Source: http://www.patentsencyclopedia.com/app/20120075576
Timestamp: 2018-09-25 04:06:17
Document Index: 94607241

Matched Legal Cases: ['art.\n30', 'art 203', 'art 203', 'art 203', 'art 103', 'art 203', 'art 203', 'art 103', 'art 103', 'art 103', 'art 103', 'art 103', 'art 103', 'art 103', 'art 103', 'art 103', 'art 103', 'art 103', 'art 203', 'art 103', 'art 203', 'art 203', 'art 203', 'art 103', 'art 103', 'art 103', 'art 103', 'art 103', 'art 103']

Patent application number: 20120075576
21. A method for manufacturing a lens for electronic spectacles, the lens comprising an electric element between a lower substrate and an upper substrate, the method comprising: fabricating the lower substrate such that a surface of the lower substrate is coated with conductive ink to form a transparent first auxiliary electrode layer for lens electrode pad, the surface being opposed to the upper substrate; forming a transparent lower electrode pattern by a vacuum deposition method on an electric element forming part of the lower substrate and the first auxiliary electrode layer so as to connect the electric element forming part and the first auxiliary electrode layer; fabricating the upper substrate such that a surface of the upper substrate is coated with the conductive ink to form a transparent second auxiliary electrode layer for the lens electrode pad so as not to face the first auxiliary electrode layer, the surface being opposed to the lower substrate; forming a transparent upper electrode pattern by the vacuum deposition method on a part corresponding to the electric element forming part on the upper substrate and the second auxiliary electrode layer so as to connect the part corresponding to the electric element forming part and the second auxiliary electrode layer; and joining the upper and lower substrates with the electric element interposed between the electric element forming part of the lower substrate and the upper substrate.
22. The method for manufacturing a lens for electronic spectacles according to claim 21, further comprising, after joining the upper and lower substrates, cutting the upper and lower substrates at positions on an overlap portion of the first auxiliary electrode layer and the lower electrode pattern and an overlap portion of the second auxiliary electrode layer and the upper electrode pattern to expose cut surfaces of the substrates.
23. The method for manufacturing a lens for electronic spectacles according to claim 21, further comprising: after joining the upper and lower substrates, cutting the upper and lower substrates at positions on an overlap portion of the first auxiliary electrode layer and the lower electrode pattern and an overlap portion of the second auxiliary electrode layer and the upper electrode pattern to expose cut surfaces of the substrates; and forming conductive paste on the overlap portion of the first auxiliary electrode layer and the lower electrode pattern and the overlap portion of the second auxiliary electrode layer and the upper electrode pattern to form the lens electrode pad serving as an extraction electrode for the first auxiliary electrode layer and the lower electrode pattern and the lens electrode pad serving as an extraction electrode for the second auxiliary electrode layer and the upper electrode pattern.
24. A method for manufacturing a lens for electronic spectacles, the lens comprising an electric element between a lower substrate and an upper substrate, the method comprising: fabricating the lower substrate such that a transparent lower electrode pattern for applying a signal to an electric element forming part of the lower substrate is formed by a vacuum deposition method; coating one end of the lower electrode pattern with conductive ink to form a transparent first auxiliary electrode layer; fabricating the upper substrate such that a transparent upper electrode pattern is formed by the vacuum deposition method, the upper electrode pattern applying a signal to a part corresponding to the electric element forming part on the upper substrate; coating one end of the upper electrode pattern is coated with conductive ink to form a transparent second auxiliary electrode layer so as not to face the first auxiliary electrode layer; and joining the upper and lower substrates with the electric element interposed between the electric element forming part of the lower substrate and the upper substrate.
25. The method for manufacturing a lens for electronic spectacles according to claim 24, further comprising, after joining the upper and lower substrates, cutting the upper and lower substrates at positions on an overlap portion of the first auxiliary electrode layer and the lower electrode pattern and an overlap portion of the second auxiliary electrode layer and the upper electrode pattern to expose cut surfaces of the substrates.
26. The method for manufacturing a lens for electronic spectacles according to claim 24, further comprising: after joining the upper and lower substrates, cutting the upper and lower substrates at positions on an overlap portion of the first auxiliary electrode layer and the lower electrode pattern and an overlap portion of the second auxiliary electrode layer and the upper electrode pattern to expose cut surfaces of the substrates; and forming conductive paste on the overlap portion of the first auxiliary electrode layer and the lower electrode pattern and the overlap portion of the second auxiliary electrode layer and the upper electrode pattern to form the lens electrode pad serving as an extraction electrode for the first auxiliary electrode layer and the lower electrode pattern and the lens electrode pad serving as an extraction electrode for the second auxiliary electrode layer and the upper electrode pattern.
