Mask plate assembly, mask substrate, evaporation device and evaporation method

Abstract

The application relates to a mask plate assembly, a mask substrate, an evaporation device and an evaporation method. The mask plate assembly comprises a mask substrate provided with an evaporation area and a plurality of evaporation openings in the evaporation area, and a first shielding piece configured to cover a part of the evaporation area; wherein a through hole is arranged on the first shielding piece, and the through hole is configured to expose at least one evaporation opening of the covered part of the evaporation area. In the embodiment of the application, a separate test hole is not processed, but the evaporation opening exposed through the through hole on the first shielding piece is used as a test hole. Since the test hole is originally an evaporation opening in the evaporation area, both have the same processing precision, and therefore the test pattern formed through the test hole in the embodiment of the application has better precision when used for evaluating the position precision of the evaporated pattern.

Description

Mask assembly, mask substrate, vapor deposition apparatus and vapor deposition method Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a mask assembly, a mask substrate, an evaporation apparatus, and an evaporation method. Background Technology

[0002] Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), as a new generation of light-emitting display technology, have advantages such as wide viewing angle, high contrast, fast response speed, low power consumption, and flexible display. They have been widely used in products such as mobile phones and wearable devices and have good application prospects.

[0003] The fabrication of the light-emitting layers in OLED display panels primarily employs vacuum evaporation technology. Specifically, materials are heated in a vacuum environment, causing them to sublimate. This sublimation is then achieved by passing the material through a patterned precision metal mask, forming a thin film of a specific shape on the substrate. Through the continuous deposition of multiple materials, a multi-layered light-emitting layer structure is formed.

[0004] In related technologies, in addition to the evaporation holes, the photomask also has test holes for measuring the positional accuracy of the evaporated pattern. Due to process limitations, the machining accuracy of the test holes is lower than that of the evaporation holes. Therefore, there is a deviation between the positional accuracy of the pattern measured through the test holes and the actual positional accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a mask assembly, a mask substrate, a vapor deposition apparatus, and a vapor deposition method, with the aim of improving the accuracy of positional measurement of the vapor-deposited pattern.

[0006] According to a first aspect of this application, a mask assembly is provided, the mask assembly comprising:

[0007] A mask substrate, wherein a vapor deposition area is provided on the mask substrate, and a plurality of vapor deposition openings are provided within the vapor deposition area; and

[0008] A first shielding element is configured to cover a portion of the vapor deposition area;

[0009] The first shielding member is provided with a through hole, which is configured to expose at least one vapor deposition opening in the covered portion of the vapor deposition area.

[0010] The mask assembly in this embodiment can be used to fabricate the light-emitting layer of a display panel. Each evaporation opening in the evaporation area of ​​the mask substrate corresponds to a sub-pixel of the display panel. In the specific implementation of the evaporation process, the mask assembly is positioned below the substrate to be evaporated, and the evaporation source is positioned below the mask assembly. The evaporation source heats the material to cause it to sublimate. After passing through the evaporation opening, the material is deposited on the substrate, thereby forming a first pattern on the substrate at a position opposite to the evaporation area. It is understood that the first blocking member blocks a portion of the evaporation area, and the first pattern will not form on the substrate at the position opposite to the first blocking member. Because the first blocking member has through-holes, at least one evaporation opening in the blocked portion of the evaporation area is exposed. Therefore, a corresponding test pattern will form on the substrate at the position opposite to the through-hole. By comparing this test pattern with a pre-set alignment pattern on the substrate, the positional accuracy of the evaporated pattern can be obtained. Compared with the method of processing test holes on a mask in related technologies, the embodiments of this application do not process separate test holes. Instead, the vapor deposition opening exposed through the through hole on the first shielding member is used as the "test hole". Since the "test hole" is originally the vapor deposition opening in the vapor deposition area, the two have the same processing precision. Therefore, the test pattern formed by the "test hole" in the embodiments of this application is used to evaluate the positional accuracy of the vapor-deposited pattern and has better accuracy.

[0011] In some embodiments, the plurality of vapor deposition openings have the same specifications; the area of ​​the through hole is larger than the area of ​​the vapor deposition opening, and the orthographic projection of at least one of the vapor deposition openings on the first shielding member is located within the through hole.

