JP7269556B2 - Metal plate manufacturing method and mask manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

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

In recent years, display devices used in portable devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs are required to have high definition, for example, a pixel density of 500 ppi or higher. Also, there is an increasing demand for portable devices to support ultra-high definition, and in this case, display devices are required to have a pixel density of, for example, 800 ppi or more.

Among display devices, an organic EL display device has attracted attention because of its good responsiveness, low power consumption, and high contrast. As a method of forming pixels of an organic EL display device, a method of forming pixels in a desired pattern using a vapor deposition mask having through holes arranged in a desired pattern is known. Specifically, first, a vapor deposition mask is brought into close contact with a substrate for an organic EL display device, and then the closely adhered vapor deposition mask and substrate are put into a vapor deposition apparatus, and an organic material is vapor-deposited onto 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 precisely reproduce the position and shape of the through holes of the vapor deposition mask according to the design.

As a method for manufacturing a vapor deposition mask, for example, a method of forming through-holes in a metal plate by etching using a photolithographic technique is known, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. For example, first, a first resist pattern is formed on the first surface of the metal plate by exposure and development, and a second resist pattern is formed on the second surface of the metal plate by exposure and development. 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. After that, the area 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. A metal plate for producing a vapor deposition mask is obtained, for example, by rolling a base material such as an iron alloy.

In addition, as a method of manufacturing a vapor deposition mask, a method of manufacturing a vapor deposition mask using a plating process is known, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, for example. For example, in the method described in Patent Document 2, first, a substrate having conductivity is prepared. Next, a resist pattern arranged with a predetermined gap is formed on the substrate by exposure and development. This resist pattern is provided at positions where the through holes of the vapor deposition mask are to be formed. After that, a plating solution is supplied into the gaps of the resist pattern to deposit a metal layer on the substrate by electroplating. After that, by separating the metal layer from the substrate, a vapor deposition mask having a plurality of through holes can be obtained.

Japanese Patent No. 5382259 JP-A-2001-234385

When a vapor deposition material is deposited 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 of the vapor deposition material may travel toward the substrate along a direction that is significantly inclined with respect to the normal direction of the vapor deposition mask. It reaches and adheres to the walls of the through holes of the mask. In this case, it is difficult for the vapor deposition material to adhere to the region of the substrate located near the wall surface of the through hole of the vapor deposition mask, and as a result, the thickness of the deposited vapor deposition material becomes smaller than that of other portions. , it is conceivable that there may be a portion where the vapor deposition material does not adhere. That is, it is conceivable that the vapor deposition in the vicinity of the walls of the through holes of the vapor deposition mask becomes unstable. Therefore, when a vapor deposition mask is used to form pixels of an organic EL display device, the dimensional accuracy and positional accuracy of the pixels are degraded, and as a result, the luminous efficiency of the organic EL display device is degraded. Become.

In order to solve such problems, it is conceivable to reduce the thickness of the metal plate used for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask. This is because by reducing the thickness of the metal plate, the height of the walls of the through holes of the vapor deposition mask can be reduced, thereby reducing the proportion of the vapor deposition material adhering to the walls of the through holes. This is because

A rolled material obtained by rolling a base material to a predetermined thickness is sometimes used as a metal plate used for producing a vapor deposition mask. In order to reduce the thickness of such a metal plate, it is necessary to increase the rolling reduction of the metal plate. Here, the rolling reduction is a value calculated by (thickness of base material−thickness of metal plate)/(thickness of base material). However, the elongation rate of the metal plate differs depending on the position in the width direction (the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the base material). And, the greater the rolling reduction, the greater the degree of non-uniformity in deformation due to rolling. For this reason, it is known that a metal sheet rolled at a large reduction rate has a wavy shape. Specifically, there is a wavy shape formed on the side edge in the width direction of the metal plate, which is called edge extension. Further, there is a wavy shape formed in the center of the metal plate in the width direction, which is called middle elongation. Even when heat treatment such as annealing is performed after rolling, such a wavy shape may appear.

In some cases, a metal plate having a predetermined thickness is produced by a foil manufacturing process using plating. However, if the current density is non-uniform in the foil manufacturing process, the thickness of the manufactured metal plate may become non-uniform. As a result, a similar wavy shape may appear on the side edge in the width direction of the metal plate.

When a vapor deposition mask is prepared from a metal plate having such a corrugated shape and stretched, the elongation of the vapor deposition mask differs in the width direction, which may cause the position of the through holes to shift. More specifically, a portion of the metal plate having a large wavy shape has a longer longitudinal dimension than a portion having a small wavy shape when formed as a vapor deposition mask. 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 that are different from each other in the width direction. In this case, if the longitudinal length of the vapor deposition mask at the first position portion is shorter than the longitudinal length at the second position portion, the longitudinal length of the first position portion is equal to the longitudinal length of the second position portion. A tensile force is applied to the vapor deposition mask so that For this reason, the first position portion extends more than the second position portion, and there is a possibility that the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the vapor deposition mask shifts toward the first position portion in the width direction. In this case, there is a possibility that the positions of the through-holes are displaced during stretching.

If the positions of the through-holes of the vapor deposition mask are displaced during stretching in this manner, the position of the vapor deposition material vapor-deposited on the substrate through the through-holes is displaced. Accuracy may decrease.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and provides a metal plate, a method for manufacturing a metal plate, a method for manufacturing a mask, and a mask apparatus that can improve the positional accuracy of through holes during stretching. The object is to provide a manufacturing method.

The present invention
A metal plate having a longitudinal direction used for forming a plurality of through holes to manufacture a mask,
The through holes of the mask are formed by etching the elongated metal plate being conveyed,
In the width direction of the metal plate, the metal plate has a central portion, a one end side portion positioned closer to one end side of the metal plate in the width direction than the central portion, and a width direction of the metal plate than the central portion. and the other end portion located on the other end side in
When the percentage of the height of the wavy shape of the metal plate with respect to the period in the longitudinal direction of the wavy shape is referred to as the steepness, the difference between the steepness at the first position in the width direction and the steepness at the second position is 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. ,
is.

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

In the metal plate according to the invention,
the mask is allocated to the central portion;
You may do so.

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

In the metal plate according to the invention,
The one end side portion and the other end side portion occupy an equal proportion of the width of the metal plate,
You may do so.

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

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

The present invention
A method for manufacturing a metal plate having a longitudinal direction, which is used for manufacturing a mask by forming a plurality of through holes, comprising:
The through holes of the mask are formed by etching the elongated metal plate being conveyed,
The method for manufacturing the metal plate comprises:
A rolling step of rolling a base material to obtain the metal plate;
a cutting step of cutting off a predetermined range of one end and the other end in the width direction of the metal plate,
In the width direction of the metal plate, the metal plate has a central portion, a one end side portion positioned closer to one end side of the metal plate in the width direction than the central portion, and a width direction of the metal plate than the central portion. and the other end portion located on the other end side in
When the percentage of the height of the wavy shape with respect to the period in the longitudinal direction of the wavy shape of the metal plate after the cutting step is referred to as the steepness, the steepness at the first position in the width direction and the steepness at the second position The metal, wherein 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,
is.

In the method for manufacturing 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 so.

In the method for manufacturing a metal plate according to the present invention,
the mask is allocated to the central portion;
You may do so.

In the method for manufacturing 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 so.

In the method for manufacturing a metal plate according to the present invention,
The one end side portion and the other end side portion occupy an equal proportion of the width of the metal plate after the cutting step,
You may do so.

In the method for manufacturing a metal plate according to the present invention,
The range on one end side and the 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 step of observing the wavy shape of the metal plate, which is performed before the cutting step. ,
You may do so.

In the method for manufacturing a metal plate according to the present invention,
An annealing step of annealing the metal plate obtained by the rolling 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 so.

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

The present invention
A method for manufacturing a mask having a plurality of through holes,
providing a metal plate having a longitudinal direction;
a resist pattern forming step of forming a resist pattern on the metal plate;
an etching step of etching a region of the metal plate that is not covered with the resist pattern to form a recess in the metal plate that defines the through hole;
In the width direction of the metal plate, the metal plate has a central portion, a one end side portion positioned closer to one end side of the metal plate than the central portion in the width direction of the metal plate, and a width direction of the metal plate more than the central portion. and the other end portion located on the other end side in
When the percentage of the height of the wavy shape of the metal plate with respect to the period in the longitudinal direction of the wavy shape is referred to as the steepness, the difference between the steepness at the first position in the width direction and the steepness at the second position. a mask manufacturing method, 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 in the central portion;
is.

In the mask manufacturing method 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 peripheral 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 recess defining the through hole in a region of the metal plate that will form the effective region. which forms
You may do so.

In the mask manufacturing method according to the present invention,
The resist pattern forming step includes:
forming a resist film on the metal plate;
a step of vacuum-adhering an exposure mask to the resist film;
exposing the resist film in a predetermined pattern through the exposure mask;
You may do so.

In the mask manufacturing method according to the present invention,
the mask is allocated to the central portion;
You may do so.

In the mask manufacturing method 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 so.

In the mask manufacturing method according to the present invention,
The one end side portion and the other end side portion occupy an equal proportion of the width of the metal plate,
You may do so.

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

The present invention
preparing the mask by the mask manufacturing method described above;
A method for manufacturing a mask device, comprising: applying tension to the mask in the longitudinal direction to stretch the mask on a frame;
is.

