JP7685151B2 - Manufacturing method of deposition mask device and manufacturing method of organic EL display device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a deposition mask device and a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device.

In the field of display devices used in portable devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs, organic EL display devices have been attracting attention. As a manufacturing method and apparatus for organic semiconductor devices such as organic EL display devices, a method and apparatus for forming pixels in a desired pattern using a deposition mask in which through holes arranged in a desired pattern are formed is known. For example, a deposition mask fixed to a frame is first combined with a deposition substrate for an organic EL display device. Next, a deposition material containing an organic material is deposited on the deposition substrate through the through holes of the deposition mask. By carrying out such a deposition process, a deposition layer containing the deposition material (or a light-emitting layer of an organic EL display device) can be formed as pixels on the deposition substrate in a pattern corresponding to the through holes of the deposition mask.

When combining the deposition mask with the substrate, the deposition mask is stretched and fixed to a frame (see, for example, Patent Document 1). At this time, the deposition mask is aligned with the frame so that the through holes of the deposition mask are positioned at the desired positions with respect to the frame.

Patent No. 5382259

The present disclosure aims to provide a method for manufacturing a deposition mask device and a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device that can shorten the time required to align a deposition mask with a frame.

The manufacturing method of the deposition mask device according to the present disclosure includes a frame preparation process, a mask preparation process, a placement process, a mask alignment process, and a bonding process. In the frame preparation process, a frame is prepared that has a first frame surface, a second frame surface located on the opposite side to the first frame surface, a frame opening penetrating from the first frame surface to the second frame surface, a frame wall surface located outside the frame opening in a plan view and extending from the first frame surface to the second frame surface, the frame wall surface including a first wall surface edge located on the first frame surface side and a second wall surface edge located on the second frame surface side, and a third frame surface extending from the second wall surface edge to the outside in a plan view along the second frame surface. In the mask preparation process, a deposition mask is prepared that has a first mask edge located on one side edge in a first direction, a second mask edge located on the other side edge in the first direction, a pair of overlapping portions located on both sides in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a through hole located between the pair of overlapping portions. In the arrangement step, the deposition mask is arranged on the frame so that the overlapping portion of the deposition mask overlaps the first wall edge in a plan view, and the first wall edge extends in a straight line in the first direction from the first mask edge to the second mask edge of the deposition mask. In the mask alignment step, after the arrangement step, the deposition mask is aligned with the frame while being pulled in the second direction by a joining tension and pressed against the frame. In the bonding step, after the mask alignment step, the deposition mask is bonded to the frame while being pulled in the second direction by the joining tension and pressed against the frame.

The method for manufacturing an organic EL display device according to the present disclosure includes an apparatus preparation step for preparing a deposition mask apparatus by the above-described method for manufacturing a deposition mask apparatus, a bonding step, and a deposition step. In the bonding step, the deposition mask of the deposition mask apparatus is bonded to the substrate on which deposition is to be performed. In the deposition step, a deposition material is deposited on the substrate on which deposition is to be performed through the through-holes of the deposition mask to form a deposition layer.

The deposition mask device according to the present disclosure includes a frame and a deposition mask provided on the frame. The frame has a first frame surface, a second frame surface located on the opposite side to the first frame surface, a frame opening penetrating from the first frame surface to the second frame surface, a frame wall surface located outside the frame opening in a plan view and extending from the first frame surface to the second frame surface, the frame wall surface including a first wall surface edge located on the first frame surface side and a second wall surface edge located on the second frame surface side, and a third frame surface extending from the second wall surface edge to the outside in a plan view along the second frame surface. The deposition mask has a first mask edge located on one side edge in a first direction, a second mask edge located on the other side edge in the first direction, a pair of overlapping portions located on both sides in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and overlapping the first frame surface, and a through hole located between the pair of overlapping portions. The deposition mask has a pair of mask ends located on both sides in the second direction and inside the first wall surface edges. The first wall edge extends in a straight line in the second direction from the extension of the first mask edge of the deposition mask to the extension of the second mask edge.

The intermediate of the deposition mask device according to the present disclosure includes a frame and a deposition mask provided on the frame. The frame has a first frame surface, a second frame surface located on the opposite side to the first frame surface, a frame opening penetrating from the first frame surface to the second frame surface, a frame wall surface located outside the frame opening in a plan view and extending from the first frame surface to the second frame surface, the frame wall surface including a first wall surface edge located on the first frame surface side and a second wall surface edge located on the second frame surface side, and a third frame surface extending from the second wall surface edge to the outside in a plan view along the second frame surface. The deposition mask has a first mask edge located on one side edge in a first direction, a second mask edge located on the other side edge in the first direction, a pair of overlapping portions located on both sides in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and overlapping the first frame surface, and a through hole located between the pair of overlapping portions. The first wall edge overlaps the overlapping portion of the deposition mask in a plan view and extends in a straight line in the second direction from the first mask edge to the second mask edge of the deposition mask.

This disclosure makes it possible to reduce the time required to align a deposition mask with a frame.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a deposition apparatus including a deposition mask device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a deposition mask apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 . FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 4A. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged plan view showing the deposition mask device of FIG. 2 . 3 is an enlarged plan view showing a through-hole group of the deposition mask of FIG. 2. 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a holding step in a manufacturing method of a deposition mask apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating an arrangement step in a manufacturing method of a deposition mask apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a first through-hole confirmation step in a mask alignment step in the manufacturing method of the deposition mask device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating a moving step in a mask alignment process in the manufacturing method of the deposition mask apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating a tension adjustment step in a mask alignment step in a manufacturing method for a deposition mask apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 10 is a partially enlarged plan view showing the deposition mask device in a mask alignment step of the manufacturing method of the deposition mask device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged plan view showing the deposition mask device in a mask alignment step of a manufacturing method of the deposition mask device. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a schematic cross section taken along line BB in FIG. 11. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 11. 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a bonding step in a manufacturing method of a deposition mask device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating a removal step in the manufacturing method of the deposition mask apparatus according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is a plan view showing a frame to which one deposition mask is joined in a manufacturing method of a deposition mask device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an intermediate product of a deposition mask device obtained by a method for producing a deposition mask device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a cutting step in a manufacturing method of a deposition mask device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 10 is a partially enlarged plan view showing the deposition mask device in a cutting step of the manufacturing method of the deposition mask device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an organic EL display device obtained by a manufacturing method for an organic EL display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a bonding step in a manufacturing method for an organic EL display device according to an embodiment of the 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a vapor deposition process in a manufacturing method for an organic EL display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In this specification and drawings, unless otherwise specified, terms that refer to a material that is the basis of a certain configuration, such as "substrate," "base material," "plate," "sheet," and "film," are not to be distinguished from one another solely on the basis of differences in name.

Unless otherwise specified, in this specification and drawings, terms that specify shapes, geometric conditions, and the extent of those conditions, such as "parallel" and "orthogonal," and values of lengths and angles, are to be interpreted without being bound by strict meanings, but rather to include the range within which similar functions can be expected.

In this specification and drawings, unless otherwise specified, when a certain configuration such as a certain member or a certain region is described as being "on" or "under", "upper" or "lower" or "above" or "below" another configuration such as another member or another region, this includes the case where the certain configuration is in direct contact with the other configuration. It also includes the case where another configuration is included between a certain configuration and the other configuration, that is, where the configuration is indirectly in contact. Also, unless otherwise specified, the words "on", "upper side", "upper", or "lower", or "lower", "lower" and "lower" may be used in the up-down direction.

In this specification and drawings, unless otherwise specified, identical parts or parts having similar functions are given the same or similar symbols, and repeated explanations may be omitted. In addition, the dimensional ratios of the drawings may differ from the actual ratios for the convenience of explanation, and some components may be omitted from the drawings.

Unless otherwise specified in this specification and drawings, the present invention may be combined with other embodiments and modified examples to the extent that no contradictions arise. In addition, other embodiments may be combined with each other, or other embodiments may be combined with modified examples to the extent that no contradictions arise. In addition, modified examples may be combined with each other to the extent that no contradictions arise.

Unless otherwise specified in this specification and drawings, when multiple steps are disclosed in a method such as a manufacturing method, other steps that are not disclosed may be performed between the disclosed steps. In addition, the order of the disclosed steps is arbitrary to the extent that no contradiction occurs.

In this specification and drawings, unless otherwise specified, a numerical range expressed by the symbol "to" includes the numerical values before and after the symbol. For example, the numerical range defined by the expression "34 to 38 mass%" is the same as the numerical range defined by the expression "34 mass% or more and 38 mass% or less."

Unless otherwise specified in this specification and the drawings, one embodiment of this specification will be described by giving an example related to a deposition mask used to pattern an organic material in a desired pattern on a substrate when manufacturing an organic EL display device, and a manufacturing method thereof. However, this embodiment is not limited to such applications, and can be applied to deposition masks used for various purposes.

One embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is an example of an embodiment of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited to only these embodiments.

A first aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising:
a frame preparation process for preparing a frame having a first frame surface, a second frame surface located opposite to the first frame surface, a frame opening penetrating from the first frame surface to the second frame surface, a frame wall surface located outside the frame opening in a plan view and extending from the first frame surface toward the second frame surface, the frame wall surface including a first wall surface edge located on the first frame surface side and a second wall surface edge located on the second frame surface side, and a third frame surface extending from the second wall surface edge along the second frame surface to the outside in a plan view;
a mask preparation process for preparing a deposition mask having a first mask edge located at one side edge in a first direction, a second mask edge located at the other side edge in the first direction, a pair of overlapping portions located on both sides in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a through hole located between the pair of overlapping portions;
an arrangement step of arranging the deposition mask in the frame such that the overlapping portion of the deposition mask overlaps an edge of the first wall surface in a plan view and the edge of the first wall surface extends in a straight line in the first direction from the first mask edge to the second mask edge of the deposition mask;
a mask alignment step of aligning the deposition mask with respect to the frame while pulling the deposition mask in the second direction by a bonding tension and pressing the deposition mask against the frame after the placing step;
a joining step of joining the deposition mask to the frame while pulling the deposition mask in the second direction with the joining tension and pressing the deposition mask against the frame after the mask alignment step,
It is.

As a second aspect of the present disclosure, in the method for manufacturing a deposition mask device according to the first aspect described above,
the mask alignment step includes a first confirmation step of confirming a position of the through hole with respect to the frame while the deposition mask is pressed against the frame while the bonding tension is applied to the deposition mask,
This may be done.

As a third aspect of the present disclosure, in the method for manufacturing a deposition mask device according to the second aspect described above,
the mask alignment step includes a moving step of applying the joining tension to the deposition mask and moving the deposition mask in any direction within a two-dimensional plane defined by the first direction and the second direction, based on a result of position confirmation of the through hole in the first confirmation step, while pressing the deposition mask against the frame.
This may be done.