[0012] In some embodiments, the number of the first shielding members is at least one, the first shielding members extend along a first direction, the vapor deposition area is divided by the first shielding members into a plurality of sub-vapor deposition areas arranged at intervals along a second direction, each sub-vapor deposition area has the same size, the first direction is the width direction of the mask substrate, the second direction is the length direction of the mask substrate, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

[0013] In some embodiments, the vapor deposition openings within the vapor deposition area are arranged in an array;

[0014] The spacing between adjacent sub-evaporation zones along the second direction is set to an integer multiple of the distance between two adjacent evaporation openings along the second direction;

[0015] The sum of the length of one of the sub-evaporation regions along the second direction and the width of one of the first shielding members along the second direction is equal to an integer multiple of the distance between two adjacent evaporation openings along the second direction.

[0016] In some embodiments, at least two through holes are provided between adjacent sub-evaporation zones, each through hole being configured to expose a plurality of evaporation openings.

[0017] In some embodiments, at least two through holes are provided between adjacent sub-evaporation zones and spaced apart along the first direction.

[0018] According to a second aspect of this application, a mask substrate is provided, the mask substrate including a body, a first region and a second region being disposed on the body, the first region being disposed of a plurality of first vapor deposition openings, the second region being disposed of a plurality of second vapor deposition openings, the first vapor deposition openings and the second vapor deposition openings being openings of the same specification, and the second vapor deposition openings being used to form test patterns.

[0019] The mask substrate in this embodiment can be used to fabricate the light-emitting layer of a display panel. Each first evaporation opening in the first region of the mask substrate corresponds to a sub-pixel of the display panel. In the specific implementation of the evaporation process, the mask substrate is placed below the substrate to be evaporated. The evaporation source heats the material to sublimate it. After passing through the evaporation opening, the material is deposited on the substrate, thereby forming a first pattern on the substrate at a position opposite to the first region. Simultaneously, a test pattern is formed on the substrate at a position opposite to the second region. By comparing this test pattern with a pre-set alignment pattern on the substrate, the positional accuracy of the evaporated pattern can be obtained. Compared with the method of processing test holes on the mask in related technologies, this embodiment does not process separate test holes. Instead, a second evaporation opening with the same specifications as the first evaporation opening is used as a "test hole." Since the second and first evaporation openings have the same specifications, they also have the same processing accuracy. Therefore, the test pattern formed through the "test hole" in this embodiment is used to evaluate the positional accuracy of the evaporated pattern, providing better precision.

[0020] In some embodiments, the arrangement of the first vapor deposition opening is consistent with the arrangement of the second vapor deposition opening.

[0021] According to a third aspect of this application, a vapor deposition apparatus is provided, the vapor deposition apparatus including the mask assembly in any of the embodiments of the first aspect described above.

[0022] According to a fourth aspect of this application, a vapor deposition apparatus is provided, the vapor deposition apparatus including the mask substrate in the second aspect embodiment described above.

[0023] According to a fifth aspect of this application, a vapor deposition method is provided, the vapor deposition method comprising:

[0024] A substrate is provided, the substrate having a plurality of target areas and test areas, the target areas corresponding to the display area of ​​a predetermined display panel;

[0025] A mask assembly is provided, wherein the mask assembly is the mask plate assembly in any of the embodiments of the first aspect described above;

[0026] A vapor deposition process is performed to form a first pattern and a test pattern on a substrate, wherein the first pattern is located in the target area and the test pattern is located in the test area;

[0027] The test pattern is compared with the alignment pattern preset on the substrate to obtain the positional accuracy of the pattern.

[0028] According to a sixth aspect of this application, a vapor deposition method is provided, the vapor deposition method comprising:

[0029] A substrate is provided, the substrate having a plurality of target areas and test areas, the target areas corresponding to the display area of ​​a predetermined display panel;

[0030] A mask assembly is provided, wherein the mask assembly is the mask substrate in the second aspect embodiment described above;

[0031] A vapor deposition process is performed to form a first pattern and a test pattern on a substrate, wherein the first pattern is located in the target area and the test pattern is located in the test area;

[0032] The test pattern is compared with the alignment pattern preset on the substrate to determine the positional accuracy of the vapor deposition process. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a mask assembly in one embodiment of this application (the dashed lines in the figure represent the display area);

[0034] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a mask substrate in one embodiment of this application (the dashed line in the figure represents the display area);

[0035] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first shielding member in an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second shielding member in one embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the test pattern and alignment pattern in one embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a mask substrate in another embodiment of this application (the dashed line in the figure represents the display area). Detailed Implementation

[0039] To facilitate understanding of this application, a more complete description will be provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of this application are shown in the drawings. However, this application can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of this application.

