| 摘要 |
PURPOSE:To form an optical element with high accuracy by a method wherein the optical element is molded with a mold made of porous material and then the molded optical element is released from the mold by feeding gas to the interface between said mold and the optical element through the fine internal pores of the mold. CONSTITUTION:Raw material for an elastic body is poured through an inlet provided on a side mold 3 in a gap portion, which is shaped by a mold 2 (or a mold holder 1), the side mold 3 and a bottom plate 4, and then cured in order to form a columnar elastic body 5. When gas such as air or the like is poured under pressure through the gas inlet 1a of the mold holder 1, the gas passes from the bottom surface side of the mold 2 through the fine internal pores of the mold 2 made of porous material and reaches the interface between the mold 2 and the elastic body 2, resulting in releasing the elastic body from the mold in such state as to float the elastic body off the mold 2 (or in such a state that the lowering of molding accuracy is suppressed). A variable focus optical element 7 is obtained by arranging the elastic body, which is as released from the mold in the state of being tightly adhered to the circular bottom plate 4, in a cylindrical opening member 1 having a circular opening part 6a. |