As a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, in the method for manufacturing a deposition mask device according to each of the first to third aspects described above,
the mask alignment step includes a second confirmation step of confirming positions of the through holes with respect to the frame while applying a bonding tension to the deposition mask and pressing the deposition mask against the frame after the moving step,
This may be done.

As a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in the method for manufacturing a deposition mask device according to the first aspect described above,
The mask alignment step includes:
a third confirmation step of confirming a position of the through hole with respect to the frame while pressing the deposition mask against the frame;
a tension adjusting step of adjusting a tension applied to the deposition mask based on a result of position confirmation of the through hole in the third confirmation step;
and a fourth confirmation step of confirming a position of the through hole with respect to the frame while pressing the deposition mask against the frame while the deposition mask is applied with the joining tension after the tension adjustment step.
This may be done.

As a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, in the method for manufacturing a deposition mask device according to each of the first to fifth aspects described above,
a cutting step of cutting the overlapping portion of the deposition mask after the bonding step,
In the bonding step, a bonding portion is formed extending from the overlapping portion of the deposition mask to the frame,
In the cutting step, the deposition mask is cut at a position of the overlapping portion of the deposition mask that is outer than the joint portion in the second direction, and a portion of the deposition mask that is outer than the cutting position is removed.
This may be done.

As a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, in the method for manufacturing a deposition mask device according to the sixth aspect described above,
a frame groove extending in the first direction is provided on the first frame surface of the frame,
In the cutting step, the deposition mask is cut along the frame groove.
This may be done.

As an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, in the method for manufacturing a deposition mask device according to each of the first to seventh aspects described above,
when two or more of the deposition masks arranged in the first direction are joined to the frame, the first wall edge of the frame extends in a straight line in the first direction from one of the deposition masks to the other of the deposition masks.
This may be done.

As a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, in the method for manufacturing a deposition mask device according to the eighth aspect described above,
the first wall edge of the frame extends in a straight line in the first direction from the deposition mask located closest to one side in the first direction to the deposition mask located closest to the deposition mask located closest to the deposition mask,
This may be done.

Note that each of the first to ninth aspects described above may be a deposition mask device manufactured by the method for manufacturing a deposition mask device according to each of the first to tenth aspects.

In addition, a tenth aspect of the present disclosure is
a deposition mask device preparation step of preparing the deposition mask device by the deposition mask device manufacturing method according to any one of the first to ninth aspects described above;
a bonding step of bonding the deposition mask of the deposition mask device to a deposition target substrate;
a vapor deposition step of depositing a vapor deposition material onto the deposition substrate through the through-holes of the vapor deposition mask to form a vapor deposition layer;
It is.

As an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, in the method for manufacturing an organic EL display device according to the tenth aspect described above,
In the adhesion step, the deposition substrate is held from above by an electrostatic chuck.
This may be done.

Note that each of the above-mentioned tenth to eleventh aspects may be an organic EL display device manufactured by the manufacturing method of the organic EL display device of each of the tenth to eleventh aspects.

A twelfth aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising:
a frame having a first frame surface, a second frame surface located opposite to the first frame surface, a frame opening penetrating from the first frame surface to the second frame surface, a frame wall surface located outside the frame opening in a plan view and extending from the first frame surface toward the second frame surface, the frame wall surface including a first wall surface edge located on the first frame surface side and a second wall surface edge located on the second frame surface side, and a third frame surface extending from the second wall surface edge outward in a plan view along the second frame surface;
a deposition mask provided on the frame, the deposition mask having a first mask edge located on one side edge in a first direction, a second mask edge located on the other side edge in the first direction, a pair of overlapping portions located on both sides in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and overlapping with a surface of the first frame, and a through hole located between the pair of overlapping portions,
the deposition mask has a pair of mask ends located on both sides in the second direction and inside an edge of the first wall surface,
the first wall surface edge extends in a straight line in the second direction from an extension line of the first mask edge to an extension line of the second mask edge of the deposition mask;
It is.

As a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure, in the deposition mask apparatus according to the twelfth aspect described above,
Two or more of the deposition masks are arranged in the first direction,
The first wall surface edge extends in a straight line in the first direction from one of the deposition masks to the other of the deposition masks.
This may be done.

As a fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure, in the deposition mask apparatus according to the thirteenth aspect described above,
The first wall edge may extend in a straight line in the first direction from the deposition mask located on the furthest side in the first direction to the deposition mask located on the furthest opposite side from the deposition mask located on the furthest side in the first direction.

As a fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure, in a deposition mask apparatus according to each of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects described above,
a frame groove extending in the first direction is provided on the first frame surface of the frame;
This may be done.

In addition, a sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure is
a frame having a first frame surface, a second frame surface located opposite to the first frame surface, a frame opening penetrating from the first frame surface to the second frame surface, and a frame wall surface located outside the frame opening in a plan view and extending from the first frame surface toward the second frame surface, the frame wall surface including a first wall surface edge located on the first frame surface side, a second wall surface edge located on the second frame surface side, and a third frame surface extending from the second wall surface edge along the second frame surface to the outside in a plan view;
a deposition mask provided on the frame, the deposition mask having a first mask edge located on one side edge in a first direction, a second mask edge located on the other side edge in the first direction, a pair of overlapping portions located on both sides in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and overlapping with a surface of the first frame, and a through hole located between the pair of overlapping portions,
an intermediate of the deposition mask device, wherein the first wall surface edge overlaps the overlapping portion of the deposition mask in a plan view and extends in a straight line in the second direction from the first mask edge to the second mask edge of the deposition mask;
It is.

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a deposition mask device, a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device, a deposition mask device, and an intermediate product of the deposition mask device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 22.

First, the deposition device 80 that performs the deposition process of depositing a deposition material onto an object will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the deposition device 80 may include a deposition source (e.g., a crucible 81), a heater 83, and a deposition mask device 10. The deposition device 80 may further include an exhaust means (not shown) for creating a vacuum atmosphere inside the deposition device 80. The crucible 81 is provided inside the deposition device 80 and is configured to contain a deposition material 82 such as an organic light-emitting material. The heater 83 is configured to heat the crucible 81. By heating the crucible 81 in a vacuum atmosphere, the deposition material 82 evaporates.

The deposition mask device 10 is disposed in the deposition device 80 so as to face the crucible 81. The deposition mask device 10 may be disposed above the crucible 81. A deposition substrate 91 is disposed so as to face the deposition mask 20 of the deposition mask device 10. The deposition substrate 91 is an object to which the deposition material 82 is attached. The deposition substrate 91 may be disposed above the deposition mask 20. The deposition substrate 91 may be held by an electrostatic chuck 84 that utilizes electrostatic force. In this case, the electrostatic chuck 84 is disposed above the deposition substrate 91. The deposition material flying from the crucible 81 adheres to the deposition substrate 91 through a through hole 25 (described later) of the deposition mask 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the deposition device 80 may include a magnet 85 disposed above the electrostatic chuck 84. By providing the magnet 85, the deposition mask 20 can be attracted to the magnet 85 by magnetic force, and the deposition mask 20 can be closely attached to the deposition substrate 91. This can suppress the occurrence of a shadow (described later) in the deposition process, and can improve the shape accuracy and position accuracy of the deposition layer (or the light-emitting layer 92 of the organic EL display device 90, see FIG. 20) formed by the deposition material 82 attached to the deposition substrate 91. A cooling plate (not shown) for cooling the deposition substrate 91 during deposition may be interposed between the electrostatic chuck 84 and the magnet 85. Note that the deposition device 80 may not include such a magnet 85. In this case, the deposition mask 20 may be closely attached to the deposition substrate 91 by the electrostatic force of the electrostatic chuck 84 described above.

Next, the deposition mask device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 6.

As shown in FIG. 2, the deposition mask device 10 according to this embodiment may include a frame 15 and a deposition mask 20 provided on the frame 15. Two or more deposition masks 20 arranged in a first direction D1 may be provided on the frame 15. In this embodiment, the deposition mask 20 is formed in an elongated shape such that the second direction D2 perpendicular to the first direction D1 is the longitudinal direction, and has a plurality of through-hole groups 26 (or a plurality of effective areas 27, both of which will be described later) arranged in a line in the second direction D2.

The frame 15 supports the deposition mask 20 in a state where it is pulled in the planar direction in order to prevent the deposition mask 20 from bending. In other words, the deposition mask 20 is stretched and fixed across the frame 15.

As shown in FIG. 3, the frame 15 may have a first frame surface 15a located on the deposition mask 20 side, and a second frame surface 15b located on the opposite side to the first frame surface 15a. A second mask surface 20b (described later) of the deposition mask 20 is joined to the first frame surface 15a. Note that FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a cross section taken along line A-A in FIG. 2, and the number of through-hole groups 26 and through-holes 25 described later has been reduced to make the drawing clearer.

As shown in FIG. 2, the frame 15 may be formed in the shape of a rectangular frame in a plan view. The frame 15 may also have a frame opening 16 that extends from the first frame surface 15a to the second frame surface 15b. The frame opening 16 overlaps the through-hole group 26 of the deposition mask 20 in a plan view, exposing the through-hole group 26 to the second frame surface 15b. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the frame opening 16 is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view so as to extend along the first direction D1 and the second direction D2. Here, "plan view" is a term that means a view in the thickness direction D3 of the deposition mask 20, for example, a view in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2. The thickness direction D3 is a direction perpendicular to the first direction D1 and the second direction D2.

2 and 3, the frame 15 may have four frame wall surfaces 17a to 17d extending from the first frame surface 15a toward the second frame surface 15b, and a third frame surface 15c. The frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b are located on both sides and outside of the frame opening 16 in the second direction D2 in a plan view. In other words, the frame opening 16 is located between the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b in the second direction D2. The frame wall surfaces 17c and 17d are located on both sides and outside of the frame opening 16 in the first direction D1. In other words, the frame opening 16 is located between the frame wall surfaces 17c and 17d in the first direction D1. The four frame wall surfaces 17a to 17d are formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view so as to follow the frame opening 16. The first frame surface 15a is formed in a rectangular frame shape in a plan view. Here, "outside" refers to the side opposite the center (inside) of the frame opening 16 in a plan view. For example, the outside in the first direction D1 refers to the left or right side in FIG. 2, and the outside in the second direction D2 refers to the upper or lower side in FIG. 2.

Frame walls 17a-17d are connected to first frame surface 15a but not to second frame surface 15b. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4A, frame walls 17a-17d extend in a direction intersecting first frame surface 15a when viewed in a cross section along thickness direction D3. Representatively, a pair of frame walls 17a, 17b are shown in Fig. 3, and frame wall 17a is shown in Fig. 4A. Frame walls 17a, 17b are shown in an example formed perpendicular to first frame surface 15a, but may be inclined so as to be gradually positioned outward relative to first frame surface 15a as they proceed toward second frame surface 15b. The same applies to frame walls 17c, 17d.

