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"Antireflection Optical Device And Method Of Manufacturing Master"

Abstract: In an optical device, plural structures formed of a convex portion or a concave portion are arranged on the surface of a base member with a fine pitch equal to or less than the wavelength of visible light. The structures are arranged on the surface of the base member to form plural lines of tracks and form a hexagonal lattice pattern or a quasi-hexagonal lattice pattern. Each structure has an elliptical cone shape or a truncated elliptical cone shape of which the long-axis direction is parallel to the track extending direction.

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Patent Information

Application #
Filing Date
27 October 2009
Publication Number
25/2010
Publication Type
INA
Invention Field
PHYSICS
Status
Email
remfry-sagar@remfry.com
Parent Application

Applicants

SONY CORPORATION
1-7-1 KONAN, MINATO-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN.

Inventors

1. SOHMEI ENDOH
C/O SONY CORPORATION, 1-7-1 KONAN, MINATO-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN.
2. KAZUYA HAYASHIBE
C/O SONY CORPORATION, 1-7-1 KONAN, MINATO-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN.

Specification

DESCRIPTION ANTIREFLECTION OPTICAL DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING MASTER TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an antireflection optical device and a method of manufacturing a master used to manufacture the antireflection optical device. More specifically, the invention relates to an antireflection optical device in which plural structures formed of a convex portion or a concave portion are arranged on the surface thereof with a fine pitch equal to or less than the wavelength of visible light. BACKGROUND ART In the past, an optical device using a light-transmitting substrate such as glass or plastic which is subjected to surface treatment for suppressing the surface reflection of light was known. As such a type of surface treatment, a technique of forming fine and dense concave-convex portions (moth eyes) on the surface of an optical device (for example, see "OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY CONTACT", Vol. 43, No. 11 (2005), 630-637). In general, when periodic concave-convex shapes are formed on the surface of an optical device, light is diffracted at the time of passing through the concave-convex shapes and the straight-traveling component of the transmitted light is greatly reduced. However, when the pitch of the concave-convex shapes is smaller than the wavelength of light passing therethrough, the light is not diffracted. For example, when the concave-convex shapes are formed in the following rectangular form, an effective antireflection effect is obtained for the light with a single wavelength corresponding to the pitch or the depth thereof. A moth-eye structure (with a pitch of about 300 nm and a depth of about 400 nm) having a micro tent shape is disclosed as a moth-eye structure manufactured using the electron beam exposure (for example, see "MOLD MASTER FOR ANTIREFLECTION STRUCTURE (MOTH EYE) WITHOUT WAVELENGTH DEPENDENCE" of NTT ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION, [online], [searched on February 27, Hei 20], Internet). It is possible to obtain a high-performance antireflection characteristic with a reflectance of 1% or less using this moth-eye structure. However, recently, to improve the visibility of various display apparatuses such as liquid crystal displays, there is a need for realizing a better antireflection characteristic. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problem that the Invention is to Solve Therefore, an object of the invention is to provide an antireflection optical device with an excellent antireflection characteristic and a method of manufacturing a master used to manufacture the antireflection optical device. Means for Solving the Problem According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an antireflection optical device including: a base member; and a plurality of convex or concave structures arranged on the surface of the base member with a fine pitch equal to or smaller than the wavelength of visible light, wherein the structures are arranged on the surface of the base member to form a plurality of lines of tracks and form one of a hexagonal lattice pattern, a quasi-hexagonal lattice pattern, a tetragonal lattice pattern, and a quasi-tetragonal lattice pattern, and wherein each structure has an elliptical cone shape or a truncated elliptical cone shape of which the long-axis direction is parallel to the track extending direction. According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an antireflection optical device including: a base member; and a plurality of structures formed of a convex portion or a concave portion and arranged on the surface of the base member with a fine pitch equal to or smaller than the wavelength of visible light, wherein the structures are arranged on the surface of the base member to form a plurality of lines of tracks and form one of a quasi-hexagonal lattice pattern, a tetragonal lattice pattern, and a quasi-tetragonal lattice pattern, and wherein a filling rate of the structures to the surface of the base member is 65% or more. According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an antireflection optical device including: a base member; a plurality of structures formed of a convex portion or a concave portion and arranged on the surface of the base member with a fine pitch equal to or smaller than the wavelength