27. A lens, comprising an electric element between a lower substrate and an upper substrate, wherein a lower electrode pattern for the electric element is formed on the lower substrate, an upper electrode pattern for the electric element is formed on the upper substrate, the lower electrode pattern and the upper electrode pattern are formed so as not to face each other in the thickness direction of the lens at a lens end.
28. The lens according to claim 27, wherein a first auxiliary electrode layer connected to the lower electrode pattern and a second auxiliary electrode layer connected to the upper electrode pattern are formed in the vicinity of the lens end, the first auxiliary electrode layer and the second auxiliary electrode layer being formed so as not to face each other in the thickness direction of the lens.
29. The lens according to claim 28, wherein an electric element forming part for the electric element is provided on the lower substrate, the first auxiliary electrode layer is provided at the position apart from the electric element forming part.
30. The lens according to claim 29, wherein the first auxiliary electrode layer and the second auxiliary electrode layer are exposed on the lens end.
31. The lens according to claim 30, wherein the first auxiliary electrode layer applies a voltage to the electric element via the lower electrode pattern, the second auxiliary electrode layer applies a voltage to the electric element via the upper electrode pattern.
32. Electronic spectacles in which the lens according to claim 27 is set in a spectacle frame.
33. A lens, comprising an electric element between a lower substrate and an upper substrate, wherein a lower electrode pattern for the electric element is formed on the lower substrate, an upper electrode pattern for the electric element is formed on the upper substrate, a first auxiliary electrode layer connected to the lower electrode pattern and a second auxiliary electrode layer connected to the upper electrode pattern are formed in the vicinity of a lens end, the first auxiliary electrode layer and the second auxiliary electrode layer being formed so as not to face each other in the thickness direction of the lens.
34. Electronic spectacles in which the lens according to claim 33 is set in a spectacle frame.
[0005] In this example, an electrode wiring method for driving an EC element is shown in FIG. 43 that is a sectional view of a lens. As shown in FIG. 43, an EC element 607 formed on a substrate lens 601 is made up of a lower ITO transparent electrode 602, an Ir2O3/SnO2 layer 603, a Ta2O5 layer 604, a NO3 layer 605, and an upper ITO transparent electrode layer 606. Further, plated layers 608a and 608b of two-layer structures are formed on the outer periphery of the lens (the inclined surfaces of V-blocks) as electrodes for extraction from the electrode layers. The plated layers 608a and 608b are in electrical contact with the upper ITO transparent electrode layer 606 and the lower ITO transparent electrode layer 602, respectively. As shown in FIG. 44, the frame of the spectacles is made up of metallic upper and lower rims 609a and 609b sharing a current path. The upper and lower rims 609a and 609b are joined via an insulator such as a thin plastic sheet.
[0107] In FIG. 9(c), an upper electrode pattern 205 is formed on a part 203 and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 so as to connect the part 203 and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 as shown in FIG. 10(c). The part 203 corresponds to the electric element forming part 103 on the lower substrate 100. To be specific, ITO sputtering is performed using a mask pattern connecting the part 203 and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204.
[0108] The upper electrode pattern 205 is about 10 nm to 40 nm in thickness.
[0109] In FIG. 9(d), an upper insulating layer pattern 206 is formed on the upper electrode pattern 205 as shown in
[0110] FIG. 10(d). To be specific, after ITO sputtering in FIG. 9(c), SiO2 is continuously sputtered without removing the upper substrate 200 from a chamber device (without exposing the upper substrate 200 to the atmosphere). Such sputtering can be performed by a sputtering apparatus having multiple targets in a single chamber and thus a special apparatus is not necessary.
[0111] In FIG. 9(e), an alignment layer 207 is applied onto the upper electrode pattern 205 so as to correspond to the part 203 and rubbing is performed thereon. The lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are bonded with an adhesive layer 400 in a state in which the liquid crystal 300 serving as the electric element is interposed between the electric element forming part 103 of the lower substrate 100 fabricated thus and the upper substrate 200. To be specific, the liquid crystal 300 is applied by a dispenser or the ink-jet method. After the liquid crystal 300 is applied, an adhesive (sealing agent) is applied around the liquid crystal 300 and then the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are bonded with the adhesive layer 400.
