Imprint device

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of grating manufacturing, and provides an impressing device which comprises a base, a flexible soft film, a pressing roller, a movement mechanism and a control device, the base is used for bearing a substrate to be impressed, the flexible soft film comprises a first surface and a second surface which are opposite, the first surface is provided with a female template, and the pressing roller is configured to apply pressure to the second surface; the press-fit roller is installed on the movement mechanism, the movement mechanism is used for driving the press-fit roller to move, and the control device is electrically connected with the movement mechanism and the press-fit roller and used for controlling the magnitude of pressure applied by the press-fit roller. Due to the flexibility and deformability of the flexible film, the pressure applied to the second surface by the pressing roller is controlled by the control device, so that the deformation angle of the flexible film can be changed, the demolding angle of the female template can be changed, the demolding difficulty can be reduced, and the flexibility and precision of oblique grating manufacturing can be improved. Meanwhile, the imprinting device can be used for preparing various inclined gratings with different inclination angles.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of grating manufacturing, in particular to a stamping device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Diffractive optical waveguide is a key component in near-eye display technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). Tilted gratings are a kind of grating that can achieve light diffraction at a specific angle, meaning that more light can be effectively coupled into or out of the optical waveguide, which is crucial for improving display brightness and energy efficiency. In outdoor use of near-eye display technology devices, sufficient brightness is needed to counteract environmental light, so tilted gratings, as an important micro-nano optical element, are an important solution in the field of near-eye display technology applications. The unique optical properties of tilted gratings come from the tilted arrangement of their surface periodic structures. This arrangement can effectively regulate the propagation path of light, beam splitting effect, diffraction efficiency, and produce specific spectral properties, thus showing a wide application potential in many high-tech fields.

[0003] The periodic structure of the diffraction grating can be designed complexly in a two-dimensional plane, providing a high degree of design freedom for the optical waveguide. By adjusting the period, shape, tilt angle, and other parameters of the grating, the propagation path and output characteristics of light can be precisely controlled to adapt to different optical design needs. Tilted grating waveguides can support a wide field of view, and by optimizing the grating design, effective management of different wavelengths of light, i.e. color correction, can be achieved to ensure the color fidelity of the output image.

[0004] In the field of micro-nano manufacturing, nanoimprint technology is often used to transfer tilted grating micro-nano structures. Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is a high-precision, low-cost micro-nano processing technology used to replicate nano-scale structure patterns. By using nanoimprint lithography to imprint gratings, high-precision, high-repetition micro-nano structure replication can be achieved on a larger area, which is crucial for improving the performance of devices such as optical waveguides, grating couplers, and optical sensors. It can achieve high-precision grating imprinting, including nano-scale periodic structures and certain tilt angles. However, because a large demolding force is generated when demolding tilted gratings at a certain tilt angle, this leads to difficulties in demolding tilted grating structures. Furthermore, different tilted gratings have different tilt angles, and this difficulty is further exacerbated when preparing tilted gratings with different tilt angles. UTILITY MODEL CONTENT

[0005] The present application provides a stamping device to at least partially improve the above technical problems.

[0006] The present application is implemented by the following technical solutions.

[0007] The embodiment of the present application provides a stamping device, which comprises a base, a flexible soft film, a pressing roller, a moving mechanism and a control device, the base is used for bearing a substrate to be stamped, the flexible soft film comprises a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, the first surface is provided with a female mold plate, the pressing roller is configured to apply pressure to the second surface, the pressing roller is installed on the moving mechanism, the moving mechanism is used for driving the pressing roller to move, and the control device is electrically connected with the moving mechanism and the pressing roller and is used for controlling the size of the pressure applied by the pressing roller.

[0008] In some embodiments, the flexible soft film comprises a soft film and a fixed frame, the soft film is fixed in the fixed frame and is tensioned.

[0009] In some embodiments, the flexible soft film further comprises an elastic member, at least one side edge of the soft film is connected to the fixed frame through the elastic member, so that the soft film is tensioned in the fixed frame.

[0010] In some embodiments, the elastic member comprises a plurality of tension springs, one end of each tension spring is connected to the soft film, and the other end of each tension spring is connected to the fixed frame, and the plurality of tension springs are arranged in parallel.

[0011] In some embodiments, the stamping device further comprises a curing lamp, the curing lamp is arranged on the moving mechanism and moves with the moving mechanism.

[0012] In some embodiments, the base is configured as a rotatable structure.

[0013] In some embodiments, the pressing roller is connected with a driving device, the driving device is electrically connected with the control device, and the driving device is used for driving the pressing roller to move close to or away from the second surface.

