Coating apparatus – Gas or vapor deposition – With treating means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-01
2001-07-24
Bueker, Richard (Department: 1763)
Coating apparatus
Gas or vapor deposition
With treating means
C118S726000, C118S730000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264751
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a both sides simultaneously water repellency processing mechanism which performs a water repellent film forming process on both sides of an optical lens such as a spectacle plastic lens, and which, when depositing the water repellent films on the surfaces of the optical lenses by vacuum evaporation, equalizes the thickness of the water repellent films by a correction.
BACKGROUND ART
In an optical lens such as a spectacle plastic lens, an antireflection film is coated on the surfaces thereof. The antireflection film is generally formed by use of an inorganic oxide such as ZrO
2
or SiO
2
. Since the inorganic oxide used for forming the antireflection film has an inferior property in terms of water repellency or oil repellency, the surfaces of the optical lens applied with the antireflection film are liable to become dirty due to sweat or finger marks, a sort of oil and the like. Also, once these dirty marks adhered to the surfaces of the optical lens, it was difficult to remove them. Accordingly, the optical lens has been desired to have a dirt-prevention characteristic onto the surfaces thereof. Conventionally, in order to solve this problem, a water repellent film has been deposited on the above-mentioned antireflection film formed on the surfaces of the optical lens (for example, disclosed in the publications of JP-A-5-215905, JP-A-60-221470 and JP-A-4-218538). As conventional methods of forming the water repellent film on the surface of the optical lens, a dipping method, a vacuum evaporation method utilizing heat evaporation or a CVD method have been utilized.
Furthermore, in the recent methods of fabricating the optical lenses, a technology for depositing the water repellent film onto the surface of the lenses by utilizing a vacuum evaporation method in a final process has been proposed. In forming the water repellent film by the vacuum evaporation method, a plurality of optical lens base materials (in unit of a lot) are set on a circular planar holder which is rotatable, and the water repellent films are deposited on the optical lens base materials in every lot while the holder is rotating.
Further, in recent years, as a system for depositing the antireflection film on the surfaces of the optical lens, it has been proposed to use a deposition system for depositing the antireflection film by utilizing a sputtering method which is one of semiconductor manufacturing technologies. In this sputtering film deposition system, a plurality of optical lenses are arranged on a lens tray so that the both sides of the lenses can be simultaneously deposited by the sputtering method, and practically, the both sides of the optical lenses on the lens tray which is set to be rotatable freely in a sputtering chamber are simultaneously deposited with the antireflection film by the sputtering method using two targets disposed in the upper and lower sides of the lens tray.
And then, as mentioned above, the process of forming the water repellent film is carried out as the final process after the process of depositing the antireflection film. The plurality of optical lenses, each of which has the antireflection films formed on the both surfaces thereof respectively, are carried out from the sputtering deposition chamber with the state of being set on the lens tray, and thereafter they are carried in a vacuum processing chamber for forming the water repellent film. As the arrangement state of the optical lenses, they are supported to be horizontal on the lens tray and their both surfaces are kept to face to upper and lower sides respectively owing to the structure of the lens tray. Accordingly, it is also desired that the both sides of the optical lenses are simultaneously deposited with the water repellent film in the final process for forming the water repellent film. Thereby, it can be expected that efficiency in the process of forming the water repellent film is improved and further a performance characteristic of the water repellent film is improved.
Further, conventionally, it has been considered that a thickness distribution of the water repellent film formed by the vacuum evaporation method is satisfactory. However, when applying the vacuum evaporation method to the thin film formation for a spectacle lens with a meniscus shape, it is required to realize a film thickness distribution having an uniformity with a higher precision without being affected by a curvature of the lens. If there is dispersion on the film thickness of the water repellent films, it is difficult to keep the quality and so on of the optical lens in a desired specific level because the dispersion concerning interference characteristics or qualities among optical products are occurred.
An object of the present invention is to provide a both sides simultaneous water repellency processing mechanism capable of improving the efficiency of the water repellency processing by the process of forming the water repellent film onto the both surfaces of the optical lens simultaneously and thereby improving work efficiency and productivity.
Another object of the present invention is to decrease the film thickness difference in a water repellent film or among the films deposited on the surfaces of the plurality of optical lenses set on the holder by utilizing the vacuum evaporation method, and to make the film thickness distribution uniform with a high precision.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
A substrate holder in which a plurality of optical lens base materials are arranged is installed rotatably in a vacuum atmosphere and a vacuum processing chamber for depositing a water repellent film onto each of the surfaces of the optical lens base materials is provided. A both sides simultaneous water repellency processing mechanism is arranged in this vacuum processing chamber. The both sides simultaneous water repellency processing mechanism has an upper side water repellency processing unit and a lower side water repellency processing unit in regard to the substrate holder, and is configured so that the upper side water repellency processing unit forms a water repellent film on the upper side of the optical lens base materials and the lower side water repellency processing unit forms a water repellent film on the lower side thereof. This configuration makes it possible that the both sides of the optical lens base materials is simultaneously deposited with the water repellent film by means of the water repellency processing units arranged in the upper and lower sides.
In the above-mentioned both sides simultaneous water repellency processing mechanism, the upper and the lower side water repellency processing units have respectively a water repellent material chip and a heater for heating the material chip. The water repellent material chip which is heated by the heater is caused to evaporate a water repellent substance and thereby the upper and lower sides of the optical lens base material is adhered with the water repellent substance by vapor deposition to result in forming the water repellent film.
Further, the upper and the lower water repellency processing units have respectively a temperature measuring chip, a thermocouple added to the temperature measuring chip and a control section for controlling a heating temperature due to the heater on the basis of the detection signal outputted from the thermocouple.
The water repellent material chip is preferably provided with a heating board such as a molybdenum plate and so on.
The upper side water repellency processing unit enables to carry out the vapor deposition downward and is further provided with a support stainless steel plate in which the water repellent material chip and the temperature measuring chip are mounted through a fall prevention mechanism and are faced to the upper side of the optical lens base materials. Also, the lower side water repellency processing unit is provided with a heating board on which the water repellent material chip and the temperature measuring chip are mounted.
Further, a film thickness correction mechanism fo
Kamiya Hajime
Kamura Hitoshi
Yoshihara Masaaki
Bueker Richard
Hoya Corporation
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
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