TWI475678B - Array optical element manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

Array optical component manufacturing method

The present invention relates to an array optical component, and more particularly to a method of fabricating an array optical component that is easy to manufacture.

An array of imaging devices (for example, US Pat. No. 20,110,122,308 A1), which comprises two lens wafers each having an array of optical members, and an optical member for separating each lens wafer. The light-shielding spacers of the optical channels that are separated from each other are respectively formed. In the manufacturing apparatus, the lens wafers and the light-shielding spacers are separately formed by using two sets of molds, and the lens wafers are assembled with the light-shielding spacers, due to the light-shielding spacers. Separate components from the lens wafers, and the light-shielding spacers abut against the lens wafers, so that the assembly tolerances generated by the assembly of the lens wafers may affect the lens wafers. In addition to the positioning in the optical axis, the height tolerance of the light-shielding spacers themselves in the optical axis also affects the positioning of the lens wafers in the optical axis; in addition, when applied to handheld devices (eg, wisdom) In the case of a type of mobile phone, such an image forming apparatus can greatly improve the assembly difficulty of the light-shielding spacers and the lens wafers due to an excessively small area, and it is difficult to manufacture such an image forming apparatus by the above method.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an array optical component fabrication method that facilitates fabrication and precisely positions the optical interface.

Therefore, the method for fabricating an array optical component of the present invention comprises the steps of: (A) forming a light-shielding frame by a first material, the first material being a low light transmissive or opaque material and having a heat distortion temperature, the light shielding The frame has a bottom wall, a peripheral wall integrally connected to the bottom wall and extending along an optical axis, and at least one partition wall integrally connected between the bottom wall and the peripheral wall and extending along the optical axis. The bottom wall has a plurality of through holes arranged in an array, and the peripheral wall cooperates with the partition wall to define a plurality of optical channels that are respectively connected to the through holes and are isolated from each other. (B) The light-shielding frame is placed in a forming cavity of a forming mold. (C) injecting a second material into the forming cavity to form a lens unit integrally connected to the light shielding frame, the second material being an optical plastic and having a forming temperature lower than the heat distortion temperature, The lens unit has a substrate coupled to the bottom side of the bottom wall, and a top positioning wall integrally connected to the top side of the substrate and extending along the optical axis, the substrate having a plurality of lens portions respectively corresponding to the through holes The inner side of the top positioning wall is coupled to the outer side of the peripheral wall, wherein the light shielding frame does not protrude from the top positioning wall in the optical axis.

The effect of the invention is that the lens unit of the array optical element manufactured by the invention is integrally connected with the light shielding frame, which simplifies the assembly work between the two, and the lens portion of the lens unit and the top positioning wall are The integrally connected structure, in addition to the fact that the light shielding frame does not protrude from the top positioning walls in the optical axis, allows the top positioning walls to directly and precisely control the positions of the lens portions.

10‧‧‧First material

20‧‧‧blackout frame

21‧‧‧ bottom wall

211‧‧‧through hole

22‧‧‧Week wall

23‧‧‧ partition wall

24‧‧‧Light channel

30‧‧‧Forming mould

31‧‧‧Forming cavity

40‧‧‧Second material

50‧‧‧ lens unit

51‧‧‧Substrate

511‧‧‧Lens Department

512‧‧‧ outer periphery

52‧‧‧Top positioning wall

521‧‧‧ positioning plane

53‧‧‧Bottom positioning wall

60‧‧‧Array optics

70‧‧‧Array photosensitive unit

80‧‧‧ Shell

100‧‧‧ steps

200‧‧‧ steps

300‧‧‧Steps

X‧‧‧Light axis

H1‧‧‧ first height

H2‧‧‧second height

D‧‧‧ Optical Effective Trail

Other features and effects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a schematic flow diagram of a preferred embodiment of the method for fabricating an array optical component of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of a light-shielding frame; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the light-shielding frame preset in a forming mold, and then forming a shape in the forming mold. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of an array of optical components manufactured by the preferred embodiment; FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the array optical component; and FIG. 6 is a plurality of array optical components and A schematic cross-sectional view of an array of photosensitive cells and a housing assembled into a lens module.

Referring to FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of the method for fabricating an array optical device of the present invention comprises the following steps: Step 100: As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a light shielding frame 20 is formed from a first material 10, and the first material 10 is formed. It is a low light transmissive or opaque material and has a heat deflection temperature.

In this embodiment, the first material 10 is selected from the group consisting of metal, thermoplastic, thermosetting plastic and silicone. Preferably, the first material 10 is a liquid crystal polymer (Liquid Crystal Polyester, Referred to as LCP), for example, Zenite ^® 5130L BK010 sold by DuPont, a material supplier, has a heat distortion temperature of 270 ° C to 350 ° C.