The frame walls 17a and 17b include a first wall edge 17e located at the edge on the side of the first frame surface 15a. The first wall edge 17e overlaps with the corresponding overlapping portion 21 (described later) of the deposition mask 20 in a plan view before the cutting process described later. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the first wall edge 17e of the frame walls 17a and 17b extends in a straight line in the first direction D1 from the first extension line 20e of the first mask edge 20c (described later) of the deposition mask 20 after the cutting process to the second extension line 20f of the second mask edge 20d. Here, the term "the first wall edge 17e extends in a straight line" means that the first wall edge 17e forms a straight line in a plan view, but is not limited to a strict meaning. This term is used as a concept including, for example, forming the first wall edge 17e in a non-linear shape within a range that can suppress the concentration of stress generated in the deposition mask 20 due to the reaction force that the deposition mask 20 receives from the frame 15 in the mask alignment process described below.

In this embodiment, as described above, a plurality of deposition masks 20 are joined to the frame 15. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, the first wall edge 17e of the frame wall surfaces 17a, 17b may extend in a straight line in the first direction D1 from one deposition mask 20 to another deposition mask 20. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the first wall edge 17e of the frame wall surfaces 17a, 17b may extend in a straight line in the first direction D1 from the deposition mask 20 located on the furthest side in the first direction D1 to the deposition mask 20 located on the furthest opposite side from the deposition mask 20.

As shown in FIG. 3, frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b include a second wall edge 17f located at the edge on the second frame surface 15b side. The third frame surface 15c extends outward from the second wall edge 17f and extends to an outer wall surface 15d, which will be described later. The third frame surface 15c extends along the second frame surface 15b. In FIG. 3 and FIG. 4A, an example is shown in which the third frame surface 15c is formed parallel to the second frame surface 15b, but it may be inclined with respect to the second frame surface 15b so as to gradually approach the second frame surface 15b as it proceeds outward.

In this embodiment, frame wall surfaces 17c and 17d may also include a first wall edge 17e and a second wall edge 17f, similar to frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b. The third frame surface 15c may also extend outward from the second wall edges 17f of frame wall surfaces 17c and 17d. The third frame surface 15c may extend to an outer wall surface 15d, which will be described later. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the third frame surface 15c may be formed in the shape of a rectangular frame in a plan view.

As shown in FIG. 4B, in a cross section along the thickness direction D3, the frame wall surface 17a may include a curved portion 17h located on the side of the first frame surface 15a. The curved portion 17h may have a curved shape. The above-mentioned first wall surface edge 17e is located on the edge of the curved portion 17h on the side of the first frame surface 15a. In other words, the first wall surface edge 17e is located at the position where the curved portion 17h and the first frame surface 15a intersect. The curved portion 17h may be formed, for example, in a shape that forms a part of a circular arc. In this case, the curved portion 17h may have a radius of, for example, 0.3 mm or more in a cross section along the thickness direction D3 and perpendicular to the frame wall surface 17a. In this case, the upper limit value of the radius of the curved portion 17h may be equal to or less than the dimension of the frame wall surface 17a in the thickness direction D3. The other frame wall surfaces 17b to 17d may also include the curved portion 17h in the same manner. Note that frame wall surface 17a does not have to include curved portion 17h. In this case, first wall edge 17e is located at the position where frame wall surface 17a and first frame surface 15a intersect.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the first frame surface 15a may have a frame groove 18 extending in the first direction D1. The frame groove 18 may be located inside the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b in the second direction D2, and a cutting means (e.g., a cutting blade 62) for cutting the deposition mask 20 may be inserted into the frame groove 18. The frame groove 18 is located between the frame opening 16 and the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b in a plan view. The frame groove 18 may extend linearly in the first direction D1. The frame groove 18 may extend linearly in the first direction D1 from the deposition mask 20 located on the furthest side in the first direction (e.g., the leftmost side in FIG. 2) to the deposition mask 20 located on the furthest side opposite to the deposition mask 20 (e.g., the rightmost side in FIG. 2).

The cross section of the frame groove 18 can be any shape as long as the cutting blade 62 described above can be inserted into it. Figure 4A shows an example in which the cross section of the frame groove 18 is formed in a rectangular shape.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4A, the frame opening 16 is defined by four inner wall surfaces 16a. The inner wall surfaces 16a extend from the first frame surface 15a to the second frame surface 15b and may be formed perpendicular to the first frame surface 15a and the second frame surface 15b.

As shown in Figs. 2 to 4A, the outer periphery of the frame 15 in plan view is defined by four outer wall surfaces 15d. The outer wall surfaces 15d extend from the third frame surface 15c to the second frame surface 15b, and may be formed perpendicular to the third frame surface 15c and the second frame surface 15b. In this way, the frame 15 may be formed in the shape of a rectangular frame in plan view.

2, a frame alignment mark 19 may be provided on the first frame surface 15a of the frame 15. The frame alignment mark 19 is used for aligning the alignment mask 70 described later. For example, four frame alignment marks 19 may be provided as shown in FIG. 2, and may be located near the corners of the frame opening 16. The frame alignment mark 19 may penetrate the frame 15 when aligning with the mask alignment mark 71 by irradiating light. However, the frame alignment mark 19 does not need to penetrate the frame 15 as long as it can align with the mask alignment mark 71. The planar shape of the frame alignment mark 19 is arbitrary, but in FIG. 2, a circular shape is used as an example.

The frame 15 may be made of the same material as the material constituting the deposition mask 20 described below. However, this is not limited to this, and the frame 15 may be made of a material different from that of the deposition mask 20.

3, the frame 15 has a thickness H1 extending from the first frame surface 15a to the second frame surface 15b. The thickness H1 may be, for example, 10 mm or more, 15 mm or more, 20 mm or more, or 25 mm or more. By setting the thickness H1 to 10 mm or more, deformation due to the tension from the stretched deposition mask 20 can be suppressed. The thickness H1 may be, for example, 25 mm or less, 40 mm or less, 45 mm or less, or 50 mm or less. By setting the thickness H1 to 50 mm or less, an increase in weight can be suppressed. The range of the thickness H1 may be determined by a first group consisting of 10 mm, 15 mm, 20 mm, and 25 mm, and/or a second group consisting of 25 mm, 40 mm, 45 mm, and 50 mm. The range of the thickness H1 may be determined by a combination of any one of the values included in the first group described above and any one of the values included in the second group described above. The range of thickness H1 may be determined by a combination of any two of the values included in the first group described above. The range of thickness H1 may be determined by a combination of any two of the values included in the second group described above. For example, the range may be 10 mm or more and 50 mm or less, 10 mm or more and 45 mm or less, 10 mm or more and 40 mm or less, 10 mm or more and 25 mm or less, 10 mm or more and 25 mm or less, 10 mm or more and 20 mm or less, 10 mm or more and 15 mm or less, 15 mm or more and 50 mm or less, 15 mm or more and 45 mm or less, 15 mm or more and 40 mm or less, 15 mm or more and 25 mm or less, 15 mm or more and 25 mm or less, 15 mm or more and 20 mm or more and 50 mm or less. Alternatively, it may be 20 mm or more and 45 mm or less, 20 mm or more and 40 mm or less, 20 mm or more and 25 mm or less, 20 mm or more and 25 mm or less, 25 mm or more and 50 mm or less, 25 mm or more and 45 mm or less, 25 mm or more and 40 mm or less, 25 mm or more and 25 mm or less, 25 mm or more and 50 mm or less, 25 mm or more and 45 mm or less, 25 mm or more and 40 mm or less, 40 mm or more and 50 mm or less, 40 mm or more and 45 mm or less, 45 mm or more and 50 mm or less.

Next, a deposition mask 20 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 6. The deposition mask 20 can be manufactured by any manufacturing method. For example, it may be manufactured by etching a rolled material, or it may be manufactured by a plating process. When manufactured by a plating process, the deposition mask 20 may be composed of two or more layers. In this case, the through holes 25 described later are formed to penetrate these layers.

As shown in FIG. 3, the deposition mask 20 may have a first mask surface 20a and a second mask surface 20b located on the opposite side to the second mask surface 20b. The first mask surface 20a may be a surface to which the deposition substrate 91 is in close contact during deposition. The second mask surface 20b may be a surface on the side of the frame 15 described above.

2 and 5, the deposition mask 20 may have a first mask edge 20c and a second mask edge 20d located on both sides in the first direction D1 (width direction of the deposition mask 20) in a plan view. The first mask edge 20c is located on one side edge (left side in FIG. 2) in the first direction D1 and extends from a first mask end 20g to a second mask end 20h described later. The second mask edge 20d is located on the other side edge (right side in FIG. 2) in the first direction D1 and extends from the first mask end 20g to the second mask end 20h. Each mask edge 20c, 20d extends in the second direction D2. In FIG. 5, a first extension line 20e extending the first mask edge 20c is shown, and a second extension line 20f extending the second mask edge 20d is shown. Each extension line 20e, 20f is a line that extends outward in the second direction D2 from the mask edges 20g, 20h described below, and may be a line that extends in a straight line from the corresponding mask edges 20c, 20d.

The deposition mask 20 may also have a first mask end 20g and a second mask end 20h located on both sides in a second direction D2 perpendicular to the first direction D1. The first mask end 20g is located at one end (upper side in FIG. 2) in the second direction D2 and extends from the first mask edge 20c to the second mask edge 20d. The second mask end 20h is located at the other end (lower side in FIG. 2) in the second direction D2 and extends from the first mask edge 20c to the second mask edge 20d. Each mask end 20g, 20h extends in the first direction D1. Each mask end 20g, 20h is located in the second direction D2 more inward than the first wall edge 17e of the corresponding frame wall surface 17a, 17b of the frame 15 in a plan view. More specifically, the first mask end 20g is located inside the first wall edge 17e of the frame wall surface 17a in the second direction D2 (lower side in FIG. 2), and the second mask end 20h is located inside the first wall edge 17e of the frame wall surface 17b in the second direction D2 (upper side in FIG. 2). Each mask end 20g, 20h is formed by cutting the deposition mask 20 with a cutting blade 62 described later, and is located at a position that overlaps the corresponding frame groove 18 in a plan view.

3 and 5, the deposition mask 20 may have a pair of overlapping portions 21 that overlap the first frame surface 15a and are located on both sides in the second direction D2. The overlapping portion 21 is located between the first mask edge 20c and the second mask edge 20d, and is located outside the through-hole group 26 described later in a plan view in the second direction D2. A part of the overlapping portion 21 is cut and removed in a cutting process described later. More specifically, the overlapping portion 21 includes a mask welded portion 22 that is welded to the frame 15 to form a welded portion 30 (described later), and a removed portion 23 that is located outside the mask welded portion 22 in a plan view in the second direction D2 and is cut and removed in the cutting process. The removed portion 23 is composed of a pressed portion 23a that is pressed against the frame 15 together with the mask welded portion 22 in a mask alignment process described later, and a held portion 23b that is held by a mask clamp 60 described later. In FIG. 5, the portion to be removed 23 is shown by a two-dot chain line.

