JPH04269514A - Molding die - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To manufacture a molding die of high accuracy inexpensively in a short time without using a large number of devices and equipment by using a photosensitive glass as a material for a mold used for a molding machine which fills and cures ultraviolet curing resin and the like. CONSTITUTION:As a photosensitive glass, for example, a photosensitive glass of silicate family for chemical cutting containing a small amount of metals such as Au, Ag and Cu and a sensitizer such as CeO2 is used. For example, a photomask 32 with a painted waveguide pattern array is bonded with the photosensitive glass 31, and ultraviolet rays are applied to it. Then the same is heat-treated at 450-600 deg.C to form metallic coloids on exposure sections, which are formed into a core and crystals are separated out. Successively a molding die 10 is manufactured by etching the crystals by fluoric acid of 4-5%. Ultraviolet rays are applied to the mold 10 and heat treated at 800-900 deg.C to manufacture a molding die of high strength. A high strength film of SiC, TiN or the like is formed on the surface to manufacture a large number of replicas of high accuracy.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mold used in a molding machine for filling and curing ultraviolet curing resin, for example.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, precision molding molds necessary for molding cladding substrates of optical waveguide arrays using ultraviolet curing resins are made of metal using electroforming. Below, a method for manufacturing the molding die will be specifically described based on FIG. 5.

First, a photoresist 51 is placed on the substrate 50.
After coating, ultraviolet rays 53 are applied through a photomask 52.
is irradiated to create a latent image (Figure 5(a)).

Next, development and baking are performed to form the substrate 50.
A resist pattern 55 (FIG. 5(b)) is formed on the photoresist surface, and then a conductive film 56 is formed on the photoresist surface by sputtering or the like (FIG. 5(c)). A required thickness of the cast film 57 is applied (FIG. 5(d)). After that, the electroformed film 57 is peeled off from the substrate 50, and the attached photoresist 5 is removed.
1 is removed using an organic solvent or the like, and necessary post-processing is performed to obtain a molding die 58 (FIG. 5(e)).

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the metal molding die described above requires many steps and associated equipment, as described below.

First, pattern formation using a photoresist requires many steps such as photoresist application, coating, baking, exposure, and development.

Second, the sputtering and vapor deposition methods necessary to form the conductive film require large and expensive equipment. Furthermore,
Forming a high-quality film requires a high degree of vacuum and takes a long time.

Thirdly, in forming a thick metal film by electroforming, in order to obtain a good quality film, various conditions such as metal ion concentration, additive concentration, pH, temperature, current density distribution, and amount of current must be adjusted. It is necessary to strictly manage such matters.

[0009] As mentioned above, creating conventional metal molds requires a large number of devices and equipment, and creating even better quality molds requires a lot of labor and time. It is.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its first purpose is to produce a high-precision molding metal at low cost and in a short time without using many devices and facilities. The second object of the present invention is to provide a molding die that can protect the surface of the molding die and produce a large number of highly accurate replicas.

[0011]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve this object, photosensitive glass is used as a material for the molding die of the present invention.

[0012] A high-strength film of SiC, TiN, etc. may be formed on the surface of the mold.

[0013]

[Function] In the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, for example, a mold for molding an ultraviolet curing resin molding machine is made of photosensitive glass.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a molding machine for ultraviolet curing resin.

Molding mold 10 made of photosensitive glass
is fixed to a fixture stand 11, and the fixture stand 11 is fixed to a pressurizing machine 12. For example, a transparent substrate 13 made of polycarbonate resin or the like is fixed to a transparent substrate fixing jig 14.

Next, a method of molding the waveguide array clad substrate 20 using this molding machine will be explained.