[0014] In some embodiments, the stamping device further comprises a positioning device, the positioning device is used for detecting the positions of the female mold plate and / or the base, and the control device is further used for controlling the moving mechanism to drive the pressing roller to move according to the detection result of the positioning device.

[0015] In some embodiments, the positioning device comprises a vision system, the vision system is used for acquiring position information of the female mold plate, the control device is electrically connected with the vision system, and the control device is further used for controlling the moving mechanism to move the pressing roller according to the position information.

[0016] In some embodiments, the positioning device comprises an imaging device, a reference grating is arranged on the substrate to be stamped, the imaging device is used for acquiring position information of the reference grating, and the control device is used for controlling the base to move along an X direction and / or a Y direction according to the position information, the X direction and the Y direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0017] The imprinting device provided by the embodiment of the application sets the master template on the flexible soft film, and completes the imprinting process by applying pressure on the second surface of the flexible soft film through the pressing roller. Due to the flexibility and deformability of the flexible soft film, the deformation angle of the flexible film can be changed by controlling the pressure applied on the second surface by the pressing roller through the control device, and thus the demolding angle of the master template can be changed, the demolding difficulty is reduced, and the flexibility and precision of the slanted grating manufacturing are improved. Meanwhile, since the angle of the master template can be changed, the imprinting device can be used to prepare various slanted gratings with different slanting angles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 is a structure schematic diagram of a slanted grating shown by the embodiment of the application.

[0020] Figure 2 is a structure schematic diagram of an imprinting device provided by the embodiment of the application.

[0021] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an imprinting device provided by the embodiment of the application.

[0022] Figure 4 is a structure schematic diagram of a flexible soft film in an imprinting device provided by the embodiment of the application.

[0023] Figure 5 is a structure schematic diagram of another imprinting device provided by the embodiment of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to make the person skilled in the art better understand the technical solutions of the application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application will be described clearly and completely in the following with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the application, not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative effort are within the scope of protection of the application.

[0025] Figure 1 shows a structure of a slanted grating, wherein the inclination angle of the slanted grating is α, and the inclination angles α of different slanted gratings can not be equal. When incident light is incident on the slanted grating, different diffraction orders T0, T1, T-1 Therefore, the slanted grating can realize the diffraction of light at a specific angle, which means that more light can be effectively coupled into or out of the optical waveguide, which is crucial for improving display brightness and energy efficiency.

[0026] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The embodiment provides a stamping device 10 which can be used to prepare slanted gratings with different inclination angles, the stamping device 10 comprises a base 40, a flexible soft film 30, a pressing roller 25, a movement mechanism 20 and a control device 60.

[0027] The base 40 is used to carry a to-be-stamped substrate 45, which is a stamping substrate on which a grating can be formed. The to-be-stamped substrate 45 can be a substantially plate-shaped structure, and the to-be-stamped substrate 45 can be formed by stamping glue. During the stamping process, the to-be-stamped substrate 45 is arranged on the base 40 and fixed by the base 40. In some embodiments, the base 40 can be provided with a vacuum chuck, and the to-be-stamped substrate 45 is fixed by vacuum adsorption. In some other embodiments, the base 40 can also be provided with other types of fixing devices for fixing the to-be-stamped substrate 45.

[0028] The flexible soft film 30 comprises opposite first and second surfaces, and the flexible soft film 30 is a flexible structure which can be deformed under external force. The first surface is provided with a master template 39, and the master template 39 is used to stamp a grating on the to-be-stamped substrate 45. The master template 39 and the first surface form an included angle, and the included angle can be less than 90°. When the flexible soft film 30 is deformed, the curvatures of the first and second surfaces change, and at the same time, the inclination angle of the master template 39 relative to the to-be-stamped substrate 45 changes, so that the master template 39 can be demolded at the best demolding angle when demolding, and the demolding difficulty is reduced.

[0029] The master template 39 can comprise one or more templates of slanted gratings. When the master template 39 comprises multiple templates of slanted gratings, the slanted gratings corresponding to the multiple templates can have different grating parameters, and the grating parameters can include grating period, duty cycle, grating depth, etc. In this way, the same master template 39 can be used to prepare slanted gratings with different grating parameters.

[0030] In a more specific embodiment, refer to Figure 4The flexible soft film 30 includes a soft film 32 and a fixed frame 31. The soft film 32 is fixed in the fixed frame 31 by bolts 33 and is in tension. The fixed frame 31 can fix the entire flexible soft film 30 in a position corresponding to the substrate 45 to be imprinted so as to perform the imprinting operation. The soft film 32 is in tension and can keep a tight state when subjected to the pressure from the pressing roller 25, so that the deformation degree of the soft film 32 is more easily controlled, and the curvatures of the first surface and the second surface are accurately controlled.