of visible light, wherein the structures are arranged on the surface of the base member to form a plurality of lines of tracks and form a quasi-hexagonal lattice pattern, and wherein a ratio ((2r/Pl)x100) of a diameter 2r to an arrangement pitch P1 is 85% or more where P1 represents the arrangement pitch of the structures in the same track and 2r represents the diameter of the bottom surface of each structure in the track extending direction. According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided an antireflection optical device including: a base member; and a plurality of structures formed of a convex portion or a concave portion and arranged on the surface of the base member with a fine pitch equal to or smaller than the wavelength of visible light, wherein the structures are arranged on the surface of the base member to form a plurality of lines of tracks and form one of a tetragonal lattice pattern and a quasi-tetragonal lattice pattern, and wherein a ratio ((2r/Pl)x100) of a diameter 2r to an arrangement pitch P1 is 90% or more where P1 represents the arrangement pitch of the structures in the same track and 2r represents the diameter of the bottom surface of each structure in the track extending direction. According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a master used to manufacture an antireflection optical device, including the steps of: forming a resist layer on a circumferential surface of a columnar or cylindrical master; forming latent images with a pitch smaller than the wavelength of visible light by intermittently applying a laser beam to the resist layer while rotating the master having the resist layer formed thereon and relatively moving the spot of the laser beam in parallel to the center axis of the columnar or cylindrical master; forming a resist pattern on the surface of the master by developing the resist layer; and forming concave or convex structures on the surface of the master by performing an etching process using the resist pattern as a mask, wherein in the forming of the latent images, the latent images are arranged on the surface of the base member to form a plurality of lines of tracks and form one of a hexagonal lattice pattern, a quasi-hexagonal lattice pattern, a tetragonal lattice pattern, and a quasi-tetragonal lattice pattern, and wherein each latent image has an elliptical shape of which the long-axis direction is parallel to the track extending direction. According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a master used to manufacture an antireflection optical device, including the steps of: forming a resist layer on a circumferential surface of a columnar or cylindrical master; forming latent images with a pitch smaller than the wavelength of visible light by intermittently applying a laser beam to the resist layer while rotating the master having the resist layer formed thereon and relatively moving the spot of the laser beam in parallel to the center axis of the columnar or cylindrical master; forming a resist pattern on the surface of the master by developing the resist layer; and forming concave or convex structures on the surface of the master by performing an etching process using the resist pattern as a mask, wherein in the forming of the latent images, the latent images are arranged on the surface of the base member to form a plurality of lines of tracks and form one of a quasi-hexagonal lattice pattern, a tetragonal lattice pattern, and a quasi-tetragonal lattice pattern, and wherein a filling rate of the structures to the surface of the master is 65% or more. According to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a master used to manufacture an antireflection optical device, including the steps of: forming a resist layer on a circumferential surface of a columnar or cylindrical master; forming latent images with a pitch smaller than the wavelength of visible light by intermittently applying a laser beam to the resist layer while rotating the master having the resist layer formed thereon and relatively moving the spot of the laser beam in parallel to the center axis of the columnar or cylindrical master; forming a resist pattern on the surface of the master by developing the resist layer; and forming concave or convex structures on the surface of the master by performing an etching process using the resist pattern as a mask, wherein in the forming of the latent images, the latent images are arranged on the surface of the master to form a plurality of lines of tracks and form a quasi-hexagonal lattice pattern, and wherein a ratio ((2r/Pl)x100) of a diameter 2r to an arrangement pitch P1 is 85% or more where P1 represents the arrangement pitch of the structures in the same track and 2r represents the diameter of each structure in the track extending direction. According to an eighth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a master used to manufacture an antireflection optical device, including the steps of: forming a resist layer on a circumferential surface of a columnar or cylindrical master; forming latent images with a pitch smaller than the wavelength of visible light by intermittently applying a laser beam to the resist layer while rotating the master having the resist layer formed thereon and relatively moving the spot of the laser beam in parallel to the center axis of the columnar or cylindrical master; forming a resist pattern on the surface of the master by developing the resist layer; and forming concave or convex structures on the surface of the master by performing an etching process using the resist pattern as a mask, wherein in