The present invention
a step of preparing a mask device by the method for manufacturing a mask device described above;
a step of bringing the mask of the mask device into close contact with a substrate;
a vapor deposition method comprising a step of vapor-depositing a vapor deposition material onto the substrate through the through-holes of the mask;
is.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the positional accuracy of the through-hole at the time of stretching can be improved.

1 illustrates a vapor deposition apparatus having a vapor deposition mask device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an organic EL display device manufactured using the vapor deposition mask device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a vapor deposition mask device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial plan view showing the effective area of the vapor deposition mask shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 4; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 4; 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the through hole shown in FIG. 5 and a region in the vicinity thereof; FIG. 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 a metal plate which has desired thickness. It is a figure which shows the process of annealing the metal plate obtained by rolling. 12 is a perspective view showing a metal plate obtained by the steps shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. 13A, 13B, 13C, and 13D are cross-sectional views 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 steepness for demonstrating the inclination of steepness. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of steepness for explaining the gradient of steepness; It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating an example of the manufacturing method of a vapor deposition mask as a whole. 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 making an exposure mask contact|adhere 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. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a second surface etching step following FIG. 23; It is a figure which shows the process of removing resin and a resist pattern from a long metal plate. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating forming a vapor deposition mask on a long metal plate whose corrugated shape is compressed and is in a substantially flat state; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a plurality of vapor deposition masks formed on a long metal plate; FIG. 28 is a plan view showing a vapor deposition mask cut out from the elongated metal plate shown in FIG. 27; 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 tensioning apparatus. FIG. 29 is a plan view showing an example of a stretched state of the vapor deposition mask shown in FIG. 28; 29 is a plan view showing another example of the stretched state of the vapor deposition mask shown in FIG. 28. FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the first sample placed on the stage; It is a figure which shows the pass/fail judgment result of a vapor deposition mask.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings attached to this specification, for the convenience of illustration and ease of understanding, the scale and the ratio of vertical and horizontal dimensions are changed and exaggerated from those of the real thing.

1 to 32 are diagrams for explaining an embodiment of the present invention. In the following embodiments and modifications thereof, a method of 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 this specification, the terms "plate", "sheet" and "film" are not to be distinguished from each other based only on the difference of names. For example, "plate" is a concept that includes members that can be called sheets and films.

In addition, "plate surface (sheet surface, film surface)" refers to the target plate-shaped member (sheet-shaped member) when viewed from the whole and perspective. member, film-like member). Further, the normal direction used for a plate-like (sheet-like, film-like) member refers to the normal direction to the plate surface (sheet surface, film surface) of the member.

In addition, terms such as "parallel", "perpendicular", "identical", "equivalent", etc., and lengths and angles are used herein to specify shapes and geometric conditions and physical properties and degrees thereof. In addition, the values of physical properties are not bound by strict meanings, and should be interpreted to include the range in which similar functions can be expected.

(Vapor deposition equipment)
First, a vapor deposition apparatus 90 that performs a vapor deposition process for vapor-depositing a vapor deposition material on an object will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the vapor deposition device 90 includes a vapor deposition source (for example, a crucible 94), a heater 96, and a vapor deposition mask device 10 therein. In addition, the vapor deposition device 90 further includes exhaust means for creating a vacuum atmosphere inside the vapor deposition device 90 . Crucible 94 contains deposition material 98, such as an organic light emitting material. A heater 96 heats the crucible 94 to evaporate the deposition material 98 under a vacuum atmosphere. The vapor deposition mask device 10 is arranged to face the crucible 94 .

(Evaporation mask device)
The vapor deposition mask device 10 will be described below. 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 while pulling it in its surface direction so that the vapor deposition mask 20 does not bend. As shown in FIG. 1, the vapor deposition mask device 10 is arranged in the vapor deposition device 90 so that the vapor deposition mask 20 faces a substrate, for example, an organic EL substrate 92, which is an object on which the vapor deposition material 98 is deposited. In the following description, of the surfaces of the vapor deposition mask 20, the surface on the side of the organic EL substrate 92 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.

The vapor deposition mask device 10 may include a magnet 93 arranged on the surface of the organic EL substrate 92 opposite to the vapor deposition mask 20, as shown in FIG. By providing the magnet 93 , the vapor deposition mask 20 can be attracted to the magnet 93 side by magnetic force, and the vapor deposition mask 20 can be brought into close contact with the organic EL substrate 92 .

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the vapor deposition mask device 10 viewed from the side of the first surface 20a of the vapor deposition mask 20. As shown in FIG. 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 ends 26a in the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20. , 26b to the frame 15;

The vapor deposition mask 20 includes a metal plate in which a plurality of through holes 25 passing through the vapor deposition mask 20 are formed. A vapor deposition material 98 that has evaporated from the crucible 94 and reached the vapor deposition mask device 10 passes through the through holes 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20 and adheres to the organic EL substrate 92 . As a result, the vapor deposition material 98 can be deposited on the surface of the organic EL substrate 92 in a desired pattern corresponding to the positions of the through holes 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 apparatus 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.

If color display is desired using a plurality of colors, vapor deposition apparatuses 90 each having a vapor deposition mask 20 corresponding to each color are prepared, and the organic EL substrates 92 are loaded into the respective vapor deposition apparatuses 90 in order. As a result, 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 vapor-deposited on the organic EL substrate 92 in order.

By the way, the vapor deposition process may be performed inside the vapor deposition apparatus 90 in a high-temperature atmosphere. In this case, during the vapor deposition process, the vapor deposition mask 20, the frame 15 and the organic EL substrate 92 held inside the vapor deposition device 90 are also heated. At this time, the vapor deposition mask 20, the frame 15 and the organic EL substrate 92 exhibit dimensional change behavior based on their thermal expansion coefficients. In this case, if the vapor deposition mask 20 or the frame 15 and the organic EL substrate 92 have significantly different coefficients of thermal expansion, a positional shift occurs due to the difference in dimensional change between them, and as a result, the organic EL substrate 92 adheres to the organic EL substrate 92 . The dimensional accuracy and positional accuracy of the vapor deposition material are degraded.

In order to solve such problems, 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. FIG. 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 that constitutes the vapor deposition mask 20 . Specific examples of nickel-containing iron alloys include an Invar material containing 34% by mass or more and 38% by mass or less of nickel, a Super Invar material containing cobalt in addition to 30% by mass or more and 34% by mass or less of nickel, 38 A low thermal expansion Fe—Ni plating alloy containing nickel in an amount of 54% by mass or more and 54% by mass or more can be mentioned.

If the temperatures of the vapor deposition mask 20, the frame 15 and the organic EL substrate 92 do not reach a high temperature during the vapor deposition process, the thermal expansion coefficients of the vapor deposition mask 20 and the frame 15 are used as the thermal expansion coefficients of the organic EL substrate 92. It doesn't have to be the same value. In this case, a material other than the iron alloy described above may be used as the material forming the vapor deposition mask 20 . For example, iron alloys other than the above nickel-containing iron alloys, such as chromium-containing iron alloys, may be used. As an iron alloy containing chromium, for example, an iron alloy called so-called stainless steel can be used. Alloys other than iron alloys, such as nickel and nickel-cobalt alloys, may also be used.

(Evaporation mask)
Next, the vapor deposition mask 20 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, the vapor deposition mask 20 has a pair of ears (first ears 17a) forming a pair of ends (first end 26a and second end 26b) in the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 . and a second ear portion 17b), and an intermediate portion 18 positioned between the pair of ear portions 17a and 17b.

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

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

As shown in FIG. 3, the intermediate portion 18 includes a plurality of effective areas 22 arranged at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20. As shown in FIG. One effective area 22 corresponds to one display area of the organic EL display device 100 . Therefore, according to the vapor deposition mask device 10 shown in FIG. 1, multi-surface vapor deposition of the organic EL display device 100 is possible.

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

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

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the plurality of through holes 25 are formed along the normal direction N of the vapor deposition mask 20 from the first surface 20a, which is 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, the first recess 30 is formed by etching in the first surface 21a of the metal plate 21, which is one side of the vapor deposition mask 20 in the normal direction N, as will be described in detail later. A second concave portion 35 is formed on the second surface 21b of the metal plate 21, which is the other side in the normal direction N. As shown in FIG. The first recess 30 is connected to the second recess 35 so that the second recess 35 and the first recess 30 communicate with each other. The through hole 25 is composed of a second recess 35 and a first recess 30 connected to the second recess 35 .

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

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. As shown in FIGS. In the connecting portion 41, the wall surface 31 of the first concave portion 30 inclined with respect to the normal direction N of the vapor deposition mask 20 and the wall surface 36 of the second concave portion 35 inclined with respect to the normal direction N of the vapor deposition mask 20 join. defined by the ridges of the overhanging portion. The connecting portion 41 defines a penetrating portion 42 in which the opening area of the through hole 25 is minimized in plan view of the vapor deposition mask 20 .

