TW201308019A - Exposure apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

There is provided an exposure apparatus. The exposure apparatus includes a mold including a lens molding unit formed thereon, a light source curing a lens molding resin on the mold, a lens unit converting light irradiated from the light source into parallel light, and a scattering member scattering the parallel light.

Description

Exposure device

The present application claims the priority of the Korean Patent Application No. 10-2011-0077795, filed on Jan. 4, 2011, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, and more particularly to an exposure apparatus capable of uniformly irradiating a lens molding resin with light to produce a lens array of uniform quality.

As the photographic capabilities of portable electronic devices have become commonplace, the demand for compact camera modules has increased. Therefore, in order to facilitate mass production of the camera module, the lens is made of resin.

The resin-made lens is produced by injecting a lens molding resin into a mold in which a plurality of lens shapes are formed, and curing the lens molding resin using a light source (for example, ultraviolet rays). In this way, a lens made of a resin material manufactured by a relatively simple method can be easily manufactured compared to a lens made of glass in which the lens surface needs precision machining, and can be mass-produced in the form of an array.

However, since the lens performance of a lens array made of a resin material is relatively degraded compared to a lens array made of glass, a technical solution of uniformly curing a lens molding resin is required.

However, when a lens array is manufactured using a mold made of metal, the irradiation light is reflected or focused in accordance with the shape of the metal mold, resulting in a difference between the amount of reflected and focused light, so that the lens molding resin is unevenly cured.

Moreover, even when a mold is manufactured using a transparent material instead of a metal material to reflect light, if the illumination light illuminates the mold non-orthogonally (if the illumination light is not a parallel beam), the amount of light due to the difference in the optical path of the illumination light The difference between the lens molding resin may be unevenly cured.

In general, an excellent parallel beam can be obtained by extending the optical path from the source to the mold and using various lenses that spread or concentrate light in the optical path. However, an increase in the number of lenses used (i.e., an increase in the length of the optical path) may reduce the intensity of light reaching the mold, so that the curing speed of the lens molding resin may be reduced.

Therefore, regardless of the material and shape of the mold, and the degree of parallelization of the light source used, there is a growing demand for an exposure apparatus capable of uniformly curing the lens-molding resin.

An aspect of the present invention provides an exposure apparatus capable of uniformly curing a lens molding resin regardless of the material and shape of the lens molding die and the degree of parallelization of the light source used.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an exposure apparatus comprising: a mold comprising a lens forming unit formed therein; a light source for curing a lens molding resin on the mold; and a lens unit for converting light from the light source Parallel light; and a scattering member that scatters the parallel light.

The lens unit may comprise a plurality of lenses having different refractive powers.

In this way, when the lens unit includes a plurality of lenses having different refractive indices, the size of the irradiation area can be adjusted.

The lens unit may comprise a Fresnel lens.

In this way, when the lens unit includes a Fresnel lens, light from the light source can be efficiently converted into parallel light.

The lens forming unit may be coated with an anti-reflective layer such that light illuminated from the light source is substantially transmissive.

In this manner, when the lens forming unit is coated with the antireflection layer, uneven curing of the lens molding resin caused by light reflected from the lens forming unit can be reduced.

The surface of the scattering member may be subjected to a rough polishing treatment or an etching treatment to scatter parallel light.

The scattering member can be fabricated by grinding or sanding a typical translucent material to facilitate its manufacture. The scattering member may include a plurality of grating grooves to scatter parallel light.

Through the grating grooves, the scattering member can scatter the parallel light irradiated on the mold or the lens molding resin more uniformly.

A lens unit of an exposure apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention may include a filter member.

When the lens unit includes the filter member, the wavelength of light irradiated from the light source may be limited to a predetermined range, so that rapid and irregular curing of the lens molding resin is suppressed.

The exposure device may further include a reflective member that reflects light scattered from the scattering member to the lens molding resin.

In this manner, when the exposure device includes the reflective member, the scattered light can be reflected to the lens molding resin to improve the curing ratio of the lens molding resin.

The scattering member can be integrally formed with the chuck holding the mold.

The scattering member can be integrally formed with the mold.

In this case, the light scattering effect can be maximized when the scattering member is integrally formed with the chuck of the fixed mold or with the mold.

The exposure apparatus may further include: a housing that houses the light source and the lens unit; and a reflective member that reflects light from the light source to the lens unit.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a view showing the shape of the lens unit of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view showing a first example of the scattering member of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view showing a second example of the scattering member of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a diagram for describing light transmission by the exposure apparatus of Fig. 1.

