Lens unit, image capturing lens, image capturing device and portable terminal

A lens unit including:

• a lens holding plate;
• and a lens portion formed on at least one of a light-emitting surface and a light-receiving surface of the lens holding plate, and made of a material different from that of the lens holding plate, wherein a linear expansion coefficient of the lens portion is greater than that of the lens holding plate and when a change in a refractive index of the lens portion resulting from temperature change is “dn/dt” and the linear expansion coefficient of the lens portion is “a”, the following conditional expressions (6) and (7) are satisfied:
• −270×10−6≦dn/dt≦−18×10−6 (6)
• 90×10−7≦a≦1100×10−7 (7),
• wherein the lens portion is made of resin and the lens holding plate is made of glass, and wherein inorganic particles each having a maximum length of 30 nanometers or less are dispersed in the lens portion.

A method of manufacturing a plurality of lens units including:

• a lens holding plate;
• and a lens portion formed on at least one of a light-emitting surface and a light-receiving surface of the lens holding plate, and made of a material different from that of the lens holding plate, wherein a linear expansion coefficient of the lens portion is greater than that of the lens holding plate and when a change in a refractive index of the lens portion resulting from temperature change is “dn/dt” and the linear expansion coefficient of the lens portion is “a”, the following conditional expressions (1) and (2) are satisfied:
• −480×10−6≦dn/dt≦−18×10−6 (1)
• 90×10−7≦a≦1990×10−7 (2),
• the method comprising:
• a process of forming a plurality of the lens portions simultaneously on the lens holding plate, a process of sealing a plurality of the lens holding plates with one another through a grid-like spacer member, and a process of cutting off the integrally formed lens holding plates and spacer member along the grid of the spacer member.