[0112] FIG. 11 is an enlarged perspective view in which the bonded lower substrate 100 and upper substrate 200 are cut at a position on the first auxiliary electrode layer 104. FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the principle part of FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view in which the bonded lower substrate 100 and upper substrate 200 are cut at a position on the second auxiliary electrode layer 204. FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of the principle part of FIG. 13.
[0113] As shown in FIG. 15, the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 that have been bonded thus are cut along a cutting line 301 according to the shape of the rim of the spectacle frame 11. The cutting line 301 passes through the end of the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 and the end of the second auxiliary electrode layer 204. Since the substrates are cut thus, as shown in FIG. 16, the end face of the overlap portion of the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 and the lower electrode pattern 105 and the end face of the overlap portion of the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 and the upper electrode pattern 205 are exposed on a lens end 302. As shown in FIG. 17, the end faces of the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 and the lower electrode pattern 105 are exposed on the lower substrate 100 and the end faces of the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 and the upper electrode pattern 205 are exposed on the upper substrate 200.
[0114] As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the electronic spectacles can be constructed using the lens of FIG. 16. The lenses 1 are set in the spectacle frame 11.
[0115] As shown in FIG. 18(a), flexible wires 305a and 305b serving as an electric connector 4 are provided at a lug 304 of the spectacle frame 11. The flexible wires 305a and 305b have one ends connected to the control unit 5 and wiring electrode pads 306a and 306b are formed on the other ends of the flexible wires 305a and 305b. As shown in FIG. 18(b), the wiring electrode pads 306a and 306b are set in a rim 307 of the spectacle frame 11.
[0116] When the lens 1 is set in the rim 307, anisotropic conductive rubber 308 is disposed as shown in FIG. 19 between the wiring electrode pads 306a and 306b and the first auxiliary electrode layer 104, the lower electrode pattern 105, the second auxiliary electrode layer 204, and the upper electrode pattern 205 of the lens 1. In this state, the lens 1 is supported by the rim 307 with a screw 10, so that the wiring electrode pad 306a is electrically connected to the lower electrode pattern 105 of the lens in a reliable manner via the anisotropic conductive rubber 308. Further, the wiring electrode pad 306b is electrically connected to the upper electrode pattern 205 of the lens in a reliable manner via the anisotropic conductive rubber 308. This is because the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 formed on the lower electrode pattern 105 increases a contact area with the anisotropic conductive rubber 308 and improves electrical continuity. The second auxiliary electrode layer 204 has the same effect. With this configuration, a voltage for driving the liquid crystal 300 can be applied between the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 of the lens 1 from the control unit 5.
[0117] In the case where the lower electrode pattern 105 is increased in thickness and the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 is not provided or in the case where the upper electrode pattern 205 is increased in thickness and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 is not provided, as compared with the present embodiment, the resistance of the electrode can be reduced but light transmittance decreases without the first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204. The light transmittance is an important factor of the electronic spectacles. Consequently, the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 can be easily visible in an undesirably noticeable manner. In contrast to this configuration, in the third embodiment, the lower electrode pattern 105 is reduced in thickness and the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 is stacked thereon to increase the overall thickness. Further, the upper electrode pattern 205 is reduced in thickness and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 is stacked thereon to increase the overall thickness. Thus the electrode can have a relatively low resistance and the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 are not noticeable. For this reason, the laminated structure of the first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204 is quite effective.
[0118] In the case where the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are coated with the first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204 and then the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 are formed thereon, the lower insulating layer pattern 106 and the upper insulating layer pattern 206 can be formed, as previously mentioned, on the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 by continuous sputtering without removing the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 by opening the chamber to the atmosphere.
[0119] To be specific, in the case where the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 are formed on the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 and then the first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204 are applied thereon, it is necessary to form the lower insulating layer pattern 106 and the upper insulating layer pattern 206 after forming the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 by sputtering, opening the sputtering apparatus to the atmosphere to remove the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200, and then changing the mask pattern. Thus vacuum drawing performed twice in the sputtering apparatus results in a complicated fabrication process.
[0120] In the third embodiment, the first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204 are first formed on the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200. In this case, the lower electrode pattern 105 and the lower insulating layer pattern 106 can be formed on the lower substrate 100 without opening the sputtering apparatus to the atmosphere, and the upper electrode pattern 205 and the upper insulating layer pattern 206 can be formed on the upper substrate 200 without opening the sputtering apparatus to the atmosphere, thereby achieving a simple fabrication process.