First, after uniformly dropping an ultraviolet curing resin 15 such as Aronix 310 manufactured by Toagosei Co., Ltd. onto the molding die 10, the molding die 10 and the fixing jig table 11 are pressed together using a pressurizer 12. and further press the transparent substrate 13 against the transparent substrate fixing jig 14. Then, evenly weigh about 1 kg.
After pressing with a pressure of /cm2, ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the mercury lamp 16 through the opening of the transparent substrate fixing jig 14,
The ultraviolet curing resin 15 is cured. When the pressure is removed, the ultraviolet curing resin 15, which has been cured by transferring the unevenness on the surface of the molding die 10, adheres to the transparent substrate 13, thereby forming the waveguide array cladding substrate 20. Since the ultraviolet curable resin 15 used here is liquid at room temperature, good replica accuracy can be obtained even with less pressure during molding.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a waveguide array using the waveguide array clad substrate 20 molded with a mold.

A high refractive index ultraviolet curing resin, such as Aronix 21 manufactured by Toagosei Co., Ltd., is placed in the concave portion of the cladding substrate 20.
0 is filled and cured with ultraviolet rays to form the core portion 21. Next, the same ultraviolet curable resin as the clad substrate 20 is uniformly applied and cured with ultraviolet light to form the clad 22. In the waveguide array formed in this manner, light is transmitted while being confined in the core portion 21 from the input end to the output end of the waveguide array.

Next, a method for manufacturing the molding die 10 using the photosensitive glass of the present invention will be specifically explained with reference to FIG.

[0022] Here, as the photosensitive glass, for example,
Photosensitive glass PEG3 for chemical cutting manufactured by HOYA Corporation is used. PEG3 contains small amounts of metals such as Au, Ag, C
A silicate glass system containing u and a sensitizer, such as CeO2.

First, a photomask 32 with a pattern of a waveguide array is brought into close contact with a photosensitive glass 31 that satisfies the required dimensional accuracy and surface roughness, and a mercury-xenon lamp 3 is attached.
3, irradiate and expose with ultraviolet light (FIG. 3(a)). This mercury-xenon lamp 33 has an emission spectrum near the maximum exposure sensitivity of photosensitive glass of 320 nm.

Next, this exposed photosensitive glass 31 is
When heat treated at 50 to 600° C., metal colloid is generated in the exposed portion of the glass 31, and lithium metasilicate crystals are precipitated using this as a crystal nucleus (FIG. 3(b)). The solubility of this crystal in hydrofluoric acid is approximately 50 times higher than that before crystallization.

[0025] Subsequently, 4 to 5% of the heat-treated glass 31
The mold 10 is formed by immersing it in hydrofluoric acid and dissolving and etching the exposed portion of the crystalline glass (FIG. 3(c)).
. The etching depth corresponds to the height of the core portion of the waveguide array, and is controlled by the immersion time and the hydrofluoric acid concentration. Also,
Here, the etching speed and processing accuracy are better reproducible if sufficient stirring is performed.

[0026] Furthermore, the entire body is irradiated with ultraviolet light, 800 to 900
When heat-treated at ℃, a molding die 10 having greater mechanical strength is completed.

As described above, when photosensitive glass is used, a mold for molding can be easily made by only heat treatment and hydrofluoric acid immersion after exposure.

FIG. 4 shows that S is formed on the surface of the molding die 34.
A molding die in which a high-strength film 40 of iC, TiN, etc. is formed by sputtering, vapor deposition, etc. is shown. By forming a high-strength film, it is possible to eliminate damage to the mold surface during molding.
It becomes possible to produce a larger quantity of highly accurate replicas.

[0029]

[Effect of the invention] As is clear from the detailed description above,
According to the present invention, by forming a mold for molding an ultraviolet curing resin using photosensitive glass, a photolithography process using a photoresist, an electroforming process, etc. are no longer necessary, which greatly simplifies equipment and equipment. This makes it possible to improve quality and reduce costs.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a molding machine for ultraviolet curable resin.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a waveguide array.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a method of manufacturing a molding die using photosensitive glass.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a molding die with a high-strength film formed on its surface.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Molding mold 31 Photosensitive glass 40 High strength membrane

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A molding die characterized in that photosensitive glass is used as a material. 2. The molding mold according to claim 1, wherein a high-strength film of SiC, TiN, or the like is formed on the surface of the mold.