JPS58171021A - Lens with array structure and its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the manufacturing cost of a lens array and to improve the precision of picture propagation by employing the united structure wherein nearly hexagonal lens parts are arranged without any gap. CONSTITUTION:A material which is relatively strong is formed in a hexagonal prism 6 and one end is polished into a curved surface 7; and those materials are arranged without any gap to an optional size and adhered together to form a pattern 8. Then, the pattern 8 is brought into press contact with clayey ceramic 9 by a press, etc., to transfer the ruggedness of the pattern 8 completely and then a heat treatment is carried out to obtain a mold 9' made of hard ceramic. An optional material for a lens, e.g. melted plastic 10 is charged in the ceramic mold 9' and cooled after press-contacting to manufacture a lens 10 with array structure.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (1) Field of Technology The present invention relates to the structure and molding method of an arrayed lens used for image propagation or coupling with an optical array element, which has a lens structure arranged in an array. and its manufacturing method.

(2) Background of the technology The progress of electronics in recent years has been remarkable, especially with the miniaturization and high density of semiconductor elements. For example, there are demands for image propagation lenses used for reading images in integrated circuits and reading captured information, etc. Accuracy is also increasing.

For example, as the array elements of an array propagation lens that is connected to and functions with an optical array element (LED array element) etc. become more complex and denser, the precision of the lens inevitably becomes more difficult. High level is required.

(3) Prior art and problems However, regarding such lenses, conventional lens arrays are formed by arranging a plurality of rod-shaped lenses (GRIN loft lenses), for example. Such a lens array using rod-shaped lenses requires a large number of rod-shaped lenses 1 as shown in FIG. 1, for example, and requires precise arrangement of the lenses, resulting in high cost and extremely troublesome manufacture. A further serious drawback is that since the rod-shaped lens 1 is cylindrical in shape except for the upper lens portion, a large number of gaps 2 are formed even in a close-packed structure. Especially when image propagation is performed, this gap 2 becomes a dark area (a part where the image cannot be seen) and exhibits low-precision image propagation, which is not preferable.

(4) Object of the Invention In view of the above drawbacks, an object of the present invention is to reduce the manufacturing cost of a lens array and eliminate gaps between lenses.

(5) Structure of the Invention Another feature of the present invention is achieved by providing a lens having an array structure in which lens portions having a substantially hexagonal periphery are arranged without gaps and are integrally formed. be done.

(6) Embodiments of the Invention Hereinafter, one embodiment of the manufacturing method of one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the arrayed lens according to the present invention, a plurality of lenses are integrally formed, and the periphery of each lens portion is formed in a hexagonal shape, and the lenses are arranged without gaps.

The manufacturing method will be explained below using FIG. 2.

FIGS. 2+a) to 2(f) are process diagrams showing specific manufacturing steps of the present invention. First, a regular hexagonal prism shape 6 is formed using relatively strong steel, for example, and one end is polished into a curved surface 7 using a lathe or the like (Fig. 1j).
ll), a plurality of these are produced, arranged without gaps, combined into any size, for example, into a rectangle, etc., and the mold 8 is produced by gluing each hexagonal prism 6 (see figure (b)). ). Next, when the clay-like ceramic 9 is still in a soft state before bisque firing, the above-mentioned mold 8 is pressed onto the clay-like ceramic 9 using a press or the like.
(C) of the same figure.

By subjecting the copied clay-like ceramic 9 to high-temperature treatment, a mold 9' made of a normal hard ceramic having a hardness of about 7, for example, is completed.

An arbitrary material, such as molten plastic 10, to be used for the lens of the present invention is poured into this ceramic mold 9' (FIG. 2(d)).The poured molten plastic 10 is pressurized to completely contact it, and then cooled. (Figure (e)). Next, after confirming that the melted material such as plastic is completely hardened after cooling, it is removed from the ceramic mold 9 (FIG. 1(f)).

