JP2018111879A - Metal plate, production method of metal plate, production method of mask, and production method of mask device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a metal plate capable of improving location accuracy of an open hole in a tensed state.SOLUTION: A central part R1 to which a mask is allocated in a metal plate 64 occupies at least 60% of the width of the metal plate 64 after a cutting process. One end side part R2 and the other end side part R3 have the same width to the width of the metal plate 64 after a cutting process. A steepness degree is defined as a percentage of the height of corrugation to the cycle of corrugation in the longer direction D1 of the metal plate 64. A gradient of the steepness degree is obtained by dividing a difference between a steepness degree at a first location and a steepness degree at a second location in the width direction D2 by a distance between the first location and the second location. An absolute value of the gradient of the steepness degree is 6%/m or less in the central part R1 of the metal plate 64.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 26

Description

  The present invention relates to a metal plate, a metal plate manufacturing method, a mask manufacturing method, and a mask device manufacturing method.

  In recent years, a display device used in a portable device such as a smartphone or a tablet PC is required to have high definition, for example, a pixel density of 500 ppi or more. In portable devices, there is an increasing demand for compatibility with ultra high definition. In this case, the pixel density of the display device is required to be, for example, 800 ppi or more.

  Among display devices, organic EL display devices have attracted attention because of their excellent responsiveness, low power consumption, and high contrast. As a method of forming pixels of an organic EL display device, a method of forming pixels with a desired pattern using a vapor deposition mask in which through holes arranged in a desired pattern are formed is known. Specifically, first, a deposition mask is brought into intimate contact with a substrate for an organic EL display device, and then the deposited deposition mask and the substrate are both put into a deposition apparatus to deposit an organic material on the substrate. I do. In this case, in order to precisely manufacture an organic EL display device having a high pixel density, it is required to accurately reproduce the position and shape of the through hole of the vapor deposition mask according to the design.

  As a method for manufacturing a vapor deposition mask, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a method of forming a through hole in a metal plate by etching using a photolithography technique is known. For example, first, a first resist pattern is formed on the first surface of the metal plate by exposure / development processing, and a second resist pattern is formed on the second surface of the metal plate by exposure / development processing. Next, a region of the first surface of the metal plate that is not covered with the first resist pattern is etched to form a first opening in the first surface of the metal plate. Thereafter, a region of the second surface of the metal plate that is not covered with the second resist pattern is etched to form a second opening in the second surface of the metal plate. At this time, by performing etching so that the first opening and the second opening communicate with each other, a through-hole penetrating the metal plate can be formed. The metal plate for producing the vapor deposition mask is obtained, for example, by rolling a base material such as an iron alloy.

  In addition, as a method for manufacturing a vapor deposition mask, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, a method for manufacturing a vapor deposition mask using a plating process is known. For example, in the method described in Patent Document 2, first, a conductive substrate is prepared. Next, a resist pattern arranged with a predetermined gap is formed on the substrate by exposure / development processing. This resist pattern is provided at a position where a through hole of the vapor deposition mask is to be formed. Thereafter, a plating solution is supplied to the gap between the resist patterns, and a metal layer is deposited on the substrate by electrolytic plating. Thereafter, by separating the metal layer from the substrate, it is possible to obtain a vapor deposition mask in which a plurality of through holes are formed.

Japanese Patent No. 5382259 JP 2001-234385 A

  When a vapor deposition material is formed on a substrate using a vapor deposition mask, the vapor deposition material adheres not only to the substrate but also to the vapor deposition mask. For example, some vapor deposition materials are directed to the substrate along a direction that is largely inclined with respect to the normal direction of the vapor deposition mask, but such vapor deposition material is vapor deposited before reaching the substrate. It reaches the wall surface of the through hole of the mask and adheres. In this case, the vapor deposition material is less likely to adhere to the region of the substrate located near the wall surface of the through hole of the vapor deposition mask. As a result, the thickness of the deposited vapor deposition material may be smaller than other portions. It is conceivable that a portion where the vapor deposition material is not attached may be generated. That is, it is considered that the vapor deposition in the vicinity of the wall surface of the through hole of the vapor deposition mask becomes unstable. Therefore, when a vapor deposition mask is used to form a pixel of the organic EL display device, the dimensional accuracy and position accuracy of the pixel are lowered, and as a result, the light emission efficiency of the organic EL display device is lowered. Become.

  In order to solve such a problem, it is conceivable to reduce the thickness of the metal plate used for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask. Because, by reducing the thickness of the metal plate, the height of the wall surface of the through hole of the vapor deposition mask can be reduced, thereby reducing the proportion of the vapor deposition material that adheres to the wall surface of the through hole. Because you can.

  As the metal plate used for producing the vapor deposition mask, a rolled material obtained by rolling a base material to a predetermined thickness may be used. In order to reduce the thickness of such a metal plate, it is necessary to increase the rolling rate of the metal plate. Here, the rolling rate is a value calculated by (base material thickness−metal plate thickness) / (base material thickness). However, the elongation percentage of the metal plate varies depending on the position in the width direction (direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the base material). And the degree of the nonuniformity of the deformation | transformation based on rolling may become large, so that a rolling rate is large. For this reason, it is known that a corrugated shape appears in a metal plate rolled at a large rolling rate. Specifically, there is a corrugated shape formed at the side edge in the width direction of the metal plate, which is called ear extension. Moreover, the corrugated shape formed in the center in the width direction of a metal plate called medium elongation is mentioned. Even when heat treatment such as annealing is performed after rolling, such a wavy shape can appear.

  Moreover, the metal plate which has predetermined | prescribed thickness may be produced by the foil manufacturing process using a plating process. However, if the current density is non-uniform in the foil-making process, the thickness of the metal plate to be manufactured can be non-uniform. As a result, a similar wavy shape may appear at the side edge in the width direction of the metal plate.

  When a vapor deposition mask is produced and stretched from a metal plate having a corrugated shape as described above, the elongation of the vapor deposition mask differs in the width direction, and thus the position of the through hole may be shifted. More specifically, when the corrugated shape of the metal plate is formed as a vapor deposition mask, the dimension in the longitudinal direction is longer than the portion of the corrugated shape that is small. Here, it is assumed that the vapor deposition mask is stretched by applying a tensile force to the first position portion and the second position portion which are different from each other in the width direction. In this case, if the longitudinal length of the vapor deposition mask in the first position portion is shorter than the longitudinal length in the second position portion, the longitudinal length of the first position portion is equal to the longitudinal length of the second position portion. Thus, a tensile force is applied to the vapor deposition mask. For this reason, a 1st position part may extend largely rather than a 2nd position part, and the longitudinal direction center part of a vapor deposition mask may shift | deviate to the 1st position part side in the width direction. In this case, the position of the through-hole at the time of tensioning may shift.

  Thus, if the position of the through hole of the vapor deposition mask at the time of stretching is displaced, the position of the vapor deposition material deposited on the substrate through this through hole is displaced, and the dimensional accuracy and position of the pixel of the organic EL display device The accuracy may be reduced.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and it is possible to improve the position accuracy of the through-hole at the time of stretching, a metal plate manufacturing method, a mask manufacturing method, and a mask apparatus. An object is to provide a manufacturing method.

The present invention
A metal plate having a longitudinal direction used for manufacturing a mask by forming a plurality of through holes,
The through hole of the mask is formed by etching the elongated metal plate being conveyed,
In the width direction of the metal plate, the metal plate has a center portion, one end side portion located on one end side in the width direction of the metal plate with respect to the center portion, and the width direction of the metal plate with respect to the center portion. And the other end portion located on the other end side in
When the percentage of the height of the corrugated shape with respect to the period in the longitudinal direction of the corrugated shape of the metal plate is referred to as steepness, the steepness at the first position in the width direction and the steepness at the second position The metal plate, wherein the absolute value of the slope of the steepness obtained by dividing the difference by the distance between the first position and the second position is 6% / m or less at the central portion of the metal plate ,
It is.

In the metal plate according to the present invention,
The mask manufactured from the metal plate is a vapor deposition mask used for vapor deposition in a desired pattern.
You may do it.

In the metal plate according to the present invention,
The mask is assigned to the central portion;
You may do it.

In the metal plate according to the present invention,
The central portion is a portion that occupies at least 60% of the width of the metal plate.
You may do it.

In the metal plate according to the present invention,
The proportion of the one end side portion and the other end side portion with respect to the width of the metal plate is equal.
You may do it.

In the metal plate according to the present invention,
The central portion is a portion that occupies at least 60% of the width of the metal plate.
You may do it.

In the metal plate according to the present invention,
The metal plate is made of an iron alloy containing nickel,
You may do it.

The present invention
A method for producing a metal plate having a longitudinal direction, which is used for producing a mask by forming a plurality of through holes,
The through hole of the mask is formed by etching the elongated metal plate being conveyed,
The method of manufacturing the metal plate is as follows:
A rolling step of rolling the base material to obtain the metal plate;
A cutting step of cutting off one end and the other end in the width direction of the metal plate over a predetermined range,
In the width direction of the metal plate, the metal plate has a center portion, one end side portion located on one end side in the width direction of the metal plate with respect to the center portion, and the width direction of the metal plate with respect to the center portion. And the other end portion located on the other end side in
When the percentage of the height of the corrugated shape with respect to the period in the longitudinal direction of the corrugated shape of the metal plate after the cutting step is referred to as steepness, the steepness at the first position in the width direction and the steepness at the second position The absolute value of the slope of the steepness obtained by dividing the difference from the steepness by the distance between the first position and the second position is 6% / m or less in the central portion. Board manufacturing method,
It is.

In the method for producing a metal plate according to the present invention,
The mask manufactured from the metal plate is a vapor deposition mask used for vapor deposition in a desired pattern.
You may do it.

In the method for producing a metal plate according to the present invention,
The mask is assigned to the central portion;
You may do it.

In the method for producing a metal plate according to the present invention,
The central portion is a portion that occupies at least 60% of the width of the metal plate after the cutting step.
You may do it.

In the method for producing a metal plate according to the present invention,
The proportion of the one end side portion and the other end side portion with respect to the width of the metal plate after the cutting step is equal,
You may do it.

In the method for producing a metal plate according to the present invention,
A range on one end side and a range on the other end side of the metal plate to be cut in the cutting step are determined based on the result of the observation step of the corrugated shape of the metal plate, which is performed before the cutting step. ,
You may do it.

In the method for producing a metal plate according to the present invention,
Annealing the metal plate obtained by the rolling step, further comprising an annealing step to remove internal stress of the metal plate;
The annealing step is performed while pulling the rolled base material in the longitudinal direction.
You may do it.

In the method for producing a metal plate according to the present invention,
The base material is made of an iron alloy containing nickel,
You may do it.

The present invention
A method of manufacturing a mask having a plurality of through holes,
Preparing a metal plate having a longitudinal direction;
A resist pattern forming step of forming a resist pattern on the metal plate;
Etching a region of the metal plate that is not covered by the resist pattern, and forming a recess in the metal plate that defines the through hole, and
In the width direction of the metal plate, the metal plate has a center portion, one end side portion located on one end side in the width direction of the metal plate with respect to the center portion, and the width direction of the metal plate with respect to the center portion. And the other end portion located on the other end side in
When the percentage of the height of the corrugated shape with respect to the period in the longitudinal direction of the corrugated shape of the metal plate is referred to as steepness, the steepness at the first position in the width direction and the steepness at the second position A mask manufacturing method, wherein an absolute value of the slope of the steepness obtained by dividing the difference by the distance between the first position and the second position is 6% / m or less in the central portion;
It is.

In the method for manufacturing a mask according to the present invention,
The mask is a vapor deposition mask used for vapor deposition in a desired pattern,
The vapor deposition mask includes an effective area in which a plurality of through holes are formed, and a surrounding area located around the effective area,
The etching step etches a region of the metal plate that is not covered with the resist pattern, and forms a through hole in the region of the metal plate that forms the effective region. Is what forms the
You may do it.

In the method for manufacturing a mask according to the present invention,
The resist pattern forming step includes
Forming a resist film on the metal plate;
Adhering an exposure mask to the resist film in vacuum,
Exposing the resist film in a predetermined pattern through the exposure mask,
You may do it.

In the method for manufacturing a mask according to the present invention,
The mask is assigned to the central portion;
You may do it.

In the method for manufacturing a mask according to the present invention,
The central portion is a portion that occupies at least 60% of the width of the metal plate.
You may do it.

In the method for manufacturing a mask according to the present invention,
The proportion of the one end side portion and the other end side portion with respect to the width of the metal plate is equal.
You may do it.

In the method for manufacturing a mask according to the present invention,
The metal plate is made of an iron alloy containing nickel,
You may do it.

The present invention
Preparing the mask by the mask manufacturing method described above;
A step of applying tension to the mask in the longitudinal direction and stretching the mask on a frame,
It is.

The present invention
A step of preparing a mask device by the above-described mask device manufacturing method;
Adhering the mask of the mask device to a substrate;
Depositing a deposition material on the substrate through the through-hole of the mask, and a deposition method.
It is.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the positional accuracy of the through-hole during tensioning.

