Patent ID: 6929822

Claim:
A method for manufacturing an optical member having a water-repellent thin film wherein an antireflective film is vapor deposited on a plastic optical member and then a water-repellent thin film is vapor deposited on the antireflective film, wherein said vapor deposition of the water-repellent thin film is conducted by heating and evaporating a fluorine-containing organic silicon compound under condition in which the temperature of said plastic optical member does not exceed the maximum temperature at which the plastic optical member is exposed during the vapor deposition of the antireflective film, and adhering the evaporated fluorine-containing organic silicon compound on the plastic optical member having the antireflective film, and said heating is conducted so as to comprise a first stage of raising temperature where the temperature is raised from a starting temperature to the prescribed temperature (1) not exceeding the starting temperature of vapor deposition of said fluorine-containing organic compound, and a second stage of raising temperature where the temperature is raised from said prescribed temperature (1) to the prescribed temperature (2) equal to or higher than said starting temperature of vapor deposition, with the rate of raising temperature of the first stage of raising temperature higher than the rate of raising temperature of the second stage of raising temperature; wherein (i) said vapor deposition of the antireflective film and said vapor deposition of the water-repellent thin film are conducted by sequentially moving a jig for holding multiple plastic optical members to a chamber for vapor deposition of said antireflective film and to a chamber for vapor deposition of said water-repellent thin film; and (ii) said chamber for vapor deposition of said water-repellent thin film has an opening and closing mechanism for retrieving said jig outside the chamber, wherein vacuum in said chamber is broken when said opening and closing mechanism is opened.