the forming of the latent images, the latent images are arranged on the surface of the master to form a plurality of lines of tracks and form one of a tetragonal lattice pattern and a quasi-tetragonal lattice pattern, and wherein a ratio ( (2r/P1)x100) of a diameter 2r to an arrangement pitch P1 is 127% or more where P1 represents the arrangement pitch of the structures in the same track and 2r represents the diameter of each structure in the track extending direction. In the above-mentioned configurations, it is preferable that the main structures are periodically arranged in a tetragonal lattice shape or a quasi-tetragonal lattice shape. Here, the tetragonal lattice means a regular tetragonal lattice. The quasi-tetragonal lattice means a distorted regular tetragonal lattice, dissimilarly to the regular tetragonal lattice. For example, when the structures are arranged in a straight line, the quasi-tetragonal lattice means a tetragonal lattice distorted by stretching the regular tetragonal lattice in the straight line direction (track direction). When the structures are arranged in a meandering shape, the quasi-tetragonal lattice means a tetragonal lattice obtained by distorting the regular tetragonal lattice along the meandering arrangement. Alternatively, the quasi-tetragonal lattice means a tetragonal lattice distorted by stretching the regular tetragonal lattice in the straight line direction (track direction) and obtained by distorting the regular tetragonal lattice along the meandering arrangement. In the above-mentioned configurations, it is preferable that the structures are periodically arranged in a hexagonal lattice shape or a quasi-hexagonal lattice shape. Here, the hexagonal lattice means a regular hexagonal lattice. The quasi-hexagonal lattice means a distorted regular hexagonal lattice, unlike the regular hexagonal lattice. For example, when the structures are arranged in a straight line, the quasi-hexagonal lattice means a hexagonal lattice distorted by stretching the regular hexagonal lattice in the straight line direction (track direction). When the structures are arranged in a meandering shape, the quasi-hexagonal lattice means a hexagonal lattice obtained by distorting the regular hexagonal lattice along the meandering arrangement. Alternatively, the quasi-hexagonal lattice means a hexagonal lattice distorted by stretching the regular hexagonal lattice in the straight line direction (track direction) and obtained by distorting the regular hexagonal lattice along the meandering arrangement. In the above-mentioned configurations, the ellipse includes a slightly distorted ellipse, as well as a perfect ellipse defined mathematically. The circle includes a slightly distorted circle, as well as a perfect circle (perfect roundness) defined mathematically. In the above-mentioned configurations, it is preferable that an arrangement pitch P1 of the structures in the same track is greater than an arrangement pitch P2 of the structures in two adjacent tracks. According to this configuration, since the filling rate of the structures having an elliptical cone shape or a truncated elliptical cone shape can be improved, it is possible to improve the antireflection characteristic. In the above-mentioned configurations, when the structures form one of a hexagonal lattice pattern and a quasi-hexagonal lattice pattern on the surface of the base member, it is preferable that a ratio P1/P2 satisfies one relation of 1.00≤P1/P2≤1.1 and 1.00H2, the arrangement pitch P1 in the track extending direction needs to be increased and thus the filling rate of the structures 3 in the track extending direction is lowered. The lowering of the filling rate causes the deterioration in the reflection characteristic. The aspect ratios of the structures 3 are not limited to a constant value, but the structures 3 may be formed to have a constant height distribution (for example, in the range of aspect ratio of 0.83 to 1.46). By providing the structures 3 having the height distribution, it is possible to reduce the wavelength dependence of the reflection characteristic. Therefore, it is possible to provide an optical device 1 with an excellent antireflection characteristic. Here, the height distribution means that the structures 3 having two types of height (depth) are provided on the surface of the base member 2. That is, the structures 3 having a reference height and the structures 3 having a height greater than the reference height are provided on the surface of the base member 2. The structures 3 having a height different from the reference height are provided, for example, periodically or non-periodically (randomly) on the surface of the base member 2. The direction of the periodicity may be, for example, the track extending direction or the track arranging direction. It is preferable that a skirt portion 3a is provided to the peripheral edges of the structures 3. This is because an optical device can be easily peeled off from a mold in manufacturing the optical device. From the viewpoint of the peeling characteristic, the skirt portion 3a has a curved surface of which the height slowly decreases. The skirt portion 3a may be provided to only a part of the peripheral edge of each structure 3, but it is preferable from the viewpoint of improving the peeling characteristic that the skirt portion is provided to all the peripheral edge of the structure 3. When the structures 3 are concave, the skirt portion is a curved portion provided to the opening edge of the concave portion as the structure 3. The height (depth) of the structures 3 is not particularly limited, but can