The light shielding frame 20 has a bottom wall 21, a peripheral wall 22 integrally connected to the bottom wall 21 and extending along an optical axis X, and is integrally connected between the bottom wall 21 and the peripheral wall 22 along the light. a partition wall 23 extending in the axial direction X, the bottom wall 21 having a plurality of through holes 211 arranged in an array, the peripheral wall 22 cooperating with the partition walls 23 to define a plurality of communicating with the through holes 211 and being isolated from each other The light tunnel 24, it can be understood that when the number of the partition walls 23 is one, the peripheral wall 22 and the partition wall 23 can also cooperate to define two light passages 24.

In this embodiment, the light-shielding frame 20 has a first height H1 in the optical axis X, and the light-shielding frame 20 is injection-molded, that is, the first material 10 is formed by a mold (not shown). The injection molding is formed into the light shielding frame 20. In addition, it should be noted that when the first material 10 is silicone, the light shielding frame 20 may also be extruded, that is, the first material 10 is extruded into a mold by using a mold (not shown). Shading frame 20.

Step 200: As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the light shielding frame 20 is placed in a forming cavity 31 of a forming die 30.

It can be understood that when the material of the first material 10 is silicone, since the light shielding frame 20 has appropriate elasticity and can be easily inserted into the mold, the size of the light shielding frame 20 can have a large tolerance.

Step 300: As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, a second material 40 is injected into the forming cavity 31 to form a lens unit integrally connected with the light shielding frame 20. Element 50, the second material 40 is an optical plastic and has a forming temperature that is less than the heat distortion temperature.

In this embodiment, the second material 40 may be a PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) having a forming temperature of 75 ° C to 95 ° C, which is sold by the material supplier Mitsubishi, and is formed by the material supplier Teijin. PC-AD5503 (polycarbonate) with a temperature of 115 ° C ~ 125 ° C, ZEONEX 480R with a forming temperature of 115 ° C ~ 125 ° C sold by the material supplier ZEONEX, or a forming temperature of 190 sold by the material supplier SABIC ULTEM-1010 from °C to 200 °C, etc.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lens unit 50 has a substrate 51 coupled to the bottom side of the bottom wall 21, and a plurality of top positioning walls 52 integrally connected to the top side of the substrate 51 and extending along the optical axis X. And a bottom positioning wall 53 integrally connected to the bottom side of the substrate 51 and extending along the optical axis X, wherein the light shielding frame 20 does not protrude from the top positioning wall 52 in the optical axis X.

The substrate 51 has a plurality of lens portions 511 corresponding to the through holes 211 and an outer peripheral edge 512. Each of the lens portions 511 has an optical effective aperture (CA) D.

The top positioning wall 52 is coupled to the outer side of the peripheral wall 22, and the top positioning walls 52 respectively have a positioning plane 521 opposite to the peripheral wall 22. The outer periphery 512 of the substrate 51 does not exceed the top positioning wall 52. Positioning plane 521.

In this embodiment, the top positioning walls 52 respectively have a second height H2 greater than the first height H1 in the optical axis X, and a difference ≦50 μm between the first and second heights H1 and H2. Moreover, 0.2≦ the first height H1/ The optical effective diameter D ≦ 2.0, it can be understood that if the ratio is lower than 0.2 of the lower limit, the problem of insufficient light shielding is caused. If the ratio is higher than the upper limit of 2.0, the overall height of the assembled lens module is increased.

Thereby, an array optical element 60 in which the lens unit 50 and the light shielding frame 20 are integrally connected can be manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention. In this embodiment, the array optical element 60 has a length and a width of no more than 3 mm and a height of no more than 2 mm.

When assembling the lens module, a plurality of different array optical elements 60 can be fabricated by the present invention to be assembled in an outer casing 80 in an overlapping manner with an array of photosensitive cells 70. It is to be noted that only the lowermost side is assembled. The bottom positioning wall 53 of the array optical element 60 of the array optical element 60 needs to be formed. Thus, the bottom positioning wall 53 of the lowermost array optical element 60 abuts the lowermost substrate 51 and the array photosensitive unit 70. Between the lens portion 511 of the array optical element 60 on the lowermost side and the spacing of the array photosensitive unit 70 in the optical axis X, and the top positioning walls of the two adjacent array optical elements 60 on the lower side. 52 will abut between two adjacent substrates 51 to position the spacing of the lens portions 511 of the array of optical elements 60 in the optical axis X, while the top positioning walls 52 of the array of optical elements 60 The positioning plane 521 also abuts against the inner side of the outer casing 80 to position the lens portion 511 of the array optical element 60 in the lateral direction, thereby precisely controlling the relative positions of the lens portions 511 of the array optical elements 60. The need for optical performance.

Through the above description, the advantages of the present invention can be further summarized as follows:

1. The lens unit 50 of the array optical element 60 manufactured by the present invention is integrally connected with the light shielding frame 20, and the assembly work is not required. Compared with the prior art, the invention can simplify the manufacturing operation of the array optical element. Moreover, the array optical component 60 can not be difficult to assemble except that it does not have an assembly tolerance that affects the positioning of the lens portions 511 in the optical axis X, and can be applied to a handheld device (for example, The demand for miniaturization of lenses for smart phones).