It is a figure which shows the vapor deposition apparatus provided with the vapor deposition mask apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the organic electroluminescence display manufactured using the vapor deposition mask apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the vapor deposition mask apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a partial top view which shows the effective area | region of the vapor deposition mask shown by FIG. It is sectional drawing along the VV line of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the VI-VI line of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the VII-VII line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the through-hole shown in FIG. 5, and the area | region of the vicinity. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 in the vapor deposition mask of FIG. It is a figure which shows the process of rolling a base material and obtaining the metal plate which has desired thickness. It is a figure which shows the process of annealing the metal plate obtained by rolling. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a metal plate obtained by the steps shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. FIGS. 13A, 13B, 13C, and 13D are cross-sectional views taken along lines aa, bb, cc, and dd in FIG. 12, respectively. It is a figure which shows the steepness in each position of the width direction of a metal plate. It is a figure which shows an example of the steepness for demonstrating the inclination of steepness. It is a figure which shows another example of steepness for demonstrating the inclination of steepness. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating generally an example of the manufacturing method of a vapor deposition mask. It is a figure which shows the process of forming a resist film on a metal plate. It is a figure which shows the process of closely_contact | adhering an exposure mask to a resist film. It is a figure which shows the process of developing a resist film. It is a figure which shows a 1st surface etching process. It is a figure which shows the process of coat | covering a 1st recessed part with resin. It is a figure which shows a 2nd surface etching process. It is a figure which shows the 2nd surface etching process following FIG. It is a figure which shows the process of removing resin and a resist pattern from a long metal plate. It is a perspective view explaining forming a vapor deposition mask in the elongate metal plate by which the corrugated shape was compressed and was in the substantially flat state. It is a perspective view which shows the some vapor deposition mask formed in the elongate metal plate. It is a top view which shows the vapor deposition mask cut out from the elongate metal plate shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the dimension measuring apparatus of a vapor deposition mask. It is a figure which shows an example of a tension | tensile_strength provision apparatus. It is a top view which shows an example of the tension state of the vapor deposition mask shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows another example of the tension state of the vapor deposition mask shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the 1st sample mounted on the stage. It is a figure which shows the quality determination result of a vapor deposition mask.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings attached to the present specification, for the sake of illustration and ease of understanding, the scale, the vertical / horizontal dimension ratio, and the like are appropriately changed and exaggerated from those of the actual product.

  1 to 32 are diagrams for explaining an embodiment of the present invention. In the following embodiments and modifications thereof, a method for manufacturing a vapor deposition mask used for patterning an organic material on a substrate in a desired pattern when manufacturing an organic EL display device will be described as an example. However, the present invention can be applied to vapor deposition masks used for various purposes without being limited to such applications.

  In the present specification, the terms “plate”, “sheet”, and “film” are not distinguished from each other only based on the difference in names. For example, the “plate” is a concept including a member that can be called a sheet or a film.

  In addition, “plate surface (sheet surface, film surface)” means a target plate-like member (sheet-like) when the target plate-like (sheet-like, film-like) member is viewed as a whole and globally. It refers to the surface that coincides with the plane direction of the member or film-like member. Moreover, the normal direction used with respect to a plate-like (sheet-like, film-like) member refers to the normal direction with respect to the plate | board surface (sheet surface, film surface) of the said member.

  Further, as used herein, the shape, geometric conditions and physical characteristics and their degree are specified, for example, terms such as “parallel”, “orthogonal”, “identical”, “equivalent”, lengths and angles In addition, values of physical characteristics and the like are not limited to a strict meaning and are interpreted to include a range where a similar function can be expected.

(Vapor deposition equipment)
First, the vapor deposition apparatus 90 which performs the vapor deposition process which vapor-deposits a vapor deposition material on a target object is demonstrated with reference to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the vapor deposition apparatus 90 includes a vapor deposition source (for example, a crucible 94), a heater 96, and a vapor deposition mask apparatus 10 therein. The vapor deposition apparatus 90 further includes exhaust means for making the inside of the vapor deposition apparatus 90 a vacuum atmosphere. The crucible 94 contains a vapor deposition material 98 such as an organic light emitting material. The heater 96 heats the crucible 94 to evaporate the vapor deposition material 98 under a vacuum atmosphere. The vapor deposition mask device 10 is disposed so as to face the crucible 94.

(Deposition mask device)
Hereinafter, the vapor deposition mask device 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the vapor deposition mask device 10 includes a vapor deposition mask 20 and a frame 15 that supports the vapor deposition mask 20. The frame 15 supports the vapor deposition mask 20 in a state of being pulled in the surface direction so that the vapor deposition mask 20 is not bent. As shown in FIG. 1, the vapor deposition mask device 10 is disposed in the vapor deposition device 90 so that the vapor deposition mask 20 faces a substrate, for example, an organic EL substrate 92, to which the vapor deposition material 98 is attached. In the following description, among the surfaces of the vapor deposition mask 20, the surface on the organic EL substrate 92 side is referred to as a first surface 20a, and the surface located on the opposite side of the first surface 20a is referred to as a second surface 20b.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vapor deposition mask apparatus 10 may include a magnet 93 disposed on the surface of the organic EL substrate 92 opposite to the vapor deposition mask 20. By providing the magnet 93, the vapor deposition mask 20 can be brought close to the organic EL substrate 92 by attracting the vapor deposition mask 20 to the magnet 93 side by magnetic force.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a case where the vapor deposition mask device 10 is viewed from the first surface 20a side of the vapor deposition mask 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the vapor deposition mask device 10 includes a plurality of vapor deposition masks 20 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and each vapor deposition mask 20 has a pair of end portions 26 a in the longitudinal direction D <b> 1 of the vapor deposition mask 20. 26b, it is fixed to the frame 15.

  The vapor deposition mask 20 includes a metal plate in which a plurality of through holes 25 penetrating the vapor deposition mask 20 are formed. The vapor deposition material 98 that has evaporated from the crucible 94 and reached the vapor deposition mask device 10 adheres to the organic EL substrate 92 through the through hole 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20. Thereby, the vapor deposition material 98 can be formed on the surface of the organic EL substrate 92 in a desired pattern corresponding to the position of the through hole 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an organic EL display device 100 manufactured using the vapor deposition device 90 of FIG. The organic EL display device 100 includes an organic EL substrate 92 and pixels including a vapor deposition material 98 provided in a pattern.

  In the case where it is desired to perform color display with a plurality of colors, the vapor deposition apparatuses 90 each equipped with the vapor deposition mask 20 corresponding to each color are prepared, and the organic EL substrate 92 is sequentially put into each vapor deposition apparatus 90. Thereby, for example, an organic light emitting material for red, an organic light emitting material for green, and an organic light emitting material for blue can be sequentially deposited on the organic EL substrate 92.

  By the way, a vapor deposition process may be implemented inside the vapor deposition apparatus 90 used as a high temperature atmosphere. In this case, the vapor deposition mask 20, the frame 15, and the organic EL substrate 92 held inside the vapor deposition apparatus 90 are also heated during the vapor deposition process. At this time, the vapor deposition mask 20, the frame 15, and the organic EL substrate 92 exhibit dimensional change behavior based on their respective thermal expansion coefficients. In this case, if the thermal expansion coefficients of the vapor deposition mask 20 and the frame 15 and the organic EL substrate 92 are greatly different, a positional shift caused by a difference in their dimensional change occurs. The dimensional accuracy and position accuracy of the vapor deposition material will decrease.

  In order to solve such a problem, it is preferable that the thermal expansion coefficients of the vapor deposition mask 20 and the frame 15 are equal to the thermal expansion coefficient of the organic EL substrate 92. For example, when a glass substrate is used as the organic EL substrate 92, an iron alloy containing nickel can be used as the main material of the vapor deposition mask 20 and the frame 15. For example, an iron alloy containing 30% by mass or more and 54% by mass or less of nickel can be used as the material of the metal plate constituting the vapor deposition mask 20. Specific examples of the iron alloy containing nickel include an invar material containing nickel of 34% by mass or more and 38% by mass or less, a super invar material containing cobalt in addition to 30% by mass or more and 34% by mass or less of nickel, 38 Examples thereof include a low thermal expansion Fe—Ni plating alloy containing nickel in an amount of not less than mass% and not more than 54 mass%.

  In the vapor deposition process, when the temperature of the vapor deposition mask 20, the frame 15, and the organic EL substrate 92 does not reach a high temperature, the thermal expansion coefficient of the vapor deposition mask 20 and the frame 15 is set as the thermal expansion coefficient of the organic EL substrate 92. There is no need to make the values equivalent. In this case, a material other than the above-described iron alloy may be used as a material constituting the vapor deposition mask 20. For example, an iron alloy other than the above-described iron alloy containing nickel, such as an iron alloy containing chromium, may be used. As the iron alloy containing chromium, for example, an iron alloy called so-called stainless steel can be used. Moreover, you may use alloys other than iron alloys, such as nickel and a nickel- cobalt alloy.

(Deposition mask)
Next, the vapor deposition mask 20 will be described in detail. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the vapor deposition mask 20 includes a pair of ear portions (first ear portions 17 a) constituting a pair of end portions (first end portion 26 a and second end portion 26 b) in the longitudinal direction D <b> 1 of the vapor deposition mask 20. And a second ear portion 17b) and an intermediate portion 18 located between the pair of ear portions 17a and 17b.

(Ear part)
First, the ears 17a and 17b will be described in detail. The ears 17 a and 17 b are portions fixed to the frame 15 in the vapor deposition mask 20. In the present embodiment, it is configured integrally with the intermediate portion 18. In addition, the ear | edge parts 17a and 17b may be comprised by the member different from the intermediate part 18. FIG. In this case, the ear portions 17a and 17b are joined to the intermediate portion 18 by welding, for example.

(Middle part)
Next, the intermediate part 18 will be described. The intermediate portion 18 includes an effective region 22 in which a through hole 25 extending from the first surface 20 a to the second surface 20 b is formed, and a peripheral region 23 that is located around the effective region 22 and surrounds the effective region 22. The effective area 22 is an area facing the display area of the organic EL substrate 92 in the vapor deposition mask 20.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate portion 18 includes a plurality of effective regions 22 arranged at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction D <b> 1 of the vapor deposition mask 20. One effective area 22 corresponds to the display area of one organic EL display device 100. For this reason, according to the vapor deposition mask apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, the multi-surface vapor deposition of the organic EL display apparatus 100 is possible.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the effective region 22 has, for example, a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and more precisely, a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. Although not shown, each effective region 22 can have various shapes of contours according to the shape of the display region of the organic EL substrate 92. For example, each effective area 22 may have a circular outline.

  Hereinafter, the effective area 22 will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing the effective region 22 from the second surface 20 b side of the vapor deposition mask 20. As shown in FIG. 4, in the illustrated example, the plurality of through holes 25 formed in each effective region 22 are arranged at predetermined pitches along two directions orthogonal to each other in the effective region 22. Yes. An example of the through hole 25 will be described in more detail with reference mainly to FIGS. 5 to 7 are cross-sectional views along the VV direction to the VII-VII direction of the effective region 22 of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the plurality of through holes 25 extend along the normal direction N of the vapor deposition mask 20 from the first surface 20 a on one side along the normal direction N of the vapor deposition mask 20. It penetrates to the second surface 20b on the other side. In the illustrated example, as will be described in detail later, a first recess 30 is formed by etching on the first surface 21a of the metal plate 21 on one side in the normal direction N of the deposition mask 20, and the deposition mask 20 A second recess 35 is formed on the second surface 21 b of the metal plate 21 on the other side in the normal direction N. The 1st recessed part 30 is connected to the 2nd recessed part 35, and is formed so that the 2nd recessed part 35 and the 1st recessed part 30 may mutually communicate by this. The through hole 25 is configured by a second recess 35 and a first recess 30 connected to the second recess 35.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the plate of the vapor deposition mask 20 at each position along the normal direction N of the vapor deposition mask 20 from the second surface 20 b side of the vapor deposition mask 20 toward the first surface 20 a side. The opening area of each second recess 35 in the cross section along the plane is gradually reduced. Similarly, the opening area of each first recess 30 in the cross section along the plate surface of the vapor deposition mask 20 at each position along the normal direction N of the vapor deposition mask 20 is from the first surface 20a side of the vapor deposition mask 20. It gradually becomes smaller toward the second surface 20b.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the wall surface 31 of the first recess 30 and the wall surface 36 of the second recess 35 are connected via a circumferential connecting portion 41. In the connection portion 41, the wall surface 31 of the first recess 30 inclined with respect to the normal direction N of the vapor deposition mask 20 and the wall surface 36 of the second recess 35 inclined with respect to the normal direction N of the vapor deposition mask 20 merge. It is defined by the ridgeline of the overhanging part. And the connection part 41 defines the penetration part 42 with which the opening area of the through-hole 25 becomes the minimum in the planar view of the vapor deposition mask 20.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, two adjacent through holes 25 are formed on the other surface along the normal direction N of the vapor deposition mask 20, that is, on the first surface 20 a of the vapor deposition mask 20. They are separated from each other along the plate surface of the mask 20. That is, when the metal plate 21 is etched from the side of the first surface 21a of the metal plate 21 corresponding to the first surface 20a of the vapor deposition mask 20 as in the manufacturing method described later, the first recess 30 is produced. The first surface 21 a of the metal plate 21 remains between two adjacent first recesses 30.

  Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, two adjacent second concave portions on one side along the normal direction N of the vapor deposition mask 20, that is, on the second surface 20 b side of the vapor deposition mask 20. 35 may be separated from each other along the plate surface of the vapor deposition mask 20. That is, the second surface 21b of the metal plate 21 may remain between two adjacent second recesses 35. In the following description, the portion of the effective area 22 of the second surface 21 b of the metal plate 21 that remains without being etched is also referred to as a top portion 43. By producing the vapor deposition mask 20 so that such a top portion 43 remains, the vapor deposition mask 20 can have sufficient strength. This can prevent the vapor deposition mask 20 from being damaged, for example, during handling. If the width β of the top portion 43 is too large, shadowing may occur in the vapor deposition process, which may reduce the utilization efficiency of the vapor deposition material 98. Therefore, it is preferable that the vapor deposition mask 20 is manufactured so that the width β of the top portion 43 does not become excessively large. For example, the width β of the top part 43 is preferably 2 μm or less. Note that the width β of the top portion 43 generally varies depending on the direction in which the vapor deposition mask 20 is cut. For example, the widths β of the top portions 43 shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 may be different from each other. In this case, the vapor deposition mask 20 may be configured such that the width β of the top portion 43 is 2 μm or less when the vapor deposition mask 20 is cut in any direction.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, etching may be implemented so that two adjacent 2nd recessed parts 35 may be connected depending on a place. That is, a place where the second surface 21b of the metal plate 21 does not remain may exist between two adjacent second recesses 35. Although not shown, the etching may be performed so that two adjacent second recesses 35 are connected over the entire area of the second surface 21b.

  When the vapor deposition mask device 10 is accommodated in the vapor deposition device 90 as shown in FIG. 1, the first surface 20 a of the vapor deposition mask 20 faces the organic EL substrate 92 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5. The second surface 20 b of the vapor deposition mask 20 is located on the crucible 94 side that holds the vapor deposition material 98. Therefore, the vapor deposition material 98 adheres to the organic EL substrate 92 through the second recess 35 whose opening area is gradually reduced. In FIG. 5, the deposition material 98 moves along the normal direction N of the organic EL substrate 92 from the crucible 94 toward the organic EL substrate 92 as indicated by an arrow from the second surface 20 b side to the first surface 20 a. In addition, the organic EL substrate 92 may move in a direction greatly inclined with respect to the normal direction N of the organic EL substrate 92. At this time, when the thickness of the vapor deposition mask 20 is large, most of the vapor deposition material 98 moving obliquely reaches the wall surface 36 of the second recess 35 before reaching the organic EL substrate 92 through the through hole 25. And adhere. Therefore, in order to increase the utilization efficiency of the vapor deposition material 98, the thickness t of the vapor deposition mask 20 is reduced, thereby reducing the height of the wall surface 36 of the second recess 35 and the wall surface 31 of the first recess 30. It is considered preferable. That is, it can be said that it is preferable to use a metal plate 21 having a thickness t as small as possible as long as the strength of the vapor deposition mask 20 can be secured as the metal plate 21 for constituting the vapor deposition mask 20. In consideration of this point, in the present embodiment, the thickness t of the vapor deposition mask 20 is preferably set to 85 μm or less, for example, 5 μm or more and 85 μm or less. The thickness t is the thickness of the surrounding region 23, that is, the thickness of the portion of the vapor deposition mask 20 where the first recess 30 and the second recess 35 are not formed. Therefore, it can be said that the thickness t is the thickness of the metal plate 21.

  In FIG. 5, a straight line L <b> 1 that passes through the connection portion 41, which is a portion having the minimum opening area of the through hole 25, and another arbitrary position of the wall surface 36 of the second recess 35 is a normal direction of the vapor deposition mask 20. The minimum angle made with respect to N is represented by the symbol θ1. In order to make the vapor deposition material 98 moving obliquely reach the organic EL substrate 92 as much as possible without reaching the wall surface 36, it is advantageous to increase the angle θ1. In order to increase the angle θ1, in addition to reducing the thickness t of the vapor deposition mask 20, it is also effective to reduce the width β of the top portion 43 described above.

In FIG. 7, symbol α represents the width of a portion (hereinafter also referred to as a rib portion) of the effective region 22 of the first surface 21 a of the metal plate 21 that remains without being etched. The width α of the rib part and the dimension r ₂ of the through part 42 are appropriately determined according to the dimension of the organic EL display device and the number of display pixels. Table 1 shows an example of the number of display pixels and the value of the width α of the rib portion and the dimension r ₂ of the through portion 42 obtained in accordance with the number of display pixels and the number of display pixels in the 5-inch organic EL display device.

  Although not limited, the vapor deposition mask 20 according to the present embodiment is particularly effective when an organic EL display device having a pixel density of 450 ppi or more is manufactured. Hereinafter, an example of the dimensions of the vapor deposition mask 20 required for producing such an organic EL display device having a high pixel density will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the through hole 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20 shown in FIG.

In FIG. 8, as a parameter related to the shape of the through hole 25, the distance from the first surface 20 a of the vapor deposition mask 20 to the connection portion 41 in the direction along the normal direction N of the vapor deposition mask 20, that is, the first concave portion. the height of the wall 31 of the 30 is represented by reference numeral _{r 1.} Furthermore, the first recess 30 dimensions of the first recess 30 in the portion connected to the second recess 35, i.e. the dimension of the through region 42 is represented by reference numeral r _2. In FIG. 8, the angle formed by the straight line L2 connecting the connecting portion 41 and the leading edge of the first recess 30 on the first surface 21a of the metal plate 21 with respect to the normal direction N of the metal plate 21 is It is represented by the symbol θ2.

When an organic EL display device having a pixel density of 450 ppi or more is manufactured, the dimension r ₂ of the through portion 42 is preferably set to 10 or more and 60 μm or less. Accordingly, it is possible to provide the vapor deposition mask 20 that can produce an organic EL display device having a high pixel density. Preferably, the height r ₁ of the wall surface 31 of the first recess 30 is set to 6 μm or less.

  Next, the above described angle θ2 shown in FIG. 8 will be described. Vapor deposition that can reach the organic EL substrate 92 out of the vapor deposition material 98 that is inclined with respect to the normal direction N of the metal plate 21 and that has passed through the through portion 42 in the vicinity of the connection portion 41. This corresponds to the maximum value of the inclination angle of the material 98. This is because the vapor deposition material 98 that has come through the connecting portion 41 at an inclination angle larger than the angle θ2 adheres to the wall surface 31 of the first recess 30 before reaching the organic EL substrate 92. Therefore, by reducing the angle θ2, it is possible to suppress the vapor deposition material 98 that has come through at a large inclination angle and passed through the through portion 42 from adhering to the organic EL substrate 92. It can suppress that the vapor deposition material 98 adheres to a part outside the part which overlaps the penetration part 42 among these. That is, reducing the angle θ2 leads to suppression of variations in the area and thickness of the vapor deposition material 98 attached to the organic EL substrate 92. From such a viewpoint, for example, the through hole 25 is formed such that the angle θ2 is 45 degrees or less. In FIG. 8, the dimension of the first recess 30 in the first surface 21a, that is, the opening dimension of the through hole 25 in the first surface 21a is larger than the dimension r2 of the first recess 30 in the connection part 41. An example is shown. That is, the example in which the value of the angle θ2 is a positive value is shown. However, although not shown, the dimension r2 of the first recess 30 in the connection part 41 may be larger than the dimension of the first recess 30 in the first surface 21a. That is, the value of the angle θ2 may be a negative value.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 3, the vapor deposition mask 20 is longitudinally extended from the 1st ear | edge part 17a which comprises the 1st edge part 26a to the 2nd ear | edge part 17b which comprises the 2nd edge part 26b, as mentioned above. It is formed to extend in D1 (first direction). Here, the longitudinal direction D1 is a direction parallel to the conveying direction when the base material 55 (see FIG. 10) is rolled, and is the longitudinal direction of the vapor deposition mask 20 in which a plurality of effective regions 22 are arranged. The term “conveyance” is used to mean the conveyance of the base material 55 by roll-to-roll as will be described later. Further, a width direction D2 (second direction) described later is a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction D1 in the surface direction of the metal plate 21 or the long metal plate 64. And the vapor deposition mask 20 has the central axis AL extended in the longitudinal direction D1 and arrange | positioned in the center position of the width direction D2. When the number of through holes 25 in the width direction D2 is an odd number, the center axis AL passes through the center point of the center through hole 25 in the width direction D2. On the other hand, when the number of through holes 25 in the width direction D2 is an even number, the central axis AL passes through an intermediate point between two adjacent through holes 25 in the vicinity of the center in the width direction D2.

Evaporation mask 20 according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the dimensions of up to Q1 points from point P1 to be described later as X1, the dimension from the point P2 to the point Q2 and X2, the predetermined value was set to alpha _X When
And
Meet.

  Among these, the left side of the formula (1) means the absolute value of the average value of the difference between the predetermined value and the dimension X1 and the difference between the predetermined value and the dimension X2. The left side of Expression (2) means the absolute value of the difference between the dimension X1 and the dimension X2.

  Here, the point P1 and the point Q1 are provided on one side (left side in FIG. 9) of the central axis AL of the vapor deposition mask 20, and are separated from each other along the longitudinal direction D1. The points P2 and Q2 are provided on the other side (right side in FIG. 9) of the central axis AL of the vapor deposition mask 20, and are separated from each other along the longitudinal direction D1. The points P1 and P2 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis AL during vapor deposition. More specifically, the points P1 and P2 are intended to be arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis AL at the time of vapor deposition, and are symmetrical with respect to the central axis AL at the time of design. It is a point to be placed. Similarly, the points Q1 and Q2 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis AL during vapor deposition.

  In the present embodiment, the points P1, Q1, P2, and Q2 are positioned at the center points of the corresponding through-holes 25 provided between the first ear portion 17a and the second ear portion 17b. It has been. That is, in the present embodiment, the plurality of effective areas 22 are the first effective area 22A arranged closest to the first ear portion 17a and the second effective area arranged closest to the second ear portion 17b. 22B. The points P1 and P2 are positioned at the center point of the through hole 25 formed in the first effective region 22A. And the through-hole 25 corresponding to P1 point and P2 point is formed in the 1st ear | edge part 17a side most among the some through-holes 25 of 1st effective area | region 22A. On the other hand, the points Q1 and Q2 are positioned at the center point of the through hole 25 formed in the second effective region 22B. And the through-hole 25 corresponding to Q1 point and Q2 point is formed in the 2nd ear | edge part 17b side most among the several through-holes 25 of 2nd effective area | region 22B. The dimension X1 means the linear distance between the point P1 and the point Q1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 placed on the stage 81 or the like, which will be described later, and the dimension X2 is the distance between the point P2 and the point Q2 of the vapor deposition mask 20. It means the straight line distance between. The vapor deposition mask 20 placed on the stage 81 or the like is curved in a C shape as will be described later (see FIG. 28), but details will be described later. The through hole 25 corresponding to the point P1 and the point Q1 is positioned closest to the first side edge 27a, and the through hole 25 corresponding to the point P2 and the point Q2 is closest to the second side edge 27b. Is positioned.

The predetermined value α _X shown in Expression (1) may be a design value (or specification value). In this case, α _X is a design value of the dimension X1 and also a design value of the dimension X2. This is because the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 are the same because the P1, Q1, P2, and Q2 points are positioned symmetrically with respect to the central axis AL of the vapor deposition mask 20 at the time of design. Here, the design value is a numerical value set with the intention that the through-hole 25 is arranged at a desired position (deposition target position) when stretched on the frame 15, and at the time of non-stretching. It is a numerical value.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20 will be described.

Metal Plate Manufacturing Method First, a metal plate manufacturing method used for manufacturing a vapor deposition mask will be described.

(Rolling process)
First, as shown in FIG. 10, a base material 55 made of an iron alloy containing nickel is prepared, and this base material 55 is indicated by an arrow D1 toward a rolling device 56 including a pair of rolling rolls 56a and 56b. Transport along the direction. The base material 55 that has reached between the pair of rolling rolls 56a and 56b is rolled by the pair of rolling rolls 56a and 56b. As a result, the base material 55 is reduced in thickness and stretched along the conveying direction. It is. This makes it possible to obtain a plate 64X thickness _{t 0.} As shown in FIG. 10, the wound body 62 may be formed by winding the plate material 64 </ b> X around the core 61. The specific value of the thickness t ₀ is preferably 5 μm or more and 85 μm or less as described above.

  In addition, FIG. 10 only shows the outline of a rolling process, and the specific structure and procedure for implementing a rolling process are not specifically limited. For example, the rolling process includes a hot rolling process in which the base material is processed at a temperature equal to or higher than a temperature at which the crystal arrangement of the invar material constituting the base material 55 is changed, and a base material at a temperature lower than the temperature at which the crystal arrangement of the invar material is changed. It may include a cold rolling process for processing. Moreover, the direction at the time of passing the base material 55 and the board | plate material 64X between a pair of rolling rolls 56a and 56b is not restricted to one direction. For example, in FIGS. 10 and 11, the base material 55 and the plate material 64X are repeatedly passed between the pair of rolling rolls 56a and 56b in the direction from the left side to the right side of the drawing and from the right side to the left side of the drawing. The material 55 and the plate material 64X may be gradually rolled.

