JP2004311336A - Method and device for frame-sticking metal thin plate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide technology for fixing a metal thin plate 11 on which a plurality of openings 12 with a plurality of slits are arranged, to a frame without any looseness or distortion. <P>SOLUTION: Each corner of the metal thin plate 11 is held by a corner clamp 23A. The clamp is pulled in a diagonal direction using an air cylinder 24A to spread the metal thin plate 11 entirely. Then each side of the metal thin plate 11 is held by a plurality of side clamps 23B arranged separately for an area facing the opening part 12, and for an area facing the not-opening part. Each clamp is pulled in a direction perpendicular to each side of the metal thin plate using an air cylinder 24B. By adjusting pulling force by each clamp to hold the metal thin layer 11 in a plane status without any looseness or distortion and fix it to the frame. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a metal sheet having extremely thin regions having different rigidities, such as a metal sheet having an opening having a large number of slits, which is used for a vapor deposition mask used in an organic EL element manufacturing process. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for fixing a frame to a frame in a flat state without distortion.
[0002]
[Prior art]
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-68453 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-68445 Conventionally, vacuum evaporation has been performed in the production of organic EL devices, and a large number of slits are provided as an evaporation mask. A sheet metal having an opening is used. In vapor deposition, the vapor deposition mask was attached to a highly rigid frame having an opening larger than the opening by a magnet or the like. However, in recent years, as the patterning has become finer and the slits formed in the openings have become finer and the thickness of the vapor deposition mask itself has become thinner, the vapor deposition mask has been simply fixed to the frame using a magnet or the like. In this case, the opening may be distorted or sagged, and the slit accuracy may not be maintained. In view of this, the present applicant has previously developed a jig for holding a deposition mask capable of holding the deposition mask in a state of being pulled in the slit direction of the opening while attaching the deposition mask to the frame (Patent Reference 1). By using this holding jig, it is possible to hold the thin line portion forming the slit of the opening in a state where it is pulled in the longitudinal direction, so that the slit can be held linearly and at a constant pitch, and high definition patterning is possible. Is obtained.
[0003]
However, the vapor deposition mask described in Patent Literature 1 has a problem that productivity is poor because only one opening is formed in one vapor deposition mask. Therefore, in order to increase the productivity, as shown in FIG. 6, a multi-faced mask 1 in which a plurality of openings 2 are formed in one vapor deposition mask may be used. It is considered that it is sufficient to hold the movable clamp 4 in a state of being pulled in the slit direction of the opening 2 as indicated by an arrow, by gripping with the clamp 4. However, in the multi-face mask 1 having a large number of openings 2, when the both ends of the mask 1 are gripped by the clamps 3 and 4 and pulled, the openings and the non-opening portions are formed even though the entire width of the mask is evenly pulled. It has been found that, because of the different rigidities, the openings are distorted or sagged, a desired slit pattern cannot be obtained, and the positional accuracy of each opening is also deteriorated. As shown in FIG. 7, both edges of the multi-face mask 1 are gripped by the clamps 5 and 6 and pulled in both directions, as shown in FIG. 7, in order to eliminate distortion and slack generated when the multi-face mask 1 is pulled by the clamps 3 and 4. Although it is conceivable that distortion or sagging may still remain even in this case, particularly in the vicinity of the corner of the multi-faced mask 1, the clamps arranged at positions sandwiching the corner interfere with each other, and the mask Therefore, it is difficult to eliminate distortion, slack, displacement, and the like in the opening 2 near the corner. For example, in the case of a multi-face mask for vapor deposition used for manufacturing an organic EL element, a total pitch of ± 10 μm or less may be required for the position of each opening, but it is difficult to achieve such dimensional accuracy. Was.