[0121] As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, it is more preferable to apply conductive paste on the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 because the conductive paste increases the contact area. To be specific, as shown in FIG. 20, silver pastes 303a and 303b are respectively applied as conductive pastes to the exposed end face of the overlap portion of the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 and the lower electrode pattern 105 and the end face of the overlap portion of the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 and the upper electrode pattern 205. Ideally, the silver paste 303a formed on the lens end 302 is electrically connected to the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 as well as the lower electrode pattern 105. In the present embodiment, the thin lower electrode pattern 105 is exposed on the lens end 302 and the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 having a larger thickness than the lower electrode pattern 105 is also exposed on the lens end 302. Thus even when the lower electrode pattern 105 is insufficiently exposed on the lens end 302, the silver paste 303a can be electrically connected to the lower electrode pattern 105 in a reliable manner via the thick first auxiliary electrode layer 104.
[0122] Similarly, it is ideal that the silver paste 303b formed on the lens end 302 is electrically connected to the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 as well as the upper electrode pattern 205. In the present embodiment, the thin upper electrode pattern 205 is exposed on the lens end 302 and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 having a larger thickness than the upper electrode pattern 205 is also exposed on the lens end. 302. Thus even when the upper electrode pattern 205 is insufficiently exposed on the lens end 302, the silver paste 303b can be electrically connected to the upper electrode pattern 205 in a reliable manner via the thick second auxiliary electrode layer 204.
[0123] FIGS. 22 to 25 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
[0124] In the third embodiment, the lower substrate 100 is coated with the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 and then the lower electrode pattern 105 is formed thereon, and the upper substrate 200 is coated with the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 and then the upper electrode pattern 205 is formed thereon. The fourth embodiment is different only in that first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204 are applied later and other points are similar to those of the third embodiment.
[0125] FIG. 22 shows an exploded image of a completed lens 1 for better understanding of the manufacturing process.
[0126] In FIG. 23(a), a lower electrode pattern 105 is formed from an electric element forming part 103 of a lower substrate 100 to a part near the outer periphery of the lower substrate 100.
[0127] In FIG. 23(b), only one end of the lower electrode pattern 105 is coated with conductive ink to form the first auxiliary electrode layer 104. After that, a lower insulating layer pattern 106 is formed on the electric element forming part 103 and the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 from the lower electrode pattern 105. Further, as shown in FIG. 22, an alignment layer 107 is formed on the lower insulating layer pattern 106 so as to correspond to the position of the electric element forming part 103.
[0128] Also in this case, an upper substrate 200 is formed as in FIGS. 23(a) and 23(b). In other words, as shown in FIG. 22, an upper electrode pattern 205 is formed from a part corresponding to the electric element forming part 103 on the lower substrate 100 to a part near the outer periphery of the upper substrate 200, and the upper electrode pattern 205 is coated with conductive ink only near the outer periphery of the upper substrate 200 to form the second auxiliary electrode layer 204. Moreover, an upper insulating layer pattern 206 is formed on the upper electrode pattern 205 and an alignment layer 207 is formed thereon.
[0129] As shown in FIG. 23(c), the lower substrate 100 on which the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 is applied later to the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper substrate 200 on which the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 is applied later to the upper electrode pattern 205 are bonded to each other with an adhesive layer 400 in a state in which a liquid crystal 300 is interposed between the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200. FIG. 24 is an enlarged perspective view in which the bonded lower substrate 100 and upper substrate 200 are cut at a position on the first auxiliary electrode layer 104. FIG. 25 is an enlarged sectional view in which the bonded lower substrate 100 and upper substrate 200 are cut at a position on the upper electrode pattern 205.
[0130] Even in the case where the first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204 are applied later, as in the third embodiment, the end faces of the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 and the lower electrode pattern 105 of the lower substrate 100 are exposed on a lens end 302 of the lens 1 and the end faces of the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 and the upper electrode pattern 205 of the upper substrate 200 are exposed on the lens end 302 because the lower and upper substrates 100 and 200 are cut along a cutting line 301 as shown in FIG. 15. Other points are similar to those of the third embodiment.
[0131] The lower insulating pattern 106 and the upper insulating pattern 206 may be formed over the substrates. Therefore, the lower insulating pattern 106 and the upper insulating pattern 206 can be formed by sputtering without using a mask.
[0132] In the third embodiment, the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 is formed on the smooth surface of the lower substrate 100 and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 is formed on the smooth surface of the upper substrate 200, whereas in a fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 26, a first recess 102 is formed on a surface 101 of a lower substrate 100 and a second recess 202 is formed on a surface 201 of an upper substrate 200 such that first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204 can be correctly patterned at predetermined positions even when ITO ink having high wettability is used.
