Patent ID: 7291357

Claim:
A thin film deposition method for producing an optical film with an optical characteristic on a deposition substrate in a vacuum chamber, comprising: (a) preparing in the vacuum chamber a deposition source which is a source of a film producing material; (b) holding the deposition substrate by means of a substrate holding member; (c) arranging the deposition substrate and the deposition source in such a manner that, given that a point of intersection of a horizontal plane containing said deposition source and a reference line which passes through a center of the deposition substrate and is orthogonal to the horizontal plane is defined as a first point of intersection, and a distance front the first point of intersection to the center of the deposition substrate is defined as Zk and a distance from the first point of intersection to the deposition source is defined as Xk, Xk/Zk is set to satisfy a following equation: 0.48 ≦Xk/Zk ≦0.78; and (d) evaporating the film producing material of said deposition source to perform deposition on the deposition substrate.