CN110359010B

CN110359010B - Metal mask strip, metal mask plate and repairing method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN110359010B
Application number: CN201810251345.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 罗昶; 吴建鹏
Original assignee: BOE Technology Group Co Ltd; Chengdu BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: BOE Technology Group Co Ltd; Chengdu BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-03-26
Filing date: 2018-03-26
Publication date: 2021-09-03
Anticipated expiration: 2038-03-26
Also published as: CN110359010A

Abstract

The invention discloses a metal mask strip, a metal mask plate and a repairing method thereof, and belongs to the field of evaporation processes. The metal mask strip comprises a pattern area and at least two pairs of welding areas, the pattern area is located in the middle of the metal mask strip, each pair of welding areas comprises two welding areas symmetrically arranged on two sides of the pattern area, and the at least two welding areas located on the same side of the pattern area are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the metal mask strip. Through setting up many pairs of welding region for when the condition such as becoming flexible appears in the solder joint that adopts outside welding region and frame welding, can adopt inboard welding region and another less frame of size to weld again and use, need not to abandon metal mask strip, make metal mask strip repeatedly usable, reduced metal mask plate's manufacturing cost.

Description

Metal mask strip, metal mask plate and repairing method thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of evaporation processes, in particular to a metal mask strip, a metal mask plate and a repairing method thereof.

Background

At present, the Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display panel is mainly produced by using an Organic vapor deposition coating technology, which generally uses a high-precision metal mask plate as a mold, heats an Organic material to volatilize at a high temperature, and then evaporates the Organic material onto a substrate through an opening of the mask plate in a material molecule state.

The metal Mask plate comprises a Frame (English Frame) and metal Mask strips (English Mask) provided with openings, the metal Mask strips are welded on the Frame, and hollow areas are arranged in the areas, located below the metal Mask strips, of the Frame. During vapor deposition, the frame is arranged on the hollow carrier, the substrate to be vapor-deposited is placed on the metal mask strips in a fitting manner, the magnetic partition plate is arranged on the substrate to be vapor-deposited and is used for adsorbing the metal mask strips to enable the metal mask strips to be attached to the substrate to be vapor-deposited, the organic material is heated below the carrier, and the organic material passes through the carrier and the frame after being volatilized at high temperature and is vapor-deposited on the substrate through the openings of the metal mask strips.

The following faults may occur in the process of manufacturing or using the metal mask plate: the metal mask strips have deviation in position, the frame deforms, welding points between the frame and the metal mask strips are loosened or fall off, and the like, and when the faults occur, the metal mask strips can only be separated from the frame and discarded, and new metal mask strips are welded on the frame. Since the metal mask strip is expensive, the direct discarding process may result in an excessive production cost of the OLED display panel.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the problem that in the prior art, the production cost of an OLED display panel is too high due to the fact that metal mask strips are directly discarded, the embodiment of the invention provides the metal mask strips, a metal mask plate and a repairing method of the metal mask plate. The technical scheme is as follows:

in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a metal mask strip, where the metal mask strip includes a pattern region and at least two pairs of welding regions, the pattern region is located in a middle of the metal mask strip, each pair of welding regions includes two welding regions symmetrically disposed on two sides of the pattern region, and at least two welding regions located on the same side of the pattern region are arranged at intervals along a length direction of the metal mask strip.

In one implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, a mark for indicating the welding region is disposed on the metal mask strip, or a surface of the welding region is provided with a patterned structure for identifying a position of the welding region, or a thickness of the welding region is greater than thicknesses of other regions of the metal mask strip.

In another implementation manner of the embodiment of the invention, the distance between any two adjacent welding areas located on the same side of the pattern area is 20-50 mm.

In another implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of cutting lines are disposed on the metal mask strip, two cutting lines are disposed between any adjacent welding regions located on the same side of the pattern region, and one cutting line is disposed between the outermost welding region of the metal mask strip and a side edge of the metal mask strip.

In another implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, in two cutting lines between any adjacent welding areas on the same side of the graph area, one cutting line is in a straight line shape, the other cutting line includes two straight line segments and an arc line segment, the arc line segment is sandwiched between the two straight line segments, and the cutting line in the straight line shape is closer to the graph area than the other cutting line is to the graph area.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a metal mask plate, where the metal mask plate includes a first frame and a plurality of metal mask strips, each metal mask strip is a metal mask strip according to any one of the first aspect, and each metal mask strip is welded to the first frame through a pair of welding regions of the metal mask strip.