be properly set depending on the wavelength band of light to be transmitted and can be set, for example, to the range of 236 nm to 450 nm. The aspect ratio (height/pitch) of the structures 3 is preferably set to the range of 0.81 to 1.4 6 and more preferably to the range of 0.94 to 1.28. When the aspect ratio is less than 0.81, the reflection characteristic and the transmission characteristic tend to deteriorate. When the aspect ratio is greater than 1.46, the peeling characteristic tends to deteriorate in manufacturing an optical device, thereby not clearly acquiring the replica. From the viewpoint of improvement in reflection characteristic, it is preferable that the aspect ratio of the structures 3 is set to the range of 0.94 to 1.46. From the viewpoint of improving the transmission characteristic, it is preferable that the aspect ratio of the structures 3 is set to the range of 0.81 to 1.28. The aspect ratio in the invention is defined by Expression 1. Expression 1 Aspect ratio = H/P Here, H represents the height of the structure and P represents the average arrangement pitch (average period). The average arrangement pitch P is defined by Expression 2. Expression 2 Average arrangement pitch P=(P1+P2+P2)/3 Here, P1 represents the arrangement pitch in the track extending direction (period in the track extending direction) and P2 represents the arrangement pitch (period in the 6 direction) in the direction forming ±0 with respect to the track extending direction (where =60°-δ and δ satisfies preferably 0°<8<11° and more preferably 3°≤8≤6°) . The height H of the structures 3 means the height of the structures 3 in the arranging direction. Since the height of the structures 3 in the track extending direction (X direction) is smaller than the height in the arranging direction (Y direction) and the height of the structures 3 in directions other than the track extending direction is almost equal to the height in the arranging direction, the height of the sub-wavelength structures is represented by the height in the arranging direction. However, when the structures 3 are concave portions, the height H of the structures in Expression 1 is replaced with the depth H of the structures. When the arrangement pitch of the structures 3 in the same track is represented by P1 and the arrangement pitch of the structures 3 between two adjacent tracks is represented by P2, it is preferable that the ratio P1/P2 satisfies 1.00≤P1/P2≤1.1 or 1.00H2. Fig. 41 is a diagram illustrating the shapes of the bottom surfaces when the ellipticity of the bottom surfaces of the structures 3 is changed. The ellipticities of ellipses 31, 32, and 33 are 100%, 141%, and 163.3%, respectively. By changing the ellipticity, the filling rate of the structures 3 on the surface of the base member can be changed. When the structures 3 form the tetragonal lattice patterns or the quasi-tetragonal lattice patterns, it is preferable that the ellipticity e of the bottom surfaces of the structures is in the range of 150%Pl). For example, when the arrangement pitch is Pl=2 and the radius of the bottom surface of the structures is r=l, S (unit) , S(hex.), the ratio ((2r/Pl)x100) , and the filling rate are as follows: S(unit)=6.9282; S(hex.)=6.28319; (2r/Pl)xl00=100.0%; and Filling rate=(S(hex.)/S(unit))xl00=90.7%. The relation of the filling rate and the ratio ((2r/Pl)xl00) calculated by Expression 2 is shown in Table 5. Table 5 (Table Removed) Test Example 14 Fig. 39B is a diagram illustrating the filling rate when the structures are arranged in a tetragonal lattice shape. As shown in Fig. 39B, the filling rate when the ratio ( (2r/Pl) x100) and the ratio ((2r/P2)x100) (where P1 represents the arrangement pitch of the structures in the same track, P2 represents the arrangement pitch of the structures in the direction oblique by 45 degree with respect to the tracks, and r represents the radius of the bottom surface of the structure) are changed was calculated using Expression 3. Expression 3 Filling rate = (S(tetra)/S(unit))x100 Here, the area of the unit lattice is S(unit)=2rx2r and the area of the bottom surface of the structure existing in the unit lattice is S (tetra) = πr2 (which is calculated from the drawn figure when 2r>P1). For example, when the arrangement pitch is P2=2 and the radius of the bottom surface of the structures is r=l, S (unit) , S(tetra), the ratio ((2r/P1)x100), the ratio ((2r/P2)x100), and the filling rate are as follows: S (unit)=4; S (tetra)=3.14159; (2r/P1)xl00=141.4%; (2r/P2)xl00=100.0%; and Filling rate=(S(tetra)/S(unit))xl00=78.5%. The relation of the filling rate, the ratio ( (2r/Pl) x100) , and the ratio ((2r/P2)x100) calculated by Expression 3 is shown in Table 6. The arrangement pitches P1 and P2 of the tetragonal lattice have the relation of P1=√2xP2. Table 6 (Table Removed) Test Example 15 In a state where the ratio (2r/P1)xl00 of the diameter 2r of the bottom surface of the structures to the track pitch P1 is changed to 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, and 99%, the reflectance was calculated by simulation under the following conditions. The result is shown in Fig. 40. Shape of structure: hanging bell type; Polarization: non-polarized; Refractive Index: 1.48; Arrangement pitch P1: 320 nm; Height of Structure: 415 nm; Aspect Ratio: 1.30; Arrangement of Structures: hexagonal lattice. It can be seen from Fig. 40 that the average reflectance R satisfies R<0.5%, which is satisfactory as the antireflection effect, in the wavelength range (0.4 µm to 0.7 µm) of visible light when the ratio (2r/Pl)xl00 is 85% or more. At this time, the filling rate of