[0133] FIGS. 26 to 36 show a method for manufacturing a lens 1 for electronic spectacles.
[0134] FIG. 26 shows an exploded image of the completed lens 1 for better understanding of the manufacturing process. The lens 1 contains a liquid crystal 300 serving as an electric element between the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200. Reference numeral 400 denotes an adhesive layer for joining the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200.
[0135] FIGS. 27 and 28 show a process for fabricating the lower substrate 100.
[0136] In FIG. 27(a), the first recess 102 and an electric element forming part 103 are formed on the surface 101 of the lower substrate 100 as shown in FIG. 28(a). The surface 101 is opposed to the upper substrate 200 and the liquid crystal 400 is placed on the electric element forming part 103 later. The first recess 102 is formed transferring a convex formed on a resin molding die of the lower substrate 100. The first recess 102 can be formed after molding. The first recess 102 is preferably about 0.5 mm to 2 mm in width and about 10 mm to 20 mm in length. Further, the first recess 102 has a depth of about several tens μm to several hundreds μm.
[0137] In FIG. 27(b), the first recess 102 is coated with conductive ink to form the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 as shown in FIG. 28(b). The first auxiliary electrode layer 104 is preferably at least 1 μm in thickness. To be specific, the first recess 102 is filled with ITO ink that is conductive ink. The ITO ink may be applied by an ink-jet method or a dispenser. The surface of the first recess 102 formed on the surface 101 of the lower substrate 100 is coated with the ITO ink to form the first auxiliary electrode layer 104. Thus even when ITO ink having high wettability is used, it is possible to correctly pattern the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 at a predetermined position on the lower substrate 100.
[0138] The first auxiliary electrode layer 104 can be formed also by spin coating or dipping in a state in which a part other than the first recess 102 is masked with tape and the like.
[0139] In FIG. 27(c), a lower electrode pattern 105 is formed on the electric element forming part 103 and the first auxiliary electrode layer 104. The lower electrode pattern 105 connects the electric element forming part 103 and the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 so as to cover the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 as shown in FIG. 28(c). To be specific, ITO sputtering is performed using a mask pattern connecting the electric element forming part 103 and the first recess 102. The lower electrode pattern 105 is about 10 nm to 40 nm in thickness.
[0140] In FIG. 27(d), a lower insulating layer pattern 106 is formed on the electric element forming part 103 and the lower electrode pattern 105 as shown in FIG. 28(d). To be specific, after ITO sputtering in FIG. 27(c), SiO2 is continuously sputtered without removing the lower substrate 100 from a chamber (without exposing the lower substrate 100 to the atmosphere). Such sputtering can be performed by a sputtering apparatus having multiple targets in a single chamber and thus a special apparatus is not necessary.
[0141] In FIG. 27(e), an alignment layer 107 is applied to a part to be coated with the liquid crystal 300, and rubbing is performed thereon.
[0142] FIGS. 29 and 30 show a process for fabricating the upper substrate 200.
[0143] In FIG. 29(a), the second recess 202 is formed on the surface 201 of the upper substrate 200 as shown in FIG. 30(a). The surface 201 is opposed to the lower substrate 100. The second recess 202 is formed by transferring a convex formed on a resin molding die of the upper substrate 200. The second recess 202 can be formed after molding. The second recess 202 is preferably about 0.5 mm to 2 mm in width and about 10 mm to 20 mm in length. Further, the second recess 202 has a depth of about several tens μm to several hundreds μm.
[0144] In FIG. 29(b), the second recess 202 is coated with conductive ink to form the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 as shown in FIG. 30(b). The second auxiliary electrode layer 204 is preferably at least 1 μm in thickness. To be specific, the second recess 202 is filled with ITO ink that is conductive ink. The ITO ink may be applied by the ink-jet method or a dispenser. The surface of the second recess 202 formed on the surface 201 of the upper substrate 200 is coated with the ITO ink to form the second auxiliary electrode layer 204. Thus even when ITO ink having high wettability is used, it is possible to correctly pattern the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 at a predetermined position on the upper substrate 200.
[0145] The second auxiliary electrode layer 204 can be formed also by spin coating or dipping in a state in which a part other than the second recess 202 is masked with tape and the like.
[0146] In FIG. 29(c), an upper electrode pattern 205 is formed on a part 203 corresponding to the electric element forming part 103 on the lower substrate 100 and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 as shown in FIG. 30(c). The upper electrode pattern 205 connects the part 203 and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 so as to cover the second auxiliary electrode layer 204. To be specific, ITO sputtering is performed using a mask pattern connecting the part 203 and the second recess 202. The upper electrode pattern 205 is about 10 nm to 40 nm in thickness.