In an implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, the metal mask further includes a second frame, and the second frame is detachably embedded in the first frame.

In another implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, the second frame includes a first sub-frame and a second sub-frame, the second sub-frame is disposed on the first sub-frame and embedded in the first sub-frame, and an orthogonal projection of the first sub-frame and the second sub-frame in a plane where the metal mask stripes are located coincides with an orthogonal projection of the first sub-frame in a plane where the metal mask stripes are located.

In another implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, the metal mask plate further includes a third frame; the third frame comprises a third sub-frame and a fourth sub-frame, the fourth sub-frame is arranged on the third sub-frame and embedded in the third frame, and the orthographic projection of the second frame and the orthographic projection of the fourth sub-frame in the plane of the metal mask strips are superposed with the orthographic projection of the third sub-frame in the plane of the metal mask strips.

In another implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, the metal mask further includes a plurality of shielding strips, each shielding strip is disposed between two adjacent metal mask strips, and the shielding strip is located between the metal mask strip and the first frame in a direction perpendicular to a plane where the metal mask strip is located;

at least two pairs of shielding strip welding areas are symmetrically arranged at two ends of each shielding strip, each pair of shielding strip welding areas comprises two shielding strip welding areas which are respectively positioned at two ends of each shielding strip, and each shielding strip is welded on the first frame through the shielding strip welding areas of the shielding strip.

In another implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, the metal mask plate further includes a plurality of support bars, each support bar is disposed between the metal mask bar and the first frame, and a length direction of each support bar intersects a length direction of the metal mask bar;

every the both ends symmetry of support bar is provided with two at least pairs of support bar welding area, and is every right the support bar welding area includes that two are located respectively the support bar welding area at support bar both ends, every the support bar is through a pair of self the welding of support bar welding area is in on the first frame.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for repairing a metal mask plate, where the method is implemented based on the metal mask plate in any one of the second aspects, a metal mask strip in the metal mask plate includes a first welding region and a second welding region, the second welding region is located between the first welding region and a pattern region of the metal mask strip, the first welding region is a region where the metal mask strip is welded to a first frame, and the method includes:

aligning the second welding regions of the metal mask stripes with a second frame, wherein the second frame is detachably embedded in the first frame;

welding the metal mask strip to the second frame through the second welding region.

In an implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, the repairing method further includes:

separating the metal mask stripes from the first frame before aligning the second welding regions of the metal mask stripes with the second frame.

In another implementation of the embodiment of the invention, separating the metal mask stripes from the first frame includes:

cutting the metal mask strip along a cutting line disposed on the metal mask strip between the first welding region and the second welding region to separate the metal mask strip from the first frame.

In another implementation of the embodiment of the invention, aligning the second welding regions of the metal mask stripes with the second frame includes:

and sleeving the second frame in the first frame so as to align the second welding areas of the metal mask strips with the second frame.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention has the following beneficial effects:

according to the embodiment of the invention, by arranging the plurality of pairs of welding areas, when welding spots welded by the outer welding area and the frame are loosened, the inner welding area and another frame with a smaller size can be used by welding again, and the metal mask strip does not need to be discarded, so that the metal mask strip can be used repeatedly, and the production cost of the metal mask plate is reduced.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a metal mask stripe provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a metal mask according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of another metal mask according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4A is a schematic structural diagram of a first frame according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a schematic structural diagram of a second frame according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4C is a schematic view of the assembly of the first frame and the second frame provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4D is a schematic structural diagram of a third frame according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4E is a schematic view of the assembly of the second frame and the third frame provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4F is a schematic view of the assembly of the first frame, the second frame and the third frame provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4G is a schematic structural diagram of another second frame according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural view of a masking strip according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic view of an installation structure of a masking strip according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a support bar provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a mounting structure of a support bar provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a flowchart of a method for repairing a metal mask according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10A to 10E are schematic views illustrating a welding process of a metal mask strip and a first frame according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10F to 10L are schematic diagrams of a metal mask repairing process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a metal mask strip 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, referring to fig. 1, the metal mask strip 10 includes a pattern region 101 and at least two pairs of welding regions 102, the pattern region 101 is located in a middle of the metal mask strip 10, each pair of welding regions 102 includes two welding regions 102 symmetrically disposed on two sides of the pattern region 101, and the at least two welding regions 102 located on the same side of the pattern region 101 are spaced apart along a length direction a of the metal mask strip 10.