The exposure apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention may include a light source, a lens unit 20, a scattering member 30, and a mold 40. Further, the exposure apparatus 100 may further include a housing 102 that houses the light source 10, the lens unit 20, and the scattering member 30.

Light source 10 can be mounted in housing 102. The light source 10 can illuminate light of a wavelength capable of curing the lens molding resin. For example, the light source 10 can illuminate light of a wavelength corresponding to ultraviolet rays. All types of lamps, including LEDs, can be used as the light source 10.

The lens unit 20 can be mounted in front of the light source 10 (below the light source 10 as shown in Figure 1). The lens unit 20 can convert light irradiated from the light source 10 into parallel light. To this end, the lens unit 20 may comprise a Fresnel lens, and the lens unit 20 may be the Fresnel lens itself. Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 2, the Fresnel lens of the lens unit 20 may be a combination of a plurality of Fresnel lenses. In this manner, when the lens unit 20 includes a plurality of Fresnel lenses, light from the light source 10 can be widely converted into parallel light and can be uniform.

The scattering member 30 may be disposed between the lens unit 20 and the mold 40. The scattering member 30 can scatter parallel light passing through the lens unit 20. The scattering member 30 can scatter parallel light without reducing its energy (elastic scattering), or scattering parallel light while reducing its energy (inelastic scattering). When a light source having the same output is assumed to be used as the light source 10, in the former case (elastic scattering) resin can be rapidly solidified by the light source 10; however, the scattered light may be easily reflected by the mold 40. On the other hand, in the latter case (inelastic scattering) the resin may be relatively slowly solidified by the light source 10, but the scattered light may be reflected by the mold 40 relatively few. In the present embodiment, the scattering member 30 having the latter case characteristics can be used; however, depending on the characteristics of the lens molding resin used, the scattering member 30 of the former case can be used.

For reference, the scattering member 30 may have the shape shown in Figures 3 and 4. That is, the scattering member 30 can be manufactured by etching at least one surface of the transparent material using an etching solution, or by performing a rough surface treatment such as grinding, sanding or the like (see Fig. 3). Further, the scattering member 30 can be manufactured by forming a regular shape (the grid-shaped groove 32 in Fig. 4) on at least one surface thereof made of a transparent material.

Further, although not shown, the scattering member 30 may be made of a material in which the particles are transparent. In this case, light scattering may occur due to irregular light reflected by the particles.

The mold 40 may include a plurality of lens forming units 42 formed on the surface thereof. Each lens forming unit 42 may have a concave or convex shape depending on the type of lens array to be manufactured. Further, depending on the type of lens array to be manufactured, the curved surface of the lens forming unit 42 may be spherical or aspherical. The mold 40 may be made of a transparent material such as glass. In this case, the mold 40 can be immediately adjacent to the light source 10 (i.e., at the position of the mold 40 and the transparent substrate 300 in Fig. 5).

However, the mold 40 may be made of a non-transmissive opaque material, as desired. In this case, in order to prevent the light irradiated onto the mold 40 from being reflected, the light absorbing material may be included in the opaque material. Black chrome can be used for light absorbing materials.

At the same time, the housing 102 may be formed in a pillar shape having a circular or square cross section. As described above, the housing 102 can house the light source 10, the lens unit 20, and the scattering member 30. The housing 102 prevents light emitted from the light source 10 from leaking to the outside. The inner wall of the housing 102 may be coated with a light absorbing material to absorb light from the light source 10.

Next, an example of use of the exposure apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the transparent substrate 300 (which may be replaced by a mold having a lens forming unit as needed) and the mold 40 are fixed, and the lens molding resin 200 to be cured is applied to the molding region of the mold 40. Next, the mold 40 is moved to mold the resin 200 in a compression lens. However, in order to maintain a constant distance between the transparent substrate 300 and the mold 40, the mold 40 may be moved upward to a specific height depending on the type of lens array to be manufactured.

When the compression of the lens molding resin 200 is completed, the light source 10 is operated to cure the lens molding resin 200. Here, when the light irradiated from the light source 10 passes through the lens unit 20, it is converted into parallel light. As shown in FIG. 5, when the converted parallel light passes through the scattering member 30, it is widely scattered on the entire lens molding resin 200.

Here, since the scattered light is incident on the lens forming unit 42 at an arbitrary angle, the light reflected on the lens forming unit 42 is not focused on the lens forming resin 200. Furthermore, the difference between the number of lights occurring due to the difference in the degree of parallelization of the light sources can be reduced. Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the rapid curing of the partial lens molding resin 200 can be effectively prevented compared to other portions.