As shown in FIG. 3, the deposition mask 20 may have two or more through holes 25. The deposition mask 20 may have a through hole group 26 composed of two or more through holes 25. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, each deposition mask 20 has two or more through hole groups 26 arranged in the second direction D2. The through hole group 26 is located between the first mask edge 20c and the second mask edge 20d in the first direction D1, and is located between a pair of overlapping portions 21 in the second direction D2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the through hole 25 extends from the first mask surface 20a to the second mask surface 20b and penetrates the deposition mask 20. In FIG. 3, in order to simplify the drawing, an example is shown in which the wall surface of the through hole 25 is inclined linearly with respect to the central axis line CL so as to move away from the central axis line CL from the first mask surface 20a toward the second mask surface 20b. In this way, the wall surface of the through hole 25 may be formed so that the opening dimension in the first mask surface 20a is smaller than the opening dimension in the second mask surface 20b. In this case, it is possible to prevent the deposition material 82 flying from the crucible 81 of the deposition device 80 from reaching the second mask surface 20b before reaching the deposition substrate 91, or from reaching and adhering to the wall surface of the through hole 25. That is, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the light-emitting layer 92 formed on the deposition substrate 91 from becoming thin near the wall surface of the through hole 25. This can prevent the deposition material 82 from being hindered from adhering to the deposition substrate 91 by the wall surface of the through hole 25 (also called a shadow). This can improve the shape accuracy and position accuracy of the light-emitting layer 92 (see FIG. 21) formed by the deposition material 82 adhering to the deposition substrate 91, and can increase the definition of the light-emitting layer 92. Although a detailed description of the cross-sectional shape of the through hole 25 is omitted here, the shape of the wall surface may be curved or may be any shape depending on the manufacturing method of the deposition mask 20.

As shown in FIG. 6, the through holes 25 may form the above-mentioned through hole group 26. The through hole group 26 overlaps the frame opening 16 (see FIG. 2 and FIG. 3) of the frame 15 described above and is exposed from the frame opening 16. All of the through hole groups 26 may overlap the frame opening 16. As shown in FIG. 6, the through hole group 26 may be configured so that two or more through holes 25 form a group. The through hole group 26 is used as a term meaning a collection of a plurality of through holes 25 arranged regularly. The through hole 25 on the outer edge constituting one through hole group 26 is the through hole 25 located on the outermost side among the plurality of through holes 25 arranged regularly in the same way. Outside the through hole 25 on the outer edge, there may not be a through hole 25 arranged regularly in the same way and intended for the passage of the deposition material 82. However, outside the through hole 25 on the outer edge, a through hole or a recess (neither of which is shown) for other purposes may be formed. These through holes and recesses for other uses may be formed without the regularity of the arrangement of through holes 25, and may not be considered to belong to the through hole group 26.

As shown in FIG. 2, the multiple through hole groups 26 may be arranged at a predetermined interval (at a predetermined pitch). The through hole groups 26 may be arranged at a predetermined interval in the second direction D2. Although not shown, the through hole groups 26 may be arranged in parallel in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2. That is, each through hole group 26 constituting one row along the first direction D1 and each through hole group 26 constituting another row adjacent to that row in the second direction D2 may be aligned in the second direction D2.

As shown in FIG. 6, in one through-hole group 26, the multiple through-holes 25 may be arranged at a predetermined interval (a predetermined pitch). The through-holes 25 may be arranged at a predetermined interval (reference symbol C1 shown in FIG. 6) in the first direction D1 and at a predetermined interval (reference symbol C2 shown in FIG. 6) in the second direction D2. The arrangement pitches C1 and C2 of the through-holes 25 may be different in the first direction D1 and the second direction D2, or may be equal. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the arrangement pitch C1 in the first direction D1 and the arrangement pitch C2 in the second direction D2 are equal. As shown in FIG. 6, the through-holes 25 may be arranged in parallel. More specifically, each through-hole 25 constituting one row along the first direction D1 and each through-hole 25 constituting another row adjacent to the row in the second direction D2 may be aligned in the second direction D2. The arrangement pitches C1 and C2 of the through-holes 25 may be determined, for example, as follows according to the pixel density of the display device or the projection device.
If the pixel density is 600 ppi or more, the pitch must be 42.3 μm or less. If the pixel density is 1200 ppi or more, the pitch must be 21.2 μm or less. If the pixel density is 3000 ppi or more, the pitch must be 8.5 μm or less. If the pixel density is 5000 ppi or more, the pitch must be 5.1 μm or less.

A display device or projection device with a pixel density of 600 ppi may be used to display images or videos at a distance of about 15 cm from the eyeball, and may be used, for example, as an organic EL display device for a smartphone. A display device or projection device with a pixel density of 1200 ppi may be used to display images or videos at a distance of about 8 cm from the eyeball, and may be used, for example, to display or project images or videos for expressing virtual reality (so-called VR). A display device or projection device with a pixel density of 3000 ppi may be used to display images or videos at a distance of about 3 cm from the eyeball, and may be used, for example, to display or project images or videos for expressing augmented reality (so-called AR). A display device or projection device with a pixel density of 5000 ppi may be used to display images or videos at a distance of about 2 cm from the eyeball, and may be used, for example, to display or project images or videos for expressing augmented reality.

The through holes 25 in one through hole group 26 may be arranged in a staggered arrangement (not shown) rather than in parallel arrangement. That is, each through hole 25 constituting one row along the first direction D1 and each through hole 25 constituting another row adjacent to that row in the second direction D2 do not have to be aligned in the second direction D2. Each through hole 25 constituting one row and each through hole 25 constituting the other adjacent row may be arranged with a shift in the first direction D1. The amount of shift may be half the arrangement pitch C1 in the first direction D1, but the amount of shift is arbitrary.

As shown in FIG. 6, the through-hole 25 may have a substantially rectangular contour in a plan view. In this case, the four corners of the contour of the through-hole 25 may be curved. The shape of the contour may be determined arbitrarily according to the shape of the pixel. For example, the contour may have another polygonal shape such as a hexagon or an octagon, or may have a circular shape. The contour shape may also be a combination of multiple shapes. Furthermore, each of the through-holes 25 may have a contour shape different from the others. When the through-hole 25 has a polygonal contour, the opening dimension of the through-hole 25 may be the distance between a pair of opposing sides of the polygon, as shown in FIG. 6.

3 and 6, the opening dimension of the through hole 25 on the first mask surface 20a of the deposition mask 20 is indicated by the symbol S1. The opening dimension of the through hole 25 on the second mask surface 20b of the deposition mask 20 is indicated by the symbol S2. The symbol S3 indicates the distance between adjacent through holes 25 on the first mask surface 20a. In FIG. 6, the planar shape of the through hole 25 is a square, so that the opening dimension of the through hole 25 in the first direction D1 is equal to the opening dimension of the through hole 25 in the second direction D2. Representatively, the dimensions of the through hole 25 in the second direction D2 are indicated by the symbols S1 and S2.

The dimensions S1, S2, and S3 are determined according to the pixel density of the display device or the projection device, for example, as shown in Table 1 below.

Incidentally, the through-hole group 26 may be referred to as an effective area 27. The area located around the effective area 27 may be referred to as a surrounding area 28. In this embodiment, the surrounding area 28 surrounds one effective area 27.

When a display device such as an organic EL display device is manufactured using the deposition mask 20, one effective area 27 corresponds to the display area of one organic EL display device. Therefore, the deposition mask 20 shown in FIG. 2 allows deposition of multiple surfaces of an organic EL display device. Note that one effective area 27 may correspond to multiple display areas.

The effective area 27 may have an outline of a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, as shown in FIG. 6, for example. The outline of the effective area 27 may be defined by a line that is tangent to the outermost through hole 25 of the corresponding through hole group 26 from the outside. More specifically, the outline of the effective area 27 may be defined by a line that is tangent to the opening of the through hole 25. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the through holes 25 are arranged in parallel, so that the outline of the effective area 27 is an outline of a substantially rectangular shape. Although not shown, each effective area 27 may have an outline of various shapes depending on the shape of the display area of the organic EL display device. For example, each effective area 27 may have an outline of a circular shape.

As shown in FIG. 3, the deposition mask 20 has a thickness H2 extending from the first mask surface 20a to the second mask surface 20b. The thickness H2 may be, for example, 2 μm or more, 5 μm or more, 10 μm or more, or 15 μm or more. By setting the thickness H2 to 2 μm or more, the mechanical strength of the deposition mask 20 can be ensured. In addition, the thickness H2 may be, for example, 20 μm or less, 30 μm or less, 40 μm or less, or 50 μm or less. By setting the thickness H2 to 50 μm or less, the occurrence of a shadow can be suppressed. The range of the thickness H2 may be determined by a first group consisting of 2 μm, 5 μm, 10 μm, and 15 μm, and/or a second group consisting of 20 μm, 30 μm, 40 μm, and 50 μm. The range of thickness H2 may be determined by a combination of any one of the values included in the above-mentioned first group and any one of the values included in the above-mentioned second group. The range of thickness H2 may be determined by a combination of any two of the values included in the above-mentioned first group. The range of thickness H2 may be determined by a combination of any two of the values included in the above-mentioned second group. For example, it may be 2 μm or more and 50 μm or less, 2 μm or more and 40 μm or less, 2 μm or more and 30 μm or less, 2 μm or more and 20 μm or less, 2 μm or more and 15 μm or less, 2 μm or more and 10 μm or less, 2 μm or more and 5 μm or less, 5 μm or more and 50 μm or less, 5 μm or more and 40 μm or less, 5 μm or more and 30 μm or less, 5 μm or more and 20 μm or less, 5 μm or more and 15 μm or less, 5 μm or more and 10 μm or less, 10 μm or more and 50 μm or less, or 10 μm or less. It may be 40 μm or less, 10 μm or more and 30 μm or less, 10 μm or more and 20 μm or less, 10 μm or more and 15 μm or less, 15 μm or more and 50 μm or less, 15 μm or more and 40 μm or less, 15 μm or more and 30 μm or less, 15 μm or more and 20 μm or less, 20 μm or more and 50 μm or less, 20 μm or more and 40 μm or less, 20 μm or more and 30 μm or less, 30 μm or more and 50 μm or less, 30 μm or more and 40 μm or less, or 40 μm or more and 50 μm or less.

The deposition mask 20 may be made of, for example, an iron alloy containing nickel. The iron alloy may further contain cobalt in addition to nickel. For example, an iron alloy containing nickel and cobalt in total of 30% by mass or more and 54% by mass or less and a cobalt content of 0% by mass or more and 6% by mass or less can be used as the material of the deposition mask 20. Specific examples of iron alloys containing nickel include an Invar material containing 34% by mass or more and 38% by mass or less of nickel, and a low thermal expansion Fe-Ni-based plating alloy containing 38% by mass or more and 54% by mass or less of nickel. Specific examples of iron alloys containing nickel and cobalt include a Super Invar material containing 30% by mass or more and 34% by mass or less of nickel and further containing cobalt. By using such an iron alloy, the thermal expansion coefficient of the deposition mask 20 can be reduced. For example, when a glass substrate is used as the deposition substrate 91, the thermal expansion coefficient of the deposition mask 20 can be reduced to a value as low as that of the glass substrate. This makes it possible to prevent the shape accuracy and positional accuracy of the light-emitting layer 92 formed on the deposition substrate 91 from decreasing due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the deposition mask 20 and the deposition substrate 91 during the deposition process.