(Slit process)
Then, you may implement the slit process which cuts off the both ends in the width direction of the board | plate material 64X obtained by the rolling process over a predetermined range so that the width | variety of the board | plate material 64X may become in a predetermined range. This slit process is performed in order to remove cracks that may occur at both ends of the plate 64X due to rolling. By performing such a slit process, it is possible to prevent a phenomenon that the plate material 64X is broken, that is, so-called plate breakage, from being caused by a crack.

(Annealing process)
Thereafter, in order to remove the residual stress (internal stress) accumulated in the plate material 64X by rolling, as shown in FIG. 11, the plate material 64X is annealed using an annealing device 57, whereby the long metal plate 64 is obtained. As shown in FIG. 11, the annealing step may be performed while pulling the plate material 64X or the long metal plate 64 in the transport direction (longitudinal direction). That is, the annealing step may be performed as continuous annealing while being conveyed, not so-called batch-type annealing.

  Preferably, the above-described annealing step is performed in a non-reducing atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere. Here, the non-reducing atmosphere is an atmosphere that does not contain a reducing gas such as hydrogen. “Does not contain reducing gas” means that the concentration of reducing gas such as hydrogen is 4% or less. The inert gas atmosphere is an atmosphere in which 90% or more of inert gas such as argon gas, helium gas, and nitrogen gas exists. By performing the annealing step in a non-reducing atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere, the above-described nickel hydroxide can be prevented from being generated on the first surface 64 a and the second surface 64 b of the long metal plate 64. .

By performing the annealing step, it is possible to obtain a long metal plate 64 having a thickness t ₀ from which residual strain has been removed to some extent. The thickness t ₀ is usually equal to the thickness t of the vapor deposition mask 20.

Incidentally, the rolling step described above, by repeating several times the slit step and the annealing step may be manufactured of metal plate 64 elongated in the thickness t _0. FIG. 11 shows an example in which the annealing process is performed while pulling the long metal plate 64 in the longitudinal direction. However, the annealing process is not limited to this, and the long metal plate 64 has the core 61. You may implement in the state wound up by. That is, batch-type annealing may be performed. When the annealing process is performed in a state where the long metal plate 64 is wound around the core 61, the long metal plate 64 may be warped with warping according to the winding diameter of the wound body 62. . Therefore, depending on the winding diameter of the wound body 62 and the material constituting the base material 55, it is advantageous to perform the annealing step while pulling the long metal plate 64 in the longitudinal direction.

(Cutting process)
Thereafter, both ends of the long metal plate 64 in the width direction are cut off over a predetermined range, thereby performing a cutting step of adjusting the width of the long metal plate 64 to a desired width. In this way, a long metal plate 64 having a desired thickness and width can be obtained.

[Inspection process]
Thereafter, an inspection process for inspecting the inclination of the steepness of the obtained long metal plate 64 is performed. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a long metal plate 64 obtained by the steps shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. As shown in FIG. 12, the long metal plate 64 at least partially has a corrugated shape resulting from the fact that the length in the longitudinal direction D1 differs depending on the position in the width direction D2. In FIG. 12, the side edge in the width direction D2 of the long metal plate 64 is represented by reference numeral 64e.

  The wavy shape appearing on the long metal plate 64 will be described. FIGS. 13A, 13B, 13C, and 13D are cross-sectional views taken along lines aa, bb, cc, and dd in FIG. 12, respectively. 12 is a line extending in the longitudinal direction along the center portion 64c in the width direction of the long metal plate 64. Therefore, FIG. 13A shows the center in the width direction of the long metal plate 64. The cross section of the elongate metal plate 64 in the part 64c is shown. 12 is a line extending in the longitudinal direction along the side edge 64e in the width direction of the long metal plate 64. Accordingly, FIG. 13 (d) shows the width direction of the long metal plate 64 in the width direction. The cross section of the elongate metal plate 64 in the side edge 64e is shown. In the long metal plate 64 according to the present embodiment, middle elongation appears, and therefore, the degree of the corrugated shape appearing in the long metal plate 64 in the central portion 64c in the width direction is a position slightly away from the central portion 64c. For example, it is larger than the degree of the corrugated shape appearing on the long metal plate 64 at the position of the line bb in FIG. In addition, the long metal plate 64 according to the present embodiment also has an ear extension. Therefore, the degree of the corrugated shape appearing on the long metal plate 64 at the side edge 64e in the width direction is slightly apart from the side edge 64e. The position is larger than the degree of the corrugated shape appearing on the long metal plate 64 at the position of, for example, the line cc in FIG.

  In the inspection process, first, the steepness at each position in the width direction of the long metal plate 64 is calculated. Here, the “steepness” is a percentage (%) of the height H of the corrugated shape with respect to the period L in the longitudinal direction of the corrugated shape of the long metal plate 64, that is, H / L × 100 (%). . “Period” is the distance between valleys and valleys in the corrugated shape of the long metal plate 64, and “Height” connects the valleys and valleys from the peak of the corrugated mountain. It is the distance to a straight line.

For example, in FIG. 13 (a), for two undulating peaks that exist along the line aa in FIG. 12, the periods are indicated by reference signs L _a1 and _La2 , respectively, and the heights are indicated by reference signs H, respectively. _{Indicated by a1} and H _a2 . Although not shown in the figure, there are more undulating peaks along the line aa in FIG. 12 within the target range in the longitudinal direction of the long metal plate 64 when calculating the steepness. doing. For example, assuming that there are na mountains, the period of each mountain is represented by _Lana , and the height of each mountain is represented by _Hana (na is a positive integer). In this case, the steepness of the na peaks is H _ana / L _ana × 100 (%). The steepness at the position along the line aa in FIG. 12 is the average value of the steepness of na peaks, that is, the average value of H _ana / L _ana × 100 (%) (na is a positive integer). Is calculated as

As in the case of the position along the line aa in FIG. 12, the steepness at the position along the line _bb , _cc , and dd in FIG. 12 is H _bnb / L _bnb × The average value of 100 (%) (nb is a positive integer), the average value of H _cnc / L _cnc × 100 (%) (nc is a positive integer), and H _dnd / L _dnd × 100 (%) (nd is It is calculated as an average value of a positive integer).

The method for calculating the period and height of the corrugated shape of the long metal plate 64 is not particularly limited. For example, when calculating the period L _ana and the height H _ana of the undulating shape of the long metal plate 64 at the position along the line aa in FIG. 12, that is, the central portion 64c, first, A distance measuring device capable of measuring the distance between the two is scanned on the long metal plate 64 along the longitudinal direction D1 of the long metal plate 64 at the central portion 64c in the width direction D2, and thereby the long metal The height position of the surface of the plate 64 is measured at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction D1. This interval is within a range of 1 mm to 5 mm, for example. Thereby, the three-dimensional profile of the long metal plate 64 at the central portion 64c can be acquired. In addition, by analyzing the three-dimensional profile, the period L _ana and height H _ana of each mountain can be calculated. In addition, you may employ | adopt as a three-dimensional profile the curve which connects between each measurement point smoothly. Further, by repeating such measurement while changing the position in the width direction D2, the period and height of the corrugated shape of the long metal plate 64 at each position in the width direction D2 can be calculated.

  FIG. 14 is a graph showing the steepness calculated at each position in the width direction D2 of the long metal plate 64. In FIG. 14, the horizontal axis indicates the position of the long metal plate 64 in the width direction D2, and the vertical axis indicates the steepness. FIG. 14 shows a curve CL smoothly connecting the steepness values calculated at the respective positions in the width direction D2 of the long metal plate 64.

  In the upper part of the horizontal axis in FIG. 14, the position in the width direction D2 when the center part 64c in the width direction D2 is the origin is described in the order of mm. Further, in the lower part of the horizontal axis in FIG. 14, the ratio of the position in the width direction D2 to the entire width of the long metal plate 64 is indicated by%. In addition, in FIG. 14, the case where what has the full width of 500 mm is used as the elongate metal plate 64 for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20 is demonstrated. Therefore, for example, the ratio at the position +100 mm away from the central portion 64c in the width direction D2 is + 20%. Further, in FIG. 14, the steepness of the long metal plate 64 at the positions of the aa, bb, cc, and dd lines in FIG. 12 is indicated by symbols A, B, C, and D, respectively. It is shown.

  In the long metal plate 64 in which the middle extension and the ear extension occur, generally, the maximum value of the steepness appears in the vicinity of the central portion 64c in the width direction of the long metal plate 64 as shown in FIG. (Point A). Further, a local minimum value of the steepness appears at a position slightly away from the central portion in the width direction of the long metal plate 64 toward one end side or the other end side (point B). Further, the steepness increases from the point B toward one end or the other end in the width direction (point C), and the value of the steepness becomes the maximum at one end or the other end in the width direction (point D).

  After calculating the steepness at each position in the width direction D2 of the long metal plate 64, the slope of the steepness is calculated. The slope of the steepness is a value obtained by dividing the difference between the steepness at the first position in the width direction D2 and the steepness at the second position by the distance between the first position and the second position. For example, the slope of the steepness can be obtained by dividing the difference in steepness between two adjacent points in the width direction D2 where the steepness is measured by the distance between the two points. Therefore, when the distance between the two points is shortened, the slope of the steepness corresponds to the slope of the tangent of the steepness curve CL shown in FIG.

  Based on the calculated slope of the steepness, the long metal plate 64 is selected. Here, only the long metal plate 64 that satisfies the condition that the absolute value of the steepness gradient is 6% / m or less in the central portion of the long metal plate 64 is used in the manufacturing process of the vapor deposition mask 20 described later. Then, the selection of the long metal plate 64 is performed. Here, since the absolute value of the steepness slope indicates the ratio of the change amount of the steepness to the change amount of the horizontal axis in FIG. 14, when the absolute value of the steepness slope is relatively small, the width direction D2 This means that the rate of change of the steepness is small, and the change of the undulating shape is relatively small. On the other hand, when the absolute value of the slope of the steepness is relatively large, it means that the rate of change of the steepness in the width direction D2 is large and the change in the degree of the wavy shape is relatively large. For this reason, in the long metal plate 64 that satisfies the condition that the absolute value of the steepness slope is 6% / m or less, the change in the degree of the corrugated shape in the width direction D2 is relatively small, and such a long metal plate The plate 64 is preferably selected here.

  In FIG. 14, in the width direction of the long metal plate 64, the long metal plate 64 is divided into a central portion, one end side portion, and the other end side portion. A central portion of the long metal plate 64 is indicated by a symbol R1, and one end side portion located on one end side in the width direction of the long metal plate 64 is indicated by a reference symbol R2 with respect to the central portion R1. The other end side part located in the other end side in the width direction of the long metal plate 64 with respect to R1 is represented by reference numeral R3. The central portion R1 is defined as a portion that occupies 60% of the width of the long metal plate 64 after the cutting process. The ratio of the one end side portion R2 and the other end side portion R3 to the width of the long metal plate 64 after the cutting step is equal.

  The central portion R1 is an effective area of the long metal plate 64 suitable for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20. In general, the portion of the long metal plate 64 on the side edge 64e side has an absolute value of the steepness slope that is inappropriate for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20. For example, the one end portion R2 and the other end portion R3 are each a portion that occupies 20% of the width of the long metal plate 64, and the central portion R1 is an area suitable for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20. A portion that occupies 60% of the width of the long metal plate 64 is preferable. In this case, a plurality of vapor deposition masks 20 can be assigned to the central portion R1 in the width direction, and productivity can be increased. If the steepness of the portion on the side edge 64e side of the long metal plate 64 is good, the ratio of the central portion R1 to the width of the long metal plate 64 may exceed 60%. Moreover, the ratio which the one end side part R2 and the other end side part R3 occupy with respect to the width | variety of the elongate metal plate 64 after a cutting process may not be equal. That is, the central portion R1 may be eccentric from the center to one side in the width direction of the vapor deposition mask 20. Furthermore, as long as at least one vapor deposition mask 20 can be assigned to the long metal plate 64, the ratio of the central portion R1 in the width of the long metal plate 64 may be smaller than 60%.

  A specific example of selecting the long metal plate 64 will be described. In the selection, it is confirmed whether or not the maximum value of the absolute value of the steepness gradient in the central portion R1 occupying 60% of the width of the long metal plate 64 is 6% / m or less. For example, in the long metal plate 64 as shown in FIG. 15, attention is paid to the inclination of the straight line LA that is the tangent to the curve CL and the inclination of the straight line LB. The straight line LA and the straight line LB are tangent lines in a portion where the absolute value of the slope of the steepness is considered to be high in the central portion R1. If the absolute value of the slope of the straight line LB is larger than the absolute value of the straight line LA, if the absolute value of the slope of the straight line LB is 6% / m or less, the central portion R1 is This is an area suitable for manufacturing. That is, the long metal plate 64 shown in FIG. 15 is determined as a non-defective product that can improve productivity. In the example shown in FIG. 15, the other end portion R3 is an area that is not suitable for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20, and therefore, the slope of the straight line LC that is the tangent line of the steepness curve CL in the other end portion R3 is 6. % / M may be exceeded.