[0004]
Therefore, as a solution to these problems, the present applicant first superimposed a first metal mask formed with a plurality of openings and a second metal mask formed with a large number of fine slits over a large area. A multi-faced masking device capable of forming a mounting mask, attaching the first metal mask and the second metal mask to a frame, and holding the second metal mask in a state of being pulled in the slit direction has been developed (Patent Literature) 2). In this multi-face mask device, the slit is formed over almost the entire width of the second metal mask, so the entire metal mask can be pulled uniformly to align the slits in parallel. Is obtained.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the multi-face mask apparatus described in Patent Document 2 uses two metal masks, and furthermore, has a structure in which tension is applied to the metal mask in a state where the metal mask is mounted on a frame. There is a problem that it is complicated. Therefore, if a single multi-face mask having the structure shown in FIG. 6 can be held in a state where the opening is free from distortion and slack and a desired dimensional accuracy can be secured, the multi-face mask is then remounted. By fixing the frame to a highly rigid frame by spot welding or the like, the multi-face mask can be held in a state without distortion or slack using a frame having a simple structure.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and has a plurality of openings with a large number of slits, such as a multi-faced mask for vapor deposition, a metal sheet having regions with different rigidities, a sag and the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for fixing to a frame in a state where there is no distortion and an opening or the like is maintained at a desired dimensional accuracy, and an apparatus used for carrying out the method.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the method of attaching a metal sheet to a frame according to the present invention, when fixing a rectangular metal sheet to a frame, four corners of the metal sheet are gripped by independent corner clamps, and the corner clamp is attached to the metal sheet. The metal sheet is pulled flat by pulling in a direction substantially parallel to the diagonal line of the metal sheet. Then, four sides of the metal sheet are gripped by side clamps, and the side clamps are gripped by the side clamps. The metal thin plate is stretched flat by pulling in a direction perpendicular to the direction, and is fixed to a frame in this state. In this way, the metal sheet can be stretched as a whole by pulling the four corners of the metal sheet almost diagonally, and thereafter, by gripping each side with the side clamp and pulling, the corners can be formed. While reducing the interference between the side clamps arranged at the sandwiching position, it is possible to apply a tensile force in the vertical and horizontal directions to the entire surface of the metal sheet, so that the metal sheet is free from distortion and slack and the opening is formed. If it is provided, the opening can be held at a position where the desired dimensional accuracy is maintained, and spot welding is performed in a state where the metal sheet is not warped or slack and the opening or the like is maintained at the desired dimensional accuracy. It can be fixed to the frame by using such as.
[0008]
Here, when the four sides of the metal thin plate are gripped and pulled by the side clamps, it is preferable that each side is gripped and pulled by a plurality of side clamps. When each side is pulled by a plurality of side clamps in this manner, the tensile force applied to the metal sheet can be made different depending on the location, and the metal sheet is pulled further without distortion or slack by adjusting the tensile force. When the metal sheet has an opening, the positional accuracy can be improved. When a plurality of side clamps are provided on each side, the arrangement of the side clamps may be appropriately determined according to the distribution of rigidity of the metal sheet, and the metal sheet is a multi-faced mask used for manufacturing an organic EL element. In the case of a configuration in which rectangular openings having a large number of slits are formed side by side as in the above, it is preferable to arrange a plurality of side clamps in accordance with the openings and the non-openings. . With this configuration, the opening and the non-opening having greatly different rigidities can be pulled by separate side clamps, respectively, so that the thin metal plate can be held in a state where there is no distortion or slack, and the position accuracy of the opening can be improved. be able to.
[0009]
A frame sticking apparatus according to the present invention includes a corner clamp arranged so as to grip four corners of a rectangular metal sheet to be fixed to a frame, and the corner clamp substantially parallel to a diagonal line of the sheet metal. In the direction to apply a substantially diagonal tensile force to the metal sheet, a side clamp arranged to grip four sides of the metal sheet, and a side clamp. A side clamp drive means for moving the metal sheet in a direction perpendicular to the side to apply a tensile force in a direction perpendicular to the side is provided on the thin metal plate. With this configuration, it is possible to perform an operation of first gripping the four corners of the thin metal plate with the corner clamps and pulling them almost diagonally, and then gripping each side of the thin metal plate with the side clamps and pulling them. This allows the metal sheet to be held in a position where the metal sheet has no distortion or slack and has an opening when the opening is provided with a desired dimensional accuracy. In this state, the metal sheet is spot-welded to the frame. By fixing the thin metal sheet to the frame, the metal sheet can be fixed to the frame in a state where there is no distortion or slack and the opening and the like are maintained at a desired dimensional accuracy.
[0010]
Here, it is possible to arrange a plurality of the side clamps on each side of the sheet metal, so that the tensile force applied to the sheet metal can be varied depending on the location. It is preferable that the metal sheet can be pulled to have no distortion or slack and that the metal sheet has an opening, because the positional accuracy can be improved. In the case where the metal sheet has a configuration in which rectangular openings having a large number of slits are arranged side by side, a plurality of side clamps arranged on each side are provided with the opening and the non-opening of the metal sheet. It is preferable to arrange the metal sheet in accordance with the portion, so that the metal sheet can be held in a state where there is no very distortion or slack, and the positional accuracy of the opening can be improved.