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

Similarly, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, on one side of the vapor deposition mask 20 along the normal direction N, that is, on the side of the second surface 20b of the vapor deposition mask 20, two adjacent second concave portions 35 may be spaced apart 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 21b of the metal plate 21 that remains without being etched is also referred to as a top portion 43. As shown in FIG. By fabricating the vapor deposition mask 20 so that such a top portion 43 remains, the vapor deposition mask 20 can be given sufficient strength. As a result, it is possible to prevent the vapor deposition mask 20 from being damaged during handling, for example. If the width β of the top portion 43 is too large, shadows may occur in the vapor deposition process, which may reduce the utilization efficiency of the vapor deposition material 98 . Therefore, the vapor deposition mask 20 is preferably manufactured so that the width β of the top portion 43 does not become excessively large. For example, it is preferable that the width β of the top portion 43 is 2 μm or less. Note that the width β of the top portion 43 generally changes according to the direction in which the vapor deposition mask 20 is cut. For example, the width β of the top portion 43 shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 may differ 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, depending on the location, etching may be performed such that two adjacent second recesses 35 are connected. That is, there may be a place where the second surface 21b of the metal plate 21 does not remain between two adjacent second recesses 35 . Also, although not shown, etching may be performed so that two adjacent second recesses 35 are connected over the entire 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 20a of the vapor deposition mask 20 faces the organic EL substrate 92 as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. The second surface 20b of the vapor deposition mask 20 is located on the side of the crucible 94 holding the vapor deposition material 98 . Therefore, the vapor deposition material 98 adheres to the organic EL substrate 92 through the second concave portion 35 whose opening area is gradually reduced. As indicated by the arrow pointing from the second surface 20b side to the first surface 20a in FIG. In addition, it may move in a direction greatly inclined with respect to the normal direction N of the organic EL substrate 92 . At this time, if the thickness of the vapor deposition mask 20 is large, most of the obliquely moving vapor deposition material 98 reaches the wall surfaces 36 of the second recesses 35 before reaching the organic EL substrate 92 through the through holes 25. and adhere. Therefore, in order to increase the utilization efficiency of the vapor deposition material 98, it is possible to reduce the thickness t of the vapor deposition mask 20, thereby reducing the height of the wall surface 36 of the second recess 35 and the wall surface 31 of the first recess 30. 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 within a range in which the strength of the vapor deposition mask 20 can be secured as the metal plate 21 for forming the vapor deposition mask 20 . Considering 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. Note that the thickness t is the thickness of the peripheral region 23, that is, the thickness of the portion of the vapor deposition mask 20 where the first concave portion 30 and the second concave portion 35 are not formed. Therefore, it can also be said that the thickness t is the thickness of the metal plate 21 .

In FIG. 5, a straight line L1 passing through the connection portion 41, which is the portion having the minimum opening area of the through-hole 25, and another arbitrary position on the wall surface 36 of the second recess 35 is the normal direction of the vapor deposition mask 20. The minimum angle to be made with N is labeled 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 addition to reducing the thickness t of the vapor deposition mask 20, reducing the width β of the top portion 43 is also effective in increasing the angle θ1.

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 21a of the metal plate 21 that remains without being etched. The width α of the rib portion and the dimension _r2 of the penetrating portion 42 are appropriately determined according to the dimensions and the number of display pixels of the organic EL display device. Table 1 shows an example of values of the number of display pixels and the width α of the rib portion and the dimension _r2 of the penetrating portion 42 obtained according to the number of display pixels in a 5-inch organic EL display device.

Although not limited, the vapor deposition mask 20 according to this embodiment is particularly effective when manufacturing an organic EL display device with a pixel density of 450 ppi or more. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 8, an example of the dimensions of the vapor deposition mask 20 required for manufacturing such an organic EL display device with high pixel density will be described. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged through-hole 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20 shown in FIG. 5 and a region in the vicinity thereof.

In FIG. 8, as a parameter related to the shape of the through-hole 25, the distance in the direction along the normal direction N of the deposition mask 20 from the first surface 20a of the deposition mask 20 to the connecting portion 41, that is, the first concave portion The height of the wall 31 of 30 is denoted _r1 . Furthermore, the dimension of the first recessed portion 30 at the portion where the first recessed portion 30 connects to the second recessed portion 35, that is, the dimension of the through portion 42 is represented by symbol _r2 . Further, in FIG. 8, the angle formed by the straight line L2 connecting the connecting portion 41 and the leading end edge of the first concave portion 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 manufacturing an organic EL display device with a pixel density of 450 ppi or more, the dimension _r2 of the penetrating portion 42 is preferably set to 10 or more and 60 μm or less. As a result, it is possible to provide the vapor deposition mask 20 with which an organic EL display device with a high pixel density can be manufactured. Preferably, the height _r1 of the wall surface 31 of the first recess 30 is set to 6 μm or less.

Next, the aforementioned angle θ2 shown in FIG. 8 will be described. The angle θ2 is inclined with respect to the normal direction N of the metal plate 21, and the vapor deposition material 98 that is able to reach the organic EL substrate 92 among the vapor deposition materials 98 that fly so as to pass through the through portion 42 in the vicinity of the connection portion 41. It corresponds to the maximum value of the inclination angle of the material 98 . This is because the vapor deposition material 98 that has flown through the connecting portion 41 at an angle of inclination greater than the angle θ2 adheres to the wall surface 31 of the first concave portion 30 before reaching the organic EL substrate 92 . Therefore, by reducing the angle θ2, it is possible to prevent the deposition material 98 that has flown at a large angle of inclination and passed through the through portion 42 from adhering to the organic EL substrate 92. It is possible to prevent the deposition material 98 from adhering to the portion outside the portion overlapping the through portion 42 . That is, reducing the angle θ2 leads to suppression of variations in the area and thickness of the deposition material 98 adhering to the organic EL substrate 92 . From this point of view, for example, the through hole 25 is formed so that the angle θ2 is 45 degrees or less. 8, the dimension of the first recess 30 on the first surface 21a, that is, the opening dimension of the through hole 25 on the first surface 21a, is larger than the dimension r2 of the first recess 30 on the connecting portion 41. I gave an example. That is, an example is shown in which the value of the angle θ2 is a positive value. However, although not shown, the dimension r2 of the first recess 30 in the connection portion 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 extends in the longitudinal direction from the first ear portion 17a forming the first end portion 26a to the second ear portion 17b forming the second end portion 26b, as described above. It is formed to extend in D1 (first direction). Here, the longitudinal direction D1 is a direction parallel to the conveying direction when rolling the base material 55 (see FIG. 10), and is the longitudinal direction of the vapor deposition mask 20 in which the plurality of effective regions 22 are arranged. The term "conveyance" is used to mean the roll-to-roll conveyance of the base material 55, as will be described later. A width direction D2 (second direction), which will be 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 . The vapor deposition mask 20 has a central axis AL extending in the longitudinal direction D1 and arranged at the center position in 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 central 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 center axis AL passes through the midpoint between two through-holes 25 adjacent to each other near the center in the width direction D2.

であり、かつ、

を満たしている。 In the deposition mask 20 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the dimension from point P1 to point Q1, which will be described later, is X1, the dimension from point P2 to point Q2 is X2, and the predetermined value is _αX . when

and

meets

Among them, 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 equation (2) means the absolute value of the difference between dimension X1 and dimension X2.

Here, the points P1 and Q1 are provided on one side (the left side in FIG. 9) of the center 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 (the right side in FIG. 9) of the center 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 points intended to be arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis AL at the time of vapor deposition, and are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis AL at the time of design. It is the 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, points P1, Q1, P2 and Q2 are positioned at the center points of the corresponding through holes 25 provided between the first ear 17a and the second ear 17b. It is That is, in the present embodiment, the plurality of effective areas 22 are composed of a first effective area 22A located closest to the first ear portion 17a and a second effective area located closest to the second ear portion 17b. 22B and. The points P1 and P2 are positioned at the center point of the through hole 25 formed in the first effective area 22A. The through holes 25 corresponding to the points P1 and P2 are formed closest to the first ear portion 17a among the plurality of through holes 25 of the first effective area 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 area 22B. The through holes 25 corresponding to the points Q1 and Q2 are formed closest to the second ear portion 17b among the plurality of through holes 25 of the second effective area 22B. The dimension X1 means the linear distance between the points P1 and Q1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 placed on a stage 81 or the like, which will be described later, and the dimension X2 means the distance between the points P2 and Q2 of the vapor deposition mask 20. means the straight-line distance between The vapor deposition mask 20 placed still on the stage 81 or the like is curved in a C shape (see FIG. 28) as will be described later, the details of which will be described later. The through holes 25 corresponding to points P1 and Q1 are positioned closest to the first side edge 27a, and the through holes 25 corresponding to points P2 and Q2 are positioned closest to the second side edge 27b. is positioned in

The predetermined value α _X shown in Equation (1) may be a design value (or specification value). In this case, α _X is the design value of dimension X1 and also the design value of dimension X2. This is because the points P1, Q1, P2, and Q2 are positioned symmetrically with respect to the central axis AL of the vapor deposition mask 20 at the time of design, so that the dimensions X1 and X2 are the same. 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 is the numerical value of

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

Method for Manufacturing Metal Plate First, a method for manufacturing a metal plate 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 directed toward a rolling device 56 including a pair of rolling rolls 56a and 56b as indicated by an arrow D1. Convey along the direction. The base material 55 that reaches 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 elongated along the conveying direction. be Thereby, the plate member 64X having a thickness _t0 can be obtained. As shown in FIG. 10 , the wound body 62 may be formed by winding the plate material 64X around the core 61 . A specific value of the thickness _t0 is preferably 5 μm or more and 85 μm or less as described above.

Note that FIG. 10 merely shows the outline of the rolling process, and the specific configuration and procedure for carrying out the rolling process are not particularly limited. For example, the rolling process includes a hot rolling process in which the base material is processed at a temperature higher than the temperature at which the crystal arrangement of the invar material constituting the base material 55 is changed, and a hot rolling process in which the base material is processed at a temperature lower than the temperature at which the crystal arrangement of the invar material is changed. It may include a cold rolling step for processing. Moreover, the direction in which the base material 55 and the plate material 64X are passed between the pair of rolling rolls 56a and 56b is not limited 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 from the left side to the right side of the paper surface and from the right side to the left side of the paper surface to obtain the base material. The material 55 and the plate material 64X may be gradually rolled.