Further, since the exposure apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention can use the scattering member 30 having inelastic scattering properties, light reflected onto the lens forming unit 42 cannot be easily focused.

Therefore, the exposure apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention has the characteristics described above, and the lens molding resin 200 can be uniformly cured.

For reference, the above embodiment of the present invention describes that the lens forming resin 200 is cured using the exposure apparatus 100 described in the embodiment; however, the exposure apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be used to cure other parts as needed. Curing material.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the mold 40 is used alone; however, a pair of upper and lower molds 40 may be used as needed. That is, instead of the transparent substrate 300, a mold on which a separate lens molding unit is formed may be used.

Further embodiments of the invention are described below. For reference, the components of the other embodiments that are the same as the first embodiment use the same reference numerals as the first embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of an exposure apparatus in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of an exposure apparatus in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an exposure apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an exposure apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. 10 and 11 are cross-sectional views of an exposure apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

An exposure apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 6.

The exposure apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the lens unit 20 includes a plurality of lenses 22, 24, and 26.

In the exposure apparatus 100 of the embodiment of the present invention, the lens unit 20 may include three lenses 22, 24, and 26. The first lens 22 and the second lens 24 may have different refractive indices, and the third lens 26 may be a Fresnel lens. Here, the first lens 22 and the second lens 24 may change the focal length of the light irradiated from the light source 10. That is, the first lens 22 and the second lens 24 can be adjusted such that light from the light source 10 can be widely irradiated onto the third lens 26. To this end, at least one of the first lens 22 and the second lens 24 is movable in the optical axis direction (Z-axis direction). For reference, the movement of lenses 22 and 24 can be performed by separate driving means (not shown).

The exposure apparatus 100 configured as above can arbitrarily change the focus position of the light source 10 through the first lens 22 and the second lens 24, thereby adjusting the size of the irradiation area substantially irradiated on the target to be cured (i.e., the lens molding resin 200).

Therefore, the embodiment of the present invention can be effectively applied to the case where the size of the target to be cured frequently changes.

Meanwhile, the casing 102 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be manufactured with a ㄈ-shape as shown in FIG. The housing 102 having such a shape can provide a relatively long optical axis from the light source 10 to the lens unit 20, thereby sufficiently securing the movement of the distance between the first lens 22 and the second lens 24. Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the optical axis is relatively longer than the above embodiment, and therefore, the light irradiated from the light source 10 can be conveniently converted into parallel light.

Reference element symbols 104 and 106, which are not described in detail, reflect light from the light source 10 to the reflective member on the lens unit 20.

Next, an exposure apparatus of a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 7.

The exposure apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment is different from the above embodiment in that the anti-reflection layer 46 is formed in the lens molding unit 42 of the mold 40.

As described in the background of the invention, the lens forming unit 42 of the mold 40 reflects the light on the irradiation lens molding resin 200 to the lens molding resin 200, resulting in uneven curing of the lens molding resin 200.

In order to effectively overcome this drawback, the anti-reflection layer 46 is formed in the lens molding unit 42 of the embodiment of the present invention. Since the anti-reflection layer 46 induces light incident on the lens forming unit 42 to substantially pass, light reflection by the lens forming unit 42 can be suppressed. For reference, the anti-reflective layer 46 may be formed on the lens forming unit 42 via a method such as coating, deposition, or the like.

Meanwhile, the embodiment of the present invention describes that the anti-reflection layer 46 is formed in the lens molding unit 42; however, a light absorbing layer may be formed instead of the anti-reflection layer 46 as needed. For reference, the light absorbing layer can be made of the light absorbing material described in the first embodiment.

Next, an exposure apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The exposure apparatus 100 according to the fourth embodiment is different from the exposure apparatus 100 of the above embodiment in further including the filter member 50.

Generally, the light from the source 10 is illuminated with a broad band wavelength. However, light can hinder uniform curing of the lens forming resin.

Accordingly, the exposure apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include the filter member 50 so that only a specific wavelength (for example, an ultraviolet wavelength) of light irradiated from the light source 10 is irradiated onto the lens molding resin.

In an embodiment, the filter member 50 can be mounted between the light source 10 and the lens unit 20; however, it can be mounted between the lens unit 20 and the scattering member 30. Further, the filter member 50 may be integrally formed with the scattering member 30. For example, the filter member 50 may be coated on the surface of the scattering member 30.

In the embodiment of the above configuration, the light of the desired wavelength band can be irradiated via the replacement of the filter member 50, whereby the wavelength of the light can be easily changed according to the material of the lens molding resin.

Next, an exposure apparatus of a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 9.