According to the embodiment of the invention, by arranging the plurality of pairs of welding areas 102, when welding spots welded by the outer welding area 102 and the frame are loosened, the inner welding area 102 and another frame with a smaller size can be used by welding again without discarding the metal mask strip 10, so that the metal mask strip 10 can be reused, and the production cost of the metal mask plate is reduced. In addition, the manufacturing cycle of the metal mask strip is long, and normal production may be affected if a new metal mask strip is used.

The Metal Mask strip provided by the embodiment of the invention can be a high-precision Metal Mask strip (English Metal Mask, English FMM) and can be used for evaporating an organic light-emitting film layer on an OLED substrate and the like.

The pattern area 101 of the metal mask strip 10 corresponds to a pattern area on an OLED substrate to be evaporated, the pattern area 101 includes a plurality of rectangular areas 111 for evaporation (only 2 of which are shown in fig. 1 as an illustration), and the rectangular areas 111 are used for allowing an evaporation material to pass through and then be evaporated on a set position of the OLED substrate. A plurality of rectangular regions 111 are disposed in the middle of the metal mask stripes 10, and the plurality of rectangular regions 111 may be symmetrically arranged along the center of the metal mask stripes 10 in the length direction, for example, the same number of rectangular regions 111 are disposed on both sides of the center of the metal mask stripes 10 in the length direction. The rectangular region 111 is merely an example, and in other embodiments, the rectangular region 111 may also be a region with another shape, such as a circular region.

In the embodiment of the invention, in order to ensure that the position of the welding area can be accurately determined during welding, the welding area can be marked or processed.

Illustratively, the metal mask strip 10 is provided with a mark for indicating the welding area 102, and the welding area 102 is highlighted with the mark so as to confirm the position of the welding area 102, and meanwhile, the processing mode is simple and the manufacturing is convenient. Wherein the mark may be a score or a mark formed using a paint.

Illustratively, the surface of the welding region 102 is provided with a patterned structure for identifying the position of the welding region 102, and using the patterned structure as the welding region 102 can identify the position of the welding region 102 while enabling the metal mask strip 10 and the frame to be welded together more easily. For example, the patterned structure may be a mesh-like hollow pattern formed on the metal mask stripe 10.

Illustratively, the thickness of the welding region 102 is greater than the thickness of other regions of the metal mask strip 10, and the welding region 102 with a thickened design allows enough metal material to be used for welding, so that the strength of the welding of the metal mask strip 10 and the frame can be ensured. The thickness of the aforementioned welding region 102 may be 1.5 to 2 times the thickness of the other regions.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the distance d between any two adjacent welding areas 102 located on the same side of the pattern area 101 is 20-50 mm. This region can guarantee when changing the frame, can accomplish a net smoothly, and simultaneously, this interval design can not too big cause the size of whole metal mask board too big. Illustratively, the spacing d may be 30 mm. It should be noted that the value of the distance d is only one implementation manner, and during actual manufacturing, the size of the distance d may be adjusted according to different production lines, different devices, and different products as long as the conditions and requirements of the device process are met.

In the embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of cutting lines 103 are disposed on the metal mask strip 10, two cutting lines 103 are disposed between any adjacent welding regions 102 located on the same side of the pattern region 101, and one cutting line 103 is disposed between the outermost welding region 102 of the metal mask strip 10 and the side edge of the metal mask strip 10. A cutting line 103 is correspondingly designed on the outer side of each welding region 102, which can be used for positioning and removing the redundant part of the metal mask strip 10 after welding. In addition to the above-mentioned one cutting line 103 corresponding to each welding region 102, the metal mask strip 10 is further provided with one cutting line 103 between adjacent welding regions 102, so that the metal mask strip 10 can be separated by cutting according to the cutting line 103 when the welding spot is loosened and the like. Therefore, a cutting line 103 is disposed between the outermost welding region 102 and the side edge of the metal mask strip 10, and two cutting lines 103 are disposed between adjacent welding regions 102.

As shown in fig. 1, the shape of the dicing line 103 for positioning and removing the unnecessary portion of the metal mask strip 10 may be a straight line, that is, the dicing line 103 for positioning and cutting at the same time is a straight line, which is perpendicular to the length direction a of the metal mask strip 10.