[0040] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein in the specification of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0041] When describing positional relationships, unless otherwise specified, when an element such as a layer, film, or substrate is referred to as being "on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be intermediate elements present. Furthermore, when a layer is referred to as being "below" another layer, it may be directly below it or there may be one or more light-emitting units present. It is also understood that when a layer is referred to as being "between" two layers, it may be the only layer between the two layers, or there may be one or more light-emitting units present.

[0042] When using the terms “including,” “having,” and “comprising” as described herein, another component may be added unless explicitly qualifying terms such as “only,” “consisting of,” etc. are used. Unless otherwise stated, singular terms may include plural forms and should not be construed as having a quantity of one.

[0043] It should be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element.

[0044] It should also be understood that, in interpreting an element, although not explicitly described, the element is interpreted as including a range of error, which should be within the acceptable deviation range of a particular value as determined by a person skilled in the art. For example, "approximately," "about," or "substantially" can mean within one or more standard deviations, without limitation herein.

[0045] Furthermore, in the instruction manual, the phrase "planar distribution diagram" refers to the diagram when the target part is viewed from above, and the phrase "cross-sectional diagram" refers to the diagram when the target part is viewed from the side as a cross-section taken by vertically cutting the target part.

[0046] Furthermore, the accompanying drawings are not drawn to a 1:1 scale, and the relative dimensions of the components are shown in the drawings only as examples and not necessarily to actual scale.

[0047] The fabrication of the light-emitting layers in OLED display panels primarily employs vacuum evaporation technology. Specifically, materials are heated in a vacuum environment, causing them to sublimate. This sublimation is then achieved by passing the material through a patterned precision metal mask, forming a thin film of a specific shape on the substrate. Through the continuous deposition of multiple materials, a multi-layered light-emitting layer structure is formed.

[0048] In related technologies, a mask is provided with an effective evaporation area including multiple evaporation openings. This effective evaporation area corresponds to the display area of ​​the display panel and is used to create a light-emitting layer on the display area. Furthermore, test holes are provided on the mask outside the effective evaporation area to measure the positional accuracy of the evaporated pattern. Specifically, a alignment pattern is provided on the substrate. During evaporation, the test holes on the mask must be aligned with the alignment pattern. After the evaporation process is completed, the area on the substrate opposite to the effective evaporation area of ​​the mask forms a first pattern, while the area on the substrate opposite to the test holes forms a test pattern. By comparing the test pattern with the alignment pattern, the positional accuracy of the evaporated pattern can be obtained.

[0049] In related technologies, both vapor deposition openings and test holes are fabricated through etching. Vapor deposition openings are concentrated within the effective vapor deposition area, allowing for better control of the etching solution volume, resulting in higher processing precision. Test holes, however, are separate holes located outside the effective vapor deposition area, making it difficult to control the etching solution volume effectively. Consequently, the processing precision of test holes is lower than that of vapor deposition openings. The positional accuracy of the pattern obtained through low-precision test holes will deviate from the actual positional accuracy.

[0050] To address the aforementioned issues, embodiments of the first aspect of this application propose a mask assembly designed to improve the accuracy of positional measurement of vapor-deposited patterns.

[0051] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the mask assembly 100 in the first aspect embodiment of this application can be used to fabricate a display panel. Specifically, the mask assembly 100 includes a mask substrate 110 and a first shielding member 120. The mask substrate 110 has a vapor deposition region 111, and the vapor deposition region 111 has a plurality of vapor deposition openings (not shown in the figures). The first shielding member 120 is configured to cover a portion of the vapor deposition region 111. The first shielding member 120 has a through hole 121, which is configured to expose at least one vapor deposition opening in the covered portion of the vapor deposition region 111.