(Slit process)
After that, a slitting step may be performed in which both ends in the width direction of the plate material 64X obtained by the rolling step are cut off over a predetermined range so that the width of the plate material 64X is within a predetermined range. This slitting process is performed to remove cracks that may occur at both ends of the plate material 64X due to rolling. By performing such a slitting process, it is possible to prevent a phenomenon in which the plate material 64X is broken, that is, a so-called plate breakage, from occurring with a crack as a starting point.

(annealing process)
After that, in order to remove the residual stress (internal stress) accumulated in the plate material 64X by rolling, the plate material 64X is annealed using an annealing device 57, thereby obtaining the long metal plate 64, as shown in FIG. The annealing step may be performed while pulling the plate material 64X or the elongated metal plate 64 in the conveying direction (longitudinal direction), as shown in FIG. That is, the annealing step may be performed as continuous annealing while being conveyed, instead of so-called batch annealing.

Preferably, the annealing step described above is performed in a non-reducing or inert gas atmosphere. Here, the non-reducing atmosphere is an atmosphere that does not contain a reducing gas such as hydrogen. By "free of reducing gas" is meant that the concentration of reducing gas, such as hydrogen, is 4% or less. An inert gas atmosphere is an atmosphere in which 90% or more of an inert gas such as argon gas, helium gas, or nitrogen gas is present. By performing the annealing process in a non-reducing atmosphere or an inert gas atmosphere, it is possible to suppress the formation of the nickel hydroxide described above on the first surface 64a and the second surface 64b of the elongated metal plate 64. .

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

The long metal plate 64 having a thickness of _t0 may be produced by repeating the rolling process, the slitting process, and the annealing process described above a plurality of times. Also, FIG. 11 shows an example in which the annealing process is performed while the long metal plate 64 is pulled in the longitudinal direction. You may carry out in the state wound up. Batch annealing may thus be carried out. When the annealing process is performed while the long metal plate 64 is wound around the core 61 , the long metal plate 64 may be warped according to the winding diameter of the wound body 62 . . Therefore, depending on the winding diameter of the wound body 62 and the material forming the base material 55, it is advantageous to perform the annealing process while pulling the elongated metal plate 64 in the longitudinal direction.

(Cutting process)
After that, a cutting step is performed in which both ends of the long metal plate 64 in the width direction are cut off over a predetermined range, thereby adjusting the width of the long metal plate 64 to a desired width. Thus, a long metal plate 64 having desired thickness and width can be obtained.

[Inspection process]
After that, 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 the long metal plate 64 obtained by the steps shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the elongated metal plate 64 at least partially has a wavy shape due to the fact that the length in the longitudinal direction D1 varies depending on the position in the width direction D2. In FIG. 12, the side edge of the long metal plate 64 in the width direction D2 is indicated by reference numeral 64e.

The wavy shape appearing on the elongated metal plate 64 will be described. 13A, 13B, 13C, and 13D are cross-sectional views along lines aa, bb, cc, and dd in FIG. 12, respectively. Line aa in FIG. 12 is a line extending in the longitudinal direction along the widthwise center portion 64c of the long metal plate 64, so FIG. A cross section of the elongated metal plate 64 at the portion 64c is shown. Line dd in FIG. 12 is a line extending in the longitudinal direction along the side edge 64e in the width direction of the long metal plate 64. Therefore, FIG. A cross section of the elongated metal plate 64 at the side edge 64e is shown. The elongated metal plate 64 according to the present embodiment has a middle elongation. , for example, is larger than the wavy shape appearing on the elongated metal plate 64 at the position of line bb in FIG. Further, the elongated metal plate 64 according to the present embodiment also has an elongated edge, and for this reason, the degree of wavy shape appearing in the elongated metal plate 64 at the side edge 64e in the width direction is slightly away from the side edge 64e. It is larger than the wavy shape appearing on the elongated metal plate 64 at a position, for example, the position of 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 the 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 troughs in the wavy shape of the long metal plate 64, and “height” is the distance from the apex of the wavy shape to the troughs. It is the distance to a straight line.

For example, in FIG. 13(a), two wavy crests existing along line _aa in _FIG . designated _a1 and _Ha2 . In addition, although not shown, there are a large number of wave-shaped peaks along line aa in FIG. are doing. For example, assuming that there are na peaks, the period of each peak is represented by _Lana , and the height of each peak is represented by _Hana (na is a positive integer). In this case, the steepness of na mountains is H _ana /L _ana ×100(%). In addition, the steepness at the position along the line aa in FIG. 12 is the average value of the steepnesses of na mountains, that is, the average value of H _ana /L _ana ×100 (%) (na is a positive integer). calculated as

Similar to the position along line aa _in FIG. 12, the steepness at positions along lines bb, cc and dd _{in FIG} . 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 the average value of H _dnd /L _dnd ×100(%) (nd is positive integer).

A method for calculating the period and height of the wave 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 each corrugated peak of the long metal plate 64 at the position along line aa in FIG. A distance measuring device capable of measuring the distance between The height position of the surface of the plate 64 is measured at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction D1. This distance is, for example, in the range of 1 mm to 5 mm. Thereby, a three-dimensional profile of the elongated metal plate 64 at the central portion 64c can be acquired. Also, by analyzing the three-dimensional profile, it is possible to calculate the period L _ana and the height H _ana of each mountain. A curve that smoothly connects the measurement points may be employed as the three-dimensional profile. Further, by repeating such measurements while changing the position in the width direction D2, it is possible to calculate the period and height of the wave shape of the long metal plate 64 at each position in the width direction D2.

FIG. 14 is a graph showing the steepness calculated at each position of the long metal plate 64 in the width direction D2. 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. Note that FIG. 14 shows a curve CL that smoothly connects the steepness values calculated at each position in the width direction D2 of the long metal plate 64 .

In the upper part of the horizontal axis of FIG. 14, the position in the width direction D2 when the central portion 64c in the width direction D2 is set as the origin is indicated in mm order. 14, the ratio of the position in the width direction D2 to the overall width of the long metal plate 64 is indicated in %. Note that FIG. 14 describes a case where a long metal plate 64 having a full width of 500 mm is used as the long metal plate 64 for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20 . Therefore, for example, the ratio at a position +100 mm away from the central portion 64c in the width direction D2 is +20%. 14, the steepness of the long metal plate 64 at the positions of the aa line, the bb line, the cc line and the dd line in FIG. It is shown.

In the long metal plate 64 in which middle elongation and edge elongation are occurring, a maximum value of steepness generally appears near the central portion 64c in the width direction of the long metal plate 64, as shown in FIG. (Point A). Also, a minimum steepness value appears at a position a little away from the central portion in the width direction of the elongated metal plate 64 toward one end or the other end (point B). Further, the steepness increases toward one end or the other end in the width direction from point B (point C), and the value of the steepness becomes 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 inclination 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 and the steepness at the second position in the width direction D2 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 points adjacent to each other in the width direction D2 where the steepness is measured by the distance between the two points. Therefore, when the distance between these two points is shortened, the slope of the steepness corresponds to the slope of the tangent to the steepness curve CL shown in FIG.

The long metal plate 64 is sorted based on the calculated slope of the steepness. Here, only the long metal plate 64 that satisfies the condition that the absolute value of the slope of the steepness at the central portion of the long metal plate 64 is 6%/m or less is used in the manufacturing process of the vapor deposition mask 20 to be described later. , sorting out the long metal plates 64 . Here, the absolute value of the slope of the steepness indicates the ratio of the amount of change in the steepness to the amount of change in the horizontal axis of FIG. This means that the rate of change in steepness at is small and the change in degree of waviness is relatively small. On the other hand, when the absolute value of the slope of the steepness is relatively large, it means that the change rate of the steepness in the width direction D2 is large, and the change in the extent of the wavy shape is relatively large. For this reason, the long metal plate 64 that satisfies the condition that the absolute value of the gradient of the steepness is 6%/m or less has a relatively small change in the degree of wavy shape in the width direction D2, and such a long metal plate 64 has a relatively small change in the degree of undulation in the width direction D2. A 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 elongated metal plate 64 is denoted by reference numeral R1, and a one end side portion positioned closer to one end in the width direction of the elongated metal plate 64 than the central portion R1 is denoted by reference numeral R2. The other end portion located on the other end side in the width direction of the elongated metal plate 64 relative to R1 is denoted by reference numeral R3. The central portion R1 is defined as a portion occupying 60% of the width of the long metal plate 64 after the cutting process. The one end portion R2 and the other end portion R3 occupy the same proportion of the width of the long metal plate 64 after the cutting process.

The central portion R1 is an effective area of the elongated metal plate 64 suitable for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20. As shown in FIG. In general, the absolute value of the slope of the long metal plate 64 on the side edge 64 e side is so high that it is inappropriate for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20 . For example, the one end side portion R2 and the other end side 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 length metal plate 64 is preferable. In this case, it becomes possible to allocate a plurality of vapor deposition masks 20 to the center portion R1 in the width direction, and productivity can be improved. It should be noted that the proportion of the width of the long metal plate 64 occupied by the central portion R1 may exceed 60% as long as the portion of the long metal plate 64 on the side edge 64e side has a good steepness. In addition, the one end side portion R2 and the other end side portion R3 do not have to occupy the same ratio with respect to the width of the long metal plate 64 after the cutting process. That is, the center portion R1 may be eccentric to one side from the center 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 elongated metal plate 64, the proportion of the width of the elongated metal plate 64 occupied by the central portion R1 may be less than 60%.