[0011]
When a plurality of side clamps are provided for each side, the side clamp driving means should be capable of adjusting the tensile force for each side clamp. It is preferable because it can be adjusted.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The present invention is applicable to any sheet metal that needs to be maintained in a flat state without warping or sagging. It is preferably applied to a thin metal plate used as a multi-face mask for vapor deposition for manufacturing an EL element. Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to a thin metal plate used as a multi-face mask for vapor deposition in manufacturing an organic EL device. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a frame attaching apparatus for a thin metal plate according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part thereof, and FIG. 3 shows the frame attaching apparatus in an operation state different from FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a metal sheet and a frame handled by the frame attaching apparatus, and FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the metal sheet and the frame after the frame is attached. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 11 denotes a rectangular metal thin plate used as a vapor deposition mask, in which a plurality of openings 12 having a large number of slits are formed by arranging vertically and horizontally. Reference numeral 13 denotes a frame having a large rigidity for mounting the thin metal plate 11, and has an opening 14 having a size including a region in which the plurality of openings 12 of the thin metal plate 11 are formed. The metal sheet 11 is made large in both the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the frame 13, and forms an easy-cutting line 15 that can be easily cut by bending at a position substantially corresponding to the outer peripheral edge of the frame 13. . The easy-cutting line 15 has strength enough to withstand the tensile force applied to the metal sheet 11. The thickness of the metal sheet 11, the size of the opening 12, the size of the slit formed therein, and the like are not particularly limited, but as typical examples, the thickness of the metal sheet 11 is 30 to 200 μm, and the dimension of the opening is May have a length of 50 to 70 mm, a width of 30 to 50 mm, a width of the slit of 50 to 100 μm, and a width of a thin metal wire constituting the slit of 100 to 150 μm.
[0013]
In FIGS. 1 to 3, a metal sheet frame attaching apparatus generally denoted by reference numeral 20 includes a support 21 and fixing means (not shown) for fixing and holding the frame 13 at a predetermined position on the support 21. And a corner clamp 23A arranged so as to be able to grip each of the four corners of the metal sheet 11 placed on the frame 13, and moving the corner clamp 23A substantially diagonally to the metal sheet A corner clamp driving means 24A for applying a substantially diagonal tensile force to the thin plate 11, a plurality of side clamps 23B arranged on each side so as to be able to grip four sides of the metal thin plate 11, Each side clamp 23B is provided with a side clamp driving means 24B for moving the side clamp 23B in a direction perpendicular to the side gripped by the side clamp 23B to apply a tensile force to the metal sheet 11. Here, the corner clamp 23A and the side clamp 23B have the same structure, and as shown in FIG. 2, a clamp body 27 movably held by a linear guide 26 and a clamp body 27 fixed to the clamp body 27. A fixed claw 28, a movable claw 29 rotatably provided on the clamp body 27, an air cylinder (not shown) for opening and closing the movable claw 29 via a toggle mechanism (not shown), and the like are provided. The metal thin plate 11 is gripped by the claws 28 and the movable claws 29. The mechanism for gripping the thin metal plates of the corner clamp 23A and the side clamp 23B is not limited to the one using the fixed claw 28 and the movable claw 29 as shown in the figure, but can be changed as appropriate, and a screw is used. It may be something. As can be clearly understood from FIG. 1, the plurality of side clamps 23B provided on the four sides of the metal sheet 11 are arranged in accordance with the opening 12 and the non-opening of the metal sheet 11, so that the metal sheet 11, a region extending in the vertical direction and the region extending in the horizontal direction including the opening portion 12, and a region extending in the vertical direction and the region extending in the horizontal direction without the opening portion are pulled by separate side clamps 23B. Is possible.
[0014]
The corner clamp driving means 24A and the side clamp driving means 24B connected to the corner clamps 23A and the side clamps 23B can apply a desired tensile force to the metal sheet 11 through the clamps. This is optional, and an air cylinder is used in this embodiment. A regulator is connected to each of the air cylinders constituting the driving means 24A and 24B so that the pulling force can be adjusted separately. Further, an air supply pipe is connected to an air cylinder constituting the square clamp driving means 24A via a common opening / closing valve so that all the square clamp driving means 24A can be simultaneously operated, and A speed controller is also provided in the air supply pipe to each air cylinder so that the operation timing can be adjusted. In addition, an air supply pipe is connected to the air cylinder constituting the side clamp driving unit 24B via a common open / close valve so that all the side clamp driving units 24B can be simultaneously operated, and A speed controller is also provided in the air supply pipe to each air cylinder so that the operation timing can be adjusted. The driving units 24A and 24B are not limited to air cylinders, but may be hydraulic cylinders, servomotors, or the like.