[0147] In FIG. 29(d), an upper insulating layer pattern 206 is formed on the upper electrode pattern 205 as shown in FIG. 30(d). To be specific, after ITO sputtering in FIG. 29(c), SiO2is continuously sputtered without removing the upper substrate 200 from a chamber device (without exposing the upper substrate 200 to the atmosphere). Such sputtering can be performed by a sputtering apparatus having multiple targets in a single chamber and thus a special apparatus is not necessary.
[0148] In FIG. 29(e), an alignment layer 207 is applied to a part of the upper electrode pattern 205 so as to correspond to the part 203, and rubbing is performed thereon.
[0149] The lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are bonded with the adhesive layer 400 in a state in which the liquid crystal 300 serving as the electric element is interposed between the electric element forming part 103 of the lower substrate 100 fabricated thus and the upper substrate 200. To be specific, the liquid crystal 300 is applied by a dispenser or the ink-jet method. After the liquid crystal 300 is applied, an adhesive (sealing agent) is applied around the liquid crystal 300 and then the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are bonded with the adhesive layer 400.
[0150] FIG. 31 is an enlarged perspective view in which the bonded lower substrate 100 and upper substrate 200 are cut at a position on the first recess 102. FIG. 32 is an enlarged view of the principle part of FIG. 31. FIG. 33 is an enlarged perspective view in which the bonded lower substrate 100 and upper substrate 200 are cut at a position on the second recess 202. FIG. 34 is an enlarged view of the principle part of FIG. 33.
[0151] As in FIG. 15, the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 that have been bonded thus are cut along a cutting line 301 according to the shape of a rim 8 of a spectacle frame 11. In this case, the substrates 100 and 200 are cut at the first and second recesses 102 and 202 and the cut surfaces of the first and second recesses 102 and 202 are exposed on a lens end 302 as shown in FIG. 35. As shown in FIG. 36, on the exposed cut surfaces of the first and second recesses 102 and 202, the end faces of the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 and the lower electrode pattern 105 of the lower substrate 100 are exposed and the end faces of the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 and the upper electrode pattern 205 of the upper substrate 200 are exposed.
[0152] As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the electronic spectacles can be constructed using the lens of FIG. 35. The lenses 1 are set in the spectacle frame 11.
[0153] With this configuration, a voltage for driving the liquid crystal 300 can be applied between the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 of the lens 1 from the control unit 5.
[0154] In the case where the first and second recesses 102 and 202 are coated with the first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204 and then the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 are formed thereon, the lower insulating layer pattern 106 and the upper insulating layer pattern 206 can be formed, as previously mentioned, on the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 by continuous sputtering without removing the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 from the chamber opened to the atmosphere.
[0155] To be specific, in the case where the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 are formed on the first and second recesses 102 and 202 and then the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 are coated with the first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204, the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 are formed on the first and second recesses 102 and 202 by sputtering, the sputtering apparatus is opened to the atmosphere to remove the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200, the mask pattern is changed, and then the lower insulating layer pattern 106 and the upper insulating layer pattern 206 are formed. In another method, the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 are formed on the first and second recesses 102 and 202 by sputtering, the sputtering apparatus is opened to the atmosphere to remove the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200, the first and second auxiliary electrodes 104 and 204 are formed, and then sputtering is performed again. In both of the methods, however, vacuum drawing performed twice in the sputtering apparatus results in a complicated fabrication process.
[0156] In the present embodiment, the first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204 are first applied. In this case, the lower electrode pattern 105 and the lower insulating layer pattern 106 can be formed on the lower substrate 100 without opening the sputtering apparatus to the atmosphere, and the upper electrode pattern 205 and the upper insulating layer pattern 206 can be formed on the upper substrate 200 without opening the sputtering apparatus to the atmosphere, thereby achieving a simple fabrication process.
[0157] As in FIGS. 20 and 21, it is more preferable to apply silver pastes 303a and 303b that are conductive pastes onto the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 because the silver pastes 303a and 303b increase the contact areas. The same advantage can be achieved as in the foregoing embodiments.
[0158] In the fourth embodiment, the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 is formed on the smooth surface of the lower substrate 100 and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 is formed on the smooth surface of the upper substrate 200, whereas in a sixth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 37, a first recess 102 is formed on a surface 101 of a lower substrate 100 and a second recess 202 is formed on a surface 201 of an upper substrate 200 such that first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204 can be correctly patterned at predetermined positions even when ITO ink having high wettability is used.
