a molded product in which the second surface is attached to the base material. FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of an example of a molded product in which the base material obtained by the mold release method of the present invention is stuck to the second surface. (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a top view, and (c) is a sectional view taken along line XX'.

FIG. 7(a) shows a perspective view of the molded product 2 with the second surface 2B attached to the base material 3. On the first surface 2A of the molded product 2, a transfer region 21 (the pattern shape is not shown) to which the pattern shape is transferred is exposed.

FIG. 7(b) shows a top view of the molded product 2 with the second surface 2B attached to the base material 3, and FIG. 7(c) shows a cross-sectional view along line XX'. In FIG. 7(b), two or more optical elements 23 are two-dimensionally arranged in the transfer area 21 of the first surface 2A of the molded product 2. According to the mold release method of the present invention, when the molded product 2 is released from the molding surface 1A of the mold 1, the load is uniformly applied to the entire molded product 2, so the warpage of the molded product 2 is small and two or more Excellent positional accuracy between optical elements 23.

The mold release method of the present invention may further include the following third step after the second step.
Third step: The base material is peeled off from the second surface of the molded product obtained in the second step.

In the third step, the base material is peeled off from the second surface of the molded product, and for example, the molded product 2 shown in FIG. 2 can be obtained.

The method of peeling the base material from the second surface of the molded product is not particularly limited, and includes holding at least one end of the base material and moving the base material and/or molded product relative to each other in a direction away from the molded product. This can be done by moving away. The base material and/or the molded product can be relatively moved apart, but is not particularly limited, and can be performed in the same manner as the method of relatively moving the base material and/or mold shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, for example.

As mentioned above, when the adhesive in the adhesive layer is a curable type, the adhesive is solidified by heating or irradiation with light, making it easy to peel off the molded product of the present invention from the base material. .

Furthermore, when the molded product is an optical element array, it is also preferable that the mold release method of the present invention further includes the following 3' step after the second step.
3' step: A molded product obtained in the second step, which has a plurality of optical elements two-dimensionally arranged on the first surface and whose second surface is fixed with the base material (i.e., the optical element The optical element is diced to obtain an optical member.

FIGS. 7(b) and 7(c) show a state in which the second surface 2B of the molded product 2, which is an optical element array, is fixed to the base material 3. Since the base material 3 can also function as a dicing tape, by dicing the molded product 2, which is an optical element array fixed to the base material 3, it is possible to separate the optical elements 23 into pieces and obtain optical members.

The optical element 23 can be separated into individual pieces by dicing the molded product 2, which is an optical element array, along the cutting line 24 in FIG. 7(b). By dicing, an optical member is obtained in which a substrate portion corresponding to the substrate of the molded product 2 is bonded to the periphery of the individualized optical element 23. The molded product 2, which is an optical element array obtained by the mold release method of the present invention, has little warpage, high positional accuracy of two or more optical elements 23, and small deviation, so that it can be used for a plurality of optical members with uniform shapes. Obtainable.

The means for dividing the optical element array into pieces is not particularly limited and any known and commonly used means can be employed, but it is particularly preferable to use a dicing blade that rotates at high speed.

When cutting using a dicing blade that rotates at high speed, the rotational speed of the dicing blade is, for example, about 10,000 to 50,000 revolutions/minute. Additionally, when cutting an optical element array using a blade that rotates at high speed, frictional heat is generated, so cutting the optical element array while cooling it is recommended that the frictional heat deform the optical element or deteriorate its optical properties. This is preferable in that it can suppress the occurrence of

When cutting the optical element array using a dicing blade, it is preferable not to cut the base material of the present invention. In that case, the individualized optical members are fixed to the base material on the second surface, and the optical members can be taken out by picking up each optical member from the base material.

The mold release method of the present invention may be carried out by the mold release apparatus of the present invention. The mold release device 100 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a mold release device 100 of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 8, the mold release device 100 of the present invention includes a pasting section (pasting means) 101 and a moving section (moving means) 102, and the control section 110 is a pasting control section (pasting control means). 111, and a movement control section (movement control means) 112.

