OPTICAL ELEMENT MANUFACTURING METHOD AND OPTICAL ELEMENT

摘要

Provided is an optical element manufacturing method by which optical elements, such as a beam shaping element having a molded side surface, are highly efficiently and accurately manufactured by pressure-molding a molten glass drop. The optical element having a molded upper surface, a molded lower surface and molded side surfaces is manufactured by pressure-molding the molten glass drop by using a molding die having an upper molding die, a lower molding die and a side molding die. The lower molding die is supplied with the molten glass drop so that the height of the molten glass drop at the center is more than the height of the side molding die. Then, the applied molten glass drop is pressure-molded by using the molding die, and a flange section having a surface formed without being brought into contact with the molding die is formed by extruding a part of the molten glass drop to the outside of the molded side surface.