By going through the above-mentioned steps, it is possible to fabricate the lens 10 having the array structure of the present invention, but once the ceramic mold 9 is fabricated, the desired arrayed lens can be formed into any desired shape. Even individual pieces can be manufactured. In this way, once a mold with a precise curvature is produced, it becomes possible to easily produce any number of arrayed lenses of uniform material quality and low cost. Furthermore, the mold is made of, for example, ceramic, so it has high hardness, no distortion or other deformation, and is semi-watery.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the path of light through a hexagonal columnar lens. In the figure, a hexagonal prism lens 5 (however, the upper part forms a curved surface) is each component of the lens having the array structure of the present invention.
This is the result obtained by extracting − pieces of . In order for the parallel ray bundle 4 from above to enter from the top of the hexagonal prism lens 5 and form an image on the bottom 5' of the lens 5, the length d from the top to the bottom of the lens 5 must be d≦nR/ (n-1) ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・
-(1) (n: refractive index of the material forming the lens, R: curvature of the upper part of the lens) It is sufficient if the following relationship is satisfied.

Next, an application example of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 4 is an optical path diagram showing an application example for reading information in which an optical array element and a lens array of the present invention are arranged in series. In the figure, a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) 12 are arranged on a light emitting diode array 11, and the light emitting diodes (LEDs) 12 and the lens array element 10 made according to the present invention are placed so as to face each other. The information formed by the light emitted from the light emitting source of each light emitting diode (LED) 12 provided in the light emitting diode (LED) array 11 in which optical fibers 11 etc. Since the lens array 10 is formed without any gaps, it can be read without any turbidity.In other words, in the lens array 10 of the present invention, the curved side of each lens is arranged and faces the light emitting diodes 12 without any gaps. The light from 12 forms an image for each lens at the right end of the lens array 10. For example, if there are n curved lens surfaces, n images are created, and a detector (not shown) images them correctly. After recognition, the above-mentioned optical information can be further transmitted to an arbitrary location via, for example, an optical fiber 11 or the like.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram in which the lens array manufactured using the present invention is specifically applied to image propagation.

In the figure, lens array 1 facing image 13
Four sets of 0's are arranged in opposite directions to those shown in FIG.

A light ray source from a predetermined light S (not shown) is reflected onto the image 13 and enters the lens array IO to form an image 14, but unlike the case of FIG. 4, the end face having the curvature as described above (convex surface) is arranged in the opposite direction to image 13, so
There is a one-to-one correspondence with the image 14 formed by passing through the lens arrays.

For example, when there is one pattern in the image 13 and each of the four lens arrays 10 has n curved surfaces (convex surfaces), each of the n curved surfaces of each lens array lO They are responsible for capturing each part of the image 13, so that n images collectively form an image 14. Note that if four lens arrays are arranged here, an inverted real image will be obtained.In this example, there is no gap between the individual lenses, so it is clear that a high-precision image can be obtained with higher resolution. It is.

(7) Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a lens array shape with no gaps between lenses, and the cost thereof can also be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conventional lens array in which a plurality of rod-shaped lenses are arranged, FIG. 4 shows an example of application of the present invention by joining with an optical array element, and FIG. 5 shows an example of application of the present invention to image propagation. l... Rod-shaped lens, 2... Gap, 3... Guide, 6... Hexagonal prism lens, 9'... Ceramic mold, 10... Lens array. Patent applicant Fujitsu Limited

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A lens having an array structure in which lens portions having a substantially hexagonal periphery are arranged without gaps and are integrally formed. (2) A step of forming a plurality of curved concave portions with approximately hexagonal circumferences without gaps on a clay-like member by embossing, a step of high-temperature treatment of the clay-like member to form a lens mold, and a high-temperature treatment. 1. A method for manufacturing a lens having an array structure, comprising the steps of melting and pouring a plastic substance into a molded lens mold, and pressing and cooling the mold.