As shown in fig. 1, the cutting line 103 for separating the metal mask stripes 10 includes two straight line segments (perpendicular to the length direction a of the metal mask stripes 10) and an arc segment sandwiched therebetween. As shown in fig. 1, the cut line 103 having a straight line shape is closer to the pattern region 101 than the other cut line 103 is to the pattern region 101.

The arc line segments are bent towards the middle of the metal mask strip 10, arc-shaped gaps are formed in two ends of the metal mask strip 10 obtained by separating the cutting lines 103, the shapes of the arc-shaped gaps are the same as those of two ends of the original metal mask strip 10, and the arc-shaped gaps are used for being clamped with connecting portions connected with mesh stretching equipment when the two ends of the metal mask strip 10 are connected with the mesh stretching equipment, so that mesh stretching is achieved. Illustratively, the arc shape of the middle portion of the cutting line 103 may be a semicircular arc shape.

The embodiment of the invention provides two implementation modes of the cutting line 103, wherein the cutting line 103 is an etching line or a printing line, and the two modes can accurately indicate the position of the cutting line. The etching line refers to a groove-shaped thin line formed by an etching process.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a metal mask plate according to an embodiment of the present invention, referring to fig. 2, the metal mask plate includes a first frame 20 and a plurality of metal mask strips 10, each metal mask strip 10 is the metal mask strip 10 shown in fig. 1, and each metal mask strip 10 is welded to the first frame 20 through a pair of welding regions 102 of the metal mask strip. According to the embodiment of the invention, by arranging the plurality of pairs of welding areas 102, when welding spots welded by the outer welding area 102 and the frame are loosened, the inner welding area 102 and another frame with a smaller size can be used by welding again without discarding the metal mask strip 10, so that the metal mask strip 10 can be reused, and the production cost of the metal mask plate is reduced.

As shown in fig. 2, the plurality of metal mask stripes 10 are identical in structure, and the plurality of metal mask stripes 10 are uniformly spaced and arranged in parallel on the first frame 20.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of another metal mask plate according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 3, the metal mask plate further includes a second frame 30, the second frame 30 is detachably embedded in the first frame 20, and a width of the second frame 30 is equal to a distance between another pair of the welding regions 102 on the metal mask strip 10. Two frames are designed, so that the metal mask plate can be repaired on one hand, and the whole size of the metal mask plate is smaller on the other hand. As can be seen from fig. 3, when the second frame 30 is disposed in the first frame 20, the outer wall of the second frame 30 and the inner wall of the first frame 20 are fitted, and the second frame 30 is disposed corresponding to a pair of welding regions 102 on the metal mask strip 10.

In the embodiment of the present invention, there may be 2 structures of the second frame 30, and the following describes the structure of the second frame 30 in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings:

fig. 4A is a schematic structural diagram of a first frame 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 4A, the first frame 20 includes two sets of opposite sides, one set is denoted by

reference numerals

20A and 20C, and the other set is denoted by

reference numerals

20B and 20D, wherein one set of the opposite sides is used for welding with the metal mask strip 10. Each side of the first frame 20 has a rectangular cross-section.

Fig. 4B is a schematic structural diagram of a second frame 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 4B, the second frame 30 includes a first sub-frame 301 and a second sub-frame 302, the second sub-frame 302 is disposed on the first sub-frame 301 and embedded in the first frame 20, and an orthogonal projection of the first frame 20 and the second sub-frame 302 in a plane where the metal mask stripes 10 are located coincides with an orthogonal projection of the first sub-frame 301 in a plane where the metal mask stripes 10 are located. This implementation may not only separate the metal mask stripes 10 from the first frame 20 and then weld them again, but also weld the second frame 30 and the metal mask stripes 10 directly, so that the metal mask stripes 10 are supported by the first frame 20 and the second frame 30 at the same time. The design does not need to separate the metal mask strips 10, not only is the repairing and processing convenient, but also the two frames are adopted for supporting, and the integral strength of the metal mask plate is increased.

Wherein the thickness of the second sub-frame 302 is the same as the thickness of the first frame 20, so that the top surface of the frame formed by the combination of the second frame 30 and the first frame 20 is flush, thereby ensuring the fixing effect with the metal mask strip.