In the case where the thermal expansion coefficient of the deposition mask 20 does not need to be as low as that of the glass substrate, the material constituting the deposition mask 20 may be, for example, nickel alone or a nickel alloy containing cobalt, instead of the above-mentioned iron alloy. When the deposition mask 20 is made of a nickel alloy containing cobalt, a nickel alloy containing 8% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less of cobalt can be used as the material for the deposition mask 20. By using such nickel or nickel alloy, when the deposition mask 20 is manufactured by plating, the plating solution for depositing the plating film constituting the deposition mask 20 can be stabilized, making it easier to manage and improving the handleability. In addition, the components of the plating film can be made uniform, improving the quality of the deposition mask 20.

3 and 4A, each deposition mask 20 is joined and fixed to the frame 15. For example, the deposition mask 20 may be joined to the frame 15 by welding. For example, the deposition mask 20 may be joined to the frame 15 by a welded portion 30 formed by spot welding. As shown in FIG. 5, the welded portion 30 may be formed at a position between the frame opening 16 and the frame groove 18. As shown in FIG. 2, one deposition mask 20 may be joined to the frame 15 by a plurality of spot-shaped welded portions 30. In this case, the plurality of welded portions 30 may be aligned in the first direction D1. Alternatively, although not shown, the welded portion 30 may be formed so as to extend continuously in the first direction D1.

As shown in FIG. 2, two alignment masks 70 may be provided on the frame 15. One alignment mask 70 is located on the frame wall surface 17d side with respect to the deposition mask 20 located closest to the frame wall surface 17d. The other alignment mask 70 is located on the frame wall surface 17c side with respect to the deposition mask 20 located closest to the frame wall surface 17c. In FIG. 2, one alignment mask 70 is located to the left of the deposition mask 20 located closest to the left, and the other alignment mask 70 is located to the right of the deposition mask 20 located closest to the right. The alignment mask 70 is bonded to the first frame surface 15a of the frame 15. The alignment mask 70 may be stretched and fixed to the frame 15.

Each alignment mask 70 includes two mask alignment marks 71. Each mask alignment mark 71 is located at a position overlapping the corresponding frame alignment mark 19 in a plan view. When the mask alignment mark 71 is aligned with the frame alignment mark 19 by irradiating light, the mask alignment mark 71 may penetrate the alignment mask 70. However, the mask alignment mark 71 does not need to penetrate the alignment mask 70 as long as it can be aligned with the frame alignment mark 19. The planar shape of the mask alignment mark 71 is arbitrary, but in FIG. 2, a circular shape is used as an example. The diameter of the mask alignment mark 71 may be smaller than the diameter of the frame alignment mark 19.

Next, a method for manufacturing the deposition mask device 10 according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 18. The method for manufacturing the deposition mask device 10 according to this embodiment may include a frame preparation process, a mask preparation process, a holding process, a placement process, a mask alignment process, a bonding process, a removal process, and a cutting process.

First, in the frame preparation process, the above-mentioned frame 15 is prepared. The frame 15 can be manufactured by any manufacturing method. For example, the frame 15 shown in Figures 2 to 4B may be manufactured by machining a plate material, a forged material, or the like. The frame 15 may be attached to a tensioning device (not shown). Then, an alignment mask 70 (see Figure 2) may be tensioned and joined to the frame 15. At this time, the mask alignment mark 71 of the alignment mask 70 is aligned with the frame alignment mark 19 of the frame 15.

In addition, in the mask preparation process, the deposition mask 20 described above is prepared. As described above, the deposition mask 20 can be manufactured by any manufacturing method, such as etching or plating of rolled material.

Next, in the holding step, the deposition mask 20 is held by a mechanical mask clamp 60. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the held portion 23b of the removed portion 23 located at both ends in the second direction D2 of the deposition mask 20 may be gripped by the mask clamp 60 (see FIG. 10). One held portion 23b may be held by two mask clamps 60 at different positions in the first direction D1. A driving unit 60D may be connected to each mask clamp 60. The driving unit 60D may be configured to be able to pull each mask clamp 60 individually. The driving unit 60D may pull each mask clamp 60 in the second direction D2 to apply a first tension T1 in the second direction D2 to the deposition mask 20. The first tension T1 is a tension applied to the deposition mask 20 in the holding step. The first tension T1 may be a relatively small value that can suppress the deposition mask 20 from bending significantly. Here, the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 refers to the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 from the mask clamps 60, and may be the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 as a result of each mask clamp 60 pulling the deposition mask 20. The tension applied to the deposition mask 20 may be confirmed on a display unit (not shown) of the drive unit 60D or the like. When the deposition mask 20 is pressed against the frame 15, the tension in the effective region 27 of the deposition mask 20 becomes smaller than the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 from the mask clamps 60.

Next, as a placement step, as shown in FIG. 8, the deposition mask 20 is placed on the frame 15. More specifically, first, the deposition mask 20 is placed above the frame 15, and then the deposition mask 20 is lowered to contact the frame 15. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the overlapping portion 21 of the deposition mask 20 overlaps the first wall surface edge 17e of the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b in a plan view, and overlaps the first frame surface 15a. Also, the first wall surface edge 17e is placed so as to extend in a straight line in the first direction D1 from the first mask edge 20c to the second mask edge 20d of the deposition mask 20. The deposition mask 20 is placed so that the direction perpendicular to the first wall surface edge 17e and the frame groove 18 is the longitudinal direction. In the placement step, the deposition mask 20 may be in a state in which the above-mentioned first tension T1 is applied to the deposition mask 20 following the holding step.

Next, as a mask alignment process, as shown in FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B, the deposition mask 20 is aligned with respect to the frame 15. In the mask alignment process, the deposition mask 20 is pulled in the second direction D2 with a second tension T2, and the deposition mask 20 is pressed against the frame 15. The second tension T2 is a tension applied to the deposition mask 20 in the mask alignment process. The second tension T2 may be a value greater than the first tension T1 described above.

The mask alignment process may include a tension increase process, a first through-hole confirmation process, a movement process, a second through-hole confirmation process, a tension adjustment process, and a third through-hole confirmation process. The first through-hole confirmation process is an example of a first confirmation process. The second through-hole confirmation process is an example of a second confirmation process and also an example of a third confirmation process. The third through-hole confirmation process is an example of a fourth confirmation process.

In the tension increasing process, the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 is increased. More specifically, the above-mentioned drive unit 60D (see FIG. 7) increases the tensile force of each mask clamp 60. As a result, the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 increases from the first tension T1 to the second tension T2.

In the first through hole confirmation process, as shown in FIG. 9A, the position of the through hole 25 relative to the frame 15 is confirmed. More specifically, it may be confirmed whether the position of the through hole 25 is positioned within an allowable range with respect to the desired position. For example, the coordinates of the through hole 25 relative to an arbitrarily set origin may be measured, and the measured coordinates may be compared with the target coordinates of the through hole 25. For example, the coordinates of the through hole 25 may be measured with the center of the four mask alignment marks 71 (see FIG. 2) as the origin. For example, the intersection of two straight lines passing through the centers of two diagonally positioned mask alignment marks 71 may be the origin. The center of the mask alignment mark 71 may be measured by capturing an image from below the alignment mask 70 with the camera 61 and analyzing the image. The coordinates of the through hole 25 may be the center point of the through hole 25 in a plan view. The coordinates of the through hole 25 may be measured by capturing an image from below the deposition mask 20 with the camera 61 and analyzing the image. Coordinate measurements may be performed on a plurality of through holes 25 to confirm the positions of the plurality of through holes 25. The amount and direction of positional deviation may be determined based on the confirmation results of the positions of the through holes 25. In the first through hole confirmation process, the deposition mask 20 may be pressed against the frame 15 while the second tension T2 described above is applied to the deposition mask 20.

If the result of checking the position of the through hole 25 in the first through hole checking process shows that the through hole 25 is located within an allowable range with respect to the desired position, the mask alignment process may be terminated and the process may proceed to the bonding process. In this case, the movement process and the like described below may be unnecessary. If the through hole 25 is located within the allowable range, the second tension T2 applied to the deposition mask 20 in the first through hole checking process becomes equal to the bonding tension T4 described below. On the other hand, if the position of the through hole 25 is not located within the allowable range with respect to the desired position, the movement process is performed.

In the moving step, as shown in FIG. 9B, the deposition mask 20 is moved in any direction in a two-dimensional plane defined by the first direction D1 and the second direction D2. For example, the deposition mask 20 may be moved in the first direction D1 in FIG. 10, or in the second direction D2. Alternatively, the deposition mask 20 may be rotated in a planar view. Here, the deposition mask 20 may be moved relative to the frame 15 by moving each mask clamp 60. In the moving step, the deposition mask 20 may be moved based on the position confirmation result of the through hole 25 in the above-mentioned first through hole confirmation step. The movement amount of the deposition mask 20 may be a value corresponding to the positional deviation amount obtained in the first through hole confirmation step. The movement direction of the deposition mask 20 may be a direction corresponding to the positional deviation direction obtained in the first through hole confirmation step. In the moving step, the deposition mask 20 moves relative to the frame 15 while being pressed against the frame 15 without being raised. This makes it unnecessary to raise and lower the deposition mask 20 in order to move it, and reduces the time required for the mask alignment process. In the movement process, the deposition mask 20 may be applied with the second tension T2 described above.

In the second through hole confirmation process, the position of the through hole 25 relative to the frame 15 is confirmed. The second through hole confirmation process may be performed in the same manner as the first through hole confirmation process.

If the result of checking the position of the through hole 25 in the second through hole checking process shows that the through hole 25 is located within an allowable range with respect to the desired position, the mask alignment process may be terminated and the process may proceed to the bonding process. In this case, the tension adjustment process described below may be unnecessary. If the through hole 25 is located within the allowable range, the second tension T2 applied to the deposition mask 20 in the second through hole checking process becomes equal to the bonding tension T4 described below. On the other hand, if the position of the through hole 25 is not located within an allowable range with respect to the desired position, the tension adjustment process is performed.

In the tension adjustment step, as shown in FIG. 9C, the second tension T2 applied to the deposition mask 20 is adjusted based on the result of confirming the position of the through hole 25 in the second through hole confirmation step. More specifically, the force with which the driving unit 60D pulls each mask clamp 60 is adjusted so that each through hole 25 is positioned within an allowable range with respect to the desired position. This allows the position of the through hole 25 to be adjusted to align the corresponding through hole 25 with each first electrode 94 of the deposition substrate 91 in the adhesion step described later. The deflection amount of the deposition mask 20 can also be adjusted to a desired deflection amount. By individually adjusting the tensile force of each mask clamp 60, the position of some of the through holes 25 of all the through holes 25 of the deposition mask 20 can be adjusted, and each through hole 25 can be positioned within an allowable range. In the tension adjustment step, the position of the through hole 25 may be adjusted by changing the tension without moving each mask clamp 60. The tensile force of each mask clamp 60 is adjusted individually, and as a result, the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 is adjusted. The adjusted tension is referred to as the third tension T3. The deposition mask 20 may be pressed against the frame 15 even in the tension adjustment process. The difference between the third tension T3 and the second tension T2 may be smaller than the difference between the first tension T1 and the second tension.

Then, a third through hole confirmation process is performed. In the third through hole confirmation process, the position of the through hole 25 relative to the frame 15 is confirmed in the same manner as in the first through hole confirmation process described above. In the third through hole confirmation process, the deposition mask 20 may be applied with the third tension T3 described above and pressed against the frame 15.

If the result of the position confirmation of the through hole 25 in the third through hole confirmation process shows that the through hole 25 is positioned within the allowable range with respect to the desired position, the mask alignment process may be terminated and the process may proceed to the bonding process. In this case, the third tension T3 applied to the deposition mask 20 in the third through hole confirmation process is equal to the bonding tension T4 described later. On the other hand, if the position of the through hole 25 is not positioned within the allowable range with respect to the desired position, the tension adjustment process and the third through hole confirmation process may be performed again. The tension adjustment process and the third through hole confirmation process may be repeated until the through hole 25 is positioned within the allowable range with respect to the desired position. The tension applied to the deposition mask 20 in the last third through hole confirmation process may be the third tension T3. Depending on the result of the position confirmation in the second through hole confirmation process, the movement process may be performed again to move the deposition mask 20 relative to the frame 15. Depending on the result of the position confirmation in the third through hole confirmation process, the movement process may be performed again to move the deposition mask 20 relative to the frame 15.

Depending on the results of the position confirmation by the first through hole confirmation process, the movement process and the second through hole confirmation process may be omitted and the tension adjustment process may be performed. In other words, as the positioning process, the first through hole confirmation process and the movement process may be omitted and only the second through hole confirmation process may be performed.

As described above, in the mask alignment process, the deposition mask 20 is pressed against the frame 15. This pressing force may be a force that can prevent the deposition mask 20 from floating from the frame 15. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a case will be described in which each held portion 23b located on both sides of the deposition mask 20 in the first direction D1 is held by two mask clamps 60. In the mask alignment process, the tension in the second direction D2 applied to one held portion 23b becomes the above-mentioned second tension. The same is true for the tension applied to the other held portion 23b. In a state in which this tension is applied, the mask clamp 60 is lowered relatively, whereby the tension is converted into a pressing force, and the deposition mask 20 is pressed against the frame 15. For example, the second mask surface 20b of the held portion 23b held by the mask clamp 60 may be lowered by 0.25 mm to 1.00 mm from the first frame surface 15a. In this case, the thickness of the deposition mask 20 may be 20 μm, the pixel density may be 600 ppi (equivalent to full high definition), and the effective area 27 may correspond to a display area of 5.5 inches. The pressing force is applied to the deposition mask 20 by the downward displacement of the mask clamp 60. Therefore, the deposition mask 20 receives a reaction force from the first wall edge 17e of the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b. However, as shown in FIG. 10, the deposition mask 20 is disposed on the frame 15 so that the first wall edge 17e extends in a straight line in the first direction D1 from the first mask edge 20c to the second mask edge 20d of the deposition mask 20. This makes it possible to equalize the reaction force received from the first wall edge 17e across the width of the deposition mask 20.

Here, in the deposition process described later, a case where the deposition substrate 91 constituting the organic EL display device 90 is held by a mechanical substrate clamp 63 (see FIG. 13) will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. In this case, the deposition substrate 91 is held by the substrate clamp 63 and is in close contact with the deposition mask 20 of the deposition mask device 10. Since the deposition mask 20 is joined and fixed to the frame 15, a frame recess 40 is formed on the first frame surface 15a of the frame 15 to avoid interference with the substrate clamp 63. As shown in FIG. 11, the frame recess 40 is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view so as to extend inward from the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b. Similarly, the recess edge 41 on the first frame surface 15a side of the frame recess 40 is formed in a rectangular shape so as to extend inward in a plan view. The overlapping portion 21 of the deposition mask 20 fixed to the frame 15 is arranged so as to partially overlap the frame recess 40. The frame 15 shown in FIG. 11 has a similar shape to the frame 15 shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4A, etc., except for the fact that it has a frame recess 40, so for convenience, the same reference numerals will be used in the description.

When the deposition mask 20 is pressed against the first frame surface 15a on which such a frame recess 40 is provided, the deposition mask 20 receives a reaction force from the first wall surface edge 17e of the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b, and also receives a reaction force from the recess edge 41 of the frame recess 40. The position of the first wall surface edge 17e in the second direction D2 is located outside the position of the recess edge 41 in the second direction D2. That is, the position receiving the reaction force from the first wall surface edge 17e is located relatively outside (left side in FIG. 12) in the second direction D2, as shown in FIG. 12. On the other hand, the position receiving the reaction force from the recess edge 41 is located relatively inside (right side in FIG. 13) in the second direction D2, as shown in FIG. 13. In this way, the position receiving the reaction force from the first wall surface edge 17e and the position receiving the reaction force from the recess edge 41 are different in the second direction D2. For this reason, the reaction force that the deposition mask 20 receives from the frame 15 tends to be biased in the width direction of the deposition mask 20.

That is, the position where the reaction force is received from the first wall edge 17e of the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b (see FIG. 12) is closer to the mask clamp 60 than the position where the reaction force is received from the recess edge 41 of the frame recess 40 (see FIG. 13). Therefore, the reaction force received from the first wall edge 17e of the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b may be larger than the reaction force received from the recess edge 41 of the frame recess 40. In particular, the reaction force may be large near the intersection point between the first wall edge 17e of the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b and the recess edge 41 of the frame recess 40 (corner 15e of the first frame surface 15a in a plan view). Therefore, stress generated in the deposition mask 20 tends to concentrate at the corner 15e. In this state, if the deposition mask 20 is moved while being pressed against the frame 15, the deposition mask 20 may be deformed or damaged at the corner 15e.

For this reason, when moving the deposition mask 20 to align it with the frame 15 shown in FIG. 11, the deposition mask 20 is not moved while being pressed against the frame 15, but is raised and moved away from the first frame surface 15a. After the step of moving the deposition mask 20 is completed, the deposition mask 20 is lowered and pressed against the frame 15 again, and a confirmation step is performed. In this way, the mask alignment step requires additional steps of raising and lowering the deposition mask 20, and therefore the mask alignment step of the deposition mask 20 takes a lot of time.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the deposition substrate 91 is held by an electrostatic chuck 84 as shown in FIG. 21, which will be described later, without using a mechanical substrate clamp 63. The electrostatic chuck 84 is located above the deposition substrate 91, and therefore does not have a portion that protrudes downward or to the side of the deposition substrate 91. This makes it unnecessary to form a frame recess 40 as shown in FIG. 11 in the frame 15. Therefore, the first wall edge 17e that overlaps the overlapping portion 21 of the deposition mask 20 can be formed to extend in a straight line in the first direction D1 from the first mask edge 20c to the second mask edge 20d of the deposition mask 20. Therefore, the reaction force that the deposition mask 20 receives from the frame 15 is applied to the deposition mask 20 from the first wall edge 17e, and the reaction force received from the first wall edge 17e can be made uniform in the width direction. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the concentration of stress generated in the deposition mask 20 due to the reaction force that the deposition mask 20 receives from the frame 15.

In this state, even if the deposition mask 20 is moved while being pressed against the frame 15, deformation or damage to the deposition mask 20 can be suppressed. Therefore, the deposition mask 20 can be moved while being pressed against the frame 15, and the process of raising and lowering the deposition mask 20 as shown in the examples of FIGS. 11 to 13 can be eliminated in the mask alignment process. Therefore, the time required for the mask alignment process of the deposition mask 20 can be shortened.

After the mask alignment process, as shown in FIG. 14, the deposition mask 20 is joined to the frame 15 as a joining process. In the joining process, the deposition mask 20 may be pulled in the second direction D2 by a joining tension T4 and pressed against the frame 15. The joining tension T4 is a tension applied to the deposition mask 20 in the joining process. The joining tension T4 may be a tension applied to the deposition mask 20 in the mask alignment process. That is, the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 may be constant from the end of the mask alignment process through the joining process. In other words, in the mask alignment process, the deposition mask 20 is aligned with the joining tension T4 applied. Also, the pressing force of the deposition mask 20 against the frame 15 may be constant from the end of the mask alignment process through the joining process.

For example, the joining tension T4 may be the second tension T2 applied to the deposition mask 20 in the first through hole confirmation process described above. More specifically, if the position of the through hole 25 is located within an allowable range with respect to the desired position as a result of the position confirmation of the through hole 25 in the first through hole confirmation process described above, the mask alignment process is completed. In this case, the state in which the second tension T2 is applied to the deposition mask 20 in the first through hole confirmation process may be maintained and the joining process may be performed. That is, the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 is unchanged from the end of the first through hole confirmation process through the joining process. In other words, in the first through hole confirmation process, the joining tension T4 is applied to the deposition mask 20 to confirm the position of the through hole 25 relative to the frame 15. Also, the pressing force of the deposition mask 20 against the frame 15 may be unchanged from the end of the first through hole confirmation process through the joining process.

Alternatively, for example, the joining tension T4 may be the second tension T2 applied to the deposition mask 20 in the second through hole confirmation process described above. More specifically, when the position of the through hole 25 is confirmed to be within the allowable range with respect to the desired position as a result of the position confirmation of the through hole 25 in the second through hole confirmation process described above, the mask alignment process is completed. In this case, the state in which the second tension T2 is applied to the deposition mask 20 in the second through hole confirmation process may be maintained and the joining process may be performed. That is, the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 is unchanged from the end of the second through hole confirmation process through the joining process. In other words, in the second through hole confirmation process, the joining tension T4 is applied to the deposition mask 20 to confirm the position of the through hole 25 relative to the frame 15. Also, the pressing force of the deposition mask 20 against the frame 15 may be unchanged from the end of the second through hole confirmation process through the joining process.

Alternatively, for example, the joining tension T4 may be the third tension T3 described above. More specifically, when the tension adjustment process described above is performed, the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 becomes the third tension T3 adjusted from the second tension T2. The joining process may be performed while maintaining the state in which the third tension T3 is applied to the deposition mask 20 in the third through-hole confirmation process. That is, the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 is unchanged from the end of the third through-hole confirmation process through the joining process. In other words, in the third through-hole confirmation process, the joining tension T4 is applied to the deposition mask 20, and the position of the through-hole 25 relative to the frame 15 is confirmed. Also, the pressing force of the deposition mask 20 against the frame 15 may be unchanged from the end of the third through-hole confirmation process through the joining process.

In the joining process, a welded portion 30 (an example of a joint) extending from the overlapping portion 21 of the deposition mask 20 to the frame 15 is formed while the above-mentioned joint tension T4 is applied. For example, the deposition mask 20 may be joined to the frame 15 by spot welding using a laser beam L. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, the first mask surface 20a of the deposition mask 20 may be irradiated with the laser beam L, and a melted portion may be formed in a region extending from the first mask surface 20a to the frame 15 across the second mask surface 20b in the region irradiated with the laser beam L. When the irradiation of the laser beam L is completed, the melted portion may be cooled and solidified, and the welded portion 30 as shown in FIG. 14 may be formed. In this way, the deposition mask 20 is joined and fixed to the frame 15.

After the bonding process, the mask clamp 60 is removed from the deposition mask 20 as a removal process, as shown in FIG. 15. In this way, one deposition mask 20 is fixed to the frame 15 as shown in FIG. 16.

The removed mask clamp 60 then goes to pick up and holds the deposition mask 20 to be joined to the frame 15. Then, the above-mentioned steps are performed, and the deposition mask 20 is aligned to the frame 15, stretched, and joined (see the deposition mask 20 shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 16). Thereafter, by repeating each step in the same manner, the desired number of deposition masks 20 are aligned to the frame 15, stretched, and joined, as shown in FIG. 17.

In this way, an intermediate 50 of the deposition mask device in which a plurality of deposition masks 20 are joined to the frame 15 is obtained, as shown in FIG. 17. The intermediate 50 of the deposition mask device is composed of the deposition mask 20 at a stage prior to the cutting process described below, and the frame 15. Therefore, the deposition mask 20 constituting the intermediate 50 of the deposition mask device is in a state in which the removed portion 23 that will be cut and removed in the cutting process remains. In this respect, the intermediate 50 of the deposition mask device may be distinguished from the deposition mask device 10.

Then, as a cutting process, as shown in FIG. 18, the overlapping portions 21 of each deposition mask 20 are cut (also called trimming). In this case, the deposition mask 20 is cut at a position of the overlapping portions 21 of the deposition mask 20 that is outside the welded portion 30 in the second direction D2, and the removed portion 23, which is the portion outside the cutting position, is removed. The cutting blade 62 that cuts the deposition mask 20 cuts the deposition mask 20 while being partially inserted into the frame groove 18 provided in the first frame surface 15a of the frame 15. Then, while proceeding in the first direction D1 along the frame groove 18, as shown in FIG. 19, the deposition mask 20 is cut sequentially. As a result, each deposition mask 20 is cut along the frame groove 18. The two overlapping portions 21 of the deposition mask 20 may be cut separately by one cutting blade 62 (see FIG. 19), or may be cut simultaneously by two cutting blades 62.

In this manner, the deposition mask device 10 shown in FIG. 2 is obtained.

Next, a method for manufacturing an organic EL display device using the deposition mask device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 20 to 22.

Here, the organic EL display device 90 will be described with reference to FIG. 20. FIG. 20 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the organic EL display device 90. The organic EL display device 90 includes a light-emitting layer 92 (an example of a deposition layer) formed on a deposition substrate 91 by using the deposition mask device 10 according to the present embodiment described above. One organic EL display device 90 may correspond to one display area.

20, a plurality of elements 93 are arranged in a line on one surface of a deposition substrate 91. Although not shown, the elements 93 may be arranged in a line in the depth direction of FIG. 20. The elements 93 are configured as pixels, and may have a first electrode 94 located on the deposition substrate 91, a current-carrying layer 95 located on the first electrode 94, and a second electrode 96 located on the current-carrying layer 95. The current-carrying layer 95 may include a light-emitting layer 92. A single organic EL display device 90 is configured by a plurality of elements 93. A single deposition substrate 91 may have a plurality of elements 93 of the organic EL display device 90 formed thereon and attached to multiple surfaces. In this case, the deposition substrate 91 is cut into each organic EL display device 90 to obtain individual organic EL display devices 90. FIG. 20 shows, as an example, an example in which two organic EL display devices 90 are formed on a single deposition substrate 91.

The substrate 91 may be a plate-like member having insulating properties. The substrate 91 may have optical transparency that allows light to pass through. The substrate 91 may be, for example, a glass substrate or a silicon substrate. The substrate 91 may also be made of, for example, quartz, optically transparent polyimide, or optically transparent liquid crystal polymer.

The first electrode 94 includes a material that is electrically conductive. For example, the first electrode 94 may include a metal, a metal oxide that is electrically conductive, or other inorganic material. The first electrode 94 may include a metal oxide that is optically transparent and electrically conductive, such as indium tin oxide.

As described above, the current-carrying layer 95 may include a light-emitting layer 92 that emits light when electricity is applied. In this case, the current-carrying layer 95 may further include a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and the like. For example, when the first electrode 94 is an anode and the second electrode 96 is a cathode, the hole injection layer, the hole transport layer, the light-emitting layer 92, the electron transport layer, the electron injection layer, and the second electrode 96 are stacked in this order on the first electrode 94. The word "current-carrying" means that a voltage is applied to the current-carrying layer 95 or that a current flows through the current-carrying layer 95. In FIG. 20, the hole injection layer, the hole transport layer, the electron transport layer, and the electron injection layer are omitted to simplify the drawing.

The second electrode 96 includes a conductive material such as a metal. Examples of materials that may be used for the second electrode 96 include platinum, gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, chromium, aluminum, indium, lithium, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chromium, carbon, and alloys thereof.

When an image is displayed on the organic EL display device 90, a voltage is applied between the first electrode 94 and the second electrode 96 constituting the element 93. This causes light to be emitted from the light-emitting layer 92 of the element 93, and the emitted light is extracted to the outside from the first electrode 94 side or the first electrode 94 side. By controlling the emission of light from the light-emitting layer 92 in each element 93, a desired image is displayed.

The manufacturing method of such an organic EL display device 90 may include a step of attaching a deposition material 82 to a deposition substrate 91 using a deposition mask device 10 to form a light-emitting layer 92. More specifically, the manufacturing method of the organic EL display device according to this embodiment may include a deposition substrate preparation step, an apparatus preparation step, an apparatus alignment step, a contact step, and a deposition step.

First, in the deposition substrate preparation process, the deposition substrate 91 described above may be prepared.

In addition, the deposition mask device 10 described above may be prepared as an equipment preparation process.

After the apparatus preparation process, the deposition mask device 10 is aligned with respect to the deposition substrate 91 as an apparatus alignment process. In the apparatus alignment process, the position of the deposition mask device 10 with respect to the deposition substrate 91 is confirmed. For example, the position of the frame 15 with respect to the deposition substrate 91 may be adjusted so that the mask alignment mark 71 of the alignment mask 70 and the corresponding alignment mark (not shown) of the deposition substrate 91 are aligned. This allows the position of the deposition mask 20 with respect to the deposition substrate 91 to be adjusted.

After the device alignment step, as shown in FIG. 21, the deposition mask 20 of the deposition mask device 10 may be adhered to the deposition substrate 91 as a contact step. The first mask surface 20a of the deposition mask 20 may be adhered to the deposition substrate 91. More specifically, the deposition mask device 10 is placed in the deposition device 80 so that the first mask surface 20a of the deposition mask 20 is placed on the upper side. The deposition substrate 91 is held from above by an electrostatic chuck 84. Next, the deposition substrate 91 is placed above the deposition mask 20 while being held by the electrostatic chuck 84. Next, the lower surface (deposition surface) of the deposition substrate 91 is butted against the first mask surface 20a of the deposition mask 20. At this time, the deposition substrate 91 and the deposition mask 20 are aligned.

Next, a magnet 85 is placed on the upper surface of the electrostatic chuck 84, and the deposition mask 20 is attracted to the deposition substrate 91 by the magnetic force of the magnet 85. This causes the deposition substrate 91 to adhere to the first mask surface 20a of the deposition mask 20 (see FIG. 22). When the first electrode 94 is an anode, the first electrode 94 and the hole injection layer and hole transport layer constituting the current-carrying layer 95 may be formed on the deposition substrate 91 before the deposition mask 20 is adhered to the deposition substrate 91.

In addition, instead of the magnet 85, the deposition mask 20 and the deposition substrate 91 may be brought into close contact with each other by the electrostatic chuck 84. In this case, after aligning the deposition substrate 91 and the deposition mask 20, the electrostatic force of the electrostatic chuck 84 is strengthened, and the deposition mask 20 is attracted to the deposition substrate 91 by the electrostatic force of the electrostatic chuck 84. In this way, the deposition substrate 91 may be brought into close contact with the first mask surface 20a of the deposition mask 20.

After the adhesion process, as shown in FIG. 22, a vapor deposition process may be performed in which a vapor deposition material 82 is vapor-deposited on a substrate 91 through the through-holes 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20 to form a light-emitting layer 92. The light-emitting layer 92 is formed on the hole transport layer of the corresponding current-carrying layer 95. More specifically, the internal space of the vapor deposition device 80 is made into a vacuum atmosphere, and the vapor deposition material 82 is evaporated and caused to fly to the substrate 91. The vapor deposition material 82 that has flown passes through each through-hole 25 of the vapor deposition mask 20, reaches the hole transport layer of the desired current-carrying layer 95, and adheres to it. As a result, the light-emitting layer 92 is formed on the substrate 91 in a pattern corresponding to the pattern of the through-holes 25.

As described above, in this embodiment, the through holes 25 are arranged in a predetermined pattern in each effective area 27. When a color display using multiple colors is desired, a deposition mask device 10 equipped with a deposition mask 20 corresponding to each color is prepared, and the deposition material 82 of each color is attached to the hole transport layer of the corresponding current-carrying layer 95 in each deposition mask device 10. This allows, for example, red organic light-emitting material, green organic light-emitting material, and blue organic light-emitting material to be deposited on one deposition substrate 91.

After the light-emitting layer 92 is formed, the electron transport layer and the electron injection layer that constitute the current-carrying layer 95 are formed on the light-emitting layer 92, and the current-carrying layer 95 is obtained. Then, a second electrode 96 is formed on each current-carrying layer 95.

In this way, an organic EL display device 90 is obtained in which light-emitting layers 92 of each color are formed on the deposition substrate 91.

Thus, according to this embodiment, in the mask alignment process for aligning the deposition mask 20 with respect to the frame 15, the deposition mask 20 is pressed against the frame 15. During this process, the overlapping portion 21 of the deposition mask 20 overlaps the first wall edge 17e on the first frame surface 15a side of the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b of the frame 15 in a plan view, and the first wall edge 17e is arranged so as to extend in a straight line in the first direction D1 from the first mask edge 20c to the second mask edge 20d of the deposition mask 20. As a result, the reaction force that the deposition mask 20 receives from the frame 15 is applied to the deposition mask 20 from the first wall edge 17e, and the reaction force received from the first wall edge 17e can be made uniform in the width direction of the deposition mask 20. In this case, it is possible to suppress local concentration of stress generated in the deposition mask 20 due to the reaction force that the deposition mask 20 receives from the frame 15. This allows the deposition mask 20 to be moved while being pressed against the frame 15, thereby shortening the time required for the mask alignment process of the deposition mask 20.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, in the bonding process, the deposition mask 20 is bonded to the frame 15 while being pulled in the second direction D2 by a bonding tension T4 and pressed against the frame 15. In the mask alignment process, this bonding tension T4 is applied to the deposition mask 20. This allows the deposition mask 20 to be aligned with a tension equal to the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 in the bonding process. This allows the positional accuracy of the through holes 25 to be improved.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the mask alignment process includes a first through-hole confirmation process in which the positions of the through-holes 25 relative to the frame 15 are confirmed while the deposition mask 20 is pressed against the frame 15. This allows the positions of the through-holes 25 to be confirmed while the deposition mask 20 is pressed against the frame 15, and the deposition mask 20 can be aligned efficiently. This further reduces the time required for the mask alignment process for the deposition mask 20. In addition, in the first through-hole confirmation process, a bonding tension T4 is applied to the deposition mask 20. This allows the positions of the through-holes 25 to be confirmed with a tension equal to the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 in the bonding process. This improves the positional accuracy of the through-holes 25.

According to the present embodiment, the mask alignment step includes a moving step in which the deposition mask 20 is moved in any direction in a two-dimensional plane defined by the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 while being pressed against the frame 15. This allows the deposition mask 20 to be moved two-dimensionally while being pressed against the frame 15, and the deposition mask 20 can be aligned efficiently. This further reduces the time required for the mask alignment step of the deposition mask 20. In addition, the deposition mask 20 can be moved based on the position confirmation result of the through-hole 25 in the first through-hole confirmation step. This effectively eliminates the positional deviation of the through-hole 25. In this respect, too, the deposition mask 20 can be aligned efficiently. In addition, in the moving step, a bonding tension T4 is applied to the deposition mask 20. This allows the deposition mask 20 to be moved with a tension equal to the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 in the bonding step. This improves the positional accuracy of the through-hole 25.

According to this embodiment, the mask alignment process includes a second through-hole confirmation process in which the deposition mask 20 is pressed against the frame 15 after the moving process, and the position of the through-hole 25 relative to the frame 15 is confirmed. This allows the position of the through-hole 25 to be confirmed while the deposition mask 20 is pressed against the frame 15, and the deposition mask 20 can be aligned efficiently. This makes it possible to further reduce the time required for the mask alignment process for the deposition mask 20. In addition, in the second through-hole confirmation process, a bonding tension T4 is applied to the deposition mask 20. This allows the position of the through-hole 25 to be confirmed with a tension equal to the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 in the bonding process. This makes it possible to improve the positional accuracy of the through-hole 25.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, after the position of the through hole 25 is confirmed in the second through hole confirmation process, if the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 is adjusted, the position of the through hole 25 is then confirmed in the third through hole confirmation process. Then, in the third through hole confirmation process, a joining tension T4 is applied to the deposition mask 20. As a result, if the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 is adjusted, the position of the through hole 25 can be confirmed with a tension equal to the tension applied to the deposition mask 20 in the joining process. This makes it possible to improve the positional accuracy of the through hole 25.

In addition, according to this embodiment, after the welded portion 30 that joins the deposition mask 20 to the frame 15 is formed, the deposition mask 20 is cut at a position of the overlapping portion 21 of the deposition mask 20 that is outside the welded portion 30 in the second direction D2. This allows the deposition mask 20 to be joined to the frame 15 in a state in which the deposition mask 20 is aligned with respect to the frame 15, and the aligned state can be maintained even after the deposition mask 20 is cut. This allows the positional accuracy of the through holes 25 to be improved.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the first frame surface 15a of the frame 15 is provided with a frame groove 18 extending in the first direction D1, and the deposition mask 20 is cut along the frame groove 18. As a result, even after the deposition mask 20 is joined to the frame 15, the deposition mask 20 can be cut using a cutting means such as a cutting blade 62. Therefore, the deposition mask 20 can be cut efficiently. In addition, since the frame groove 18 is provided in the first frame surface 15a, the deposition mask 20 can be cut on the inside in the second direction D2 of the first wall surface edge 17e of the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b. As a result, the length of the deposition mask 20 remaining outside the welded portion 30 in the second direction D2 can be shortened. Therefore, the portion of the deposition mask 20 that is released from tension after being joined to the frame 15 can be shortened. In this case, it is possible to suppress the cleaning liquid from remaining when the deposition mask device 10 is cleaned, and to suppress the occurrence of problems due to the remaining cleaning liquid.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the first wall edge 17e of the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b of the frame 15 extends in a straight line in the first direction D1 from one deposition mask 20 to the other deposition mask 20. This allows the effect of the reaction force from the first wall edge 17e to be common to each deposition mask 20. Therefore, it is possible to easily align each deposition mask 20, and to improve the positional accuracy of the through holes 25 of each deposition mask 20. In particular, according to this embodiment, the first wall edge 17e extends in a straight line in the first direction D1 from the deposition mask 20 located on the most one side in the first direction D1 to the deposition mask 20 located on the opposite side to the deposition mask 20. Therefore, it is possible to easily align all the deposition masks 20, and to further improve the positional accuracy of the through holes 25 of each deposition mask 20.

In addition, according to this embodiment, when the deposition mask 20 of the deposition mask device 10 is brought into close contact with the deposition substrate 91, the deposition substrate 91 is held from above by the electrostatic chuck 84. This makes it possible to avoid the formation of an obstacle that protrudes downward or to the side from the deposition substrate 91 and interferes with the frame 15. Therefore, the first wall edge 17e that overlaps with the overlapping portion 21 of the deposition mask 20 can be formed to extend in a straight line in the first direction D1.

In the above-described embodiment, the first wall edge 17e of the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b extends in a straight line in the first direction D1 from the deposition mask 20 located on the most one side in the first direction D1 to the deposition mask 20 located on the most opposite side of the deposition mask 20. However, this is not limited to this. For at least one deposition mask 20 among the multiple deposition masks 20 joined to the frame 15, it is sufficient that the first wall edge 17e of the frame wall surfaces 17a and 17b extends in a straight line in the first direction D1 from the first extension line 20e of the first mask edge 20c of the deposition mask 20 after the cutting process to the second extension line 20f of the second mask edge 20d. In addition, it is sufficient that the first wall edge 17e extends in a straight line for each deposition mask 20, and does not have to extend in a straight line from one deposition mask 20 to the other deposition mask 20 adjacent to it.

Claims (9)

a frame preparation process for preparing a frame having a first frame surface, a second frame surface located opposite to the first frame surface, a frame opening penetrating from the first frame surface to the second frame surface, a frame wall surface located outside the frame opening in a plan view and extending from the first frame surface toward the second frame surface, the frame wall surface including a first wall surface edge located on the first frame surface side and a second wall surface edge located on the second frame surface side, and a third frame surface extending from the second wall surface edge along the second frame surface to the outside in a plan view;
a mask preparation process for preparing a deposition mask having a first mask edge located at one side edge in a first direction, a second mask edge located at the other side edge in the first direction, a pair of overlapping portions located on both sides in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a through hole located between the pair of overlapping portions;
an arrangement step of arranging the deposition mask in the frame such that the overlapping portion of the deposition mask overlaps an edge of the first wall surface in a plan view and the edge of the first wall surface extends in a straight line in the first direction from the first mask edge to the second mask edge of the deposition mask;
a mask alignment step of aligning the deposition mask with respect to the frame while pulling the deposition mask in the second direction by a bonding tension and pressing the deposition mask against the frame after the placing step;
a joining step of joining the deposition mask to the frame while pulling the deposition mask in the second direction with the joining tension and pressing the deposition mask against the frame after the mask alignment step ,
the mask alignment step includes a first confirmation step of confirming a position of the through hole with respect to the frame while the deposition mask is pressed against the frame while the bonding tension is applied to the deposition mask;
and a moving step of moving the deposition mask in any direction within a two-dimensional plane defined by the first direction and the second direction relative to the frame while applying the joining tension to the deposition mask and pressing the deposition mask against the frame based on a result of position confirmation of the through hole in the first confirmation step . 2. The method for manufacturing a deposition mask device according to claim 1, wherein the mask alignment step includes a second confirmation step of confirming positions of the through holes with respect to the frame while applying a bonding tension to the deposition mask and pressing the deposition mask against the frame after the moving step . The mask alignment step includes:
a third confirmation step of confirming a position of the through hole with respect to the frame while pressing the deposition mask against the frame;
a tension adjusting step of adjusting a tension applied to the deposition mask based on a result of position confirmation of the through hole in the third confirmation step;
the deposition mask device manufacturing method according to claim 1 , further comprising: a fourth confirmation step of confirming positions of the through holes with respect to the frame while pressing the deposition mask against the frame while the joining tension is applied to the deposition mask after the tension adjustment step. a cutting step of cutting the overlapping portion of the deposition mask after the bonding step,
In the bonding step, a bonding portion is formed extending from the overlapping portion of the deposition mask to the frame,
4. The method for manufacturing a deposition mask device according to claim 1 , wherein in the cutting, the deposition mask is cut at a position of the overlapping portion of the deposition mask that is outer than the joint portion in the second direction, and a portion of the deposition mask that is outer than a cutting position is removed. The method for manufacturing a deposition mask device according to claim 4 , wherein a frame groove extending in the first direction is provided in the first frame surface of the frame, and in the cutting step, the deposition mask is cut along the frame groove. 6. The method for manufacturing a deposition mask device according to claim 1, wherein, when two or more of the deposition masks arranged in the first direction are joined to the frame, an edge of the first wall surface of the frame extends in a straight line in the first direction from one of the deposition masks to the other of the deposition masks. 7. The method for manufacturing a deposition mask device according to claim 6, wherein the first wall edge of the frame extends in a straight line in the first direction from the deposition mask located closest to one side in the first direction to the deposition mask located closest to the deposition mask located closest to the deposition mask in the first direction. an apparatus preparation step of preparing the deposition mask apparatus by the method for producing the deposition mask apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ;
a bonding step of bonding the deposition mask of the deposition mask device to a deposition target substrate;
and a vapor deposition step of depositing a vapor deposition material onto the deposition substrate through the through-holes of the deposition mask to form a vapor deposition layer. The method for manufacturing an organic electroluminescence display device according to claim 8 , wherein in the bonding step, the deposition substrate is held from above by an electrostatic chuck.