the bottom surfaces is 65% or more. When the ratio (2r/Pl) x100 is 90% or more, the average reflectance R satisfies R<0.3%, which provides a higher-performance antireflection effect, in the wavelength range of visible light. At this time, the filling rate of the bottom surfaces is 73% or more. As the filling rate becomes closer to the upper limit of 100%, the performance becomes higher. When the structures overlap with each other, the height of the structures is considered as the height from the lowest position. It was confirmed that the tendency of the filling rate and the reflectance is the same in the tetragonal lattices. Although the examples of the invention have been described as an antireflection substrate, the examples can be modified in various forms without departing from the technical spirit of the invention. Although the embodiments and the examples of the invention have been described specifically, the invention is not limited to the embodiments and the examples, but may be modified in various forms based on the technical spirit of the invention. The configurations, methods, shapes, materials, and numerical values described in the embodiments and the examples are only examples and different configurations, methods, shapes, materials, and numerical values may be employed as needed. The configurations of the embodiments can be combined without departing from the gist of the invention. Although the invention is applied to the liquid crystal display in the above-mentioned embodiments, the invention may be applied to various display apparatuses other than the liquid crystal display. The invention can be applied to various display apparatuses such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, a plasma display panel (PDP), an electroluminescence (EL) display, and a surface-condition electron emitter display (SED) . Although an example where the invention is applied to the polarizer to form an antireflection function polarizer has been described in the above-mentioned embodiments, the invention is not limited to the example. The invention may be applied to a lens, a light guide plate, a window material, a display device, and a camera lens tube to form antiref lection function optical components, in addition to the polarizer. The invention may be applied to devices other than the optical components and the invention may be applied to, for example, a solar cell. By properly changing the pitches of the structures in the above-mentioned embodiment to generate diffracted light in the direction oblique about the front surface, a peep-preventing function may be given to an optical device. In the above-mentioned embodiments, a low refractive layer may be further formed on the surface of the base member in which the structures are formed. It is preferable that the low refractive layer contains a material having a refractive index lower than that of the materials of the base member and the structures as a main component. Examples of the low refractive index can include an organic material such as fluorine resin and an inorganic low refractive material such as LiF and MgF2. Although the optical device is manufactured using photosensitive resin in the above-mentioned embodiments, the method of manufacturing the optical device is not limited to the embodiments. For example, the optical device may be manufactured by thermal transfer or injection molding. In the above-mentioned embodiment, concave or convex structures are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the columnar or cylindrical master. However, when the master is cylindrical, concave or convex structures may be formed on the inner peripheral surface of the master. WE CLAIMS 1. An antireflection optical device comprising: a base member; and a plurality of convex or concave structures arranged on the surface of the base member with a fine pitch equal to or smaller than the wavelength of visible light, wherein the structures are arranged on the surface of the base member to form a plurality of lines of tracks and form one of a hexagonal lattice pattern, a quasi-hexagonal lattice pattern, a tetragonal lattice pattern, and a quasi-tetragonal lattice pattern, and wherein each structure has an elliptical cone shape or a truncated elliptical cone shape of which the long-axis direction is parallel to the track extending direction. 2 . The antiref lection optical device according to claim 1, wherein the structures are arranged to form a plurality of straight lines of tracks and form a quasi-hexagonal lattice pattern, and wherein the height or depth of the structures in the track extending direction is smaller than the height or depth of the structures in the track arranging direction. 3. The antiref lection optical device according to claim 1, wherein the structures are arranged to form a plurality of straight lines of tracks and form one of a tetragonal lattice pattern and a quasi-tetragonal lattice pattern, and wherein the height or depth of the structures in an arrangement direction oblique about the track extending direction is smaller than the height or depth of the structures in the track extending direction. 4 . The antiref lection optical device according to claim 1, wherein an arrangement pitch P1 of the structures in the same track is greater than an arrangement pitch P2 of the structures in two adjacent tracks. 5. The antiref lection optical device according to claim 1, wherein the structures form one of a hexagonal lattice pattern and a quasi-hexagonal lattice pattern on the surface of the base member, and wherein a ratio P1/P2 satisfies one relation of 1.00≤P1/P2≤1.1 and 1.00

