Method of manufacturing optical element
AssigneeOlympus Optical Co., Ltd.
InventorsYasuhiro Kamihara, Hitoshi Ohashi, Ayami Imamura
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Abstract
Methods of manufacturing optical elements such as diffraction type lenses, aspherical lenses and diffraction gratings are disclosed. Deposited on a glass substrate is a workpiece film made of a material which can be machined much more easily than the substrate. Then the workpiece film is machined to form a predetermined shape or contour therein. After forming the predetermined shape or contour in the workpiece film, the workpiece film and substrate are subjected to etching to duplicate the predetermined shape or contour formed in the workpiece film into the substrate.
Claims23
A method of manufacturing an optical element, said method comprising the steps of:
- preparing a substrate having a surface;
- forming a workpiece film on said surface of the substrate, said workpiece film being made of a material which is less resistant to mechanical machining than said substrate;
- mechanically machining said workpiece film to form a shape or contour therein;
- and
- etching said workpiece film and substrate to form a shape or contour in the substrate, said shape or contour formed in said substrate corresponding to said shape or contour formed in the workpiece film.
A method of manufacturing an optical element of transmission type, said method comprising the steps of:
- preparing a substrate made of a first transparent optical material and having a surface;
- forming a workpiece film on said surface of the substrate, said workpiece film being made of a second transparent optical material which is less resistant to mechanical machining than said substrate;
- and
- mechanically machining said workpiece film to form said optical element to have a shape or contour.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.