The outer contour of the first sub-frame 301 and the outer contour of the first frame 20 are rectangles with the same shape and size, the inner contour of the first sub-frame 301 and the inner contour of the second sub-frame 302 are rectangles with the same shape and size and are concentrically arranged, the outer contour of the second sub-frame 302 and the inner contour of the first frame are rectangles with the same shape and size, and the thickness of the second sub-frame 302 is the same as that of the first frame. Due to the above-mentioned structure of the second frame 30, when the second frame 30 is disposed inside the first frame 20, the second frame 30 and the first frame 20 are combined into a rectangular frame, and each side of the rectangular frame has a rectangular cross section, and the structure thereof is as shown in fig. 4C.

In practice, the second subframe 302 may be formed as a unitary structure with the first subframe 301.

Further, the metal mask plate may further include a third frame, and accordingly, when the metal mask plate includes three rectangular frames, the metal mask strip 10 may include 3 pairs of welding regions, and at this time, the metal mask strip 10 may be reused three times. Fig. 4D is a schematic structural diagram of a third frame 40 provided in an embodiment of the present invention, and referring to fig. 4D, the third frame 40 includes a third subframe 401 and a fourth subframe 402, the fourth subframe 402 is disposed on the third subframe 401, and an orthographic projection of the second frame 30 and the fourth subframe 402 in a plane where the metal mask stripes 10 are located coincides with an orthographic projection of the third subframe 401 in a plane where the metal mask stripes 10 are located. According to the design, the metal mask strips 10 do not need to be separated, so that the repairing and processing are facilitated, three frames can be adopted for supporting when needed, and the overall strength of the metal mask plate is greatly improved.

Wherein the thickness of the fourth sub-frame 402 is the same as the thickness of the second frame 30, so that the top surface of the frame formed by the combination of the second frame 30 and the third frame 40 is flush, thereby ensuring the fixing effect with the metal mask strip.

The third frame 40 includes a third subframe 401 and a fourth subframe 402, the fourth subframe 402 is disposed on the third subframe 401 and embedded in the second frame 30, the outer contour of the third subframe 401 and the outer contour of the first frame are rectangles with the same shape and size, the inner contour of the third subframe 401 and the inner contour of the fourth subframe 402 are rectangles with the same shape and size and concentrically disposed, the outer contour of the fourth subframe 402 and the inner contour of the second subframe 302 are rectangles with the same shape and size, and the thickness of the fourth subframe 402 is the same as that of the second frame. The structure of the third frame 40 is similar to that of the second frame 30, and when the third frame 40 is disposed inside the second frame 30, the structure is as shown in fig. 4E, and when the third frame 40 is disposed inside the structure in which the second frame 30 and the first frame 20 are combined, the structure is as shown in fig. 4F.

In practice, the third subframe 401 and the fourth subframe 402 are formed as a single unit.

Fig. 4G is a schematic structural diagram of another second frame 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 4G, the thickness of the second frame 30 is the same as that of the first frame 20. Wherein, the outer contour of the second frame 30 and the inner contour of the first frame 20 are rectangular with the same shape and size. With the second frame 30 of this design, the frame structure is simple. In the case where the welding point between the first frame 20 and the metal mask stripes 10 is loosened, the metal mask stripes 10 may be separated from the first frame 20 and then welded to the second frame 30.

Of course, in the embodiment of the present invention, the third frame 40 may also be designed in the manner of fig. 4G.

The above embodiments of the present invention are only examples, and in practice, the metal mask plate may further include more rectangular frames.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the metal mask further includes a plurality of masking strips (english Cover). Fig. 5 is a schematic structural view of a shielding strip 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 6 is a schematic structural view of an installation structure of the shielding strip 50 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 5 and 6, each of the shielding strips 50 is disposed between two adjacent metal mask strips 10, and the shielding strips 50 are located between the metal mask strips 10 and the first frame 20 in a direction perpendicular to a plane of the metal mask strips 10, that is, the height of the metal mask strips 10 is higher than that of the shielding strips 50 in a vertical direction (because the metal mask strips 10 are erected on a supporting strip, see the following description); at least two pairs of shielding strip welding areas 501 are symmetrically arranged at two ends of each shielding strip 50, each pair of shielding strip welding areas 501 comprises two shielding strip welding areas 501 respectively located at two ends of each shielding strip 50, and each shielding strip 50 is welded on the first frame 20 through the pair of shielding strip welding areas 501. The masking strip 50 is designed in the same manner as the metal mask strip 10 so that the masking strip 50 can be reused, thereby saving costs.