  Further, for example, in the long metal plate 64 as shown in FIG. 16, attention is paid to the inclination of the straight line LD, the inclination of the straight line LE, and the inclination of the straight line LF, which are tangents to the steepness curve CL. The straight line LD and the straight line LE are tangent lines at a portion where the absolute value of the slope of the steepness is considered to be high in the area corresponding to the central portion R1 shown in FIG. When the absolute value of the inclination of the straight line LD and the absolute value of the inclination of the straight line LE are both greater than 6% / m, these areas are unsuitable for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20. On the other hand, if the absolute value of the slope of the straight line LF is 6% / m or less, this area is an area suitable for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20, and this area becomes the central portion R1.

  By performing such selection, even when the corrugated shape appears in the long metal plate 64 due to the large rolling rate of the long metal plate 64, the degree of the corrugated shape is It can be determined in advance whether or not this is a problem in the subsequent manufacturing process of the vapor deposition mask 20. Thereby, the production efficiency and yield of the vapor deposition mask 20 produced from the long metal plate 64 can be improved.

  The method for obtaining the long metal plate 64 having a steepness curve CL as shown in FIG. 14 and having a total width of 500 mm is not particularly limited.

  For example, by rolling the base material 55, a long metal plate having a total width exceeding 500 mm, for example, a total width of 700 mm, is manufactured, and then both ends in the width direction of the long metal plate are cut over a predetermined range. By carrying out the cutting step, a long metal plate 64 having a width of 500 mm is produced. At this time, in the long metal plate having a full width of 700 mm before the cutting step, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 14, the portion where the absolute value of the slope of the steepness becomes very large, for example, 6% / There may be a portion exceeding m. It is also conceivable that a portion having a relatively small steep slope absolute value exists in a portion shifted from the center of a long metal plate having a width of 700 mm. In this case, the both ends of the 700 mm wide long metal plate may not be evenly cut over a predetermined range, but the both ends of the 700 mm wide long metal plate may be cut off unevenly.

  For example, before the cutting step, an observation step of observing the corrugated shape of a long metal plate having a full width of 700 mm is performed. This observation step may be performed by visual observation by the operator or may be performed using the above-described distance measuring device.

  At this time, for example, when it is confirmed that a region where the absolute value of the steepness slope is relatively large spreads over a wide area on one end side of the long metal plate, the long metal plate having a full width of 700 mm is used. You may implement a cutting process so that one end side may be cut off in a wide area compared with the other end side. For example, it is conceivable to cut off 150 mm on one end side and cut 50 mm on the other end side.

  In addition, when a portion having an absolute value of a relatively small steepness slope spreads to a portion shifted from the center of a long metal plate having a width of 700 mm toward one end, such a small steepness You may implement a cutting process so that the part which has the absolute value of inclination may become the center part R1 of the elongate metal plate 64 of 700 mm width after a cutting process. For example, it is possible to cut off over 50 mm on one end side and cut off over 150 mm on the other end side.

  Thus, the long metal plate 64 having a more ideal steepness profile can be obtained by determining the portion of the long metal plate to be cut off in the cutting step based on the result of the observation step.

Preparation method of deposition mask Next, a method for manufacturing a deposition mask 20 by using a long metal plate 64 which is selected as described above, will be described with reference to mainly FIGS. 17 25. In the manufacturing method of the vapor deposition mask 20 described below, as shown in FIG. 17, a long metal plate 64 is supplied, a through hole 25 is formed in the long metal plate 64, and the long metal plate 64 is further cut. By doing so, the vapor deposition mask 20 which consists of the sheet-like metal plate 21 is obtained.

  More specifically, the manufacturing method of the vapor deposition mask 20, the step of supplying a long metal plate 64 extending in a strip shape, and etching using a photolithography technique are performed on the long metal plate 64, and the long metal plate A step of forming the first recess 30 in the first surface 64a from the side of the first surface 64a and etching using a photolithography technique are performed on the long metal plate 64, and the long metal plate 64 is subjected to the second step from the second surface 64b side. Forming the two recesses 35. And the 1st recessed part 30 and the 2nd recessed part 35 which were formed in the elongate metal plate 64 mutually communicate, and the through-hole 25 is produced in the elongate metal plate 64. FIG. In the example shown in FIGS. 18 to 25, the first recess 30 forming step is performed before the second recess 35 forming step, and the first recess 30 forming step and the second recess 35 forming are performed. A step of sealing the manufactured first recess 30 is further provided between the steps. Details of each step will be described below.

  FIG. 17 shows a manufacturing apparatus 60 for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20. As shown in FIG. 17, first, a wound body (metal plate roll) 62 obtained by winding a long metal plate 64 around a core 61 is prepared. And when this core 61 rotates and the wound body 62 is unwound, the elongate metal plate 64 extended in strip | belt shape is supplied as shown in FIG. The long metal plate 64 is formed with the through-hole 25 to form the sheet metal plate 21 and the vapor deposition mask 20.

  The supplied long metal plate 64 is transported to the etching apparatus (etching means) 70 by the transport roller 72. Each process shown in FIGS. 18 to 25 is performed by the etching apparatus 70. In the present embodiment, a plurality of vapor deposition masks 20 are assigned in the width direction of the long metal plate 64. That is, the plurality of vapor deposition masks 20 are produced from regions that occupy predetermined positions of the long metal plate 64 in the longitudinal direction. In this case, preferably, the plurality of vapor deposition masks 20 are assigned to the long metal plate 64 so that the longitudinal direction of the vapor deposition mask 20 matches the rolling direction of the long metal plate 64.

  First, as shown in FIG. 18, resist films 65 c and 65 d containing a negative photosensitive resist material are formed on the first surface 64 a and the second surface 64 b of the long metal plate 64. As a method of forming the resist films 65c and 65d, a film on which a layer containing a photosensitive resist material such as an acrylic photo-curable resin is formed, a so-called dry film is formed on the first surface 64a of the long metal plate 64 and on the first surface 64a. A method of pasting on the two surfaces 64b is employed.

  Next, exposure masks 68a and 68b are prepared so as not to transmit light to the regions to be removed of the resist films 65c and 65d. The exposure masks 68a and 68b are respectively formed on the resist films 65c and 65d as shown in FIG. To place. As the exposure masks 68a and 68b, for example, a glass dry plate that prevents light from being transmitted to regions to be removed of the resist films 65c and 65d is used. Thereafter, the exposure masks 68a and 68b are sufficiently adhered to the resist films 65c and 65d by vacuum adhesion. As the photosensitive resist material, a positive type may be used. In this case, an exposure mask in which light is transmitted through a region to be removed of the resist film is used as the exposure mask.

  Thereafter, the resist films 65c and 65d are exposed through the exposure masks 68a and 68b (exposure process). Further, the resist films 65c and 65d are developed in order to form images on the exposed resist films 65c and 65d (development process). As described above, as shown in FIG. 20, the first resist pattern 65a is formed on the first surface 64a of the long metal plate 64, and the second resist pattern is formed on the second surface 64b of the long metal plate 64. 65b can be formed. The developing process may include a resist heat treatment process for increasing the hardness of the resist films 65c and 65d, or for making the resist films 65c and 65d more firmly adhere to the long metal plate 64. The resist heat treatment step is performed, for example, at 100 ° C. or higher and 400 ° C. or lower in an atmosphere of an inert gas such as argon gas, helium gas, or nitrogen gas.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 21, a first surface etching step of etching a region of the first surface 64a of the long metal plate 64 that is not covered with the first resist pattern 65a using the first etching solution. carry out. For example, the first etching liquid is directed from the nozzle disposed on the side facing the first surface 64a of the long metal plate 64 to be conveyed toward the first surface 64a of the long metal plate 64 through the first resist pattern 65a. Is injected. As a result, as shown in FIG. 21, erosion by the first etching solution proceeds in a region of the long metal plate 64 that is not covered with the first resist pattern 65a. As a result, a large number of first recesses 30 are formed on the first surface 64 a of the long metal plate 64. As the first etching solution, for example, a solution containing a ferric chloride solution and hydrochloric acid is used.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 22, the first concave portion 30 is covered with a resin 69 having resistance to a second etching solution used in the subsequent second surface etching step. That is, the first recess 30 is sealed with the resin 69 having resistance to the second etching solution. In the example shown in FIG. 22, the film of the resin 69 is formed so as to cover not only the formed first recess 30 but also the first surface 64a (first resist pattern 65a).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 23, a region of the second surface 64b of the long metal plate 64 that is not covered with the second resist pattern 65b is etched to form a second recess 35 in the second surface 64b. A two-sided etching process is performed. The second surface etching process is performed until the first recess 30 and the second recess 35 communicate with each other, thereby forming the through hole 25. As the second etching solution, for example, a solution containing a ferric chloride solution and hydrochloric acid is used in the same manner as the first etching solution.

  Note that the erosion by the second etching solution is performed in a portion of the long metal plate 64 that is in contact with the second etching solution. Therefore, erosion does not proceed only in the normal direction N (thickness direction) of the long metal plate 64 but also proceeds in the direction along the plate surface of the long metal plate 64. Here, preferably, in the second surface etching step, two second recesses 35 respectively formed at positions facing two adjacent holes 66a of the second resist pattern 65b are positioned between the two holes 66a. It ends before joining at the back side of the bridge portion 67a. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 24, the above-described top portion 43 can be left on the second surface 64 b of the long metal plate 64.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 25, the resin 69 is removed from the long metal plate 64. The resin 69 can be removed by using, for example, an alkaline stripping solution. When the alkaline stripping solution is used, as shown in FIG. 25, the resist patterns 65a and 65b are also removed simultaneously with the resin 69. In addition, after removing the resin 69, the resist patterns 65a and 65b may be removed separately from the resin 69 by using a remover different from the remover for removing the resin 69.

  The long metal plate 64 in which a large number of through holes 25 are formed in this way is conveyed to a cutting device (cutting means) 73 by conveyance rollers 72 and 72 that rotate while the long metal plate 64 is sandwiched. Is done. The supply core 61 described above is rotated through tension (tensile stress) acting on the long metal plate 64 by the rotation of the transport rollers 72 and 72, and the long metal plate 64 is supplied from the wound body 62. It is like that.

  Thereafter, the long metal plate 64 in which a large number of through-holes 25 are formed is cut into a predetermined length and width by a cutting device 73, whereby the sheet metal plate 21 in which the large number of through-holes 25 are formed, that is, The vapor deposition mask 20 is obtained.

Next, a method for determining the quality of the vapor deposition mask 20 by measuring the dimensions X1 and X2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 26 to 28. FIG. Here, a method of measuring the dimensions X1 and X2 and determining the quality of the vapor deposition mask 20 based on the measurement result will be described. That is, by measuring the dimension X1 and the dimension X2, it is possible to detect whether or not the through hole 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20 is arranged as designed, and thereby the positional accuracy of the through hole 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20 is determined. Whether or not satisfies a predetermined criterion.

  By the way, in order to obtain the metal plate 21 having a small thickness, it is necessary to increase the rolling rate when the metal plate 21 is manufactured by rolling the base material. However, the greater the rolling rate, the greater the degree of non-uniform deformation due to rolling. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the long metal plate 64 at least partially has a corrugated shape resulting from the fact that the length in the longitudinal direction D1 varies depending on the position in the width direction D2. For example, a wavy shape appears at the side edge 64e extending along the longitudinal direction D1 of the long metal plate 64.

  On the other hand, in the above-described exposure process of exposing the resist films 65c and 65d, the exposure mask is brought into close contact with the resist films 65c and 65d on the long metal plate 64 by vacuum suction or the like. For this reason, due to the close contact with the exposure mask, the corrugated shape of the side edge 64e of the long metal plate 64 is compressed as shown in FIG. 26, and the long metal plate 64 becomes almost flat. In this state, as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 26, the resist films 65c and 65d provided on the long metal plate 64 are exposed in a predetermined pattern.

  When the exposure mask is removed from the long metal plate 64, a wavy shape appears again at the side edge 64e of the long metal plate 64. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the long metal plate 64 in a state where the plurality of vapor deposition masks 20 are assigned along the width direction D2 by being etched. FIG. 27 shows an example in which three deposition masks 20 are assigned to the central portion R1 of the long metal plate 64. As shown in FIG. 27, the deposition mask 20 that faces at least the side edge 64e of the long metal plate 64 among the three allocated deposition masks 20 is formed from a portion having a relatively large corrugated shape. In FIG. 27, reference numeral 27 a denotes a side edge (hereinafter referred to as a first side edge) located on the center side of the long metal plate 64 among the side edges of the vapor deposition mask 20 assigned to face the side edge 64 e of the long metal plate 64. 1 side edge). In FIG. 27, reference numeral 27 b represents a side edge (hereinafter referred to as a second side edge) that is located on the opposite side of the first side edge 27 a and faces the side edge 64 e of the long metal plate 64. As shown in FIG. 27, in the vapor deposition mask 20 facing the side edge 64e of the long metal plate 64, the portion on the second side edge 27b side has a corrugated shape larger than the portion on the first side edge 27a side. Formed from parts.