In the mold release device 100 of the present invention, the sticking section 101 sticks the base material to the second surface of the molded product attached to the molding surface of the mold. The moving unit 102 relatively moves the base material and/or the mold in the direction of separation. The moving unit 102 may move only the base material, only the mold, or both the base material and the mold. It is preferable to move only the material. The control unit 110 controls the pasting unit 101 and the moving unit 102 to execute the mold release method of the present invention.

Next, the processing of each part of the control section 110 will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the mold release method of the present invention.

The pasting control unit 111 controls the pasting unit 101 to perform the first step of pasting the base material on the second surface. The pasting unit 101 pastes the base material on the entire second surface of the molded product under control from the pasting control unit 111 (S1: first step). In the mold release device 100 of the present invention, a commercially available adhesive sheet applicator and its control unit can be used as is for the applicator 101 and the applicator control unit 111, and there is no need to separately construct a high-precision control system. do not have.

After the first step, the movement control unit 112 controls the moving unit 102 to perform a second step of relatively moving the base material and the mold in a direction in which the base material and/or the mold are separated. The moving unit 102 relatively moves the base material and/or the mold apart according to the control from the movement control unit 112 (S2: second step). The movement control unit 112 holds the end of the base material with a holding member (for example, a robot hand) included in the moving unit 102, and adjusts it to apply force F to the end of the base material as shown in FIG. 5 or 6. It is preferable to do so. In the mold release device 100 of the present invention, a commercially available robot hand, robot arm, control unit, etc. can be used as they are for the moving unit 102 and the movement control unit 112, and there is no need to separately construct a high-precision control system. do not have.

The mold release device of the present invention may have a second movement section and a second movement control section for implementing the third step, if necessary. As the second moving unit and the second movement control unit, a commercially available robot hand, a robot arm, a control unit thereof, etc. similar to the movement unit 102 and the movement control unit 112 can be used.

The mold release device of the present invention may have a dicing section and a dicing control section for implementing the third' step, if necessary. As the dicing section and the dicing control section, a commercially available dicing device and its control section can be used.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

Examples and comparative examples will be shown regarding typical embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto and are merely illustrative.

Manufacturing example 1
A silicone resin mold (lower mold 4) having a diameter of 150 mm and a height of 3 mm as shown in FIG. 10 was prepared. (a) is a top view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA'. A plurality of recesses 41 are arranged on the molding surface of the lower mold 4 as shown in FIG. 10(a).
After dip-coating the molding surface of the lower mold 4 with a fluorine-based mold release agent (Optool HD-1100, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.), 10 g of epoxy resin (CELVENUS106, manufactured by Daicel Corporation) was dropped. Then, a silicone resin plate (upper mold 5, flat substrate) whose surface of the same size had been subjected to mold release treatment with a fluorine-based mold release agent was closed to a thickness of about 0.5 mm (Fig. 11(a)). ), UV irradiation was performed at 100 mW/cm ² ×30 seconds. When the upper mold 5 is removed, a resin wafer 6 is obtained as a cured product of epoxy resin in which convex portions 61 are formed at positions corresponding to the concave portions 41 of the lower mold 4 and adhered to the molding surface of the lower mold 4. (See Figure 11(b)).

Example 1
After the resin wafer 6 was attached to the molding surface of the lower mold 4 obtained in Production Example 1, the upper mold 5 of the resin wafer 6 was removed and an adhesive sheet (SRL-0759, Lintec Co., Ltd.) was applied to the entire surface formed. ) was attached, and the end of the adhesive sheet was pulled with a force F applied diagonally as shown in FIG. 5, and the resin wafer 6 was released from the lower mold 4.

Comparative example 1
An explanatory diagram showing the mold release method of Comparative Example 1 is shown in FIG. (a) is a top view, and (b) is a sectional view taken along YY'.
From the state where the resin wafer 6 is attached to the molding surface of the lower mold 4 obtained in Production Example 1, as shown in FIG. Insert a metal spatula 7 with a flat tip, apply force F using this principle with the spatula 7 as shown in Figure 12 (b1), and press the lower die 4 as shown in Figure 12 (b2). The resin wafer 6 was released from the molding surface.