[0031] In the embodiment, please refer to Figure 4 The flexible soft film 30 further includes elastic members 34. At least one side edge of the soft film 32 is connected to the fixed frame 31 by the elastic members 34, so that the soft film 32 is in tension in the fixed frame 31. In the embodiment, the elastic members 34 can be springs, rubber members, or the like. The number of the elastic members 34 can be one or more. One end of the elastic member 34 is connected to one side edge of the soft film 32, and the other end is connected to the fixed frame 31, so that the soft film 32 is in tension and has a large deformation amount when subjected to an external force. In the embodiment, the soft film 32 is configured in a substantially rectangular structure having four edges. The fixed frame 31 is also configured in a substantially rectangular structure. The elastic members 34 can be arranged at one or more edges of the soft film 32 and connected between the soft film 32 and the fixed frame 31. In other embodiments, the number of edges of the soft film 32 can be other values, and the fixed frame 31 is arranged in a form matched with the soft film 32.

[0032] In this arrangement, the soft film 32 is in tension in a natural state, which is beneficial to the positioning and alignment of the master template 39 on the first surface and the area to be imprinted of the substrate 45 to be imprinted. Meanwhile, the elastic members 34 have a large deformation range when subjected to the external force applied by the pressing roller 25, so that the curvatures of the first surface and the second surface have a large range of change, and thus the imprinting and demolding of the inclined grating in a large range can be adapted.

[0033] In order to further improve the structural stability of the soft film 32, in an embodiment, as shown in Figure 4 The elastic members 34 can include a plurality of tension springs 35. One end of each tension spring 35 is connected to the soft film 32, and the other end is connected to the fixed frame 31. The plurality of tension springs 35 are arranged in parallel. In this arrangement, the soft film 32 can be subjected to more uniform tension from the elastic members 34, so that irreversible deformation of the soft film 32 is prevented, and the pressure applied by the pressing roller 25 to the soft film 32 is easily controlled, so that the curvature of the first surface of the soft film 32 is more controllable.

[0034] In the embodiment, please refer to Figure 2The pressing roller 25 is used to apply pressure to the second surface of the flexible film 30. The pressing roller 25 can be configured as a cylindrical structure, so that the pressure applied during the pressing process against the flexible film 30 can be uniform. In one embodiment, the pressing roller 25 can be configured as a telescopic structure, so that it can contact or detach from the flexible film 30, facilitating the subsequent demolding of the master template 39. Specifically, the pressing roller 25 is connected to a driving device 22, which is used to drive the pressing roller 25 to move closer to or away from the second surface. When imprinting is required, the driving device 22 is controlled to drive the pressing roller 25 to move closer to and contact the second surface to apply pressure. When imprinting is not required, the driving device 22 is controlled to drive the pressing roller 25 away from the second surface and detach from the second surface. The driving device 22 can be a motor such as a linear motor, cylinder, hydraulic cylinder, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0035] The pressing roller 25 is mounted on the motion mechanism 20. Specifically, in this embodiment, the drive device 22 is mounted on the motion mechanism 20, and the pressing roller 25 is connected to the drive device 22. The motion mechanism 20 is used to drive the pressing roller 25 to move, wherein the motion mechanism 20 can move along... Figure 2 The movement is shown in the X and / or Y directions, which are perpendicular to each other. The plane defined by the X and Y directions can be approximately parallel to the substrate 45 to be imprinted. The motion mechanism 20 is electrically connected to the control device 60, and under the control of the control device 60, it drives the pressing roller 25 to move along the X or Y direction, so that the pressing roller 25 can accurately correspond to the position to be imprinted on the flexible film 30, thereby performing imprinting and subsequent demolding operations.

[0036] In addition, to ensure rapid curing of the substrate 45 after imprinting, please refer to... Figure 2 The embossing device 10 may also include a UV lamp 21, which emits ultraviolet light to rapidly cure the embossed area, ensuring that the substrate 45 to be embossed is completely cured and formed after embossing. The UV lamp 21 may be mounted on the motion mechanism 20, so that when the motion mechanism 20 moves the pressing roller 25, the UV lamp 21 can also move accordingly, ensuring that the irradiation point of the UV lamp 21 is located in the area just embossed by the master template 39.