[0159] FIGS. 37 to 40 show the sixth embodiment of the present invention.
[0160] In the fifth embodiment, the first recess 102 is coated with the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 and then the lower electrode pattern 105 is formed thereon, and the second recess 202 is coated with the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 and then the upper electrode pattern 205 is formed thereon. The sixth embodiment is different only in that the first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204 are applied later. Other points are similar to those of the fifth embodiment.
[0161] FIG. 37 shows an exploded image of a completed lens 1 for better understanding of the manufacturing process.
[0162] In FIG. 38(a), a lower electrode pattern 105 is formed from an electric element forming part 103 to the first recess 102 of the lower substrate 100.
[0163] In FIG. 38(b), the lower electrode pattern 105 is coated with conductive ink only in the first recess 102 to form the first auxiliary electrode layer 104, and a lower insulating layer pattern 106 is formed so as to cover the first auxiliary electrode layer 104, the lower electrode pattern 105, and the electric element forming part 103. As shown in FIG. 37, an alignment layer 107 is formed on the lower insulating layer pattern 106 so as to correspond to the position of the electric element forming part 103.
[0164] In this case, the upper substrate 200 is formed as in FIGS. 38(a) and 38(b). In other words, as shown in FIG. 37, an upper electrode pattern 205 is formed on a part corresponding to the electric element forming part 103 on the lower substrate 100, the second recess 202, and a part connecting the electric element forming part 103 and the second recess 202. After that, the upper electrode pattern 205 is coated with conductive ink only in the second recess 202 to form the second auxiliary electrode layer 204. Further, an upper insulating layer pattern 206 is formed so as to cover the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 and the upper electrode pattern 205. Moreover, an alignment layer 207 is formed thereon.
[0165] As shown in FIG. 38(c), the lower substrate 100 on which the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 is applied later onto the lower electrode pattern 105 in the first recess 102 and the upper substrate 200 on which the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 is applied later onto the upper electrode pattern 205 in the second recess 202 are bonded to each other with an adhesive layer 400 in a state in which a liquid crystal 300 is interposed between the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200. FIG. 39 is an enlarged perspective view in which the bonded lower substrate 100 and upper substrate 200 are cut at a position on the first recess 102. FIG. 40 is an enlarged sectional view in which the bonded lower substrate 100 and upper substrate 200 are cut at a position on the second recess 202.
[0166] Even when the first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204 are applied later onto the first and second recesses 102 and 202, as in the fifth embodiment, the end faces of the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 and the lower electrode pattern 105 of the lower substrate 100 are exposed on a lens end 302 of the lens 1 and the end faces of the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 and the upper electrode pattern 205 of the upper substrate 200 are exposed on the lens end 302 because the lower and upper substrates 100 and 200 are cut along the cutting line 301 as in FIG. 35. Other points are similar to those of the fifth embodiment.
[0167] In the sixth embodiment, the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 is formed on the recess of the lower electrode pattern 105 in the first recess 102 and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 is formed on the recess of the upper electrode pattern 205 in the second recess 202. Thus even when ITO ink having high wettability is used, it is possible to correctly pattern the first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204 at predetermined positions on the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200.
[0168] Further, the lower insulating pattern 106 and the upper insulating pattern 206 may be formed over the substrates, thereby forming insulating layers by sputtering without using a mask.
[0169] In the fourth embodiment, the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 is formed on the lower substrate 100 and then the lower insulating layer pattern 106 is formed thereon, and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 is formed on the upper substrate 200 and then the upper insulating layer pattern 206 is formed thereon. A seventh embodiment is different only in that a hole 106b (see FIG. 41) is formed on a lower insulating layer pattern 106, a hole 206b (see FIG. 41) is formed on an upper insulating layer pattern 206, the lower insulating layer pattern 106 is formed before a first auxiliary electrode layer 104, and the upper insulating layer pattern 206 is formed before a second auxiliary electrode layer 204.
[0170] In the seventh embodiment, the hole 106b of the lower insulating layer pattern 106 formed on a lower electrode pattern 105 is filled with conductive ink and the lower electrode pattern 105 is partially coated with the conductive ink. Thus even when ITO ink having high wettability is used, it is possible to correctly pattern the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 at a predetermined position. Similarly, the hole 206b of the upper insulating layer pattern 206 formed on an upper electrode pattern 205 is filled with conductive ink and the upper electrode pattern 205 is partially coated with the conductive ink. Thus even when ITO ink having high wettability is used, it is possible to correctly pattern the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 at a predetermined position. Other points are similar to those of the fourth embodiment.