[0052] The mask assembly 100 in this embodiment can be used to fabricate the light-emitting layer of a display panel. Each evaporation opening in the evaporation area 111 of the mask substrate 110 corresponds to a sub-pixel of the display panel. In the specific implementation of the evaporation process, the mask assembly 100 is disposed below the substrate to be evaporated, and the evaporation source is disposed below the mask assembly 100. The evaporation source heats the material to cause it to sublimate. After passing through the evaporation opening, the material is deposited on the substrate, thereby forming a first pattern on the substrate at a position opposite to the evaporation area 111. It is understandable that the first shielding member 120 blocks a portion of the vapor deposition area 111, and the first pattern will not be formed at the position on the substrate opposite to the first shielding member 120. Since the first shielding member 120 is provided with a through hole 121, the through hole 121 exposes at least one vapor deposition opening in the portion of the vapor deposition area 111 that is blocked. Therefore, a corresponding test pattern 200 will be formed at the position on the substrate opposite to the through hole 121 (please refer to Figure 5). By comparing the test pattern 200 with the alignment pattern 300 preset on the substrate, the positional accuracy of the vapor deposition pattern can be obtained. Compared with the method of processing test holes on a mask in related technologies, the embodiments of this application do not process separate test holes. Instead, the vapor deposition opening exposed through the through hole 121 on the first shielding member 120 is used as the "test hole". Since the "test hole" is originally the vapor deposition opening in the vapor deposition area 111, the two have the same processing precision. Therefore, the test pattern 200 formed by the "test hole" in the embodiments of this application is used to evaluate the positional accuracy of the vapor-deposited pattern and has better accuracy.

[0053] In some embodiments, the multiple vapor deposition openings have the same specifications, the area of ​​the through-hole 121 is larger than the area of ​​the vapor deposition opening, and at least one vapor deposition opening's orthogonal projection on the first shielding member 120 lies within the through-hole 121. In this embodiment, each vapor deposition opening has the same specifications, and the area of ​​the through-hole 121 is larger than the area of ​​the vapor deposition opening. At least one vapor deposition opening's orthogonal projection on the first shielding member 120 lies within the through-hole 121. This arrangement allows the through-hole 121 to expose at least one complete vapor deposition opening. It is understood that the size of the test pattern 200 formed on the substrate by vapor deposition is determined by the size of the through-hole 121. The positional accuracy of the central region of the test pattern 200 is determined by the vapor deposition opening, while the positional accuracy of the edge portion is limited by the through-hole 121. Therefore, the area of ​​the test pattern 200 needs to be relatively large to ensure that the central region of the test pattern 200 is large enough to facilitate comparison between the central region of the test pattern 200 and the alignment pattern 300, thereby obtaining more accurate positional accuracy of the pattern. Therefore, the through hole 121 should not be set too small. Thus, in this embodiment, the area of ​​the through hole 121 is larger than the area of ​​the vapor deposition opening, which is beneficial to obtaining more accurate pattern positioning.

[0054] In some embodiments, the number of first shielding members 120 is at least one, the first shielding members 120 extend along a first direction, the vapor deposition area 111 is divided by the first shielding members 120 into a plurality of sub-vapor deposition areas 112 arranged at intervals along a second direction, each sub-vapor deposition area 112 has the same size, the first direction is the width direction of the mask substrate 110, the second direction is the length direction of the mask substrate 110, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

[0055] Understandably, when there is only one first shielding member 120, the vapor deposition area 111 is divided into two sub-vapor deposition areas 112 spaced apart along the second direction. If there are N (≥2) first shielding members 120, the vapor deposition area is divided into N+1 sub-vapor deposition areas spaced apart along the second direction. During vapor deposition, each sub-vapor deposition area can correspond to the display area of ​​a display panel. That is, the mask assembly 100 can be used to simultaneously manufacture multiple display panels of the same model, and the display area film layer of each display panel is prepared by vapor deposition through a corresponding sub-vapor deposition area 112. Since all display panels are of the same model, the shape and size of each sub-vapor deposition area 112 must be consistent.

[0056] In some embodiments, the first shielding member 120 is detachably mounted to the mask substrate 110, for example, by magnetic adsorption. This allows the position of the first shielding member 120 relative to the mask substrate 110 to be adjusted according to usage requirements. For example, by adjusting the position of the first shielding member 120, the area of ​​the sub-evaporation region 112 can be changed, thereby enabling the mask assembly 100 to be used in the fabrication of display panels of different sizes.