As shown in fig. 5, the shielding strip is further provided with a shielding strip cutting line 502, two shielding strip cutting lines 502 are respectively arranged between any adjacent shielding strip welding areas 501 at one end of the shielding strip 50, and a shielding strip cutting line 502 is arranged between the shielding strip welding area 501 at the outermost side of one end of the shielding strip 50 and the end of the shielding strip 50. That is, a shielding bar cutting line 502 is correspondingly designed on the outer side of each shielding bar welding area 501, which can be used for positioning and removing the redundant portion of the shielding bar 50 after welding. In addition to the shielding strip cutting line 502 corresponding to each shielding strip welding area 501, the shielding strip 50 is further provided with a shielding strip cutting line 502 between adjacent shielding strip welding areas 501, so that when the welding spot is loosened, the shielding strip 50 can be separated by cutting according to the shielding strip cutting line 502 for recycling.

As shown in fig. 5, the masking strip cut line 502 may be a straight line. The masking strip cutting line 502 may be an etched line or a printed line.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the metal mask further includes a plurality of support bars (english Howling). Fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a support bar 60 provided in an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of an installation structure of the support bar 60 provided in the embodiment of the present invention. Referring to fig. 7 and 8, each of the supporting bars 60 is disposed between the metal mask stripes 10 and the first frame 20, and a length direction of the supporting bar 60 intersects a length direction of the metal mask stripe 10; at least two pairs of support bar welding areas 601 are symmetrically arranged at two ends of each support bar 60, each pair of support bar welding areas 601 comprises two support bar welding areas 601 respectively located at two ends of each support bar 60, and each support bar 60 is welded on the first frame 20 through one pair of support bar welding areas 601. The support bar 60 is designed in the same manner as the metal mask stripes 10 so that the support bar 60 can be reused, thereby saving costs.

As shown in fig. 8, the length direction of the supporting bars 60 is perpendicular to the length direction of the metal mask stripes 10.

As shown in fig. 7, a support strip cutting line 602 is further provided on the support strip, two support strip cutting lines 602 are provided between any adjacent support strip welding areas 601 at one end of the support strip 60, and a support strip cutting line 602 is provided between the support strip welding area 601 at the outermost side of one end of the support strip 60 and the end of the support strip 60. That is, a supporting strip cutting line 602 is correspondingly designed on the outer side of each supporting strip welding area 601, which can be used for positioning and removing the redundant part of the supporting strip 60 after welding. In addition to a support strip cutting line 602 corresponding to each support strip welding area 601, the support strip 60 is provided with a support strip cutting line 602 between adjacent support strip welding areas 601, so that the support strip 60 can be separated and reused by cutting according to the support strip cutting line 602 when the welding point is loosened and the like.

As shown in FIG. 7, the support strip cut line 602 may be a straight line. The support strip cutting lines 602 are etched lines or printed lines.

It is easy to know that the shielding strips are arranged between the adjacent metal mask strips, and the supporting strips are arranged at the intervals of the rectangular areas in the pattern areas of the metal mask strips, so that the shielding strips and the supporting strips cannot prevent evaporation materials from being evaporated onto the OLED substrate through the pattern areas of the metal mask strips.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the first frame 20, the second frame 30, and the third frame 40 have a rectangular outline, that is, a rectangular frame. Of course, in other embodiments, the outlines of the first frame 20, the second frame 30 and the third frame 40 may be other figures, which is not limited in this application.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart of a method for repairing a metal mask plate, where the method is implemented based on the metal mask plate, a metal mask strip in the metal mask plate includes a first welding region and a second welding region, the second welding region is located between the first welding region and a pattern region of the metal mask strip, and the first welding region is a region where the metal mask strip is welded to a first frame, with reference to fig. 9, and the method includes:

step S31: aligning the second welding regions of the metal mask stripes with a second frame, wherein the second frame is detachably embedded in the first frame.

Before step S31, the method further includes: welding the first welding regions of the metal mask stripes to the first frame. The welding process of the metal mask stripes and the first frame is explained below with reference to fig. 10A to 10E:

first, as shown in fig. 10A, the barrier rib 50 is welded to the first frame 20 through the first barrier rib welding area 501A; secondly, as shown in fig. 10B, the supporting bars 60 are welded to the first frame 20 through the first supporting bar welding areas 601A; third, as shown in fig. 10C, the shielding bar 50 is cut along the shielding bar cutting line, the supporting bar 60 is cut along the supporting bar cutting line, and the portions of the shielding bar 50 and the supporting bar 60 extending outside the first frame 20 are cut; a fourth step of welding the metal mask stripes 10 to the first frame 20 through the first welding regions 102A, as shown in fig. 10D; in a fifth step, as shown in fig. 10E, the metal mask stripes 10 are cut along the cutting lines, and the portions of the metal mask stripes 10 extending outside the first frame 20 are cut off. Through the steps, the assembly of the metal mask plate is completed.