[0037] During the embossing process, the motion mechanism 20 and the base 40 must first be precisely aligned so that the position of the master template 39 is aligned with the area to be embossed on the substrate 45. This process can be performed manually. In some embodiments, see [reference needed]. Figure 3The stamping device 10 can further comprise a positioning device 50 configured to detect the position of the master template 39 and / or the base, and the positioning device 50 is electrically connected to the control device 60, and the control device 60 is further configured to control the movement of the movement mechanism 20 according to the detection result of the positioning device 50. The positioning device 50 can be various sensors, such as but not limited to a displacement sensor, a Hall sensor, an image sensor, an infrared sensor, etc.

[0038] In a more specific embodiment, the positioning device 50 comprises a vision system (not shown in the figure) configured to obtain the position information of the master template 39, and the control device 60 is electrically connected to the vision system and is further configured to control the movement of the movement mechanism according to the position information. In an application scenario, before stamping, the operator can input the demolding angle of the stamping roller 25 and other parameters in advance, and the control device 60 can automatically calculate the pressure that the stamping roller 25 needs to apply to the soft film 32 and the position at which the stamping roller 25 applies the pressure according to the parameters input by the user, and control the movement mechanism to move to the corresponding position, and automatically correct the deviation according to the position information of the master template 39 obtained by the vision system, so that the stamping position of the stamping roller 25 is more accurate.

[0039] Further, in order to further improve the correspondence accuracy of the master template 39 and the substrate 45 to be stamped, the base 40 can be configured to rotate around the Z direction, and the rotation angle can be 0°-360°, for example, and the Z direction is perpendicular to the X direction and the Y direction. The base 40 is electrically connected to the control device 60, and the control device 60 can control the rotation of the base 40, so as to ensure that the area to be stamped on the substrate 45 to be stamped can be rotated to the position corresponding to the master template 39.

[0040] The control device 60 can control the movement of the base 40, the movement mechanism 20, and the pressing roller 25, and can also acquire the detection result of the positioning device 50. As an example, the control device 60 can include a processor and a memory, and the processor can include one or more processing cores. The processor connects various parts of the entire printing device 10 through various interfaces and lines, and performs various functions of the printing device 10 and processes data by running or executing instructions, programs, code sets or instruction sets stored in the memory, and calling data stored in the memory. Alternatively, the processor can be implemented in at least one of the hardware forms of digital signal processing (DSP), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable logic array (PLA). The processor can be integrated with one or a combination of central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), and modems. It can be understood that the above-mentioned modem can also not be integrated into the processor, but can be realized by a separate communication chip.

[0041] The memory can include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory can be used to store instructions, programs, codes, code sets or instruction sets. The memory can include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area can store instructions for implementing an operating system, instructions for implementing at least one function (such as touch function, sound playing function, image playing function, etc.), instructions for implementing each of the methods described below, etc. The data storage area can also store data created by the printing device 10 in use (such as phonebook, audio and video data, chat record data), etc.

[0042] In some embodiments, the printing device 10 can also include a human-computer interaction module for human-computer interaction with an operator. For example, the operator can input parameters of the tilted grating or demolding angle through the human-computer interaction module, and the control device 60 is electrically connected with the human-computer exchange module, so as to acquire the information input by the operator. As an example, the human-computer exchange module can be a key board, a touch screen, etc.

[0043] The working principle of the printing device 10 provided by the embodiment is as follows:

[0044] Firstly, according to the parameters of the inclined grating to be prepared, a corresponding master template 39 is designed, and the demolding angle is set according to the inclined grating topography of the master template 39, or the operator can input the demolding angle through the man-machine interaction module. The control device 60 automatically calculates the position of the master template 39, and controls the motion mechanism 20 to drive the pressing roller 25 to move to the position corresponding to the master template 39, and can also control the base 40 to rotate, so that the base 40 is adjusted to correspond to the designed position of the master template 39. Then the substrate to be imprinted 45 is arranged on the base 40, and the flexible soft film 30 is loaded to the specified position, so that the master template 39 on the flexible soft film 30 is located at the designed position. In this process, the position of the master template 39 and the base 40 is detected by the positioning device 50, and the motion mechanism 20 and the base 40 are controlled to move correspondingly, so that the master template 39 is accurately aligned with the base 40 and the substrate to be imprinted 45 on the base 40. After the alignment is completed, the driving device 22 drives the pressing roller 25 to approach the flexible soft film 30, and applies a predetermined pressure to the flexible soft film 30 for imprinting. During the imprinting process, the motion mechanism 20 moves in the predetermined direction, so that the pressing roller 25 imprints the master template 39 in the predetermined direction. At the same time, the positioning device 50 detects the position of the master template 39 and / or the base, and the control device 60 controls the pressing roller 25 and the driving device 22 to adjust the applied pressure in real time according to the detection result of the positioning device 50.