[0015]
Next, an operation of fixing a thin metal plate to a frame using the frame sticking device 20 having the above configuration will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the frame 13 is attached to a predetermined position on the support base 21, and then the sheet metal 11 is placed thereon. As shown in FIG. 3, the four corners of the sheet metal 11 are clamped by the corner clamps 23A. To grip. Next, pressurized air is sent to an air cylinder constituting the corner clamp driving means 24A connected to each corner clamp 23A, and each corner clamp 23A is moved in a diagonal direction of the thin metal plate 11 as shown by an arrow. Let it. Thus, the metal sheet 11 is pulled diagonally by the four corner clamps 23A, and the metal sheet 11 is entirely pulled so as to expand in the vertical and horizontal directions. Next, as shown in FIG. 1, four sides of the thin metal plate 11 are gripped by a plurality of side clamps 23B, and a pressure is applied to an air cylinder constituting the side clamp driving means 24B connected to the side clamps 23B. The air is sent to move each side clamp 23B in the vertical and horizontal directions as indicated by arrows. As a result, the metal sheet 11 is pulled in the vertical and horizontal directions by the large number of side clamps 23B, and the metal sheet 11 is pulled relatively uniformly in the vertical and horizontal directions. In addition, since the metal thin plate 11 is entirely spread in both the vertical and horizontal directions by the corner clamps 23A before gripping the sides of the metal thin plate 11 with the side clamps 23B, the side clamps 23B arranged at positions sandwiching the corners are provided. The metal sheet 11 can be relatively and uniformly pulled in the vertical and horizontal directions from this point.
[0016]
In this state, the surface condition of the metal sheet 11 is visually inspected, and if there is any distortion or slack, the supply air pressure to the air cylinder connected to the side clamp 23B pulling the area is adjusted (if necessary). If so, the supply air pressure to the air cylinder connected to the corner clamp 23A is also adjusted), and the thin metal plate 11 is adjusted to a flat state without distortion or slack, and a state in which the slits of the opening 12 are aligned in parallel. I do. Further, the position of each opening 12 formed in the thin metal plate 11 is inspected, and the pressure of air supplied to each air cylinder is adjusted so that each opening enters a position within a predetermined dimensional accuracy. As described above, the metal sheet 11 can be set in a state where there is no distortion or slack and each opening is located within a predetermined dimensional accuracy range. Thereafter, in this state, the metal sheet 11 is spot-welded to the frame 13 using a laser or the like (see reference numeral 33) and fixed. Thereafter, the clamp 23 is removed from the metal sheet 11, and the peripheral portion of the metal sheet 11 is removed using the easy-cutting line 15. As described above, as shown in FIG. 5, the vapor deposition mask device 35 having the configuration in which the thin metal plate 11 is fixed to the frame 13 can be manufactured.
[0017]
In the obtained vapor deposition mask device 35, the thin metal plate 11 is kept in a state where there is no distortion or slack, and the slits of the openings 12 are exactly aligned in parallel, and the position of each opening is also a predetermined size. It is kept within accuracy. Thus, by performing vapor deposition using the vapor deposition mask device 35, it is possible to accurately vapor-deposit a fine pattern.
[0018]
In the above-described embodiment, even when four sides of the metal sheet 11 are gripped by the side clamps 23B and a tensile force is applied by the side clamps 23B, the gripping of the square clamps 23A and the application of the tensile force are performed. However, in a state where the tensile force by the side clamp 23B is applied, the tensile force by the square clamp 23A does not exert much effect on eliminating the distortion and the slack of the thin metal plate 11. Therefore, after the tensile force by the side clamp 23B is applied, the tensile force applied to the square clamp 23A may be released, or the grip of the square clamp 23A may be released. Further, the pulling force applied to the four corner clamps 23A holding the four corners of the thin metal plate 11 does not necessarily need to be separately adjustable, and the same pulling force is applied to the four corner clamps 23A. It may be configured.
