METHOD FOR PRODUCING A TOOL WHICH CAN BE USED TO CREATE OPTICALLY ACTIVE SURFACE STRUCTRES IN THE SUB-nuM RANGE AND A CORRESPONDING TOOL

Abstract

The invention is a method for producing a tool which can be used to create optically active surface structures in the sub-μm range, having a support surface onto which relief surface structures are applied over the support surface by means of material deposition. The invention is distinguished by the support surface being directly contacted with a mask in which openings with diameters in the sub-μm range are provided or can be provided, by the support surface including the mask being subjected to a coating process in which the coating material deposits through the openings of the mask onto the support surface, and the mask is removed from the support surface when a partial amount of an average end structure height of the surface structures is reached and the coating procedure is then continued without the mask using the same coating material or different coating materials.

1 . A tool for surface structuring and fabrication of optically active surface structures on a support surface in a sub-μm range, comprising:
 a layer of high-temperature resistant material applied onto the surface support having surface structures over the support surface, the surface structures including dimensions in the sub-μm range having heights between 50 and 1000 nm and including distances apart between 50 and 400 nm.   
   
   
       2 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the surface structures comprise substantially at least one identical discrete shape and identical discrete size.   
   
   
       3 . The tool according to  claim 2 , wherein:
 the surface structures are divided into at least two discrete shape and discrete size groups which are arranged in order on the support surface.   
   
   
       4 . The tool according to  claim 3 , wherein:
 centers of the surface structures each have mutual lateral spacing distributed by at least average distances M 1  and M 2 , wherein for M 1  and M 2 :   M 1 =M 2  or   M 2 >M 1 , with 50 nm<M 1 <180 nm and 200 nm<M 2 <400 nm or
 with M 1 =170 nm and M 2 =300 nm or 
   with 1.1<M 2 /M 1 <8 or
 with M 2 /M 1 =1.72. 
   
   
   
       5 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 a magnitude of a greatest difference in height between a highest surface structure and a surrounding indentation on the support surface is less than 1.6 times the magnitude of a smallest difference in height between a smallest surface structure and an indentation surrounding the smallest surface structure.   
   
   
       6 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the surface structures have different structural heights and elevations measured from respective indentations surrounding the surface structures, which range between 50 and 1000 nm.   
   
   
       7 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the support surface is made from one of metal, ceramic material, quartz glass or silicon.   
   
   
       8 . The tool according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the support surface, prior to application of the layer, is smooth or structured.   
   
   
       9 . The tool according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 the support surface, prior to application, has indentations with a diameter at the support surface and depth within the range from 1 μm to 30 μm.   
   
   
       10 . The tool according to  claim 9 , wherein the indentations have aspect relationships in an order of a magnitude of 1. 
   
   
       11 . A tool as defined in  claim 1  comprising antireflective surfaces. 
   
   
       12 . A tool to  claim 11 , wherein:
 the antireflective optical surfaces comprise organic or inorganic materials.