  FIG. 28 is a plan view showing the vapor deposition mask 20 obtained by cutting out the vapor deposition mask 20 facing the side edge 64 e of the long metal plate 64 from the long metal plate 64. As described above, when the portion on the second side edge 27b side of the vapor deposition mask 20 is formed from a portion having a wavy shape larger than the portion on the first side edge 27a side, The length in the longitudinal direction D1 of the side portion is longer than the length in the longitudinal direction D1 of the portion on the first side edge 27a side. That is, the dimension of the second side edge 27b (the dimension along the second side edge 27b) in the longitudinal direction D1 is larger than the dimension of the first side edge 27a (the dimension along the first side edge 27a). In this case, as shown in FIG. 28, the vapor deposition mask 20 has a curved shape that is convex in the direction from the first side edge 27a side to the second side edge 27b side. Hereinafter, such a curved shape is also referred to as a C-shape.

  In the present embodiment, the measurement of the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 is performed without applying tension to the vapor deposition mask 20. Hereinafter, the quality determination method according to the present embodiment will be described.

(Pass / fail judgment system)
FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a pass / fail judgment system that measures the dimensions of the vapor deposition mask 20 and judges pass / fail. As shown in FIG. 29, the pass / fail determination system 80 includes a stage 81 on which the vapor deposition mask 20 is placed, a dimension measuring device 82, and a determination device 83.

  The dimension measuring device 82 includes, for example, a measurement camera (imaging unit) that is provided above the stage 81 and images the vapor deposition mask 20 to create an image. At least one of the stage 81 and the dimension measuring device 82 is movable with respect to each other. In the present embodiment, the stage 81 is stationary, and the dimension measuring device 82 is movable in two directions parallel to the stage 81 and orthogonal to each other and in a direction perpendicular to the stage 81. Thus, the dimension measuring device 82 can be moved to a desired position. The pass / fail judgment system 80 may be configured such that the dimension measuring device 82 is stationary and the stage 81 is movable.

  The measurement of the dimension of the vapor deposition mask 20 can be performed by a different method according to the size of the dimension of the part to be measured in the vapor deposition mask 20.

  When the dimension of the measurement object is relatively small (for example, when it is several hundred μm or less), the measurement object can be accommodated in the field of view of the measurement camera of the dimension measurement apparatus 82, so that the measurement camera is not moved. Measure the dimensions of the measurement object.

  On the other hand, when the dimension of the measurement object is relatively large (for example, in the case of mm order or more), it becomes difficult to fit the measurement object in the field of view of the measurement camera of the dimension measurement device 82, so the measurement camera is moved. Measure the dimensions of the object to be measured. In this case, the dimension measuring device 82 calculates the dimension of the vapor deposition mask 20 based on the image captured by the measurement camera and the movement amount of the measurement camera (the movement amount when the stage 81 moves).

  The determination device 83 determines whether or not the above-described equations (1) and (2) are satisfied based on the measurement result by the dimension measuring device 82. The determination device 83 includes an arithmetic device and a storage medium. The arithmetic device is, for example, a CPU. The storage medium is a memory such as a ROM or a RAM. The determination device 83 performs the determination process of the dimension of the vapor deposition mask 20 by an arithmetic unit executing the program memorize | stored in the storage medium.

(Dimension measurement method)
First, a measurement process for measuring the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 is performed. In this case, first, the vapor deposition mask 20 is gently placed on the stage 81. At this time, the vapor deposition mask 20 is placed without being fixed to the stage 81. That is, no tension is applied to the vapor deposition mask 20. The vapor deposition mask 20 placed on the stage 81 can be curved in a C shape, for example, as shown in FIG.

  Subsequently, the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 (see FIG. 28) of the vapor deposition mask 20 on the stage 81 are measured. In this case, when the measurement camera of the above-described dimension measuring apparatus 82 shown in FIG. 29 captures the points P1, Q1, P2, and Q2 of the vapor deposition mask 20, the captured image and the measurement camera move. Based on the amount of movement, the coordinates of points P1, Q1, P2, and Q2 are calculated. Then, based on the calculated coordinates of each point, a dimension X1 that is a linear distance from the point P1 to the point Q1 and a dimension X2 that is a linear distance from the point P2 to the point Q2 are calculated.

(Judgment method)
Next, based on the measurement result by the dimension measuring apparatus 82, a determination step is performed to determine whether the calculated dimension X1 and dimension X2 satisfy the above-described expressions (1) and (2). To do. That is, the is substituted into equation (1) in which the distance X1 and dimension X2 calculated as described above described above, the design value is substituted into alpha _X, the left side of the equation (1) is calculated as an absolute value . It is determined whether the value on the left side is 40 μm or less. Similarly, the calculated dimension X1 and dimension X2 are substituted into the above-described equation (2), the left side of equation (2) is calculated as an absolute value, and whether the value on the left side is 60 μm or less. Is determined. The vapor deposition mask 20 satisfying the expressions (1) and (2) is determined as a non-defective product (pass) and used in the vapor deposition mask apparatus 10 described later.

  Here, the vapor deposition mask 20 determined as a non-defective product has the dimension X1 from the point P1 to the point Q1 and the dimension X2 from the point P2 to the point Q2 satisfy the above-described expressions (1) and (2). Yes. As a result, although details will be described later, in the vapor deposition mask 20 in which the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 satisfy the predetermined conditions and are determined to be non-defective by the equation (1), the deviation from the design values of the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 Reduced. For this reason, when the vapor deposition mask 20 is stretched, the amount of shrinkage in the width direction D2 can be kept within a desired range. Further, the difference between the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 can be reduced by the expression (2). For this reason, it can suppress that the elongation of the longitudinal direction D1 differs in the width direction D2 at the time of tensioning, and can suppress the position shift in the width direction D2 of the through-hole 25. As a result, by producing the vapor deposition mask device 10 using the vapor deposition mask 20 determined to be non-defective, the positional accuracy of each through hole 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20 in the vapor deposition mask device 10 can be improved, The positional accuracy of the through hole 25 can be improved.

  Further, the P1 point and the P2 point of the vapor deposition mask 20 determined to be non-defective are positioned at the center point of the corresponding through hole 25 of the first effective region 22A arranged closest to the first ear portion 17a. The Q1 point and the Q2 point are positioned at the center point of the corresponding through hole 25 of the second effective region 22B arranged closest to the second ear portion 17b. Thereby, the non-defective product determination of the vapor deposition mask 20 can be performed based on the distance between two points relatively distant from each other in the longitudinal direction D1, and the non-defective product determination accuracy of the vapor deposition mask 20 can be improved.

  Furthermore, the P1 point and the P2 point of the vapor deposition mask 20 determined to be non-defective are positioned at the center points of the corresponding through holes 25 that are formed closest to the first ear portion 17a, and are the Q1 point and the Q2 point. Is positioned at the center point of the corresponding through-hole 25 that is formed closest to the second ear portion 17b. Thereby, the non-defective product determination of the vapor deposition mask 20 can be performed based on the distance between two points further apart in the longitudinal direction D1, and the non-defective product determination accuracy of the vapor deposition mask 20 can be improved.

Next, a method of manufacturing the vapor deposition mask device 10 using the vapor deposition mask 20 determined as a non-defective product will be described. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of vapor deposition masks 20 are stretched on the frame 15. More specifically, tension in the longitudinal direction D <b> 1 of the deposition mask 20 is applied to the deposition mask 20, and the ears 17 a and 17 b of the deposition mask 20 in a state where the tension is applied are fixed to the frame 15. The ears 17a and 17b are fixed to the frame 15 by spot welding, for example.

  Here, in the above-described inspection process, only the long metal plate 64 that satisfies the condition that the absolute value of the steepness slope is 6% / m or less in the central portion R1 indicating 60% of the width of the metal plate 64 is deposited. It is used in the manufacturing process of the mask 20. As a result, in the portion of the metal plate 64 where the vapor deposition mask 20 is formed (that is, the central portion R1), the rate of change of the steepness in the width direction D2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 is relatively small, and there is a change in the degree of the wave shape. It is relatively small. For this reason, compared with the case where such a selection is not implemented, the dispersion | variation in the steepness in each vapor deposition mask 20 and the dispersion | variation in the position of each through-hole 25 of the effective area | region 22 are reduced uniformly.

  When the vapor deposition mask 20 is stretched on the frame 15, tension in the longitudinal direction D1 is applied to the vapor deposition mask 20. In this case, as shown in FIG. 30, the first end portion 26a of the vapor deposition mask 20 is gripped by the first clamp 86a and the second clamp 86b disposed on both sides of the central axis AL, and the second end portion 26b. Is held by the third clamp 86c and the fourth clamp 86d disposed on both sides of the central axis AL. A first tension portion 87a is connected to the first clamp 86a, and a second tension portion 87b is connected to the second clamp 86b. A third tension portion 87c is connected to the third clamp 86c, and a fourth tension portion 87d is connected to the fourth clamp 86d. When tension is applied to the vapor deposition mask 20, the first tension portion 87a and the second tension portion 87b are driven, and the first clamp 86a and the second clamp 86b are moved with respect to the third clamp 86c and the fourth clamp 86d. By moving, tensions T1 and T2 can be applied to the vapor deposition mask 20 in the longitudinal direction D1. In this case, the tension applied to the vapor deposition mask 20 is the sum of the tension T1 of the first tension portion 87a and the tension T2 of the second tension portion 87b. In addition, each tension | pulling part 87a-87d may contain the air cylinder, for example. Further, the third clamp 86c and the fourth clamp 86d may be made immovable without using the third tension portion 87c and the fourth tension portion 87d.

  When tensions T1 and T2 in the longitudinal direction D1 are applied to the vapor deposition mask 20, the vapor deposition mask 20 extends in the longitudinal direction D1, but contracts in the width direction D2. At the time of tensioning, the tension T1 of the first tension portion 87a is set so that all the through holes 25 of the deposition mask 20 that are elastically deformed in this manner are positioned within an allowable range with respect to a desired position (deposition target position). And the tension T2 of the second tension portion 87b are adjusted. Thereby, the expansion | extension in the longitudinal direction D1 and the shrinkage | contraction in the width direction D2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 can be adjusted locally, and each through-hole 25 can be positioned in an allowable range. For example, the vapor deposition mask 20 in a state where no tension is applied is curved in a C shape so as to protrude in the direction from the first side edge 27a side to the second side edge 27b side as shown in FIG. In this case, the tension T1 of the first tension portion 87a on the first side edge 27a side may be larger than the tension T2 of the second tension portion 87b. Thereby, a larger tension can be applied to the portion on the first side edge 27a side than the portion on the second side edge 27b side. Therefore, the portion on the first side edge 27a side can be extended more than the portion on the second side edge 27b side, and each through hole 25 can be easily positioned within the allowable range. On the contrary, the vapor deposition mask 20 in a state where no tension is applied is curved in a C shape so as to be convex in the direction from the second side edge 27b side to the first side edge 27a side. If it is, the tension T2 of the second tension portion 87b on the second side edge 27b side may be larger than the tension T1 of the first tension portion 87a. Thus, a larger tension can be applied to the portion on the second side edge 27b side than the portion on the first side edge 27a side. For this reason, the part by the side of the 2nd side edge 27b can be extended more than the part by the side of the 1st side edge 27a, and each through-hole 25 can be easily positioned in an allowable range.

  However, even when the tension applied to the vapor deposition mask 20 is locally adjusted, it is difficult to position each through hole 25 within an allowable range depending on the positional accuracy of the through hole 25 in which the vapor deposition mask 20 is formed. It is possible to become. For example, when the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 are greatly deviated from the design value, the elongation in the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 is increased and the contraction in the width direction D2 is increased. There is little elongation of D1, and there is less shrinkage in the width direction D2. As a result, it may be difficult to position each through-hole 25 within an allowable range with respect to a desired position (deposition target position) during tensioning. Formula (1) is for suppressing the position defect of each through-hole 25 at the time of stretching due to such a cause.

  That is, as in this embodiment, the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 placed on the stage 81 or the like satisfy the formula (1), so that the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 at the time of stretching is set. It is possible to keep the amount of elongation within a desired range. For this reason, the amount of shrinkage in the width direction D2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 at the time of stretching can be kept within a desired range. As a result, when the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 satisfy the formula (1), the position adjustment of each through-hole 25 can be facilitated at the time of tensioning.

  In general, even when the vapor deposition mask 20 is formed from a long metal plate 64 having a corrugated shape, depending on the degree of the corrugated shape, each through hole 25 is positioned at a desired position. It may be difficult. This is because the longitudinal dimension differs in the width direction D2 due to the difference in the degree of the wavy shape in the width direction D2 of the long metal plate 64. In this case, when the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 are different and are not stretched, the vapor deposition mask 20 can be curved in a C shape as shown in FIG.