Because the metal mask stripes 10 have elasticity, in order to prevent the metal mask stripes 10 welded to the first frame 20 from sagging, a mesh needs to be stretched, in the mesh stretching process, two clips (english grippers) are used for clamping two ends of the metal mask stripes 10 and applying reverse tension, the metal mask stripes are attached to the first frame 20 after being stretched to a required position, laser beams are used for bombarding the surface of the metal mask stripes 10, the welding areas of the metal mask stripes 10 are instantly melted and solidified, the metal mask stripes 10 are welded with the first frame 20, the clips are loosened after welding is completed, and the corresponding clamping areas of the metal mask stripes 10 are cut off by the lasers.

Wherein, the welding process may be laser welding.

Step S32: welding the metal mask strip to the second frame through the second welding region.

In an implementation manner of the embodiment of the present invention, the repairing method may further include:

separating the metal mask stripes from the first frame before aligning the second welding regions of the metal mask stripes with the second frame. The second frame adopting the design has a simple structure. When the welding points between the first frame and the metal mask strips are loosened, the metal mask strips can be separated from the first frame and then welded with the second frame.

Wherein separating the metal mask stripes from the first frame comprises:

and cutting the metal mask strip along a cutting line so as to separate the metal mask strip from the first frame, wherein the cutting line is arranged on the metal mask strip and is positioned between the first welding area and the second welding area, and the metal mask strip can be separated by cutting according to the cutting line when the welding spot is loosened and the like.

Further, the method may further include: the masking strip 50 and the supporting strip 60 are separated from the first frame 20. The specific process is the same as the separation process of the metal mask stripe 10, that is, the shielding stripe 50 is cut along the shielding stripe cutting line, and the supporting strip 60 is cut along the supporting strip cutting line, thereby separating the shielding stripe 50 and the supporting strip 60 for reuse.

The first repair method provided by the embodiment of the invention is to take down the metal mask strip and weld the metal mask strip with the second frame again, and the scheme is suitable for the situations of insufficient mesh-stretching precision (position deviation of the metal mask strip and the like), frame deformation (caused by processes of cleaning, using, carrying and the like), welding spot loosening or falling off (caused by processes of cleaning, using, carrying and the like) and the like. This process is described in detail below with reference to fig. 10F to 10J:

first, as shown in fig. 10F, the barrier rib 50 is welded to the second frame 30 through the second barrier rib welding area 501B; secondly, as shown in fig. 10G, the supporting bars 60 are welded to the second frame 30 through the second supporting bar welding areas 601B; third, as shown in fig. 10H, the shielding bar 50 is cut along the shielding bar cutting line, the supporting bar 60 is cut along the supporting bar cutting line, and the portions of the shielding bar 50 and the supporting bar 60 extending outside the second frame 30 are cut; a fourth step of welding the metal mask stripes 10 to the second frame 30 through the second welding regions 102B, as shown in fig. 10I; in a fifth step, as shown in fig. 10J, the metal mask stripes 10 are cut along the cutting lines, and the portions of the metal mask stripes 10 extending outside the second frame 30 are cut off. Through the steps, the repair of the metal mask plate is completed. It should be noted that, in this process, the second frame 30 and the second welding region of the metal mask strip 10 are welded, that is, the welding region located inside the first welding region, and similarly, the shielding strip 50 and the supporting strip 60 are welded to the second frame 30 through the welding region located inside.

and sleeving the second frame in the first frame so as to align the second welding areas of the metal mask strips with the second frame. The metal mask strip can be separated from the first frame and then welded again, and the second frame and the metal mask strip can be directly welded, so that the metal mask strip is supported by the first frame and the second frame at the same time. The design does not need to separate the metal mask strips, not only is convenient for repair and processing, but also adopts two frames for supporting, thereby increasing the overall strength of the metal mask plate and realizing the reinforcement of the metal mask plate.