[0171] In the sixth embodiment, the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 is formed on the lower substrate 100 and then the lower insulating layer pattern 106 is formed thereon, and the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 is formed on the upper substrate 200 and then the upper insulating layer pattern 206 is formed thereon. An eighth embodiment is different only in that a hole 106b (see FIG. 42) is formed on a lower insulating layer pattern 106, a hole 206b (see FIG. 42) is formed on an upper insulating layer pattern 206, the lower insulating layer pattern 106 is formed before a first auxiliary electrode layer 104, and the upper insulating layer pattern 206 is formed before a second auxiliary electrode layer 204.
[0172] In the eighth embodiment, the hole 106b of the lower insulating layer pattern 106 formed on a lower electrode pattern 105 is filled with conductive ink and the lower electrode pattern 105 is partially coated with the conductive ink. Thus even when ITO ink having high wettability is used, it is possible to correctly pattern the first auxiliary electrode layer 104 at a predetermined position. Similarly, the hole 206b of the upper insulating layer pattern 206 formed on an upper electrode pattern 205 is filled with conductive ink and the upper electrode pattern 205 is partially coated with the conductive ink. Thus even when ITO ink having high wettability is used, it is possible to correctly pattern the second auxiliary electrode layer 204 at a predetermined position. Other points are similar to those of the sixth embodiment.
[0173] In the fifth, sixth, and eighth embodiments, the first and second recesses 102 and 202 make it possible to correctly pattern highly wettable ink at the predetermined positions and prevent the ITO ink, which is conductive ink, from spreading to the bonded surfaces of the upper and lower substrates.
[0174] In the case where patterning is performed directly on the surfaces of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 without providing the first and second recesses 102 and 202 as in the third, fourth, and seventh embodiments, a gap is formed between the bonded upper and lower substrates because of the thickness of the ITO ink that is conductive ink, thereby deforming the lens 1. The fifth, sixth, and eighth embodiments make it possible to satisfactorily fabricate the lens 1 with less deformation.
[0175] In the fifth, sixth, and eighth embodiments, when the first and second recesses 102 and 202 are composed of flat surfaces in cross section, ink tends to gather at straight lines where the surfaces of the recess intersect with each other, so that the ink has a larger thickness in some portions than on the flat surfaces. In the portions where a liquid tends to gather, cracks are likely to occur owing to different dry states on the surface of an ITO ink film that is a conductive ink film, thereby increasing the resistance of a transparent conductive film formed of ITO ink. In order to solve this problem, the first and second recesses 102 and 202 of the fifth, sixth, and eighth embodiments are curved in cross section. When the first and second recesses 102 and 202 are not curved in cross section but are formed by joining flat surfaces in cross section, substantially the same effect can be expected by rounding the intersections of the flat surfaces.
[0176] In the third to eighth embodiments, the transparent first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204 are formed by applying ITO ink that is conductive ink and the transparent lower electrode pattern 105 and upper electrode pattern 205 are formed by sputtering. The lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 can be similarly formed by vacuum deposition methods other than sputtering. The other vacuum deposition methods include CVD methods such as resistance heating vacuum deposition, electron beam vacuum deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, ion plating, PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) such as ion beam deposition, thermal CVD (thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition), plasma CVD (plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition), optical CVD, epitaxial CVD, and atomic layer CVD.
[0177] Further, the transparent first and second auxiliary electrode layers 104 and 204, the lower electrode pattern 105, and the upper electrode pattern 205 are made of ITO (indium tin oxide) in the example of the foregoing explanation. The layers and patterns may be made of ITO substitute transparent electrode materials that include niobium-doped titanium dioxide (Ti1-xNbxO2: TNO) not containing indium but containing titanium as a major component, and ZnO.
[0178] In the third to eighth embodiments, the lower insulating layer pattern 106 and the upper insulating layer pattern 206 are provided. When the lower electrode pattern 105 and the upper electrode pattern 205 can be electrically insulated in a continuous manner by the adhesive layer 400 alone, at least one of the lower insulating layer pattern 106 and the upper insulating layer pattern 206 may be omitted.
[0179] Electronic spectacles according to the present invention ensure connection to an electric circuit and achieve higher reliability. Thus the present invention is useful for spectacles and sunglasses that use electric elements such as a liquid crystal element and an electrochromic element.
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