US 12,306,375 B2
Method of manufacturing optical element
Katsumi Sasata, Minamiashigara (JP); Akiko Watano, Minamiashigara (JP); Hiroshi Sato, Minamiashigara (JP); and Yukito Saitoh, Minamiashigara (JP)
Assigned to FUJIFILM Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by FUJIFILM Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Mar. 25, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/704,066.
Application 17/704,066 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2020/036318, filed on Sep. 25, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-176735 (JP), filed on Sep. 27, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0214476 A1, Jul. 7, 2022
Int. Cl. G02F 1/13 (2006.01); G02B 1/11 (2015.01); G02B 1/113 (2015.01); G02B 5/00 (2006.01); G02B 5/26 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 1/11 (2013.01) [G02B 1/113 (2013.01); G02B 5/003 (2013.01); G02B 5/26 (2013.01)] 2 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of manufacturing an optical element, the method comprising:
an exposure step of performing interference exposure to a surface of a photo-alignment film including a photo-alignment material to form, on the photo-alignment film, an alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from a liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction;
a liquid crystal layer forming step of applying a liquid crystal composition including a liquid crystal compound to the photo-alignment film where the alignment pattern is formed to form a liquid crystal layer; and
a peeling step of peeling off the liquid crystal layer formed in the liquid crystal layer forming step from the photo-alignment film,
wherein the liquid crystal layer is formed by performing the liquid crystal layer forming step again after the peeling step,
the photo-alignment material includes an azo compound,
the exposure step is performed in an environment having a relative humidity of 50% or less, and
a relative humidity in an atmospheric environment between the peeling step and the liquid crystal layer forming step is 10% or less.