The second repair method provided by the embodiment of the invention is to directly sleeve the second frame into the first frame to be welded with the metal mask strip, and the scheme is suitable for the conditions that welding spots are loosened or fall off and the like. This process is described in detail below with reference to fig. 10K to 10L:

firstly, as shown in fig. 10K, first, the second frame 30 is sleeved in the first frame 20, and the second frame 30 is welded to the metal mask strips 10, the shielding strips 50 and the supporting strips 60; in a second step, as shown in fig. 10L, the metal mask stripes 10 are cut along the cutting lines through the second welding regions 102B, and the portions of the metal mask stripes 10 protruding outside the second frame 30 are cut off. Through the steps, the repair of the metal mask plate is completed. It should be noted that, in this process, the second frame 30 and the second welding region of the metal mask strip 10 are welded, that is, the welding region located inside the first welding region, and similarly, the shielding strip 50 and the supporting strip 60 are welded to the second frame 30 through the welding region located inside. In addition, in the above process, the second step is an optional step, and a cutting process may be optionally performed on the masking strip 50 or the supporting strip 60 in the second step.

The above description is only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention, and any modifications, equivalents, improvements and the like that fall within the spirit and principle of the present invention are intended to be included therein.

Claims

1. A metal mask strip is characterized by comprising a pattern area and at least two pairs of welding areas, wherein the pattern area is positioned in the middle of the metal mask strip, each pair of welding areas comprises two welding areas symmetrically arranged on two sides of the pattern area, and the at least two welding areas positioned on the same side of the pattern area are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the metal mask strip;

the metal mask strip is provided with a plurality of cutting lines, two cutting lines are arranged between any adjacent welding areas positioned on the same side of the graph area, and one cutting line is arranged between the welding area positioned on the outermost side of the metal mask strip and the side edge of the metal mask strip.

2. The metal mask strip of claim 1, wherein the metal mask strip is provided with a mark for indicating the welding area, or the surface of the welding area is provided with a patterned structure for identifying the position of the welding area, or the thickness of the welding area is greater than the thickness of other areas of the metal mask strip.

3. The metal mask strip according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a pitch of any two adjacent welding areas located on the same side of the pattern area is 20 to 50 mm.

4. The metal mask strip according to claim 1, wherein one of said cutting lines between any adjacent ones of said welding regions on the same side of said pattern region is shaped as a straight line, and the other of said cutting lines comprises two straight line segments and an arc segment, said arc segment being sandwiched between said two straight line segments, and said cutting line shaped as a straight line is closer to said pattern region than the other of said cutting lines is to said pattern region.

5. A metal mask plate is characterized by comprising a first frame and a plurality of metal mask strips, wherein each metal mask strip is a metal mask strip as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, and each metal mask strip is welded on the first frame through a pair of welding areas of the metal mask strip.

6. A metal mask according to claim 5, further comprising a second frame detachably embedded in the first frame.

7. The metal mask according to claim 6, wherein the second frame comprises a first subframe and a second subframe, the second subframe is disposed on the first subframe and embedded in the first subframe, and an orthographic projection of the first frame and the second subframe in a plane where the metal mask stripes are located coincides with an orthographic projection of the first subframe in a plane where the metal mask stripes are located.

8. A metal mask according to claim 7, further comprising a third frame;

the third frame comprises a third sub-frame and a fourth sub-frame, the fourth sub-frame is arranged on the third sub-frame and embedded in the second frame, and the orthographic projection of the second frame and the orthographic projection of the fourth sub-frame in the plane of the metal mask strips are superposed with the orthographic projection of the third sub-frame in the plane of the metal mask strips.

9. A metal mask according to any one of claims 5 to 8, further comprising a plurality of shielding strips, wherein each shielding strip is arranged between two adjacent metal mask strips, and the shielding strips are located between the metal mask strips and the first frame in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the metal mask strips;

10. A metal mask according to any one of claims 5 to 8, further comprising a plurality of support bars, wherein each support bar is arranged between the metal mask bar and the first frame, and the length direction of the support bar intersects with the length direction of the metal mask bar;

11. A method for repairing a metal mask, wherein the method for repairing a metal mask is implemented on the basis of the metal mask as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 10, wherein a metal mask strip in the metal mask comprises a first welding region and a second welding region, the second welding region is located between the first welding region and a pattern region of the metal mask strip, and the first welding region is a region where the metal mask strip is welded to a first frame, the method for repairing the metal mask comprises:

cutting the metal mask strip along a cutting line to separate the metal mask strip from the first frame, the cutting line being disposed on the metal mask strip between the first welding region and the second welding region;

12. The repair method of claim 11, wherein aligning the second weld regions of the metal mask stripes with a second frame comprises: