KR20200004115A - Producing method of mask integrated frame - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a frame-integrated mask. The method for manufacturing a frame-integrated mask according to the present invention, as a method for manufacturing a frame-integrated mask in which at least one mask (100) and a frame (200) supporting the mask (100) are integrally formed, comprises the steps of: (a) providing the frame (200) having a plurality of mask cell regions (CR); (b) attaching the plurality of masks (100) onto a tray (50); (c) loading the tray (50) onto the frame (200) such that the plurality of masks (100) correspond to the plurality of mask cell regions (CR) of the frame (200); and (d) bonding at least a part of the rim of each mask (100) to the frame (200). According to the present invention, the deformation of the mask can be prevented, and equipment can be simplified.

Description

Manufacturing method of frame-integrated mask {PRODUCING METHOD OF MASK INTEGRATED FRAME}

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a frame-integrated mask. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a frame-integrated mask, which allows the mask to be integral with the frame, and enables alignment between the masks.

Recently, studies on electroforming methods have been underway in thin plate manufacturing. The electroplating method is to immerse the positive electrode and the negative electrode in the electrolyte, and to apply the power to electrodeposit the metal thin plate on the surface of the negative electrode, it is possible to manufacture the ultra-thin plate, it is a method that can be expected to mass production.

Meanwhile, as a technology of forming pixels in an OLED manufacturing process, a fine metal mask (FMM) method of depositing an organic material at a desired position by closely attaching a thin metal mask to a substrate is mainly used.

In the conventional OLED manufacturing process, the mask is manufactured in a stick form, a plate form, and the like, and then the mask is welded and fixed to the OLED pixel deposition frame. Each mask may include a plurality of cells corresponding to one display. In addition, in order to manufacture a large area OLED, several masks may be fixed to the OLED pixel deposition frame. In the process of fixing to the frame, each mask is tensioned to be flat. Adjusting the tension to make the entire part of the mask flat is a very difficult task. In particular, in order to align the mask pattern having a size of only a few to several tens of micrometers while flattening each cell, a high-level operation of checking the alignment in real time while finely adjusting the tension applied to each side of the mask is required. do.

Nevertheless, in the process of fixing several masks in one frame, there is a problem in that the alignment between the mask cells and the mask cells is not good. In addition, in the process of welding and fixing the mask to the frame, the thickness of the mask film is too thin and the large area has a problem that the mask is struck or warped by load.

In the case of ultra-high-definition OLED, QHD image quality is 500 ~ 600 pixel per inch (PPI), and the pixel size is about 30 ~ 50㎛. It has a resolution of. As such, considering the pixel size of the ultra-high-definition OLED, the alignment error between each cell should be reduced to several μm, and the error beyond this may lead to product failure, resulting in very low yield. Therefore, there is a need for development of a technique for preventing deformation, such as knocking or twisting of a mask and making alignment clear, a technique for fixing a mask to a frame, and the like.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a frame-integrated mask, which is conceived to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, which can form an integral structure of a mask and a frame.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a frame-integrated mask which can prevent deformation such as knocking or twisting of the mask and clarity of alignment.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a frame-integrated mask which can simplify the equipment, significantly reduce the manufacturing time, and significantly increase the yield.

The above object of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a frame-integrated mask in which at least one mask and a frame for supporting the mask are integrally provided, comprising: (a) providing a frame having a plurality of mask cell regions; (b) attaching a plurality of masks on one tray; (c) loading a tray onto the frame to correspond to the plurality of masks respectively to the plurality of mask cell regions of the frame; And (d) adhering at least a portion of the rim of each mask to the frame.

The tray is flat and may have an area greater than the sum of the areas of the plurality of masks.

In step (b), the plurality of masks on the tray may be attached in a first direction and in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

Step (a) comprises the steps of: (a1) providing an edge frame portion comprising a hollow region; And (a2) manufacturing a frame by connecting a mask cell sheet part having at least one mask cell area to an edge frame part.

Step (a) comprises the steps of: (a1) providing an edge frame portion comprising a hollow region; (a2) connecting the planar mask cell sheet portion to the edge frame portion; And (a3) forming at least one mask cell region in the mask cell sheet part to manufacture a frame.

Step (d) may be a step of adhering the mask to the frame by adhering at least a portion of the edge of each mask around each mask cell region of the mask cell sheet portion.

In step (b), the plurality of masks may be attached onto the tray in a flat unfolded state by using the spreading means.

The unfolding means comprises a charger, and (b) comprises: (b1) loading a plurality of masks onto a tray; (b2) inducing static electricity by rubbing the charged material on at least one of a tray and a mask; And (b3) unfolding and attaching the plurality of masks flatly on the tray.

The spreading means includes a transparent electrode disposed on one side or the other side of the tray and an electrode unit for applying a voltage to the mask, and (b) comprises: (b1) loading a plurality of masks on the tray; (b2) inducing static electricity by applying a voltage to the transparent electrode and the electrode; And (b3) unfolding and attaching the plurality of masks flatly on the tray.

The unfolding means comprises a plurality of magnets, and step (b) comprises: (b1) loading the plurality of masks on a tray; (b2) disposing a fixing magnet on at least one of one side and the other side of each mask on the other side of the tray on which the plurality of masks are loaded, and applying the magnetic force to the mask to fix the mask; And (b3) unfolding the mask and spreading the mask on a tray while moving the spreading magnet from one side to the other side of the mask.

The unfolding means includes a plurality of vacuum portions, and (b) comprises: (b1) loading the plurality of masks on a tray; (b2) disposing a fixed vacuum unit on at least one of one side and the other side of each mask, and fixing the mask by applying a suction pressure; And (b3) flatly spreading the mask and attaching the mask onto the tray while moving the spreading vacuum part from one side to the other side of the mask.

The tray may include a material through which laser light is transmitted.

Each mask may be attached to the frame by laser welding irradiating a laser from the upper part of the tray.

Before or after the mask corresponds to the mask cell region, the temperature of the process region containing the frame is raised to the first temperature, and after the mask is adhered to the frame, the temperature of the process region containing the frame is changed to the second temperature. Can be lowered.

The first temperature may be equal to or higher than the OLED pixel deposition process temperature, and the second temperature may be at least lower than the first temperature.

The first temperature is any one of 25 ° C to 60 ° C, the second temperature is any one of 20 ° C to 30 ° C that is lower than the first temperature, and the OLED pixel deposition process temperature is any of 25 ° C to 45 ° C. It may be one temperature.

When the mask corresponds to the mask cell region, no tension may be applied to the mask.

The mask cell sheet unit may include a plurality of mask cell regions in at least one of a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

The mask cell sheet portion includes an edge sheet portion; And at least one first grid sheet part extending in the first direction and both ends connected to the edge sheet part.

The mask cell sheet part may further include at least one second grid sheet part extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to intersect the first grid sheet part, and both ends of which are connected to the edge sheet part.

Each mask may correspond to each mask cell region.

The mask may include one mask cell, and one mask cell may be located in one mask cell area.

The mask may include a plurality of mask cells, and the plurality of mask cells may be located in one mask cell area.

The mask and frame may be made of any one of invar, super invar, nickel, and nickel-cobalt.

According to the present invention configured as described above, there is an effect that the mask and the frame can form an integrated structure.

In addition, according to the present invention, there is an effect that can prevent the deformation, such as knocking or twisting the mask and to clarify the alignment.

In addition, according to the present invention, there is an effect that can simplify the equipment, significantly reduce the manufacturing time, and significantly increase the yield.

1 is a schematic view showing a conventional mask for OLED pixel deposition.
2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process of adhering a conventional mask to a frame.
3 is a schematic diagram showing that alignment errors between cells occur in the process of tensioning a conventional mask.
4 is a front and side cross-sectional view showing a frame-integrated mask according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a front and side cross-sectional view showing a frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a manufacturing process of a frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a manufacturing process of a frame according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a schematic view showing the shape of a mask and a state in which a plurality of masks are attached on one tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process of attaching a mask on a tray according to a comparative example [FIG. 9 (a)] and an embodiment of the present invention (FIG. 9 (b)).
10-13 are schematic diagrams illustrating a method of attaching a mask on a tray using spreading means in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
14 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which a tray is loaded onto a frame according to an embodiment of the present invention to correspond to a plurality of masks in a cell area of the frame.
15 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process of adhering a mask to a cell region of a frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.
16 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process of lowering a temperature of a process region after attaching a mask to a cell region of a frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.
17 is a schematic diagram showing an OLED pixel deposition apparatus using a frame-integrated mask according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different but need not be mutually exclusive. For example, certain shapes, structures, and characteristics described herein may be embodied in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention with respect to one embodiment. In addition, it is to be understood that the location or arrangement of individual components within each disclosed embodiment may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention, if properly described, is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar functions throughout the several aspects, and length, area, thickness, and the like may be exaggerated for convenience.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional mask for depositing OLED pixels 10.

Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional mask 10 may be manufactured in a stick type or a plate type. The mask 10 shown in FIG. 1A is a stick type mask, and both sides of the stick may be welded and fixed to the OLED pixel deposition frame. The mask 100 illustrated in FIG. 1B is a plate-type mask and may be used in a large area pixel forming process.

A plurality of display cells C are provided in the body (or mask film 11) of the mask 10. One cell C corresponds to one display such as a smartphone. In the cell C, a pixel pattern P is formed to correspond to each pixel of the display. When the cell C is enlarged, a plurality of pixel patterns P corresponding to R, G, and B appear. For example, the pixel pattern P is formed in the cell C to have a resolution of 70 × 140. That is, a large number of pixel patterns P may be clustered to form one cell C, and a plurality of cells C may be formed in the mask 10.

2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process of adhering the mask 10 to the frame 20. 3 is a schematic view showing that alignment errors between cells occur in the process of tensioning the mask 10 (F1 to F2). A stick mask 10 having six cells C: C1 to C6 shown in FIG. 1A will be described as an example.

Referring to FIG. 2A, first, the stick mask 10 should be flattened. The stick mask 10 is unfolded by applying tensile forces F1 to F2 in the major axis direction of the stick mask 10. In this state, the stick mask 10 is loaded onto the frame 20 having a rectangular frame shape. The cells C1 to C6 of the stick mask 10 are positioned in the empty area of the frame 20 of the frame 20. The frame 20 may be large enough so that the cells C1 to C6 of one stick mask 10 are located in an empty area inside the frame, and the cells C1 to C6 of the plurality of stick masks 10 are framed. It may also be large enough to fit inside the empty area.

Referring to (b) of FIG. 2, after aligning while finely adjusting the tensile forces F1 to F2 applied to each side of the stick mask 10, a part of the side surface of the stick mask 10 is welded (W). Accordingly, the stick mask 10 and the frame 20 are interconnected. 2 (c) shows the side surface of the stick mask 10 and the frame connected to each other.

Referring to FIG. 3, in spite of finely adjusting the tensile force F1 to F2 applied to each side of the stick mask 10, there is a problem in that the alignment of the mask cells C1 to C3 is not good. For example, the distances D1 to D1 ″ and D2 to D2 ″ may be different from each other or the patterns P may be skewed between the patterns P of the cells C1 to C3. The stick mask 10 is a large area including a plurality of (eg, six) cells C1 to C6, and has a very thin thickness of several tens of micrometers, so that it is easily struck or warped by a load. In addition, it is very difficult to check the alignment between the cells C1 to C6 in real time through a microscope while adjusting the tensile forces F1 to F2 to flatten the cells C1 to C6.

Therefore, the minute error of the tensile force (F1 ~ F2) may cause an error in the extent that each cell (C1 ~ C3) of the stick mask 10 is extended or unfolded, and thus the distance (D1) between the mask pattern (P) ~ D1 ", D2-D2") cause a problem that becomes different. Of course, it is difficult to align perfectly so that the error is 0, but in order that the mask pattern P having a size of several to several tens of micrometers does not adversely affect the pixel process of the ultra-high definition OLED, the alignment error does not exceed 3 micrometers. It is preferable not to. This alignment error between adjacent cells is referred to as pixel position accuracy (PPA).

In addition, between the plurality of stick masks 10 and the plurality of cells C of the stick masks 10 while connecting the plurality of stick masks 10 of about 6 to 20 to each of the frames 20, respectively. It is also very difficult to clarify the alignment between ~ C6), and the process time due to alignment is inevitably increased, which is a significant reason for reducing productivity.

On the other hand, after fixing the stick mask 10 to the frame 20, the tensile force (F1 ~ F2) applied to the stick mask 10 can act inversely to the frame 20. That is, after the stick mask 10 is stretched by the tension force (F1 ~ F2) is connected to the frame 20 may be applied to the tension (tension) to the frame 20. In general, the tension may not be large, and thus may not have a large influence on the frame 20. However, when the size of the frame 20 is reduced in size and the rigidity is reduced, the tension may slightly change the frame 20. Thus, a problem may arise in that the alignment state is changed between the plurality of cells C to C6.

Thus, the present invention proposes a frame 200 and a frame integrated mask that allow the mask 100 to form an integrated structure with the frame 200. The mask 100 integrally formed in the frame 200 may be prevented from being deformed or warped, and may be clearly aligned with the frame 200. Since the mask 100 does not apply any tensile force to the mask 100 when the mask 100 is connected to the frame 200, the tension may not be applied to the frame 200 after the mask 100 is connected to the frame 200. . In addition, the manufacturing time for integrally connecting the mask 100 to the frame 200 may be significantly reduced, and the yield may be significantly increased.

4 is a front view (FIG. 4 (a)) and a side cross-sectional view (FIG. 4 (b)) showing a frame-integrated mask according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is according to an embodiment of the present invention It is a front view (FIG. 5 (a)) and a side cross-sectional view (FIG. 5 (b)) which show a frame.

4 and 5, the frame integrated mask may include a plurality of masks 100 and one frame 200. In other words, the plurality of masks 100 are bonded to the frame 200 one by one. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the rectangular mask 100 will be described as an example, but the masks 100 may be in the form of a stick mask having protrusions clamped at both sides before being bonded to the frame 200, and the frame 200. The protrusions can be removed after they have been adhered to.

A plurality of mask patterns P may be formed in each mask 100, and one cell C may be formed in one mask 100. One mask cell C may correspond to one display such as a smartphone. In order to form a thin thickness, the mask 100 may be formed by electroforming. The mask 100 may be an invar having a thermal expansion coefficient of about 1.0 × 10 ⁻⁶ / ° C. and a super invar material of about 1.0 × 10 ⁻⁷ / ° C. Since the mask 100 of this material has a very low coefficient of thermal expansion, there is little possibility that the pattern shape of the mask is deformed by thermal energy, and thus, the mask 100 may be used as a fine metal mask (FMM) or a shadow mask in high-resolution OLED manufacturing. In addition, in consideration of the recent development of techniques for performing the pixel deposition process in a range where the temperature change is not large, the mask 100 has a slightly larger thermal expansion coefficient than that of nickel (Ni) and nickel-cobalt (Ni-Co). It may be a material such as). The thickness of the mask may be formed to about 2 to 50㎛.

The frame 200 is formed to bond the plurality of masks 100. The frame 200 may include various edges formed in a first direction (eg, a horizontal direction) and a second direction (eg, a vertical direction) including an outermost edge. These various corners may define the area to which the mask 100 is to be bonded on the frame 200.

The frame 200 may include an edge frame portion 210 having a substantially rectangular shape and a rectangular frame shape. The inside of the frame frame 210 may be hollow. That is, the frame frame 210 may include a hollow region (R). The frame 200 may be made of a metal material such as Invar, Super Invar, Aluminum, Titanium, etc., and may be made of Inbar, Super Invar, Nickel, or Nickel-Cobalt having the same thermal expansion coefficient as a mask in consideration of thermal deformation. Preferably, the materials may be applied to both the edge frame portion 210 and the mask cell sheet portion 220 which are components of the frame 200.

In addition, the frame 200 may include a plurality of mask cell regions CR and may include a mask cell sheet portion 220 connected to the edge frame portion 210. Like the mask 100, the mask cell sheet part 220 may be formed by electroplating, or may be formed using another film forming process. In addition, the mask cell sheet part 220 may be connected to the edge frame part 210 after forming a plurality of mask cell areas CR through laser scribing or etching on a flat sheet. Alternatively, the mask cell sheet unit 220 may form a plurality of mask cell regions CR through laser scribing, etching, etc. after connecting the planar sheet to the edge frame unit 210. In the present specification, first, a plurality of mask cell regions CR are formed in the mask cell sheet part 220, and then the connection to the edge frame part 210 is mainly assumed.

The mask cell sheet part 220 may include at least one of the edge sheet part 221 and the first and second grid sheet parts 223 and 225. The edge sheet portion 221 and the first and second grid sheet portions 223 and 225 refer to respective portions partitioned from the same sheet, which are integrally formed with each other.

The edge sheet portion 221 may be substantially connected to the edge frame portion 210. Accordingly, the edge sheet part 221 may have a substantially rectangular shape and a rectangular frame shape corresponding to the edge frame part 210.

In addition, the first grid sheet part 223 may extend in a first direction (horizontal direction). The first grid sheet part 223 may be formed in a straight line shape and both ends thereof may be connected to the edge sheet part 221. When the mask cell sheet portion 220 includes the plurality of first grid sheet portions 223, each of the first grid sheet portions 223 may be equally spaced apart.

In addition, in addition, the second grid sheet part 225 may be formed to extend in a second direction (vertical direction). The second grid sheet part 225 may be formed in a straight line shape and both ends thereof may be connected to the edge sheet part 221. The first grid sheet portion 223 and the second grid sheet portion 225 may vertically cross each other. When the mask cell sheet portion 220 includes a plurality of second grid sheet portions 225, each of the second grid sheet portions 225 preferably has an equal interval.

Meanwhile, the spacing between the first grid sheet portions 223 and the spacing between the second grid sheet portions 225 may be the same or different according to the size of the mask cell C. FIG.

The first grid sheet portion 223 and the second grid sheet portion 225 have a thin thickness in the form of a thin film, but the shape of the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction may be a rectangle, a square shape such as a parallelogram, a triangular shape, or the like. The edges, edges, and corners may be partially rounded. The cross-sectional shape is adjustable in the process of laser scribing, etching and the like.

The thickness of the edge frame portion 210 may be thicker than the thickness of the mask cell sheet portion 220. The edge frame part 210 may be formed to a thickness of several mm to several cm because it is responsible for the overall rigidity of the frame 200.

In the case of the mask cell sheet portion 220, a process of manufacturing a substantially thick sheet is difficult, and if the thickness is too thick, a path through which the organic source 600 (see FIG. 17) passes through the mask 100 in the OLED pixel deposition process. This can cause problems. On the contrary, if the thickness is too thin, it may be difficult to secure rigidity enough to support the mask 100. Accordingly, the mask cell sheet part 220 is thinner than the thickness of the edge frame part 210, but preferably thicker than the mask 100. The mask cell sheet part 220 may have a thickness of about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm. In addition, the widths of the first and second grid sheet parts 223 and 225 may be formed to about 1 to 5 mm.

A plurality of mask cell areas CR: CR11 to CR56 may be provided except for an area occupied by the edge sheet part 221 and the first and second grid sheet parts 223 and 225 in the planar sheet. In another aspect, the mask cell region CR is an area occupied by the edge sheet portion 221 and the first and second grid sheet portions 223 and 225 in the hollow region R of the edge frame portion 210. Except for, it may mean an empty area.

As the cell C of the mask 100 corresponds to the mask cell region CR, the mask C may be used as a passage through which the pixels of the OLED are deposited through the mask pattern P. FIG. As described above, one mask cell C corresponds to one display such as a smartphone. Mask patterns P constituting one cell C may be formed in one mask 100. Alternatively, one mask 100 may include a plurality of cells C, and each cell C may correspond to each cell region CR of the frame 200. It is necessary to avoid the large area mask 100, and the small area mask 100 provided with one cell C is preferable. Alternatively, one mask 100 having a plurality of cells C may correspond to one cell region CR of the frame 200. In this case, for clear alignment, it may be considered to correspond to the mask 100 having a small number of cells C of about 2-3.

The frame 200 may include a plurality of mask cell regions CR, and each mask 100 may be bonded such that one mask cell C corresponds to the mask cell region CR. Each mask 100 may include a mask cell C in which a plurality of mask patterns P are formed and a dummy (corresponding to a portion of the mask film 110 except for the cell C) around the mask cell C. have. The dummy may include only the mask layer 110 or the mask layer 110 in which a predetermined dummy pattern having a similar shape to the mask pattern P is formed. The mask cell C may correspond to the mask cell region CR of the frame 200, and part or all of the dummy may be attached to the frame 200 (mask cell sheet portion 220). Accordingly, the mask 100 and the frame 200 may form an integrated structure.

On the other hand, according to another embodiment, the frame is not manufactured by bonding the mask cell sheet portion 220 to the edge frame portion 210, the edge frame portion 210 in the hollow region (R) portion of the edge frame portion 210 ), A frame in which a grid frame (corresponding to the grid sheet portions 223 and 225) which is integral with one another can be used immediately. The frame of this type also includes at least one mask cell region CR, and the mask integrated region may be manufactured by corresponding the mask 100 to the mask cell region CR.

Hereinafter, a process of manufacturing the frame integrated mask will be described.

First, the frame 200 described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 may be provided. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a manufacturing process of the frame 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6A, an edge frame unit 210 is provided. The edge frame portion 210 may have a rectangular frame shape including the hollow area R.

Next, referring to FIG. 6B, a mask cell sheet part 220 is manufactured. The mask cell sheet unit 220 may be manufactured by fabricating a planar sheet using pre-plating or other film forming process, and then removing the mask cell region CR through laser scribing or etching. have. In the present specification, a description will be given of an example in which a mask cell region CR: CR11 to CR56 of 6 × 5 is formed. There may be five first grid sheet portions 223 and four second grid sheet portions 225.

Next, the mask cell sheet part 220 may correspond to the edge frame part 210. In the corresponding process, all sides of the mask cell sheet part 220 are stretched (F1 to F4) to flatten the mask cell sheet part 220 to the edge sheet part 221 to the border frame part 210. It can respond. On one side, the mask cell sheet portion 220 may be grasped and tensioned at several points (for example, 1 to 3 points in FIG. 6B). On the other hand, the mask cell sheet portion 220 may be stretched (F1, F2) not in all sides but in some lateral directions.

Next, when the mask cell sheet part 220 corresponds to the edge frame part 210, the edge cell part 221 of the mask cell sheet part 220 may be welded (W) and bonded. It is preferable to weld (W) all sides so that the mask cell sheet portion 220 can be firmly adhered to the edge frame portion 220. Welding (W) should be performed as close as possible to the edge of the edge frame portion 210 as much as possible to reduce the excited space between the edge frame portion 210 and the mask cell sheet portion 220 as much as possible to increase the adhesion. The weld (W) portion may be generated in a line or spot form, and may have the same material as the mask cell sheet portion 220 and integrate the edge frame portion 210 and the mask cell sheet portion 220. It can be a medium to connect to.

7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a manufacturing process of a frame according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the mask cell sheet part 220 having the mask cell area CR is first manufactured and adhered to the edge frame part 210. However, the embodiment of FIG. After adhesion to 210, a mask cell region CR is formed.

First, as shown in FIG. 6A, the edge frame part 210 including the hollow area R is provided.

Next, referring to FIG. 7A, a flat sheet (a flat mask cell sheet portion 220 ′) may correspond to the edge frame portion 210. The mask cell sheet portion 220 ′ is in a planar state in which the mask cell region CR is not yet formed. In the corresponding process, all sides of the mask cell sheet part 220 'may be stretched (F1 to F4) to correspond to the edge frame part 210 in a state where the mask cell sheet part 220' is flattened. On one side, the mask cell sheet portion 220 'may be grasped and tensioned at various points (for example, 1 to 3 points in FIG. 7A). On the other hand, the mask cell sheet portion 220 'may be stretched (F1, F2) not in all sides but in some lateral direction.

Next, when the mask cell sheet portion 220 ′ corresponds to the edge frame portion 210, the edge portion of the mask cell sheet portion 220 ′ may be welded (W) and bonded. It is preferable to weld (W) all sides so that the mask cell sheet portion 220 ′ can be firmly adhered to the edge frame portion 220. Welding (W) should be performed as close as possible to the edge of the edge frame portion 210 as much as possible to reduce the excited space between the edge frame portion 210 and the mask cell sheet portion 220 'as much as possible to increase the adhesion. The weld (W) portion may be generated in a line or spot shape, and may have the same material as the mask cell sheet portion 220 ′ and have an edge frame portion 210 and a mask cell sheet portion 220 ′. It can be a medium to connect the integrally.

Next, referring to FIG. 7B, a mask cell region CR is formed in a planar sheet (planar mask cell sheet portion 220 ′). The mask cell region CR may be formed by removing the sheet of the mask cell region CR through laser scribing or etching. In the present specification, a description will be given of an example in which a mask cell region CR: CR11 to CR56 of 6 × 5 is formed. When the mask cell region CR is formed, the portion welded to the edge frame portion 210 becomes the edge sheet portion 221, and five first grid sheet portions 223 and four second grids are formed. The mask cell sheet part 220 having the sheet part 225 may be configured.

8 is a plan view (FIG. 8A) of the mask 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a plan view of the state in which the plurality of masks 100 are attached on the tray 50 (FIG. 8B). )] And a side cross-sectional view (FIG. 8C). 9 is a schematic diagram showing a process of attaching a mask on a tray according to a comparative example [FIG. 9 (a)] and an embodiment of the present invention (FIG. 9 (b)). Hereinafter, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a series of processes for bonding the mask 100 to the manufactured frame 200 will be described.

Next, referring to FIG. 8A, a mask 100 having a plurality of mask patterns P may be provided. As described above, it is possible to manufacture a mask 100 made of Invar and Super Invar using a pre-plating method, and one cell C may be formed in the mask 100.

The mother plate used as a cathode in electroplating is made of a conductive material. As the conductive material, in the case of metal, metal oxides may be generated on the surface, impurities may be introduced during the metal manufacturing process, and in the case of the polycrystalline silicon substrate, inclusions or grain boundaries may exist and the conductive polymer may be present. In the case of a base material, it is highly likely to contain an impurity, and strength. Acid resistance may be weak. Elements that interfere with the uniform formation of an electric field on the surface of the substrate (or negative electrode body), such as metal oxides, impurities, inclusions, grain boundaries, etc., are referred to as "defects." Due to the defect, a uniform electric field may not be applied to the cathode body of the above-described material, so that a part of the plating film (mask 100) may be unevenly formed.

Non-uniformity of the plating film and the plating film pattern (mask pattern P) may adversely affect the formation of the pixel in implementing a UHD-class or higher definition pixel. Since the pattern width of the FMM and the shadow mask can be formed in the size of several to several tens of micrometers, preferably smaller than 30 micrometers, even a defect of several micrometers is large enough to occupy a large proportion in the pattern size of the mask.

In addition, an additional process for removing metal oxides, impurities, and the like may be performed to remove the defects in the cathode material of the material described above, and another defect such as etching of the anode material may be caused in this process. have.

Therefore, the present invention can use a mother plate (or a negative electrode body) made of a single crystal silicon material. In order to have conductivity, a high concentration doping of 10 ¹⁹ / cm ³ or more may be performed on the single crystal silicon base plate. Doping may be performed on the entirety of the mother plate, or only on the surface portion of the mother plate.

Since the doped single crystal silicon is free from defects, there is an advantage in that a uniform plating film (mask 100) can be generated due to the formation of a uniform electric field on the entire surface during electroplating. The frame-integrated masks 100 and 200 manufactured through the uniform plating layer may further improve the image quality level of the OLED pixel. In addition, since an additional process of eliminating and eliminating defects does not have to be performed, process costs are reduced and productivity is improved.

In addition, according to the use of the silicon substrate, there is an advantage that the insulating portion can be formed only by a process of oxidizing and nitriding the surface of the mother substrate as needed. The insulating portion may be formed using a photoresist. Electrodeposition of the plating film (mask 100) is prevented in the part in which the insulation part was formed, and a pattern (mask pattern P) is formed in a plating film.

The width of the mask pattern P may be smaller than 40 μm, and the thickness of the mask 100 may be about 2 to 50 μm. Since the frame 200 includes a plurality of mask cell regions CR: CR11 to CR56, the mask 100 having mask cells C11 to C56 corresponding to the mask cell regions CR11 to CR56, respectively. ) Can also be provided in plurality.

Next, referring to FIG. 8B, the mask 100 may be attached onto a tray 50. The present invention is characterized in that a plurality of masks 100 are attached on one tray 50. The area of the tray 50 may have an area larger than the sum of the areas of the plurality of masks 100. In another aspect, the area of the tray 50 may be about the same size as the frame 200.

The electrodeposited mask 100 may be detached from the mother plate and attached to the tray 50. The tray 50 is preferably flat in shape so that the plurality of masks 100 can be flatly attached. The masks 100 may be attached on the tray 50 while being aligned in a matrix form. In other words, they may be attached at regular intervals along the first direction (eg, transverse direction) and the second direction (eg, longitudinal direction) perpendicular thereto. The shape in which the masks 100 are arranged on the tray 50 may correspond to the shape of the plurality of mask cell regions CR of the frame 200.

After attaching one mask 100 to the tray 50, the process of attaching the remaining masks 100 on the tray 50 may be repeated. Since the mask 100 already adhered to the tray 50 may present a reference position, the remaining masks 100 may be sequentially matched with each other so as to fit the cell region CR of the frame 200 to be described later. There is an advantage that the time in the verification process can be significantly reduced. In addition, the pixel position accuracy (PPA) between the mask 100 adhered to one mask cell region and the mask 100 adhered to the mask cell region adjacent thereto does not exceed 3 μm, so that the alignment is very high. There is an advantage that a mask for forming an OLED pixel can be provided.

The tray 50 may be made of a material through which the laser light L may pass. The tray 50 may include a material through which laser light, such as glass, silica, heat-resistant glass, quartz, alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ), and the like is transmitted. L) may be irradiated to bond the mask 100 to the frame 200 by laser welding (LW).

Referring to FIG. 8C, the mask 50 attached to the tray 50 may be corresponded to the frame 200 after the tray 50 is turned over to correspond to the frame 200 on the opposite side of the mask 100 in contact with the tray 50. The mask P pattern of the 100 may have a tapered shape. In other words, when the mask 100 is attached to the frame 200, the mask 100 may be in an inverse taper state in which a tapered shape is reversed.

On the other hand, the mask 100 is a very thin metal foil, and the mask 100 is hardly attached to one surface (upper surface) of the tray 50 only by a loading process placed on the tray 50. In addition, it is more difficult to expect the mask 100 to be attached flat. Referring to FIG. 9A, when the mask 100 formed by electroplating is simply loaded on the tray 50, the mask 100a is not uniformly attached to the tray 50, and wrinkles and wrinkles are caused. Etc., voids may appear. This void v may cause a problem of misaligning the mask pattern P of the mask 100a, and misalignment of the mask pattern P may lead to failure of the pixel deposition process.

Thus, the spreading means 60, 70, 80, 90 can be used to allow the mask 100 to adhere well to the tray 50. As shown in (b) of FIG. 9, when the spreading means 60, 70, 80, and 90 are used, the mask 100 is attached to one surface of the tray 50 and at the same time, spreads out flat and well, so that the mask There is an advantage that the alignment of the pattern P is not misaligned.

10-13 are schematic diagrams illustrating a method of attaching a mask 100 on a tray 50 using spreading means 60: 61, 63, 65, 67 in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention. 10 to 13 illustrate only one mask 100 on the tray 50 for convenience of description, but it is obvious that the spreading means 60 may be applied to the plurality of masks 100.

In order to attach the mask 100 on one surface of the tray 50, and to spread and attach the mask 100 flat without wrinkles, wrinkles, or the like, the electrostatic force, magnetic force, vacuum, or the like may be applied. It is available. 10 and 11 show an embodiment using electrostatic force as the spreading means 61 and 63, FIG. 12 shows an embodiment using magnetic force as the spreading means 65, and FIG. 13 shows an embodiment using a vacuum as the spreading means 67. do. The mask 100 may be attached to the tray 50 using the spreading means 60, respectively, and the mask 100 may be attached to the tray 50 by combining them.

As shown in FIG. 10, according to one embodiment, the spreading means 61 may include a charger 61, such as an ionizer. Electrostatic (SE) can be induced to the charge (61).

First, as shown in FIG. 10A, a plurality of masks 100 are loaded onto a tray 50. The mask 100 may not be in close contact with the tray 50, but may have voids v at various places.

Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 10B, the charging member 61 may be rubbed on the mask 100 and the tray 50. It is not necessary to rub the charging member 61 in contact with the mask 100 and the tray 50, but may be rubbed with a predetermined distance apart. Then, static electricity SE may be induced in the mask 100 and the tray 50. Thus, as shown in (c) of FIG. 10, the static electricity (SE) is induced so that the mask 100 may be flatly spread and attached to one surface of the tray 50 with a predetermined adhesive force. Since the mask 100 is attached and spreads out flat, voids v are eliminated, and the mask pattern P can maintain alignment.

As shown in FIG. 11, according to one embodiment, the spreading means 63 is a transparent electrode 63a and a mask 100 disposed on one side (upper surface) or the other side (lower surface) of the tray 50. It may include an electrode portion 63b for applying a voltage to the. Since the mask 100 is a conductive material, applying a voltage to the mask 100 using the electrode portion 63b may induce static electricity SE on the entire surface of the mask 100.

First, as shown in FIG. 11A, the plurality of masks 100 are loaded onto the tray 50. The mask 100 may not be in close contact with the tray 50, but may have voids v at various places. The transparent electrode 63a may be disposed on the tray 50 having a predetermined pattern. Although the transparent electrode 63a is formed on the upper surface of the tray 50 in the drawing, the transparent electrode 63a may be formed on the lower surface of the tray 50. Since the transparent electrode 63a is disposed on the tray 50 with a thickness of nm and μm, the size of the void v of the mask 100 has little effect. The transparent electrode 63a may be made of materials such as indium tin oxide (ITO), aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO), and fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) without limitation.

Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 11B, the electrode portion 63b may be connected to the mask 100 and the transparent electrode 71 and applied with a voltage. Then, the static electricity SE may be induced on one surface of the mask 100 and the tray 50 (the surface on which the transparent electrode 63a is disposed). Thus, as shown in (c) of FIG. 11, the static electricity (SE) is induced to spread the mask 100 can be attached to one surface of the tray 50 with a predetermined adhesion force. Since the mask 100 is attached and spreads out flat, voids v are eliminated, and the mask pattern P can maintain alignment.

As shown in FIG. 12, the spreading means 65 may include a plurality of magnets 65a, 65b, and 65c. Magnets can be used without limitation, such as electromagnets, permanent magnets. Since the mask 100 is a conductor, the property of sticking by magnetic force can be utilized.

First, as shown in FIG. 12A, a plurality of masks 100 are loaded onto a tray 50. The mask 100 may not be in close contact with the tray 50, but may have voids v at various places.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12B, the fixing magnets 65a and 65b may be disposed on at least one portion of one side and the other side of the mask 100. Since the magnetic forces of the fixed magnets 65a and 65b penetrate the tray 50 to act on the mask 100, one side and the other side portion of the mask 100 may be in close contact with the tray 50. Since the mask 100 must be pulled toward the tray 50, the fixed magnets 65a and 65b are preferably disposed on the opposite side of the tray 50 surface on which the mask 100 is loaded.

Subsequently, the spreading magnet 65c may be moved from one side of the mask 100 to the other side. The portion of the mask 100 corresponding to the position where the spreading magnet 65c is moved may be in close contact with the tray 50. Thus, as shown in (c) of FIG. 12, when the spreading magnet 65c moves from one side to the other side, the entire surface of the mask 100 may be attached to the tray 50 and spread flatly. Since the mask 100 is attached and spreads out flat, voids v are eliminated, and the mask pattern P can maintain alignment.

As shown in FIG. 13, the spreading means 67 may include a plurality of vacuum parts 67a, 67b, and 67c, such as an air knife and an air pump. The vacuum units 67a, 67b, and 67c may generate a suction pressure to pull the mask 100.

First, as shown in FIG. 13A, a plurality of masks 100 are loaded onto a tray 50. The mask 100 may not be in close contact with the tray 50, but may have voids v at various places.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 13B, the fixed vacuum units 67a and 67b may be disposed on at least one portion of one side and the other side of the mask 100. The fixed vacuum units 67a and 67b may be pulled toward the fixed vacuum units 67a and 67b by applying pressure to one side and the other side of the mask 100. One side and the other side of the mask 100 may be in close contact with the tray 50 while being pulled out. Since the mask 100 needs to be pulled directly, the fixed vacuum portions 67a and 67b are preferably disposed on the same side as the surface of the tray 50 on which the mask 100 is loaded, and is disposed at both ends of the mask 100. It is preferable.

Subsequently, the unfolding vacuum part 67c may be moved from one side of the mask 100 to the other side. A portion of the mask 100 corresponding to the position where the unfolding vacuum part 67c is moved may be brought into flat contact with the tray 50. Thus, as shown in (c) of FIG. 13, when the unfolding vacuum part 67c moves from one side to the other side, the entire surface of the mask 100 may be attached to the tray 50 and spread out flat. Since the mask 100 is attached and unfolded flatly, the voids v are eliminated, and the mask pattern P can maintain the alignment well.

14 is a plan view of a state in which the tray 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention is loaded on the frame 200 so that the plurality of masks 100 correspond to the cell regions CR of the frame 200 (FIG. 14). (A)] and side sectional drawing (FIG. 14 (b)) are shown.

Next, referring to FIGS. 14A and 14B, the plurality of masks 100 may correspond to the plurality of mask cell regions CR of the frame 200, respectively. The plurality of masks 100 are loaded by inverting the tray 50 having the plurality of masks 100 attached thereto and loading the trays 50 on the frame 200 (or the mask cell sheet unit 220). Each of the mask cell regions CR may correspond to each other. While controlling the position of the tray 50, the microscope 100 may check whether the mask 100 corresponds to the mask cell region CR. When the tray 50 is loaded on the frame 200 (or the mask cell sheet unit 220), the plurality of masks 100 may be formed by the tray 50 and the frame 200 (or the mask cell sheet unit 220). )] May be compressed by the tray 50.

As described above, the present invention controls the position of only one tray 50 to which the plurality of masks 100 are attached to correspond to the frame 200, and the advantage of completing the alignment of the plurality of masks 100 at once is provided. have. Since only one position (x, y, z, θ axis) of the tray 50 is controlled without controlling the position of each mask 100 individually, there is an advantage that the equipment configuration is simplified.

Meanwhile, the lower supporter 70 may be further disposed below the frame 200. The lower supporter 70 may have a size enough to fit into the hollow region R of the frame rim 210 and may have a flat plate shape. In addition, a predetermined support groove (not shown) corresponding to the shape of the mask cell sheet part 220 may be formed on the upper surface of the lower supporter 70. In this case, the edge sheet part 221 and the first and second grid sheet parts 223 and 225 are fitted into the support groove, so that the mask cell sheet part 220 may be more securely fixed.

The lower supporter 70 may compress the opposite surface of the mask cell region CR that the mask 100 contacts. That is, the lower supporter 70 may support the mask cell sheet part 220 in the upper direction to prevent the mask cell sheet part 220 from sagging in the lower direction during the bonding process of the mask 100. At the same time, the edge of the mask 100 and the frame 200 (or the mask cell sheet part 220) are pressed in a direction in which the lower support 70 and the tray 50 are opposite to each other, so that the mask 100 is pressed. The alignment state of the can be maintained without being disturbed.

According to the present invention, a plurality of mask cells of the frame 200 may be attached to the plurality of masks 100 by simply attaching the plurality of masks 100 to the tray 50 and loading the tray 50 onto the frame 200. Since the process corresponding to the area CR is completed, no tensile force is applied to the mask 100 in this process.

Since the mask cell sheet portion 220 of the frame 200 has a thin thickness, when the mask cell sheet portion 220 is bonded to the mask cell sheet portion 220 while the tensile force is applied to the mask 100, the tensile force remaining in the mask 100 is masked. The cell sheet 220 and the mask cell region CR may act on the cell sheet 220 and may be modified. Therefore, adhesion of the mask 100 to the mask cell sheet part 220 should be performed without applying a tensile force to the mask 100. Thus, it is possible to prevent the tensile force applied to the mask 100 from acting as a tension on the frame 200 to deform the frame 200 (or the mask cell sheet part 220).

However, one problem is encountered when the frame integrated mask is manufactured by attaching the mask 100 to the frame 200 (or the mask cell sheet part 220) without applying a tensile force, and using the frame integrated mask in a pixel deposition process. May occur. In the pixel deposition process performed at about 25 to 45 ° C., the mask 100 thermally expands by a predetermined length. Even in the mask 100 made of Invar, the length may be changed by about 1 to 3 ppm according to a temperature rise of about 10 ° C. for forming the pixel deposition process atmosphere. For example, when the total length of the mask 100 is 500 mm, a length of about 5 to 15 μm may be increased. Then, a problem arises in that the alignment error of the patterns P is increased while causing the deformation of the mask 100 by its own weight or by being stretched and twisted in a fixed state in the frame 200.

Accordingly, the present invention may correspond to and adhere to the mask cell region CR of the frame 200 without applying a tensile force to the mask 100 at a temperature higher than the normal temperature. In the present specification, after raising the temperature of the process region to the first temperature (ET), the mask 100 is expressed to correspond to and adhere to the frame 200.

The “process area” may refer to a space in which components such as the mask 100 and the frame 200 are located and an adhesion process of the mask 100 is performed. The process region may be a space in a closed chamber or may be an open space. In addition, “first temperature” may mean a temperature higher than or equal to the pixel deposition process temperature when the frame-integrated mask is used in the OLED pixel deposition process. Considering that the pixel deposition process temperature is about 25 to 45 ° C, the first temperature may be about 25 ° C to 60 ° C. The temperature rise of the process region may be performed by providing a heating means in the chamber, or installing a heating means around the process region.

Referring back to FIG. 14, after the plurality of masks 100 correspond to the plurality of mask cell regions CR, the temperature of the process region including the frame 200 may be raised to the first temperature (ET). have. Alternatively, the mask 100 may correspond to the mask cell region CR after the temperature ET of the process region including the frame 200 is raised to the first temperature.

Since the mask 10 of FIG. 1 includes six cells C1 to C6, the mask 10 has a long length, whereas the mask 100 of the present invention has a short length including one cell C. The degree of misalignment of the pixel position accuracy (PPA) can be reduced. For example, assuming that the length of the mask 10 including the plurality of cells C1 to C6, ... is 1 m, and a PPA error of 10 µm occurs in the entire 1 m, the mask 100 of the present invention According to the reduction of the relative length (corresponding to the reduction of the number of cells (C)) may be 1 / n of the above error range. For example, if the length of the mask 100 of the present invention is 100mm, it has a length reduced by 1/10 at 1m of the conventional mask 10, a PPA error of 1㎛ occurs in the entire 100mm length As a result, the alignment error is significantly reduced.

On the other hand, if the mask 100 is provided with a plurality of cells (C), each cell (C) corresponding to each cell region (CR) of the frame 200 is within a range that the alignment error is minimized, One mask 100 may correspond to a plurality of mask cell regions CR of the frame 200. Alternatively, the mask 100 having the plurality of cells C may correspond to one mask cell region CR. Also in this case, in consideration of the process time and productivity according to the alignment, it is preferable that the mask 100 has as few cells as possible.

In the frame-integrated mask manufacturing method of the present invention, since each cell C included in the plurality of masks 100 can correspond to the plurality of cell regions CR at one time, the six cells C1 to C6 are simultaneously connected. The time can be much shorter than the conventional method of matching and confirming the alignment of the six cells C1 to C6 all at the same time.

In addition, the frame-integrated mask manufacturing method of the present invention, in the 30 times the process of correspondingly attaching a plurality of 30 masks 100 on the tray 50 and the process of matching the tray 50 to the frame 200 The product yield is the conventional product yield in five steps of matching and aligning five masks 10 (see FIG. 2 (a)) with the frames 20 each comprising six cells C1 to C6. It may appear much higher. Since the conventional method of aligning six cells C1 to C6 in a region corresponding to six cells C at a time is much more cumbersome and difficult, the product yield is low.

Meanwhile, after the mask 100 corresponds to the frame 200, the mask 100 may be temporarily fixed to the frame 200 through a predetermined adhesive. Thereafter, the bonding step of the mask 100 may be performed.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view (FIG. 15A) and an enlarged side cross-sectional view showing a process of bonding the mask 100 corresponding to the cell region CR of the frame 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 15B. FIG. 15C shows a comparative example of FIG. 15B.

Next, referring to FIG. 15, some or all of the edges of the mask 100 may be attached to the frame 200. The adhesion can be carried out by welding, preferably by laser welding (LW). The laser welded portion LW may be integrally connected with the same material as that of the mask 100 / frame 200.

When the laser L is irradiated to the upper portion of the edge portion (or the dummy) of the mask 100 from the upper portion of the tray 50, the laser L passes through the tray 50 to melt a portion of the mask 100. You can. Thus, the mask 100 may be laser welded (LW) with the frame 200. Laser welding (LW) should be performed as close as possible to the edge of the frame 200 as possible to reduce the excited space between the mask 100 and the frame 200 as much as possible to increase the adhesion. The laser welding (LW) part may be generated in the form of a line or a spot, and may be a medium for integrally connecting the mask 100 and the frame 200 with the same material as the mask 100. have.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 15C, when the laser welding LW 'is performed without compressing the upper and lower portions of the mask 100', the mask 100 'of the portion to which the laser is irradiated is randomized. Can melt in one direction. Then, the laser welding LW 'is performed with a non-uniform thickness, and a weld bead 101' having a wrinkled or wrinkled shape is formed on the surface of the mask 100 ', and thus the mask pattern P and the cell C are eventually formed. The alignment between them can be misaligned.

Therefore, according to the present invention, since the tray 50 and the lower supporter 70 compress the mask 100, it is possible to prevent the welding bead 101 ′ from being formed during laser welding LW. Since the tray 50 and the lower supporter 70 press the mask 100 in a flat form, the mask 100 of the portion to which the laser L is irradiated during the laser welding LW is uniformly melted and uniformly Laser welding LW can be performed by thickness. Accordingly, the alignment between the mask pattern P and the cells C may be maintained during the bonding process.

The laser welding LW may be sequentially performed on each mask 100, but may be simultaneously performed on the plurality of masks 100 to bond the mask 100.

When the mask 100 is adhered to each other, one edge of two neighboring masks 100 is adhered to the upper surface of the first grid sheet portion 223 (or the second grid sheet portion 225). Appears. The width and thickness of the first grid sheet portion 223 (or the second grid sheet portion 225) may be formed to about 1 to 5 mm, and to improve product productivity, the first grid sheet portion 223 [ Alternatively, it is necessary to reduce the width where the edges of the second grid sheet portion 225 and the mask 100 overlap with each other at about 0.1 to 2.5 mm.

Since welding LW is performed on the mask cell sheet portion 220 without applying a tensile force to the mask 100, the mask cell sheet portion 220 (or the edge sheet portion 221, the first and second grid sheets) is applied. (223, 225) is not applied to the tension.

16 is a schematic diagram illustrating a process of lowering the temperature (LT) of the process region after attaching the mask 100 to the cell region CR of the frame 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Next, referring to FIG. 16, the tray 50 may be separated from the frame 200. Since the mask 100 is adhered to the frame 200 (LW), the tray 50 may be separated by only lifting the tray 50.

Subsequently, the temperature of the process region may be lowered (LT) to the second temperature. The “second temperature” may mean a temperature lower than the first temperature. Considering that the first temperature is about 25 ° C. to 60 ° C., the second temperature may be about 20 ° C. to 30 ° C. provided that it is lower than the first temperature, and preferably, the second temperature may be room temperature. The temperature drop in the process region may be performed by providing a cooling means in the chamber, installing a cooling means around the process region, or naturally cooling to room temperature.

When the temperature of the process region is lowered to the second temperature LT, the mask 100 may heat shrink by a predetermined length. The mask 100 may be thermally contracted isotropically along all lateral directions. However, since the mask 100 is fixedly connected to the frame 200 (or the mask cell sheet part 220) by welding (LW), the thermal contraction of the mask 100 may be performed on the peripheral mask cell sheet part 220. The tension TS is applied by itself. By applying a tension (TS) of the mask 100, the mask 100 may be more tightly bonded onto the frame 200.

In addition, since each of the masks 100 is bonded onto the corresponding mask cell region CR, the temperature of the process region is lowered to the second temperature (LT), so that all of the masks 100 cause thermal contraction at the same time. The problem that the 200 is deformed or the patterns P are largely misaligned can be prevented. In more detail, even when the tension TS is applied to the mask cell sheet part 220, since the plurality of masks 100 apply the tension TS in opposite directions, the force is canceled to the mask cell sheet part. Deformation does not occur at 220. For example, the first grid sheet portion 223 between the mask 100 attached to the CR11 cell region and the mask 100 attached to the CR12 cell region may move in the right direction of the mask 100 attached to the CR11 cell region. The acting tension TS and the acting tension TS acting in the left direction of the mask 100 attached to the CR12 cell region may be offset. Therefore, the deformation is minimized in the frame 200 (or the mask cell sheet part 220) due to the tension TS, so that the alignment error of the mask 100 (or the mask pattern P) can be minimized. There is this.

17 is a schematic diagram illustrating an OLED pixel deposition apparatus 1000 using frame-integrated masks 100 and 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 17, the OLED pixel deposition apparatus 1000 includes a magnet plate 300 in which a magnet 310 is accommodated and a coolant line 350 is disposed, and an organic material source 600 from a lower portion of the magnet plate 300. And a deposition source supply unit (500) for supplying ().