The exposure apparatus 100 according to the fifth embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment in that the reflection member 60 is repeatedly included.

When the mold 40 is made of a transparent material, the light on the illumination mold 40 can pass substantially through the mold 40. However, when light is reflected to the lens molding resin 200, the curing rate of the lens molding resin can be improved.

In this regard, in an embodiment, the reflective member 60 can be further provided below the mold 40. That is, in the exposure apparatus 100 of the embodiment, the scattered light is reflected by the reflection member 60 to the lens molding resin 200, and therefore, can be performed from both surfaces of the lens molding resin 200 (on the top and bottom surfaces of Fig. 9) Cured.

Therefore, according to the embodiment, the curing rate of the lens molding resin 200 can be improved, and the uniform curing of the lens molding resin 200 can be promoted.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 9, the reflection member 60 is provided under the mold 40; however, the reflection member 60 may be disposed around the mold 40 as needed. In this case, since the scattered light is reflected to the side surface of the lens molding resin 200, the curing rate of the lens molding resin 200 can be further improved.

Next, an exposure apparatus of a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 10 and 11.

The exposure apparatus 100 of the embodiment differs from the above embodiment in the position of the scattering member.

As described above, the scattering member can disperse light from the light source 10 to suppress or reduce uneven curing of the lens molding resin 200; however, at the same time, the scattering member may lower the energy of the light source 10, thereby causing lens formation. The retardation of the curing rate of the resin 200.

In this regard, in the embodiment, the scattering member may be disposed as close as possible to the lens molding resin 200.

For example, as shown in Fig. 10, the scattering member may be an upper mold 41 that molds or compresses the lens molding resin 200, or may be integrally formed with the upper mold 41. In this way, since the upper mold 41 located closest to the lens molding resin 200 can function as a scattering member, the loss of light energy from the light source 10 can be minimized.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the scattering member may hold the upper mold 41 or the transparent substrate 300 for a jig 70, or may be integrally formed with the jig 70. Here, the jig 70 may completely cover the upper surface of at least one of the upper mold 41 and the transparent substrate 300 (i.e., the surface on which the light from the light source 10 is incident), or may cover the upper surface and the side surface of the upper mold 41. . In this manner, since the scattering member can be formed on the jig 70, it is advantageous that the upper mold 41 is often replaced or replaced depending on the type of the molded lens.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the lens molding resin can be uniformly cured regardless of the material and shape of the lens forming mold and the degree of parallelization of the light source used.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, light from a light source can be widely diffused and irradiated onto the lens molding resin, thereby increasing the production speed of the lens array.

The above embodiments are intended to illustrate the principles of the invention and its effects, and are not intended to limit the invention. Any of the above-described embodiments may be modified by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be as set forth in the appended claims.

10. . . light source

20. . . Lens unit

22, 24, 26. . . lens

30. . . Scattering member

32. . . Grating groove

40. . . Mold

41. . . Upper mold

42. . . Lens forming unit

46. . . Antireflection layer

50. . . Filter member

60. . . Reflective member

70. . . Fixture

100. . . Exposure device

102. . . case

104, 106. . . Reflector

200. . . Lens molding resin

300. . . Transparent substrate

1 is a configuration diagram of an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a diagram showing the shape of the lens unit of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view showing a first example of the scattering member of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view showing a second example of the scattering member of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a diagram depicting light transmission by the exposure apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an exposure apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an exposure apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an exposure apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an exposure apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

10 and 11 are cross-sectional views of an exposure apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

10. . . light source

20. . . Lens unit

30. . . Scattering member

40. . . Mold

42. . . Lens forming unit

100. . . Exposure device

Claims (11)

An exposure apparatus comprising: a mold including a lens forming unit formed therein; a light source for curing a lens molding resin on the mold; a lens unit that converts light irradiated from the light source into parallel light; and a scattering member that scatters the Parallel light. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lens unit comprises a plurality of lenses having different refractive indices. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lens unit comprises a Fresnel lens. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lens forming unit is coated with an anti-reflection layer to substantially transmit light irradiated from the light source. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the surface of the scattering member is subjected to a rough polishing treatment or an etching treatment to scatter the parallel light. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scattering member comprises a plurality of grating grooves to scatter the parallel light. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lens unit comprises a filter member. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a reflecting member that reflects the parallel light scattered from the scattering member to the lens molding resin. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scattering member is integrally formed with a chuck that fixes the mold. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scattering member is integrally formed with the mold. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a housing accommodating the light source and the lens unit; and a reflecting member that reflects light from the light source to the lens unit.