A specific example of sorting the long metal plates 64 will be described. In the sorting, it is confirmed whether or not the maximum absolute value of the slope of the steepness in the central portion R1, which occupies 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 and the inclination of the straight line LB, which are tangents to the curve CL. A straight line LA and a straight line LB are tangent lines at a portion where the absolute value of the slope of the steepness is considered to be high in the central portion R1. When the absolute value of the slope of the straight line LB is larger than the absolute value of the slope of the straight line LA, and the absolute value of the slope of the straight line LB is 6%/m or less, the center portion R1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 is The area is 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, since the other end portion R3 is an area unsuitable for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20, the slope of the straight line LC that is the tangent to the steepness curve CL at the other end portion R3 is 6 %/m may be exceeded.

Also, for example, in the long metal plate 64 as shown in FIG. 16, attention is focused on the slope of the straight line LD, the slope of the straight line LE, and the slope of the straight line LF, which are tangents to the steepness curve CL. A straight line LD and a 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 slope of the straight line LD and the absolute value of the slope of the straight line LE both exceed 6%/m, these areas are areas 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 becomes an area suitable for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20, and this area becomes the central portion R1.

By performing such selection, even if the long metal plate 64 has a wavy shape due to the high rolling rate of the long metal plate 64, the degree of the wavy shape is It is possible to determine in advance whether or not there will be a problem in the subsequent manufacturing process of the vapor deposition mask 20 . As a result, the production efficiency and yield of the vapor deposition mask 20 manufactured from the elongated metal plate 64 can be improved.

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

For example, by rolling the base material 55, a long metal plate having a full width exceeding 500 mm, for example, a full width of 700 mm is produced, and then both ends in the width direction of the long metal plate are cut over a predetermined range. A long metal plate 64 having a width of 500 mm is produced by performing the cutting process. At this time, in the long metal plate having a full width of 700 mm before the cutting process, as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. It is conceivable that a portion exceeding m exists. In addition, it is conceivable that a portion having a relatively small absolute value of inclination of steepness exists in a portion shifted from the center of the long metal plate having a width of 700 mm. In this case, both ends of the long metal plate with a width of 700 mm may be cut off unevenly instead of cutting off evenly over a predetermined range.

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

At this time, for example, when it is confirmed that a region with a relatively large absolute value of the slope of the steepness spreads over a wide area on one end side of the long metal plate, the long metal plate having a total width of 700 mm The cutting step may be carried out so that one end is cut off wider than the other end. For example, it is conceivable to cut off 150 mm on one end and cut off 50 mm on the other end.

In addition, when a portion having a relatively small absolute value of slope spreads over a portion shifted from the center of a long metal plate with a width of 700 mm to one end side, such a small steepness The cutting step may be performed so that the portion having the absolute value of the slope is the central portion R1 of the long metal plate 64 with a width of 700 mm after the cutting step. For example, it is conceivable to cut off 50 mm on one end and cut off 150 mm on the other end.

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

Method for Producing Evaporation Mask Next, a method for producing the evaporation mask 20 using the elongated metal plate 64 selected as described above will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 17 to 25. FIG. In the method for manufacturing the vapor deposition mask 20 described below, as shown in FIG. 17, a long metal plate 64 is supplied, the through holes 25 are formed in the long metal plate 64, and the long metal plate 64 is cut. By doing so, a vapor deposition mask 20 made of a sheet 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 belt shape, and the etching using the photolithography technique are applied to the long metal plate 64 to obtain the long metal plate. 64 from the side of the first surface 64a, and etching the long metal plate 64 using a photolithographic technique to form a first concave portion 30 on the long metal plate 64 from the side of the second surface 64b. 2 forming recesses 35 . The through holes 25 are formed in the long metal plate 64 by connecting the first recesses 30 and the second recesses 35 formed in the long metal plate 64 with each other. 18 to 25, the step of forming the first recess 30 is performed before the step of forming the second recess 35, and the step of forming the first recess 30 and the step of forming the second recess 35 are performed before the step of forming the second recess 35. Between the steps, a step of sealing the produced first recess 30 is further provided. The 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. As shown in FIG. 17, first, a roll (metal plate roll) 62 is prepared by winding a long metal plate 64 around a core 61 . By rotating the core 61 and unwinding the wound body 62, a long metal plate 64 extending in a strip shape is supplied as shown in FIG. The elongated metal plate 64 is formed with the through holes 25 to form the sheet metal plate 21 and the vapor deposition mask 20 .

The supplied long metal plate 64 is transported to an etching device (etching means) 70 by transport rollers 72 . 18 to 25 are performed by the etching device 70. FIG. In this embodiment, it is assumed that a plurality of vapor deposition masks 20 are laid out in the width direction of the long metal plate 64 . That is, a plurality of vapor deposition masks 20 are produced from regions occupying predetermined positions of the elongated metal plate 64 in the longitudinal direction. In this case, preferably, a plurality of vapor deposition masks 20 are laid out on the long metal plate 64 so that the longitudinal direction of the vapor deposition mask 20 coincides with the rolling direction of the long metal plate 64 .

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

Next, exposure masks 68a and 68b are prepared so as not to transmit light to areas to be removed of the resist films 65c and 65d. to be placed. As the exposure masks 68a and 68b, for example, a glass dry plate is used which does not allow light to pass through the areas to be removed of the resist films 65c and 65d. After that, the exposure masks 68a and 68b are sufficiently adhered to the resist films 65c and 65d by vacuum adhesion. A positive resist material may be used as the photosensitive resist material. In this case, as the exposure mask, an exposure mask is used that allows light to pass through the area of the resist film that is to be removed.

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

Next, as shown in FIG. 21, a first surface etching step is performed to etch a region of the first surface 64a of the elongated metal plate 64 not covered with the first resist pattern 65a using a first etchant. implement. For example, the first etchant is directed toward the first surface 64a of the long metal plate 64 through the first resist pattern 65a from a nozzle arranged on the side facing the first surface 64a of the long metal plate 64 to be transported. is injected. As a result, as shown in FIG. 21, erosion by the first etchant progresses in areas of the elongated metal plate 64 that are not covered with the first resist pattern 65a. As a result, a large number of first recesses 30 are formed on the first surface 64a of the elongated metal plate 64. As shown in FIG. As the first etchant, for example, one containing a ferric chloride solution and hydrochloric acid is used.

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

Next, as shown in FIG. 23, the area of the second surface 64b of the elongated metal plate 64 that is not covered with the second resist pattern 65b is etched to form the second concave portion 35 on the second surface 64b. A two-sided etching step is performed. The second surface etching step is performed until the first recesses 30 and the second recesses 35 communicate with each other, thereby forming the through holes 25 . As the second etchant, one containing, for example, a ferric chloride solution and hydrochloric acid is used, like the above-described first etchant.

Erosion by the second etchant is carried out on portions of the elongated metal plate 64 that are in contact with the second etchant. Therefore, the corrosion progresses not only in the normal direction N (thickness direction) of the long metal plate 64 but also 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 on 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 64b of the long metal plate 64. Next, as shown in FIG.

After that, 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 remover. When an alkaline stripping solution is used, as shown in FIG. 25, the resin 69 and the resist patterns 65a and 65b are removed at the same time. After the resin 69 is removed, the resist patterns 65a and 65b may be removed separately from the resin 69 using a stripping solution different from the stripping solution for stripping the resin 69. FIG.

The long metal plate 64 in which a large number of through holes 25 are formed in this manner is conveyed to a cutting device (cutting means) 73 by conveying rollers 72, 72 rotating while holding the long metal plate 64 therebetween. be done. The supply core 61 is rotated through the tension (tensile stress) acting on the long metal plate 64 due to the rotation of the conveying rollers 72, 72, and the long metal plate 64 is supplied from the winding body 62. It's like

After that, the long metal plate 64 having many through-holes 25 formed therein is cut into predetermined lengths and widths by the cutting device 73 to obtain the sheet-like metal plate 21 having many through-holes 25 formed therein, i.e. A deposition mask 20 is obtained.

Deposition Mask Determination Method Next, a method for determining the quality of the deposition mask 20 by measuring the dimensions X1 and X2 of the deposition mask 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 26 to 28. FIG. Here, a method of measuring the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 and determining the quality of the vapor deposition mask 20 based on the measurement results will be described. That is, by measuring the dimension X1 and the dimension X2, it is possible to detect whether or not the through holes 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20 are arranged as designed. satisfies a predetermined criterion.

By the way, in order to obtain the metal plate 21 with a small thickness, it is necessary to increase the rolling reduction in manufacturing the metal plate 21 by rolling the base material. However, the higher the rolling reduction, the greater the degree of non-uniformity in deformation due to rolling. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the elongated metal plate 64 has at least a partial corrugated shape due to the length in the longitudinal direction D1 varying according to the position in the width direction D2. For example, a side edge 64e of the long metal plate 64 extending along the longitudinal direction D1 has a wavy shape.

On the other hand, in the above-described exposure step 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. Therefore, due to the close contact with the exposure mask, the corrugated shape of the side edge 64e of the elongated metal plate 64 is compressed as shown in FIG. 26, and the elongated metal plate 64 becomes substantially flat. In this state, the resist films 65c and 65d provided on the elongated metal plate 64 are exposed in a predetermined pattern, as indicated by dotted lines in FIG.