A target substrate 900 such as glass on which the organic source 600 is deposited may be interposed between the magnet plate 300 and the source deposition unit 500. In the target substrate 900, the frame-integrated masks 100 and 200 (or FMMs) for allowing the organic material 600 to be deposited pixel by pixel may be closely attached or very close to each other. The magnet 310 may generate a magnetic field and may be in close contact with the target substrate 900 by the magnetic field.

The deposition source supply unit 500 may supply the organic source 600 while reciprocating the left and right paths, and the organic source 600 supplied from the deposition source supply unit 500 may have patterns P formed in the frame integrated masks 100 and 200. ) May be deposited on one side of the target substrate 900. The deposited organic source 600 passing through the pattern P of the frame-integrated masks 100 and 200 can act as the pixel 700 of the OLED.

In order to prevent uneven deposition of the pixel 700 by the shadow effect, the pattern of the frame-integrated masks 100 and 200 may be formed to be inclined S (or formed into a tapered shape S). . Since the organic sources 600 passing through the pattern in a diagonal direction along the inclined surface may also contribute to the formation of the pixel 700, the pixel 700 may be uniformly deposited as a whole.

Since the mask 100 is adhesively fixed to the frame 200 at a first temperature higher than the pixel deposition process temperature, even if the mask 100 is raised to the process temperature for pixel deposition, the position of the mask pattern P is hardly affected. The PPA between the 100 and the neighboring mask 100 may be maintained not to exceed 3 μm.

Although the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments as described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Modifications and variations are possible. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the invention and the appended claims.

50: tray
60: unfolding means
61: Great War
63: transparent electrode, electrode portion
65: magnet
67: vacuum
70: lower support
100: mask
110: mask film
200: frame
210: border frame portion
220: mask cell sheet portion
221: border sheet portion
223: first grid sheet portion
225: second grid sheet portion
1000: OLED pixel deposition device
C: cell, mask cell
CR: mask cell area
ET: raise the temperature of the process region to the first temperature
L: laser
LT: lower the temperature in the process area to the second temperature
LW: laser welding
R: Hollow area of the border frame portion
P: mask pattern
TS: tension
W: welding

Claims (24)

A method of manufacturing a frame-integrated mask in which at least one mask and a frame supporting the mask are integrally formed,
(a) providing a frame having a plurality of mask cell regions;
(b) attaching a plurality of masks on one tray;
(c) loading a tray onto the frame to correspond to the plurality of masks respectively to the plurality of mask cell regions of the frame; And
(d) adhering at least a portion of the rim of each mask to the frame
Including, a frame-integrated mask manufacturing method. The method of claim 1,
The tray has a flat plate shape and has an area larger than the sum of the areas of the plurality of masks. The method of claim 1,
In step (b), the plurality of masks on the tray are attached in a first direction and in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The method of claim 1,
(a) step,
(a1) providing an edge frame portion comprising a hollow region; And
(a2) manufacturing a frame by connecting a mask cell sheet part having at least one mask cell area to an edge frame part;
Including, a frame-integrated mask manufacturing method. The method of claim 1,
(a) step,
(a1) providing an edge frame portion comprising a hollow region;
(a2) connecting the planar mask cell sheet portion to the edge frame portion; And
(a3) forming a frame by forming at least one mask cell region in the mask cell sheet portion
Including, a frame-integrated mask manufacturing method. The method according to claim 4 or 5,
Step (d) is a step of adhering at least a portion of the edge of each mask around each mask cell region of the mask cell sheet portion to adhere the mask to the frame. The method of claim 1,
and (b) attaching the plurality of masks on the tray in a flat unfolded state using the spreading means in step (b). The method of claim 7, wherein
Unfolding means includes the whole body,
(b) step,
(b1) loading a plurality of masks on a tray;
(b2) inducing static electricity by rubbing the charged material on at least one of a tray and a mask; And
(b3) flattening and attaching the plurality of masks on a tray;
Including, a frame-integrated mask manufacturing method. The method of claim 7, wherein
Unfolding means includes a transparent electrode disposed on one side or the other side of the tray and an electrode portion for applying a voltage to the mask,
(b) step,
(b1) loading a plurality of masks on a tray;
(b2) inducing static electricity by applying a voltage to the transparent electrode and the electrode; And
(b3) flattening and attaching the plurality of masks on a tray;
Including, a frame-integrated mask manufacturing method. The method of claim 7, wherein
The spreading means comprises a plurality of magnets,
(b) step,
(b1) loading a plurality of masks on a tray;
(b2) disposing a fixing magnet on at least one of one side and the other side of each mask on the other side of the tray on which the plurality of masks are loaded, and applying and fixing the magnet to the mask; And
(b3) spreading the mask flat and attaching it to the tray while moving the spreading magnet from one side of the mask to the other;
Including, a frame-integrated mask manufacturing method. The method of claim 7, wherein
The spreading means includes a plurality of vacuum portions,
(b) step,
(b1) loading a plurality of masks on a tray;
(b2) disposing a fixed vacuum unit on at least one of one side and the other side of each mask, and fixing the mask by applying a suction pressure; And
(b3) spreading the mask flat and attaching it on a tray while moving the unfolding vacuum part from one side to the other side of the mask;
Including, a frame-integrated mask manufacturing method. The method of claim 1,
The tray includes a material through which laser light is transmitted, wherein the frame-integrated mask is manufactured. The method of claim 1,
A method for producing a frame-integrated mask, wherein each mask is bonded to the frame by laser welding for irradiating a laser from the upper tray. The method of claim 1,
Before or after the mask corresponds to the mask cell region, the temperature of the process region containing the frame is raised to a first temperature,
A method of manufacturing a frame-integrated mask, wherein the temperature of the process region in which the frame is contained is lowered to a second temperature after the mask is adhered to the frame. The method of claim 14,
The first temperature is the same or higher than the OLED pixel deposition process temperature,
And wherein the second temperature is a temperature at least lower than the first temperature. The method of claim 15,
The first temperature is any one of 25 ℃ to 60 ℃,
The second temperature is any one of 20 ° C to 30 ° C lower than the first temperature,
OLED pixel deposition process temperature is any one of 25 ℃ to 45 ℃ manufacturing method of the frame-integrated mask. The method of claim 14,
A method of manufacturing a frame-integrated mask, wherein no tension is applied to the mask when the mask corresponds to the mask cell region. The method according to claim 4 or 5,
The mask cell sheet portion includes a plurality of mask cell regions in at least one of a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The method according to claim 4 or 5,
The mask cell sheet part,
Border sheet portion; And
A method of manufacturing a frame-integrated mask, comprising at least one first grid sheet portion extending in a first direction and both ends connected to an edge sheet portion. The method of claim 19,
The mask cell sheet part further includes at least one second grid sheet part extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to intersect with the first grid sheet part and both ends connected to the edge sheet part. Method of preparation. The method of claim 1,
A method for producing a frame-integrated mask, wherein each mask corresponds to each mask cell region. The method of claim 1,
The mask comprises one mask cell, and one mask cell is located in one mask cell area. The method of claim 1,
The mask comprises a plurality of mask cells, wherein the plurality of mask cells are located in one mask cell area. The method of claim 1,
The mask and frame are made of any one of invar, super invar, nickel and nickel-cobalt.

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