[0045] For example: when the pressing roller 25 moves to the inclined angle θ1, i.e. the inclined angle of the master template 39 grating region 1 is larger, the control driving device 22 adjusts the pressure of the pressing roller 25, so that the demolding angle of the soft film 32 and the master template 39 increases correspondingly. When the pressing roller 25 moves to region 2, the pressure of the pressing roller 25 decreases, and the demolding angle also decreases. When moving to region 3, the demolding angle is the smallest. Through matching with the inclined angles of different inclined gratings, the corresponding demolding angle is adjusted in real time.

[0046] The above-mentioned imprinting device 10 can realize the preparation of inclined gratings with different inclined angles, and the inclined gratings with different inclined angles can be easily demolded, thereby improving the yield of the preparation process.

[0047] The embodiment also provides another structure of the positioning device 50, as shown in Figure 5As shown, the positioning device 50 comprises an imaging device 51, and a reference grating 46 is arranged on the substrate 45 to be imprinted, and the reference grating 46 is a mark arranged on the substrate 45 to be imprinted in advance. The imaging device 51 can image the reference grating 46, and then the position information of the reference grating 46 can be acquired and sent to the control device 60. According to the position information of the reference grating 46, the control device 60 can determine the position of the substrate 45 to be imprinted, and the position of the area to be imprinted on the substrate 45 to be imprinted. The control device 60 is used to control the movement of the base 40 along the X direction and / or the Y direction according to the position information. In this way, the control device 60 can independently control the position of the base 40. Due to the deformability of the soft film 32, the movement of the base 40 will drive the soft film 32 to deform, and then adjust the inclination angle of the master template 39. In this way, not only can the inclined grating demolding of any angle be realized, but also the fast and accurate alignment before imprinting can be realized through the imaging device 51, so as to ensure the high repeatability and high yield.

[0048] In some embodiments, the imaging device 51 can emit two coherent lights, and interference fringes are formed on the grating after passing through the slit. The position of the substrate 45 to be imprinted is determined by the correspondence between the interference fringes and the reference grating. In other embodiments, the imaging device 51 can also be other devices, such as an image sensor, and the like, and the present embodiment does not limit the same. It can be understood that the imaging device 51 described above can be used independently as the positioning device 50, or can be used in combination with the visual system in the foregoing embodiments, and the present embodiment does not limit the same.

[0049] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and not to limit the same. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments can be modified, or some technical features can be replaced by equivalent ones. The modification or replacement does not change the essence of the corresponding technical solution, and should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An embossing device, characterized in that The embossing device comprises: a base configured to support a substrate to be embossed; a flexible soft film comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, the first surface being provided with a female mold plate; a pressing roller configured to apply pressure to the second surface; a motion mechanism, the pressing roller being mounted on the motion mechanism, the motion mechanism being configured to drive the pressing roller to move; and a control device electrically connected with the motion mechanism and the pressing roller, and configured to control the pressure applied by the pressing roller.

2. The embossing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The flexible soft film comprises a soft film and a fixed frame, the soft film being fixed in the fixed frame and being tensioned.

3. The embossing device according to claim 2, characterized in that The flexible soft film further comprises elastic members, at least one side edge of the soft film being connected to the fixed frame through the elastic members, so that the soft film is tensioned in the fixed frame.

4. The embossing device according to claim 3, characterized in that The elastic members comprise a plurality of tension springs, one end of each of the tension springs being connected to the soft film, and the other end being connected to the fixed frame, the plurality of tension springs being arranged in parallel.

5. The embossing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The embossing device further comprises a curing lamp, the curing lamp being arranged on the motion mechanism and moving with the motion mechanism.

6. The embossing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The base is configured as a rotatable structure.

7. The embossing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The pressing roller is connected with a driving device, the driving device being electrically connected with the control device, and the driving device being configured to drive the pressing roller to move closer to or further away from the second surface.

8. The embossing device according to claim 7, characterized in that The embossing device further comprises a positioning device, the positioning device being configured to detect the position of the female mold plate and / or the base, and the control device being further configured to control the motion mechanism to drive the pressing roller to move according to the detection result of the positioning device.

9. The embossing device according to claim 8, characterized in that The positioning device comprises a vision system, the vision system being configured to obtain position information of the female mold plate, and the control device being electrically connected with the vision system and being further configured to control the motion mechanism to move the pressing roller according to the position information.

10. The embossing device according to claim 8, characterized in that The positioning device comprises an imaging device, a reference grating being arranged on the substrate to be embossed, the imaging device being configured to obtain position information of the reference grating, and the control device being configured to control the base to move in an X direction and / or a Y direction according to the position information, the X direction and the Y direction being perpendicular to each other.

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