When the exposure mask is removed from the elongated metal plate 64, the side edge 64e of the elongated metal plate 64 reappears in a wavy shape. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the long metal plate 64 in a state in which a plurality of vapor deposition masks 20 are laid out along the width direction D2 by being etched. FIG. 27 shows an example in which three vapor deposition masks 20 are allocated to the central portion R1 of the elongated metal plate 64. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 27, at least the vapor deposition mask 20 facing the side edge 64e of the elongated metal plate 64 among the three allocated vapor deposition masks 20 is formed from a portion having a relatively large wavy shape. In FIG. 27, reference numeral 27a denotes a side edge located on the center side of the long metal plate 64 among the side edges of the vapor deposition mask 20 laid out so as to face the side edge 64e of the long metal plate 64 (hereinafter referred to as the side edge 27a). 1 side edge). 27, reference numeral 27b denotes a side edge (hereinafter referred to as a second side edge) located on the opposite side of the first side edge 27a and facing the side edge 64e of the long metal plate 64. As shown in FIG. 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 side of the second side edge 27b has a larger wave shape than the portion on the side of the first side edge 27a. 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 of the vapor deposition mask 20 on the side of the second side edge 27b is formed from a portion with a larger wavy shape than the portion on the side of the first side edge 27a, the second side edge 27b The length of the portion on the side in the longitudinal direction D1 is longer than the length of the portion on the side of the first side edge 27a in the longitudinal direction D1. That is, the dimension of the second side edge 27b (dimension along the second side edge 27b) in the longitudinal direction D1 is larger than the dimension of the first side edge 27a (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, measurements of the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 are performed without applying tension to the vapor deposition mask 20 . A method for judging quality according to the present embodiment will be described below.

(Good/bad judgment system)
FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a pass/fail judgment system for measuring the dimensions of the vapor deposition mask 20 and judging the 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 determining device 83 .

The dimension measuring device 82 is provided above the stage 81, for example, and includes a measurement camera (image capturing unit) that captures the vapor deposition mask 20 and creates an image. At least one of the stage 81 and the dimension measuring device 82 are movable relative to each other. In this 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 . As a result, the dimension measuring device 82 can be moved to a desired position. The pass/fail determination system 80 may be configured such that the dimension measuring device 82 is stationary and the stage 81 is movable.

The measurement of the dimensions of the vapor deposition mask 20 can be performed by different methods depending on the size of the portion of the vapor deposition mask 20 to be measured.

When the dimension of the object to be measured is relatively small (for example, several hundred μm or less), the object to be measured can be placed within the field of view of the measurement camera of the dimension measuring device 82, so the measurement can be performed without moving the measurement camera. Measure the dimensions of the object to be measured.

On the other hand, if the dimension of the object to be measured is relatively large (for example, if it is on the order of millimeters or more), it becomes difficult to fit the object to be measured within the field of view of the measurement camera of the dimension measuring device 82. Therefore, the measurement camera must be moved. to 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 amount of movement of the measurement camera (the amount of movement when the stage 81 moves).

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

(Dimensional measurement method)
First, a measurement step of 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, tension is not 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, dimension X1 and dimension X2 (see FIG. 28) of vapor deposition mask 20 on stage 81 are measured. In this case, the measurement camera of the dimension measuring device 82 described above shown in FIG. Then, the coordinates of points P1, Q1, P2 and Q2 are calculated based on the amount of movement. Then, based on the calculated coordinates of each point, the dimension X1, which is the straight line distance from the point P1 to the point Q1, and the dimension X2, which is the straight line distance from the point P2 to the point Q2, are calculated.

(Determination method)
Next, a determination step is performed to determine whether or not the calculated dimensions X1 and X2 satisfy the above-described formulas (1) and (2) based on the measurement results of the dimension measuring device 82. do. That is, the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 calculated as described above are substituted into the above-described formula (1), the design value is substituted for _αX , and the left side of the formula (1) is calculated as an absolute value. . It is determined whether or not the value of this left side is 40 μm or less. Similarly, the calculated dimensions X1 and X2 are substituted into the above equation (2), the left side of the equation (2) is calculated as an absolute value, and whether or not the value of the left side is 60 μm or less. is determined. A vapor deposition mask 20 that satisfies the formulas (1) and (2) is determined to be a non-defective product (acceptable), and is used in the vapor deposition mask device 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 satisfying the above-described formulas (1) and (2). there is
As a result, although the details will be described later, in the deposition mask 20 determined to be non-defective by formula (1) with the dimensions X1 and X2 satisfying the predetermined conditions, the deviation from the designed values of the dimensions X1 and X2 is can be reduced. Therefore, when the vapor deposition mask 20 is stretched, the amount of shrinkage in the width direction D2 can be kept within a desired range. Moreover, the difference between the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 can be reduced by the formula (2). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the elongation in the longitudinal direction D1 from being different in the width direction D2 at the time of stretching, and it is possible to prevent the through hole 25 from being displaced in the width direction D2. As a result, by manufacturing the vapor deposition mask device 10 using the vapor deposition mask 20 determined to be non-defective, the positional accuracy of the through holes 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20 in the vapor deposition mask device 10 can be improved. can improve the positional accuracy of the through-hole 25.

In addition, the points P1 and P2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 determined to be non-defective are positioned at the center points of the corresponding through holes 25 of the first effective area 22A arranged closest to the first ear portion 17a, The points Q1 and Q2 are positioned at the center points of the corresponding through holes 25 of the second effective area 22B located closest to the second ear portion 17b. As a result, it is possible to determine whether the vapor deposition mask 20 is acceptable based on the distance between two points relatively separated in the longitudinal direction D1, and improve the accuracy of determining whether the vapor deposition mask 20 is acceptable.

Furthermore, the points P1 and P2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 determined to be non-defective are positioned at the center points of the corresponding through-holes 25 formed closest to the first ears 17a. is positioned at the center point of the corresponding through hole 25 formed closest to the second ear portion 17b. As a result, it is possible to determine whether the vapor deposition mask 20 is acceptable based on the distance between two points further apart in the longitudinal direction D1, and improve the accuracy of determining whether the vapor deposition mask 20 is acceptable.

Method for Manufacturing Evaporation Mask Device Next, a method for manufacturing the deposition mask device 10 using the deposition mask 20 judged to be non-defective will be described. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of vapor deposition masks 20 are stretched over the frame 15 . More specifically, tension is applied to the vapor deposition mask 20 in the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 , and the ears 17 a and 17 b of the vapor deposition mask 20 to which 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 inspection process described above, only the long metal plate 64 that satisfies the condition that the absolute value of the slope of the steepness in the central portion R1 representing 60% of the width of the metal plate 64 is 6%/m or less is evaporated. 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 in the steepness in the width direction D2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 is relatively small, and the degree of undulation does not change. relatively small. Therefore, variations in the steepness of each vapor deposition mask 20 and thus variations in the positions of the through-holes 25 in the effective region 22 are uniformly reduced compared to the case where such sorting is not performed.

When the vapor deposition mask 20 is stretched on the frame 15, tension is applied to the vapor deposition mask 20 in the longitudinal direction D1. In this case, as shown in FIG. 30, the first end 26a of the vapor deposition mask 20 is gripped by a first clamp 86a and a second clamp 86b arranged on both sides of the central axis AL, and the second end 26b are gripped by a third clamp 86c and a fourth clamp 86d arranged on both sides of the center axis AL. A first pulling portion 87a is connected to the first clamp 86a, and a second pulling portion 87b is connected to the second clamp 86b. A third pulling portion 87c is connected to the third clamp 86c, and a fourth pulling portion 87d is connected to the fourth clamp 86d. When tension is applied to the vapor deposition mask 20, the first tensioning portion 87a and the second tensioning portion 87b are driven to tighten the first clamp 86a and the second clamp 86b against 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 pulling portion 87a and the tension T2 of the second pulling portion 87b. Incidentally, each of the pulling portions 87a to 87d may include an air cylinder, for example. Alternatively, the third clamp 86c and the fourth clamp 86d may be rendered immovable without using the third pulling portion 87c and the fourth pulling portion 87d.

When tensions T1 and T2 are applied to the vapor deposition mask 20 in the longitudinal direction D1, the vapor deposition mask 20 extends in the longitudinal direction D1 but contracts in the width direction D2. At the time of stretching, the tension T1 of the first pulling portion 87a is set so that all the through-holes 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20 elastically deformed in this manner are positioned within the allowable range with respect to the desired position (the target position of vapor deposition). and the tension T2 of the second pulling portion 87b are adjusted. Thereby, the elongation in the longitudinal direction D1 and the contraction in the width direction D2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 can be locally adjusted, and each through-hole 25 can be positioned within the 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 be convex in the direction from the side of the first side edge 27a to the side of the second side edge 27b as shown in FIG. If so, the tension T1 of the first pulling portion 87a on the side of the first side edge 27a may be made larger than the tension T2 of the second pulling portion 87b. As a result, a greater tension can be applied to the portion on the side of the first side edge 27a than on the portion on the side of the second side edge 27b. Therefore, the portion on the side of the first side edge 27a can be extended more than the portion on the side of the second side edge 27b, 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 so, the tension T2 of the second pulling portion 87b on the side of the second side edge 27b may be made larger than the tension T1 of the first pulling portion 87a. As a result, a greater tension can be applied to the portion on the side of the second side edge 27b than on the portion on the side of the first side edge 27a. Therefore, the portion on the side of the second side edge 27b can be extended more than the portion on the side of the first side edge 27a, and each through hole 25 can be easily positioned within the allowable range.