Comparative example 2
An explanatory diagram showing the mold release method of Comparative Example 2 is shown in FIG. (a) is a top view, and (b) is a sectional view along II', II-II', and III-III'.
With the resin wafer 6 attached to the molding surface of the lower mold 4 obtained in Production Example 1, a 30 mm long x 10 mm wide piece is placed at six arbitrary points on the outer periphery of the resin wafer 6 as shown in FIG. 13(a). Attach the adhesive tape 8, apply force F at six points at the same time to lift the ends of the adhesive tape 8 as shown in FIG. 13(b1), and press the molding surface of the lower mold 4 as shown in FIG. 13(b2). The resin wafer 6 was released from the mold.

<Evaluation>
The following evaluation tests were conducted on the resin wafers obtained in Examples and Comparative Examples.

The warpage of the released resin wafer was measured using a surface shape measurement system (Dyvoce, manufactured by Kozu Seiki Co., Ltd.), and the position accuracy was measured using a CNC image measurement system (NEXIV-VMR-3030, manufactured by Nikon Corporation).
The warpage was determined by measuring the height within the surface of the resin wafer 6 and calculating it by [(peak top) - (bottom)] (μm).
The positional accuracy was evaluated based on how far each convex portion 61 deviated from the position of the corresponding concave portion 41 of the lower mold 4 in the X and Y directions with reference to the center position of the resin wafer 6. Specifically, the X and Y coordinates of each of the four points of the convex portion 61 corresponding to the concave portions A to D, which are approximately 50 mm away from the concave portion 41 of the reference point 42 as measurement points, are measured, and the deviation from the concave portion 41 is determined. It was evaluated based on the size (mm). The measurement point of the convex portion 61 was the apex position of a hemisphere with a height of 0.2 mm and a diameter of 1 mm. The results are shown in Table 1.

The mold release method and mold release apparatus of the present invention can be applied to lenses, prisms, LEDs, organic EL elements, semiconductor lasers, transistors, solar cells, CCD image sensors, optical waveguides, optical fibers, substitute glass (for example, display substrates, hard disk substrates, etc.). , polarizing film), optical diffraction elements, etc., and in manufacturing equipment for various optical members such as optical diffraction elements.

1 Mold
11 Pattern area 12 Non-pattern area 1A Molded surface 2 Molded product 21 Transfer area 22 Non-transfer area 23 Optical element 24 Cutting line 2A First surface 2B Second surface 3 Base material F Force (direction)
4 Lower mold (resin mold)
41 Recess 42 Reference point 5 Upper mold (resin plate)
6 Resin wafer 61 Convex portion 7 Metal spatula 8 Adhesive tape

Claims (8)

A molded product is formed by curing a curable material supplied to the molding surface of the mold, and has a first surface to which the pattern shape of the molding surface is transferred, and a second surface on the back side thereof, from the mold. A device for releasing the mold,
A pasting means for pasting a base material on the second surface;
a moving means for relatively moving the base material and the mold;
Pasting control means for controlling the pasting means to paste the base material over the entire second surface of the molded product that is a cured product of the curable material;
Movement control means that controls the moving means to relatively move the base material and the mold in a direction in which the base material and the mold are separated;
a second moving means for relatively moving the base material and the molded product;
a second movement control means that controls the second movement means to relatively move the base material and the molded product in a direction in which the base material and the molded product are separated ;
The molded product is an array in which two or more optical elements are two-dimensionally arranged on the first surface and has a substrate portion that connects these optical elements to each other ,
At least a part of the pattern area of the molding surface of the mold is treated with a mold release agent,
In the mold release device, the mold release agent is at least one selected from the group consisting of a fluorine mold release agent, a silicone mold release agent, and a wax mold release agent. Furthermore, dicing means;
dicing control means for controlling the dicing means to dice a molded product having a plurality of optical elements two-dimensionally arranged on a first surface and having a second surface fixed to the base material; The mold release device according to claim 1, comprising: The mold release device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the optical element is a wafer level lens. The mold release device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein there is at least a flat portion on the second surface to which the base material sticks. The mold release device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the base material is a resin sheet. The mold release device according to claim 5, wherein the resin sheet has an adhesive layer on one surface. The mold release device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the curable material is a curable epoxy resin composition. The mold release device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the material constituting the mold is at least one selected from the group consisting of resin, metal, and glass.

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