[0019]
Further, in the above embodiment, the side clamp driving means 24B composed of separate air cylinders is connected to the plurality of side clamps 23B provided on each side, and each side clamp 23B is applied to the metal thin plate 11. The pulling force to be applied can be adjusted individually. In this configuration, since the tensile force applied to the metal sheet 11 can be precisely adjusted, the advantage that the metal sheet 11 which is likely to be distorted or sagged can be pulled and held in an extremely flat state can be obtained. Without limitation, for example, when using a metal thin plate that can be relatively easily pulled and held in a flat state, a plurality of side clamps arranged on each side, for example, a side clamp corresponding to the opening is first. And a common air cylinder is connected to each set of side clamps so that the side clamp corresponding to the non-opening portion is the second set. The supply air pressure to the air cylinder connected to the clamp may be adjusted in common. Further, the side clamps 23B arranged on each side of the thin metal plate 11 are not necessarily arranged in accordance with each of the opening 12 and the non-opening, but a wide width obtained by appropriately combining the opening and the non-opening. May be changed so as to be gripped, or a larger number of side clamps may be used so that a more finely divided area can be gripped. In any case, the number and positions of the side clamps to be used may be determined according to the characteristics of the metal sheet to be used so that the metal sheet can be pulled and held in a state without distortion or slack.
[0020]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention can hold a metal sheet having regions with different stiffness by pulling it in a flat state without distortion or bending, in which an opening exists, and Position can be maintained within a desired dimensional accuracy, and there is an effect that the metal sheet can be fixed to the frame in a state where there is no distortion or slack and an opening or the like is maintained at a desired dimensional accuracy. are doing. Then, by using the present invention for a device requiring high positional accuracy, such as a multi-face mask used for manufacturing an organic EL device, a desired high accuracy can be ensured, and a high-precision deposition mask device is used. Can also be produced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a frame attaching apparatus for a metal sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part of the frame attaching apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the apparatus in an operation state different from that of FIG. 1 FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a metal sheet and a frame handled by the frame applying apparatus shown in FIG. 1 FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which both ends of a multi-faced deposition mask are gripped and pulled by one clamp, respectively, and FIG. Schematic plan view showing the state of being gripped and pulled by one clamp each.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Metal thin plate 12 Opening 13 Frame 14 Opening 15 Easy cutting line 20 Metal thin plate frame sticking device 21 Support base 23A Square clamp 23B Side clamp 24A Square clamp driving means (air cylinder)
24B side clamp drive means (air cylinder)
26 linear guide 27 clamp body 28 fixed claw 29 movable claw 33 spot welding 35 evaporation mask device

Claims (7)

When fixing the rectangular metal sheet to the frame, the four corners of the metal sheet are gripped by independent corner clamps, and the corner clamps are pulled in a direction substantially parallel to a diagonal line of the metal sheet. The metal sheet is pulled flat, then four sides of the metal sheet are gripped by side clamps respectively, and the side clamps are pulled in a direction perpendicular to the side gripped by the side clamps, thereby forming the metal sheet. A method for attaching a thin metal plate to a frame, wherein the thin plate is stretched flat and fixed to the frame in this state. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein when gripping and pulling four sides of the metal sheet with a clamp, each side is gripped and pulled with a plurality of side clamps. The metal sheet is formed by arranging rectangular openings having a large number of slits, and a plurality of side clamps for gripping each of four sides of the metal sheet are aligned with the opening and the non-opening. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the metal sheet is arranged in a frame. A corner clamp arranged to grip four corners of a rectangular metal sheet to be fixed to a frame, and moving the corner clamp in a direction substantially parallel to a diagonal line of the metal sheet. A corner clamp driving means for applying a substantially diagonal tensile force to the side, a side clamp arranged so as to grip four sides of the thin metal plate, and moving the side clamp in a direction perpendicular to the side. And a side clamp driving means for applying a tensile force in a direction perpendicular to the side to the metal sheet. 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of the side clamps are provided for each side. The thin metal plate has a configuration in which rectangular openings having a number of slits are formed side by side, and a plurality of side clamps arranged on each side of the thin metal plate are aligned with the opening and the non-opening. The apparatus for applying a frame to a thin metal plate according to claim 5, wherein the apparatus is arranged so as to be arranged in a vertical direction. The apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the side clamp driving means is capable of adjusting a tensile force for each of a plurality of side clamps provided for each side.

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