However, even when the tension applied to the vapor deposition mask 20 is locally adjusted, depending on the positional accuracy of the through holes 25 in which the vapor deposition mask 20 is formed, it is difficult to position each through hole 25 within the allowable range. It is possible that For example, when the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 deviate greatly from the design values, the deposition mask 20 expands in the longitudinal direction D1 and shrinks in the width direction D2. The elongation in D1 is small and the contraction in the width direction D2 is small. This can make it difficult to position each through-hole 25 within an allowable range with respect to a desired position (vapor deposition target position) during stretching. Formula (1) is for suppressing the occurrence of a positional error of each through hole 25 during stretching due to such a cause.

That is, as in the present embodiment, since the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 of the deposition mask 20 placed still on the stage 81 or the like satisfy the expression (1), the longitudinal direction D1 of the deposition mask 20 during stretching is The amount of elongation can be kept within a desired range. Therefore, the amount of shrinkage in the width direction D2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 during stretching can be kept within a desired range. As a result, since the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 satisfy the formula (1), it is possible to easily adjust the position of each through-hole 25 during stretching.

Also, in general, even when the vapor deposition mask 20 is formed from the long metal plate 64 having a corrugated shape, depending on the degree of the corrugated shape, each through-hole 25 can be positioned at a desired position during stretching. It may be difficult to do so. This is because the longitudinal dimension in the width direction D2 differs depending on the degree of undulation in the width direction D2 of the elongated metal plate 64 .
In this case, the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 are different, and the vapor deposition mask 20 can be curved in a C shape as shown in FIG. 28 when it is not stretched.

For example, in the curved vapor deposition mask 20 as shown in FIG. 28, the dimension X1 is shorter than the dimension X2 when it is not stretched. Therefore, when the vapor deposition mask 20 is stretched, a tensile force is applied to the vapor deposition mask 20 so that the dimension X1 becomes equal to the dimension X2, as shown in FIG. In this case, the portion on the side of the first side edge 27a extends more than the portion on the side of the second side edge 27b, and the central position in the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 shifts to the side of the first side edge 27a, Thereby, the through hole 25 can be displaced in the width direction D2. Moreover, even if the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 are stretched to be 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 curved concavely. Also in this case, the through hole 25 can be displaced in the width direction D2.

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

That is, as in the present embodiment, the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 placed still on the stage 81 or the like satisfy the expression (2), so that the length of the vapor deposition mask 20 in the longitudinal direction D1 is Differences in the width direction D2 can be suppressed, and differences in elongation in the longitudinal direction D1 in the width direction D2 during stretching can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress positional deviation of the through-hole 25 in the width direction D2 during stretching. As a result, the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 satisfy formula (2), so that each through-hole 25 can be easily positioned within the allowable range during stretching.

By the way, the vapor deposition mask 20 is formed from the elongated metal plate 64 having the corrugated shape, as described above. Therefore, when the degree of the wavy shape in the width direction D2 of the long metal plate 64 is significantly different, the elongation in the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 made from the long metal plate 64 is different 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 during stretching.

However, in the present embodiment, as described above, the center portion R1 of the long metal plate 64 that has been selected in advance based on the absolute value of the slope of the steepness is used. Therefore, compared to the case where such sorting is not performed, variations in the steepness of the portions of the long metal plate 64 assigned to the vapor deposition masks 20 are reduced, and the degree of the wavy shape in the width direction D2 is greatly different. can be avoided. 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 deposition mask 20 from stretching in the longitudinal direction D1 from being different in the width direction D2 during stretching. Therefore, variations in the positions of the through-holes 25 in the effective area 22 are uniformly reduced during stretching, and the through-holes 25 can be easily positioned within an allowable range with respect to the vapor deposition target position. As a result, it is possible to easily adjust the position of each through-hole 25 during stretching.

Evaporation Method Next, a method of evaporating the vapor deposition material 98 on the organic EL substrate 92 using the obtained vapor 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 . After that, in this state, the vapor deposition material 98 is evaporated to fly to the organic EL substrate 92 through the through holes 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20 . As a result, the deposition material 98 can be adhered to the organic EL substrate 92 in a predetermined pattern.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the elongated metal plate 64 is used in which the absolute value of the slope of the steepness at the central portion R1 where the vapor deposition mask 20 can be formed is 6%/m or less. As a result, it is possible to reduce the change in the degree of the wavy shape in the central portion R1, and it is possible to prevent the length of the vapor deposition mask 20 in the longitudinal direction D1 from being different in the width direction D2. Therefore, it is possible to improve the positional accuracy of the through hole 25 during stretching. As a result, the deposition material 98 can be deposited on the substrate 92 with high positional accuracy, and the organic EL display device 100 with high definition can be manufactured.

Various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment. Modifications will be described below 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 portions in the above-described embodiment are used for the portions that can be configured in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, Duplicate explanations are omitted. Further, when it is clear that the effects obtained in the above-described embodiment can also be obtained in the modified example, the explanation thereof may be omitted.

(Modified example of manufacturing method of vapor deposition mask)
In the present embodiment described above, an example of measuring the dimensions of vapor deposition mask 20 produced by etching a rolled metal plate has been shown. However, the dimensions of the vapor deposition mask 20 manufactured by other methods such as plating can also be measured using the dimension measurement method and quality determination system 80 described above.

(Modified example of dimensions X1 and X2)
In the present embodiment described above, the points P1 and P2 are the through-holes formed closest to the first ear portion 17a in the first effective region 22A located closest to the first ear portion 17a. An example is shown that is positioned at the center point of the hole 25 . However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the through-holes 25 where the points P1 and P2 are positioned are arbitrary through-holes 25 in the first effective area 22A located closest to the first ear portion 17a. good too. Also, the through-holes 25 where the points P1 and P2 are positioned may be the through-holes 25 of the effective area 22 other than the first effective area 22A. The same applies to points Q1 and Q2. Moreover, the points P1 and Q1 do not have to be positioned in the through-holes 25 as long as they are arbitrary two points arranged along the longitudinal direction D1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 . For example, it may be any recess formed in the first surface 20a or the second surface 20b of the deposition mask 20, or other through-holes not intended for passage of the deposition material 98, or even the deposition mask 20. may be the external dimensions of

EXAMPLES Next, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited to the description of the Examples below as long as it does not exceed the gist thereof.

(First roll and first sample)
First, a plurality of rolls of long metal plates were manufactured by performing the above-described rolling process, slitting process, annealing process, and cutting process on a base material made of an Invar material.

Specifically, first, a first rolling step is performed in which a first hot rolling step and a first cold rolling step are performed in this order. After that, the first annealing step was performed to continuously anneal the long metal plate at 500° C. for 60 seconds. Furthermore, the long metal plate that has undergone the first annealing step is subjected to a second rolling process including a second cold rolling process, and then both ends of the long metal plate in the width direction are each 3 to 5 mm. A second slitting step of cutting off over an area was performed, followed by a second annealing step of continuously annealing the long metal plate at 500° C. for 60 seconds. As a result, a long metal plate 64 having a desired thickness and a width of about 600 mm was obtained. Thereafter, a cutting step is performed in which both ends of the long metal plate 64 in the width direction are cut off over a predetermined range, thereby finally adjusting the width of the long metal plate 64 to a desired width, specifically a width of 500 mm. bottom.

In addition, in the above-mentioned cold rolling process, the pressure was adjusted using a backup roller. Specifically, the shape of the backup rollers of the rolling mill and the pressure were adjusted so that the shape of the long metal plate 64 was left-right symmetrical. The cold rolling process was performed while cooling the long metal plate 64 using rolling oil such as kerosene. After the cold rolling process, a cleaning process was performed to clean the long metal plate with a hydrocarbon-based cleaning agent. After the cleaning process, the slit process, annealing process and cutting process described above were carried out.

After that, a first sample 200 made of a metal plate having a width of 500 mm and a projected length of 700 mm was obtained by cutting off the leading end of the wound body using a shear. The "projected length" is the length (dimension in the rolling direction) of the metal plate when viewed from directly above, that is, when the wavy shape of the metal plate is ignored. The width of the first sample 200 is the distance between the pair of ends 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 step in which both ends in the width direction of the metal plate obtained by the rolling step and the annealing step are cut over a predetermined range, and are substantially straight. extended.

Next, as shown in FIG. 33, the first sample 200 was placed horizontally on the platen 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 dented. Next, at one end 201 of the first sample 200, the steepness of the first sample 200 was measured in an area with a projected length of 500 mm. Note that the region with a projection length of 500 mm is the region of the first sample 200 with a projection length of 700 mm, excluding regions within 100 mm from both ends 203 and 204 of the sample 200 in the longitudinal direction. The reason why the region within 100 mm from both ends 203 and 204 is excluded from the measurement object is to prevent the distortion of the first sample 200 caused by cutting with a shear from affecting the steepness measurement results. In FIG. 33, a region with a projected length of 500 mm is indicated by a dashed line.