Documents

Application Documents

# Name Date
1 6858-delnp-2009-gpa.pdf 2011-08-21
2 6858-delnp-2009-form-5.pdf 2011-08-21
3 6858-delnp-2009-form-3.pdf 2011-08-21
4 6858-delnp-2009-form-2.pdf 2011-08-21
5 6858-DELNP-2009-Form-18 (1-1-2010).pdf 2011-08-21
6 6858-delnp-2009-form-1.pdf 2011-08-21
7 6858-delnp-2009-drawings.pdf 2011-08-21
8 6858-delnp-2009-description (complete).pdf 2011-08-21
9 6858-delnp-2009-correspondence-others.pdf 2011-08-21
10 6858-DELNP-2009-Correspondence-Others-(1-1-2010).pdf 2011-08-21
11 6858-delnp-2009-claims.pdf 2011-08-21
12 6858-delnp-2009-abstract.pdf 2011-08-21
13 6858-DELNP-2009-PCT-ISA-210.pdf 2016-04-05
14 6858-DELNP-2009-PCT-IB-304.pdf 2016-04-05
15 6858-DELNP-2009-PCT Ducuments.pdf 2016-04-05
16 6858-DELNP-2009-Other Ducuments.pdf 2016-04-05
17 6858-DELNP-2009-English Translation.pdf 2016-04-05
18 6858-DELNP-2009-FER.pdf 2017-02-28
19 6858-DELNP-2009-AbandonedLetter.pdf 2017-11-07

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1 6858DELNP2009Searchstratgy_04-01-2017.pdf