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US 5,665,136 AGranted
Process for producing micro lenses using a laser beam
AssigneeMachida Endoscope Co., Ltd.
InventorYuichi Komachi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Converged laser beam are irradiated, at right angles, to the surface of a workpiece which is made of glass and supported in a horizontal posture, so that the surface of the workpiece is locally heated and melted. The surface of the workpiece is formed into a convexly curved surface under the effect of surface tension occurrable to the glass material at the time the surface of the workpiece is melted. By hardening the workpiece, a micro lens having the convexly curved surface is formed.
Claims5
A process for producing micro lenses comprising:
- locally heating and melting a workpiece made of glass material, by irradiating a flat surface of said workpiece with a laser beam;
- forming the surface of said workpiece into a convexly curved surface under the effect of surface tension occurrable to the glass material at the time the workpiece is melted;
- and
- hardening said workpiece to thereby form a micro lens having said convexly curved surface;
- wherein the glass material has a viscous property, the magnitude of which is sufficiently high to ensure that said convexly curved surface is formed, and a thermal expansion property, the magnitude of which is sufficiently low to prevent cracking of the glass material when the convexly curved surface is cooled.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.