In the measurement, first, as indicated by an arrow s in FIG. 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. After that, based on the obtained curve, the period and height were calculated for each of the plurality of mountains included in the curve. Next, the steepness of each mountain was calculated, and the average value of the steepness of each mountain was calculated. Thus, 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 Lasertech Co., Ltd., 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. Here, the surface plate 210 is used as a stage, and a tower for moving the head composed of OPTELICS H1200 in the XY directions is used. Automatic measurement was performed by combining As a stage, an auto stage of 500 mm×500 mm 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. The steepness of the first sample 200 at each position in the width direction was measured by repeating the above-described measurement while changing the position in the width direction of the first sample 200 at a predetermined pitch p. Here, the pitch p was set to 2 mm. The obtained measurement results are the steepness measurement results at the one end side portion R2 including the one end 201, the steepness measurement results at the other end side portion R3 including the other end 202, and the steepness measurement results including the central portion. contains steepness measurements in the central portion R1 of . Note that the center 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 within a range of 400 to 500 mm from the one end 201 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 points adjacent to each other 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)
In the same manner as in the case of the first roll, the second to seventeenth rolls were produced from the base material made of the Invar material. Furthermore, in the same manner as in the case of the first roll, the slope of the steepness of the sample taken out from each roll was measured for the second to 17th rolls.

Vapor deposition masks 20 were produced from the long metal plates 64 of the first to seventeenth rolls using the method for producing a vapor deposition mask described above. That is, the vapor deposition mask 20 was obtained by forming the through hole 25 and cutting it with the cutting device 73 . Here, a vapor deposition mask 20 with a width of 67 mm was produced.

FIG. 34 shows the steepness difference and the absolute value of the slope of the steepness of each vapor deposition mask 20 manufactured. The steepness shown here uses the steepness measured as described above in the form of the long metal plate 64 in each sample. The steepness difference shown in FIG. 34 indicates the difference between the steepness at a position passing through points P1 and Q1 and the steepness at a position passing through 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 elongated 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 for each vapor deposition mask 20 described above.

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

The measured dimensions X1 and X2 were substituted into the above equation (1) to calculate the left side of the equation (1). The calculation result is shown in FIG. 34 as |α _X −(X1+X2)/2|. In FIG. 34, 17 vapor deposition masks 20 obtained from the 17 samples described above were measured. Of the 1st to 17th samples, the 1st to 7th samples satisfied the formula (1).

Also, the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 of the vapor deposition mask 20 were substituted into the above equation (2) to calculate the left side of the equation (2). 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 the formula (2).

Therefore, as shown in the overall judgment result in FIG. 34, the first to third samples among the first to seventeenth samples satisfy the formulas (1) and (2), and the through hole at the time of stretching It was determined that the vapor deposition mask 20 can improve the positional accuracy of 25.

Here, the reason why the positional accuracy of the through-hole 25 at the time of stretching can be improved by satisfying the above-described formulas (1) and (2) will be described.

First, the formula (1) will be explained. As described above, the formula (1) is for suppressing the occurrence of mispositioning of the through-holes 25 during stretching due to deviation of the dimensions X1 and X2 from the design values. . That is, when the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 satisfy the formula (1), the amount of elongation in the longitudinal direction D1 of the deposition mask 20 during stretching can be kept within a desired range. The amount of shrinkage of the mask 20 in the width direction D2 can be kept within a desired range. Therefore, in order to confirm that the satisfaction of formula (1) contributes to the improvement of the positional accuracy of the through-holes 25 during stretching, attention is focused on the width dimension Y1 (see FIG. 28) of the vapor deposition mask 20 during stretching. This dimension Y1 corresponds to the width dimension at the central position in the longitudinal direction D1. The amount of shrinkage in the width direction D2 at this central position can be the largest. Although FIG. 28 shows the vapor deposition mask 20 to which tension is not applied, FIG. 28 shows the dimension Y1 when stretched for convenience. The same applies to dimension Y2, which will be described later.

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

A method for measuring the dimension Y1 and the dimension Y2 will be described below.

First, tension was applied to the vapor deposition mask 20 after the measurement of the dimension X1 and the dimension X2 was completed. 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. A tension was applied to the deposition mask 20 from the portion 87d. The tension applied was 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 dimension Y1 is shown in FIG. 34 as α _Y −Y1. Here, _αY is the design value of the width dimension of the vapor deposition mask 20 at the central position in the longitudinal direction D1. Note that α _Y is a design value at the time of stretching. Also, 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 equal to or less than a threshold value (±4.0 μm). Here, the threshold value is set as a value that allows positional deviation within a range that can prevent luminous efficiency of pixels formed by vapor deposition and color mixing with adjacent pixels of other colors. 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 deform so as to approach each other at the central position in the longitudinal direction D1. Therefore, the permissible value of deformation at the first side edge 27a and the second side edge 27b is assumed to be 2 μm, respectively, and the total threshold is ±4.0 μm. Of the samples shown in FIG. 34, α _Y −Y1 was less than or equal to the threshold in the first to seventh samples. In the first to seventh samples, the deviation of the width dimension Y1 of the vapor deposition mask 20 is suppressed, so the positional deviation of the through-hole 25 in the width direction D2 during stretching can be suppressed. On the other hand, these first to seventh samples satisfy formula (1) as described above. Therefore, it can be said that satisfying the expression (1) can improve the positional accuracy of the through-hole 25 during stretching.

Especially, the dimension Y1 indicates the width dimension of the vapor deposition mask 20 at the central position in the longitudinal direction D1. This central position is the position where the through hole 25 can be most displaced in the width direction D2. Therefore, when α _Y −Y1 at the central position is equal to or less than the threshold value, it can be said that positional displacement in the width direction D2 of the through hole 25 at positions other than the central position in the longitudinal direction D1 can be further suppressed. .

The dimension Y2 was evaluated based on whether or not the dimension Y2 was equal to or less than the threshold value (3.0 μm). Here, the threshold value is set as a value that allows positional deviation within a range that can prevent luminous efficiency of pixels formed by vapor deposition and color mixing with adjacent pixels of other colors. In the first to third samples and the eighth to thirteenth samples among the samples shown in FIG. 34, the dimension Y2 was equal to or less than the threshold. As a result, in the first to third samples and the eighth to thirteenth samples, the degree of depression of the first side edge 27a of the vapor deposition mask 20 is small, so the position of the through hole 25 in the width direction D2 during stretching is Displacement can be suppressed. On the other hand, these 1st to 3rd samples and 8th to 13th samples satisfy equation (2) as described above. Therefore, it can be said that satisfying the expression (2) can improve the positional accuracy of the through hole 25 during stretching.

In particular, the dimension Y2 indicates the depth dimension of the recess of the first side edge 27a of the vapor deposition mask 20 at the central position in the longitudinal direction D1. This central position is the position where the through hole 25 can be most displaced in the width direction D2. Therefore, when the dimension Y2 at the central position is equal to or less than the threshold, it can be said that the displacement in the width direction D2 of the through hole 25 at positions other than the central position in the longitudinal direction D1 can be further suppressed.

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

10 vapor deposition mask device 15 frame 20 vapor deposition mask 21 metal plate 22 effective area 23 surrounding area 25 through hole 30 first recess 35 second recess 55 base material 64 long metal plate 65a first resist pattern 65b second resist pattern 65c first Resist film 65d Second resist film 73 Cutting device 92 Organic EL substrate 98 Deposition material AL Central axis line R1 Central portion R2 One end portion R3 Other end portion

Claims (9)

A method for manufacturing a metal plate having a longitudinal direction, which is used for manufacturing a mask by forming a plurality of through holes, comprising:
The through holes of the mask are formed by etching the elongated metal plate being conveyed,
The method for manufacturing the metal plate comprises:
A rolling step of rolling a base material to obtain the metal plate;
a cutting step of cutting off a predetermined range of one end and the other end in the width direction of the metal plate;
a calculation step of calculating the slope of the steepness of the metal plate after the cutting step;
A sorting step of sorting the metal plate based on the calculated slope of the steepness,
In the width direction of the metal plate after the cutting step, the metal plate has a central portion, a one end side portion positioned closer to one end side in the width direction of the metal plate than the central portion, and a portion closer to the central portion than the central portion. and the other end portion located on the other end side in the width direction of the metal plate,
When the percentage of the height of the wavy shape with respect to the period in the longitudinal direction of the wavy shape of the metal plate calculated in the calculation step is referred to as the steepness, the steepness at the first position in the width direction and the second A method of manufacturing a metal plate, wherein a value obtained by dividing a difference between the steepness at a position and the distance between the first position and the second position is the slope of the steepness. 2. The method of manufacturing a metal plate according to claim 1, wherein said mask manufactured from said metal plate is a vapor deposition mask used for vapor deposition in a desired pattern. 3. The method of manufacturing a metal plate according to claim 1, wherein said mask is allocated to said central portion. The method of manufacturing a metal plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the one end portion and the other end portion occupy an equal proportion of the width of the metal plate after the cutting step. The range on one end side and the 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 step of observing the wavy shape of the metal plate, which is performed before the cutting step. The method for manufacturing a metal plate according to any one of claims 1 to 4. An annealing step of annealing the metal plate obtained by the rolling step to remove internal stress of the metal plate,
The method for manufacturing a metal plate according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the annealing step is performed while stretching the rolled base material in the longitudinal direction. The method for manufacturing a metal plate according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the base material is composed of an iron alloy containing nickel. The method for manufacturing a metal plate according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the absolute value of the slope of the steepness is 6%/m or less in the central portion. A method for manufacturing a mask having a plurality of through holes,
A step of preparing a metal plate manufactured by the method for manufacturing a metal plate according to any one of claims 1 to 8;
a resist pattern forming step of forming a resist pattern on the metal plate;
and an etching step of etching a region of the metal plate that is not covered with the resist pattern to form a concave portion defining the through hole in the metal plate.

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