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US 6,476,971 B1Granted
Method of manufacturing a microlens array mold and a microlens array
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsJohn Border, Robert Dambrauskas, Craig Sadlik
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for making microlens molds and microlens array molds is described which utilizes a spinning half radius diamond cutting member operated in a plunge cut in a technique similar to milling to cut the optical surface into a diamond turnable material. The method can be used to make high sag lens molds with high accuracy. Microlens array molds can be made with a high degree of uniformity and a nearly 100% fill factor.
Claims14
Method of making a microlens array mold, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a movable substrate;
- (b) providing a forming element having a rotatable hardened cutting member for forming said microlens array mold in said movable substrate;
- (c) moving said movable substrate to a first milling position relative to said rotatable hardened cutting member;
- (d) milling said first milling position to form one of a plurality of microlens molds in said microlens array mold;
- (e) removing said rotatable hardened cutting member from said one of a plurality of microlens molds;
- (f) moving said movable substrate to expose another milling position,
- (g) moving said rotatable hardened cutting member into a milling relationship with said another milling position;
- (h) milling said another milling position of said movable substrate to form another one of said plurality of microlens molds in said microlens array mold;
- and,
- (i) repeating steps (f)-(h) at sequentially different milling positions on said movable substrate to form said microlens array mold having a plurality of microlens molds.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.