  For example, in the vapor deposition mask 20 that is curved as shown in FIG. 28, the dimension X1 is shorter than the dimension X2 when not stretched. For this reason, when the vapor deposition mask 20 is stretched, a tensile force is applied to the vapor deposition mask 20 so that the dimension X1 is equal to the dimension X2, as shown in FIG. In this case, the portion on the first side edge 27a side extends larger than the portion on the second side edge 27b side, and the center position in the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 is shifted to the first side edge 27a side, Thereby, the through-hole 25 can be displaced in the width direction D2. In addition, even when stretched so that the dimensions X1 and X2 are equal, the curved shape of the vapor deposition mask 20 may be reversed as shown in FIG. In this case, the first side edge 27a is convex and the second side edge 27b is concavely curved. Even in this case, the through hole 25 can be displaced in the width direction D2.

  When the positional deviation of the through holes 25 in the width direction D2 increases in this way, it may be difficult to position all the through holes 25 within an allowable range with respect to a desired position (deposition target position). Formula (2) is for suppressing the occurrence of a position defect of each through-hole 25 during stretching due to such a cause.

  That is, as in the present embodiment, the dimension X1 and dimension X2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 placed on the stage 81 and the like satisfy the formula (2), so that the length in the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 is increased. It can suppress that it differs in the width direction D2, and can suppress that elongation of the longitudinal direction D1 differs in the width direction D2 at the time of tensioning. For this reason, the position shift in the width direction D2 of the through-hole 25 can be suppressed at the time of tensioning. As a result, when the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 satisfy the expression (2), the through holes 25 can be easily positioned within the allowable range when being stretched.

  By the way, the vapor deposition mask 20 is formed from the elongate metal plate 64 in which the corrugated shape was formed as mentioned above. For this reason, when the degree of the corrugated shape greatly differs in the width direction D2 of the long metal plate 64, the elongation in the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 produced from the long metal plate 64 differs in the width direction D2. obtain. In this case, it may be difficult to position all the through holes 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20 within a predetermined range at the time of stretching.

  However, in the present embodiment, as described above, the central portion R1 of the long metal plate 64 selected in advance based on the absolute value of the steepness gradient is used. For this reason, compared with the case where such a selection is not implemented, the dispersion | variation in the steepness of the part allocated to each vapor deposition mask 20 among the elongate metal plates 64 is reduced, and the grade of the corrugated shape in the width direction D2 differs greatly. You can avoid that. Thereby, in the width direction D2 of the vapor deposition mask 20, it can suppress that the length of the longitudinal direction D1 differs in the width direction D2. In this case, it is possible to prevent the elongation in the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 from being different in the width direction D2 during stretching. For this reason, the dispersion | variation in the position of each through-hole 25 of the effective area | region 22 is reduced uniformly at the time of tension | tensile_strength, and each through-hole 25 can be easily located in an allowable range with respect to a vapor deposition target position. As a result, the adjustment of the position of each through hole 25 at the time of tensioning can be facilitated.

Deposition Method Next, a method for depositing the deposition material 98 on the organic EL substrate 92 using the obtained deposition mask device 10 will be described.

  In this case, first, as shown in FIG. 1, the frame 15 is arranged so that the vapor deposition mask 20 faces the organic EL substrate 92. Subsequently, the vapor deposition mask 20 is brought into close contact with the organic EL substrate 92 using the magnet 93. Thereafter, in this state, the vapor deposition material 98 is evaporated, and the vapor deposition material 98 is caused to fly to the organic EL substrate 92 through the through hole 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20. Thereby, the vapor deposition material 98 can be attached to the organic EL substrate 92 in a predetermined pattern.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the long metal plate 64 is used in which the absolute value of the steepness gradient in the central portion R1 where the vapor deposition mask 20 can be formed is 6% / m or less. Thereby, in the central portion R1, the change of the undulating shape can be reduced, and the length in the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 can be suppressed from being different in the width direction D2. For this reason, the positional accuracy of the through-hole 25 at the time of tensioning can be improved. As a result, the vapor deposition material 98 can be vapor-deposited on the substrate 92 with high positional accuracy, and the high-definition organic EL display device 100 can be manufactured.

  Note that various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment. Hereinafter, modified examples will be described with reference to the drawings as necessary. In the following description and the drawings used in the following description, the same reference numerals as those used for the corresponding parts in the above embodiment are used for the parts that can be configured in the same manner as in the above embodiment. A duplicate description is omitted. In addition, when it is clear that the operational effects obtained in the above-described embodiment can be obtained in the modified example, the description thereof may be omitted.

(Variation of the manufacturing method of the evaporation mask)
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the dimension of the vapor deposition mask 20 produced by etching a rolled metal plate is shown. However, it is also possible to measure the dimensions of the vapor deposition mask 20 produced by other methods such as plating using the above-described dimension measurement method and quality determination system 80.

(Modification of dimensions X1 and X2)
In the above-described embodiment, the P1 point and the P2 point are the penetrating holes formed closest to the first ear portion 17a in the first effective region 22A disposed closest to the first ear portion 17a. The example positioned at the center point of the hole 25 is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the through hole 25 in which the P1 point and the P2 point are positioned is an arbitrary through hole 25 in the first effective region 22A arranged closest to the first ear portion 17a. Also good. Further, the through hole 25 where the P1 point and the P2 point are positioned may be the through hole 25 of the effective region 22 other than the first effective region 22A. The same applies to the points Q1 and Q2. Further, the P1 point and the Q1 point may not be positioned in the through hole 25 as long as they are two arbitrary points arranged along the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20. For example, it may be an arbitrary recess formed in the first surface 20a or the second surface 20b of the vapor deposition mask 20, or another through hole not intended to pass the vapor deposition material 98, or even the vapor deposition mask 20 It may be the outer dimension.

  EXAMPLES Next, although an Example demonstrates this invention further more concretely, this invention is not limited to description of a following example, unless the summary is exceeded.

(First roll and first sample)
First, the above rolling process, slit process, annealing process, and cutting process were performed on the base material composed of the invar material to produce a plurality of wound bodies wound with a long metal plate.

  Specifically, first, a first rolling step in which the first hot rolling step and the first cold rolling step are performed in this order is performed, and then both ends in the width direction of the long metal plate are 3 to 5 mm respectively. A first slitting step of cutting off the range was performed, followed by a first annealing step of continuously annealing the long metal plate at 500 ° C. for 60 seconds. Furthermore, the 2nd rolling process including a 2nd cold rolling process is implemented with respect to the long metal plate which passed through the 1st annealing process, Next, both ends in the width direction of a long metal plate are 3-5 mm respectively. The 2nd slit process cut off over the range was implemented, and the 2nd annealing process which continuously anneals a long metal plate over 60 seconds at 500 degreeC was implemented after that. As a result, a long metal plate 64 having a desired thickness and a width of about 600 mm was obtained. Thereafter, both ends of the long metal plate 64 in the width direction are cut off over a predetermined range, and thereby a cutting step is performed to finally adjust the width of the long metal plate 64 to a desired width, specifically to a width of 500 mm. did.

  In the cold rolling process described above, pressure adjustment using a backup roller was performed. Specifically, the shape of the backup roller of the rolling mill and the pressure were adjusted so that the shape of the long metal plate 64 was symmetrical. Moreover, the cold rolling process was performed while cooling the long metal plate 64 using rolling oil, for example, kerosene. After the cold rolling process, a cleaning process for cleaning the long metal plate with a hydrocarbon-based cleaning agent was performed. After the cleaning process, the above-described slit process, annealing process, and cutting process were performed.

  Thereafter, the first sample 200 made of a metal plate having a width of 500 mm and a projection length of 700 mm was obtained by cutting off the tip of the wound body using a shear. The “projection length” refers to the length (dimension in the rolling direction) of the metal plate when the metal plate is viewed from directly above, that is, when the corrugated shape of the metal plate is ignored. The width of the first sample 200 is a distance between the pair of end portions 201 and 202 of the first sample 200 in the width direction. The pair of end portions 201 and 202 of the first sample 200 are portions formed by a cutting process in which both ends in the width direction of the metal plate obtained by the rolling process and the annealing process are cut out over a predetermined range, and are almost straight. It extends.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 33, the first sample 200 was placed horizontally on the surface plate 210. At that time, the first sample 200 was gently placed on the surface plate 210 so that the first sample 200 was not partially recessed. Next, at one end 201 of the first sample 200, the steepness of the first sample 200 in the region having a projection length of 500 mm was measured. The region having a projection length of 500 mm is a region obtained by removing the region within 100 mm from both ends 203 and 204 in the longitudinal direction of the sample 200 from the first sample 200 having a projection length of 700 mm. The reason why the region within 100 mm from both ends 203 and 204 is excluded from the measurement object is to prevent the influence of the distortion of the first sample 200 due to the cutting by the shear from reaching the measurement result of the steepness. In FIG. 33, a region having a projection length of 500 mm is indicated by a one-dot chain line.

  In the measurement, first, as shown by an arrow s in FIG. 33, the distance measuring device using laser light is moved relative to the first sample 200 along the longitudinal direction of the first sample 200, The height position of the surface at one end 201 of the first sample 200 in the direction was continuously measured, and the profile of the long metal plate 64 was drawn with a smooth curve. Thereafter, based on the obtained curve, the period and height were calculated for each of the plurality of peaks included in the curve. Next, the steepness of each mountain was calculated, and the average value of the steepness of each mountain was calculated. In this way, the steepness of the first sample 200 at the one end 201 was calculated.

  As a distance measuring device for measuring the height position of the surface of the first sample 200, OPTELICS H1200 manufactured by Lasertec Corporation, which is a laser microscope, was used. The element that is moved during the measurement may be either the distance measuring device or the first sample 200, but here, the surface plate 210 is used as a stage to move the head composed of the OPTELICS H1200 in the XY direction. Automatic measurement was performed by assembling. As the stage, a 500 mm × 500 mm auto stage was used. A laser interferometer was used to control the auto stage in the XY directions.

  Next, the steepness of the first sample 200 was similarly measured at a position displaced by 2 mm from the one end 201 to the other end 202 side. By repeating the above measurement while changing the position of the first sample 200 in the width direction at a predetermined pitch p, the steepness of the first sample 200 at each position in the width direction was measured. Here, the pitch p was set to 2 mm. The obtained measurement results include the measurement result of the steepness in the one end side portion R2 including the one end 201, the measurement result of the steepness in the other end side portion R3 including the other end 202, and the above description including the central portion. The measurement result of the steepness in the central portion R1 is included. The central portion R1 is a portion whose distance from the one end 201 is within a range of 100 to 400 mm when the one end 201 is used as a reference. The one end portion R2 is a portion whose distance from the one end 201 is within a range of 0 to 100 mm when the one end 201 is used as a reference. The other end portion R3 is a portion whose distance from the one end 201 is in the range of 400 to 500 mm when the one end 201 is used as a reference.

  Next, the slope of the steepness of the first sample 200 was calculated. The slope of the steepness was calculated by dividing the difference in steepness between two adjacent points in the width direction D2 where the steepness was measured by the distance between the two points.

(2nd to 17th rolls and 2nd to 17th samples)
Similarly to the case of the first winding body, the second winding body to the seventeenth winding body were manufactured from the base material made of the invar material. Further, in the same manner as in the case of the first winding body, with respect to the second winding body to the 17th winding body, the slope of the steepness of the sample taken out from each winding body was measured.

  The vapor deposition mask 20 was each produced from the elongate metal plate 64 of such 1st-17th winding body using the manufacturing method of the above-mentioned vapor deposition mask. That is, the through hole 25 was formed and cut by the cutting device 73 to obtain the vapor deposition mask 20. Here, the vapor deposition mask 20 with a width dimension of 67 mm was produced.

  FIG. 34 shows the difference in steepness of each manufactured evaporation mask 20 and the absolute value of the steepness slope. The steepness shown here uses the steepness measured in the form of the long metal plate 64 as described above in each sample. The steepness difference shown in FIG. 34 indicates the difference between the steepness at the position passing through the points P1 and Q1 and the steepness at the position passing through the points P2 and Q2. As the steepness at each position, the steepness at the closest position is used from the steepness at each position in the width direction D2 obtained in the form of the long metal plate 64. The absolute value of the slope of the steepness was obtained by dividing the steepness difference by the distance between the points P1 and P2 (or the distance between the points Q1 and Q2, here 65 mm).

  Next, the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 were measured about each above-mentioned vapor deposition mask 20. FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 29, the vapor deposition mask 20 was placed horizontally on the stage 81. At that time, the deposition mask 20 was gently placed on the stage 81 so that the deposition mask 20 was not partially recessed. Next, the dimension X1 from the P1 point to the Q1 point of the vapor deposition mask 20 was measured, and the dimension X2 from the P2 point to the Q2 point was measured. The measurement results are shown in FIG. 34 as α _X -X1 and α _X -X2. Here, the points P1 and Q1, and the points P2 and Q2 are set at the center of the through hole 25 such that α _X is 600 mm.

The measured dimension X1 and dimension X2 were substituted into the above-described formula (1) to calculate the left side of the formula (1). The calculation result is shown in FIG. 34 as | α _X − (X1 + X2) / 2 |. In FIG. 34, the dimension measurement was performed on 17 deposition masks 20 respectively obtained from the 17 samples described above. Of the first to seventeenth samples, the first to seventh samples satisfied Expression (1).