In the present invention, the first material 10 having a higher heat distortion temperature is first formed into the light shielding frame 20, and then the second material 40 formed at a lower temperature is injection-molded into the optical frame 20 integrally connected thereto. In the lens unit 50, since the forming temperature of the second material 40 is smaller than the heat distortion temperature of the first material 10, when the lens unit 50 is injection molded, the earlier formed light shielding frame 20 is not deformed at all. problem.

3. The second height H2 of the top positioning wall 52 of the lens unit 50 of the present invention in the optical axis X is greater than the first height H1 of the light shielding frame 20. Therefore, the present invention only needs to control the top positioning of the lens unit 50. The height tolerance of the wall 52 in the optical axis X, that is, the position of the lens unit 50 in the optical axis X can be effectively maintained when the lens module is assembled, and the light shielding frame 20 is in the optical axis X. The height tolerance does not affect the positioning of the lens unit 50. Compared with the prior art, the present invention is simpler in assembling the lens module.

4. The lens portion 511 of the lens unit 50 of the present invention is integrally connected with the top positioning walls 52, and has the most direct relative distance relationship therebetween. At the same time, the lens portions 511 and the top positioning walls are the same. 52 are not divided into each other The components that are separated do not cause assembly tolerances between the two, nor are they affected by dimensional tolerances of other components. Moreover, the top positioning walls 52 are integrally formed on the substrate 51 and are completely free of the The shape of the light-shielding frame 20 is affected. Therefore, the array optical element 60 manufactured by the present invention can directly and precisely control the position of the lens portions 511 by the top positioning walls 52, resulting in good optical performance.

5. The ratio of the first height H1 of the light-shielding frame 20 of the array optical element 60 manufactured by the present invention to the optical effective diameter D of the lens portions 511 is between 0.2 and 2.0, which can effectively avoid the light-shielding frame 20. The problem of insufficient shading caused by too low, and the problem of increasing the overall height caused by the fact that the light-shielding frame 20 is too high.

In summary, the method for manufacturing an array optical element of the present invention not only simplifies the fabrication of the array optical element and the assembly operation of the lens module, but also precisely positions the lens portion of the lens unit to meet the optical performance requirement, so The object of the invention can be achieved.

The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, that is, the simple equivalent changes and modifications made by the patent application scope and patent specification content of the present invention, All remain within the scope of the invention patent.

100‧‧‧ steps

200‧‧‧ steps

300‧‧‧Steps

Claims (8)

A method for fabricating an array optical component, comprising: (A) forming a light-shielding frame by a first material, the first material being a low light transmissive or opaque material, and having a heat distortion temperature, the light shielding frame having a bottom a wall, a peripheral wall integrally connected to the bottom wall and extending along an optical axis, and at least one partition wall integrally connected between the bottom wall and the peripheral wall and extending along the optical axis, the bottom wall having a plurality a through hole arranged in an array, the peripheral wall and the partition wall cooperate to define a plurality of optical passages respectively connected to the through holes and separated from each other; (B) placing the light shielding frame into a forming cavity of a forming die (C) injecting a second material into the forming cavity to form a lens unit integrally connected with the light shielding frame, the second material being an optical plastic and having a forming temperature lower than the heat distortion temperature. The lens unit has a substrate coupled to a bottom side of the bottom wall, and a top positioning wall integrally connected to the top side of the substrate and extending along the optical axis, the substrate having a plurality of lenses respectively corresponding to the through holes The inner side of the top positioning wall is bonded to Each of the top positioning walls has a positioning plane opposite to the peripheral wall, and the outer periphery of the substrate does not extend beyond the positioning plane of the top positioning walls, wherein the light shielding frame does not protrude from the optical axis. Wait for the top to locate the wall. The method of manufacturing an array optical element according to claim 1, wherein in the step (A), the light shielding frame has a first height in the optical axis, and in the step (C), the lens of the lens unit Each has one Optical effective diameter, 0.2 ≦ the first height / the optical effective diameter ≦ 2.0. The method of manufacturing an array optical element according to claim 2, wherein in the step (C), the top positioning walls respectively have a second height greater than the first height in the optical axis, the first A difference of two heights ≦ 50 μm. The method of manufacturing an array optical element according to claim 1, wherein in the step (C), the lens unit further has a plurality of bottom positioning walls integrally connected to the bottom side of the substrate and extending along the optical axis. The method of manufacturing an array optical element according to claim 1, wherein in the step (A), the first material is selected from the group consisting of metal, thermoplastic, thermosetting plastic, and silicone. The method of manufacturing an array optical element according to claim 1, wherein in the step (A), the light shielding frame is shot and formed. The method of manufacturing an array optical element according to claim 1, wherein in the step (A), the light-shielding frame is molded. The method for manufacturing an array optical element according to claim 1, wherein in the step (C), an array optical element integrally formed by the lens unit and the light shielding frame has a length and a width of not more than 3 mm and a height. Not more than 2mm.