  Moreover, the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 were substituted into the formula (2) described above, and the left side of the formula (2) was calculated. The calculation result is shown in FIG. 34 as | X1-X2 |. As shown in FIG. 34, among the first to seventeenth samples, the first to third samples and the eighth to thirteenth samples satisfied Expression (2).

  Therefore, as shown by the comprehensive determination result in FIG. 34, among the first to seventeenth samples, the first to third samples satisfy the expressions (1) and (2), and the through holes at the time of tensioning It was determined that the deposition mask 20 can improve the position accuracy of 25.

  Here, the reason why satisfying the above-described formulas (1) and (2) can improve the positional accuracy of the through-holes 25 during stretching will be described.

  First, equation (1) will be described. As described above, the expression (1) is for suppressing the occurrence of the position defect of each through-hole 25 at the time of tension due to the deviation of the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 from the design value. . That is, when the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 satisfy the formula (1), the elongation amount in the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 at the time of stretching can be kept within a desired range. The amount of contraction in the width direction D2 of the mask 20 can be kept within a desired range. Therefore, in order to confirm that satisfying the expression (1) contributes to improving the positional accuracy of the through-hole 25 at the time of stretching, attention is paid to the width dimension Y1 (see FIG. 28) of the vapor deposition mask 20 at the time of stretching. This dimension Y1 corresponds to the width dimension at the center position in the longitudinal direction D1. The amount of contraction in the width direction D2 at the center position can be the largest. In addition, in FIG. 28, although the vapor deposition mask 20 to which tension | tensile_strength is not given is shown, the dimension Y1 at the time of tension is shown in FIG. 28 for convenience. The same applies to the dimension Y2 described later.

  Next, equation (2) will be described. As described above, the expression (2) is for suppressing the occurrence of a position defect of each through-hole 25 at the time of stretching due to the displacement of the dimension X1 and the dimension X2. That is, when the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 satisfy the formula (2), it is possible to suppress the elongation in the longitudinal direction D1 from being different in the width direction D2 during tensioning, and to suppress the displacement of the through hole 25 in the width direction D2. it can. Therefore, in order to confirm that satisfying the formula (2) contributes to improving the positional accuracy of the through-hole 25 at the time of stretching, the depth of the recess of the first side edge 27a curved in the C shape of the vapor deposition mask 20 is obtained. Focus on Y2. This dimension Y2 corresponds to a recess depth dimension at the center position in the longitudinal direction D1. More specifically, from the line segment connecting the intersection PY1 between the first end 26a and the first side edge 27a of the vapor deposition mask 20 and the intersection PY2 between the second end 26b and the first side edge 27a, A distance from the one side edge 27a to the center position in the longitudinal direction D1 is defined as a dimension Y2. Such a dimension Y2 indicates the maximum recess depth of the first side edge 27a. In addition, when the curved shape of the vapor deposition mask 20 at the time of stretching is reversed as shown in FIG. 32, the dimension Y2 may be the depth of the recess of the second side edge 27b.

  Below, the measuring method of the dimension Y1 and the dimension Y2 is demonstrated.

First, after the measurement of the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 was completed, tension was applied to the vapor deposition mask 20. More specifically, first, the first end portion 26a and the second end portion 26b of the vapor deposition mask 20 are held by clamps 86a to 86d as shown in FIG. Tension was applied to the vapor deposition mask 20 from the portion 87d. The applied tension was set such that each through hole 25 was positioned within an allowable range with respect to a desired position (deposition target position) in the longitudinal direction D1. Subsequently, the vapor deposition mask 20 to which tension was applied was fixed on the stage 81 shown in FIG. Next, the dimension Y1 and the dimension Y2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 fixed on the stage 81 were measured. The measurement result of the dimension Y1 is shown in FIG. 34 as α _Y -Y1. Here, α _Y is a design value of the width dimension of the vapor deposition mask 20 at the center position in the longitudinal direction D1. Α _Y is a design value at the time of stretching. Moreover, the measurement result of the dimension Y2 is shown in FIG. 34 as Y2.

  The measured dimension Y1 and dimension Y2 were evaluated.

The dimension Y1 was evaluated based on whether or not α _Y -Y1 was a threshold value (± 4.0 μm) or less. Here, the threshold value is set as a value that allows a positional deviation within a range in which light emission efficiency of pixels formed by vapor deposition and color mixture with adjacent pixels of other colors can be prevented. In addition, when the tension | tensile_strength of the longitudinal direction D1 is provided to the vapor deposition mask 20, the width dimension of the vapor deposition mask 20 can reduce in the center position in the longitudinal direction D1. In this case, the first side edge 27a and the second side edge 27b are deformed so as to approach each other at the center position in the longitudinal direction D1. Therefore, the allowable deformation value at the first side edge 27a and the second side edge 27b is considered to be 2 μm, and the threshold value is set to ± 4.0 μm in total. Among the samples shown in FIG. 34, in the first to seventh samples, α _Y -Y1 was not more than the threshold value. In the first to seventh samples, since the shift of the width dimension Y1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 is suppressed, it is possible to suppress the positional shift in the width direction D2 of the through hole 25 at the time of stretching. On the other hand, these first to seventh samples satisfy the formula (1) as described above. For this reason, satisfy | filling Formula (1) can be said that the positional accuracy of the through-hole 25 at the time of tensioning can be improved.

Especially, the dimension Y1 has shown the width dimension of the vapor deposition mask 20 in the center position in the longitudinal direction D1. This center position is a position where the through hole 25 can be displaced most in the width direction D2. For this reason, when α _Y -Y1 at the center position is equal to or less than the threshold value, it can be said that the displacement in the width direction D2 of the through hole 25 at a position other than the center position in the longitudinal direction D1 can be further suppressed. .

  The dimension Y2 was evaluated based on whether or not the dimension Y2 was a threshold value (3.0 μm) or less. Here, the threshold value is set as a value that allows a positional deviation within a range in which light emission efficiency of pixels formed by vapor deposition and color mixture with adjacent pixels of other colors can be prevented. Of the samples shown in FIG. 34, in the first to third samples and the eighth to thirteenth samples, the dimension Y2 was less than or equal to the threshold value. Accordingly, in the first to third samples and the eighth to thirteenth samples, the degree of the depression of the first side edge 27a of the vapor deposition mask 20 is reduced, so that the position of the through hole 25 in the width direction D2 at the time of tensioning Deviation can be suppressed. On the other hand, the first to third samples and the eighth to thirteenth samples satisfy Expression (2) as described above. For this reason, satisfy | filling Formula (2) can be said that the positional accuracy of the through-hole 25 at the time of tensioning can be improved.

  Especially, the dimension Y2 has shown the depth dimension of the dent of the 1st side edge 27a of the vapor deposition mask 20 in the center position in the longitudinal direction D1. This center position is a position where the through hole 25 can be displaced most in the width direction D2. For this reason, when the dimension Y2 at the center position is equal to or less than the threshold value, it can be said that the displacement in the width direction D2 of the through hole 25 at a position other than the center position in the longitudinal direction D1 can be further suppressed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 34, in the first to third samples and the eighth to thirteenth samples, the absolute value of the steepness gradient is 6.0% / m or less. From this, it can be seen that the variation between the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 can be reduced by producing the vapor deposition mask 20 using the metal plate 64 having an absolute value of the steepness slope of 6.0% / m or less. That is, it is considered that there is a correlation between the absolute value of the steepness gradient and the dimensions X1 and X2, and the metal plate 64 is selected by paying attention to the absolute value of the steepness gradient. It can be said that the positional accuracy of the through hole 25 can be improved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Evaporation mask apparatus 15 Frame 20 Evaporation mask 21 Metal plate 22 Effective area | region 23 Peripheral area | region 25 Through-hole 30 1st recessed part 35 2nd recessed part 55 Base material 64 Long metal plate 65a 1st resist pattern 65b 2nd resist pattern 65c 1st Resist film 65d Second resist film 73 Cutting device 92 Organic EL substrate 98 Vapor deposition material AL Center axis R1 Center portion R2 One end portion R3 The other end portion

Claims (22)

A metal plate having a longitudinal direction used for manufacturing a mask by forming a plurality of through holes,
The through hole of the mask is formed by etching the elongated metal plate being conveyed,
In the width direction of the metal plate, the metal plate has a center portion, one end side portion located on one end side in the width direction of the metal plate with respect to the center portion, and the width direction of the metal plate with respect to the center portion. And the other end portion located on the other end side in
When the percentage of the height of the corrugated shape with respect to the period in the longitudinal direction of the corrugated shape of the metal plate is referred to as steepness, the steepness at the first position in the width direction and the steepness at the second position The metal plate, wherein the absolute value of the slope of the steepness obtained by dividing the difference by the distance between the first position and the second position is 6% / m or less at the central portion of the metal plate .   The metal plate according to claim 1, wherein the mask manufactured from the metal plate is a vapor deposition mask used for vapor deposition in a desired pattern.   The metal plate according to claim 1, wherein the mask is assigned to the central portion.   The metal plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the central portion is a portion that occupies at least 60% of the width of the metal plate.   The metal plate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the one end side portion and the other end side portion occupy an equal ratio with respect to the width of the metal plate.   The metal plate according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the metal plate is made of an iron alloy containing nickel. A method for producing a metal plate having a longitudinal direction, which is used for producing a mask by forming a plurality of through holes,
The through hole of the mask is formed by etching the elongated metal plate being conveyed,
The manufacturing method of the metal plate is
A rolling step of rolling the base material to obtain the metal plate;
A cutting step of cutting off one end and the other end in the width direction of the metal plate over a predetermined range,
In the width direction of the metal plate, the metal plate has a center portion, one end side portion located on one end side in the width direction of the metal plate with respect to the center portion, and the width direction of the metal plate with respect to the center portion. And the other end portion located on the other end side in
When the percentage of the height of the corrugated shape with respect to the period in the longitudinal direction of the corrugated shape of the metal plate after the cutting step is referred to as steepness, the steepness at the first position in the width direction and the steepness at the second position The absolute value of the slope of the steepness obtained by dividing the difference from the steepness by the distance between the first position and the second position is 6% / m or less in the central portion. A manufacturing method of a board.   The said mask manufactured from the said metal plate is a manufacturing method of the metal plate of Claim 7 which is a vapor deposition mask used in order to perform vapor deposition with a desired pattern.   The method for manufacturing a metal plate according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the mask is assigned to the central portion.   The method of manufacturing a metal plate according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the central portion occupies at least 60% of the width of the metal plate after the cutting step.   11. The method for manufacturing a metal plate according to claim 7, wherein the ratio of the one end side portion and the other end side portion to the width of the metal plate after the cutting step is equal.   A range on one end side and a range on the other end side of the metal plate to be cut in the cutting step are determined based on the result of the observation step of the corrugated shape of the metal plate, which is performed before the cutting step. The manufacturing method of the metal plate as described in any one of Claims 7 thru | or 11. Annealing the metal plate obtained by the rolling step, further comprising an annealing step to remove internal stress of the metal plate;
The said annealing process is a manufacturing method of the metal plate as described in any one of Claims 7 thru | or 12 implemented while pulling the said rolled base material to a longitudinal direction.   The manufacturing method of the metal plate as described in any one of Claims 7 thru | or 13 with which the said base material is comprised from the iron alloy containing nickel. A method of manufacturing a mask having a plurality of through holes,
Preparing a metal plate having a longitudinal direction;
A resist pattern forming step of forming a resist pattern on the metal plate;
Etching a region of the metal plate that is not covered by the resist pattern, and forming a recess in the metal plate that defines the through hole, and
In the width direction of the metal plate, the metal plate has a center portion, one end side portion located on one end side in the width direction of the metal plate with respect to the center portion, and the width direction of the metal plate with respect to the center portion. And the other end portion located on the other end side in
When the percentage of the height of the corrugated shape with respect to the period in the longitudinal direction of the corrugated shape of the metal plate is referred to as steepness, the steepness at the first position in the width direction and the steepness at the second position The mask manufacturing method, wherein an absolute value of the slope of the steepness obtained by dividing the difference by the distance between the first position and the second position is 6% / m or less in the central portion. The mask is a vapor deposition mask used for vapor deposition in a desired pattern,
The vapor deposition mask includes an effective area in which a plurality of through holes are formed, and a surrounding area located around the effective area,
The etching step etches a region of the metal plate that is not covered with the resist pattern, and forms a through hole in the region of the metal plate that forms the effective region. The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 15, wherein the mask is formed. The resist pattern forming step includes
Forming a resist film on the metal plate;
Adhering an exposure mask to the resist film in vacuum,
The method of manufacturing a mask according to claim 15, further comprising: exposing the resist film in a predetermined pattern through the exposure mask.   The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 15, wherein the mask is assigned to the central portion.   The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 15, wherein the central portion is a portion that occupies at least 60% of the width of the metal plate.   The mask manufacturing method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the one end side portion and the other end side portion occupy an equal ratio to the width of the metal plate.   The method for manufacturing a mask according to any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein the metal plate is made of an iron alloy containing nickel. A step of preparing the mask by the method of manufacturing a mask according to any one of claims 15 to 21;
And a step of applying tension to the mask in the longitudinal direction and stretching the mask on a frame.