[0057] In some embodiments, the vapor deposition openings within the vapor deposition region 111 are arranged in an array. The spacing between adjacent sub-vapor deposition regions 112 along the second direction is set to an integer multiple of the distance between two adjacent vapor deposition openings along the second direction. The spacing between adjacent sub-vapor deposition regions 112 along the second direction can be understood as the distance between the centroids of two adjacent sub-vapor deposition regions 112 along the second direction. Similarly, the distance between two adjacent vapor deposition openings along the second direction can be understood as the distance between the centroids of two adjacent vapor deposition openings along the second direction. With this configuration, the mask assembly 100 in this embodiment can be shared for different models of display panels with the same pixel pitch and similar display area size, thereby saving costs.

[0058] It is understandable that when the mask assembly 100 is used for different types of display panels, the size of the sub-evaporation area 112 can be changed by adding a shielding component according to the size of the display area of ​​the display panel, so that the sub-evaporation area 112 can be adapted to the display area.

[0059] In some embodiments, at least two through holes 121 are provided between adjacent sub-evaporation areas 112, and each through hole 121 is configured to expose multiple evaporation openings. Before use, the mask substrate 110 needs to be fixed to the mask frame by a mesh stretching process. The quality of the mesh stretching affects the flatness of the mask substrate 110, and the flatness affects the positional accuracy of the evaporation openings at different positions on the mask substrate 110. That is, the positional accuracy of the first pattern formed after evaporation may differ for evaporation openings at different positions on the mask substrate 110. Therefore, in this embodiment, multiple through holes 121 are provided on the first shielding member 120, so that the test pattern 200 formed through different through holes 121 is used to evaluate the positional accuracy of the pattern at different positions on the mask substrate 110.

[0060] Furthermore, at least two through holes 121 are provided between adjacent sub-evaporation zones 112 at intervals along the first direction. This arrangement facilitates obtaining more comprehensive positional accuracy information.

[0061] In some embodiments, the mask assembly 100 may further include a second shielding member 130 connected to the mask substrate 110. The second shielding member 130 extends along a second direction and is configured to cover a portion of the vapor deposition area 111. It is understood that the first shielding member 120 extends along a first direction, and the second shielding member 130 extends along a second direction, with the area of ​​the sub-vapor deposition area 112 jointly defined by the first shielding member 120 and the second shielding member 130. Thus, through the cooperation of the first shielding member 120 and the second shielding member 130, the size of the sub-vapor deposition area 112 can be adjusted to perfectly match the display area of ​​the corresponding display panel.

[0062] Furthermore, the second shielding member 130 is detachably mounted to the mask substrate 110, for example, by magnetic adsorption. This allows the position of the second shielding member 130 relative to the mask substrate 110 to be adjusted according to usage requirements, thereby cooperating with the first shielding member 120 to change the area of ​​the sub-evaporation region 112, thus enabling the mask assembly 100 to be used in the fabrication of display panels of different sizes.

[0063] As shown in Figure 6, an embodiment of the second aspect of this application provides a mask substrate 150, which includes a body 151. A first region 152 and a second region 153 are provided on the body 151. The first region 152 is provided with a plurality of first vapor deposition openings (not shown in the figure), and the second region 153 is provided with a plurality of second vapor deposition openings (not shown in the figure). The first vapor deposition openings and the second vapor deposition openings are openings of the same specification, wherein the second vapor deposition openings are used to form test patterns.

[0064] The mask substrate 150 in this embodiment can be used to fabricate the light-emitting layer of a display panel. Each first evaporation opening in the first region 152 of the mask substrate 150 corresponds to a sub-pixel of the display panel. In the specific implementation of the evaporation process, the mask substrate 150 is disposed below the substrate to be evaporated. The evaporation source heats the material to cause it to sublimate. After passing through the evaporation opening, the material is deposited on the substrate, thereby forming a first pattern on the substrate at a position opposite to the first region 152. Simultaneously, a test pattern is formed on the substrate at a position opposite to the second region 153. By comparing the test pattern with a pre-set alignment pattern on the substrate, the positional accuracy of the evaporated pattern can be obtained. Compared with the method of processing test holes on a mask in related technologies, the embodiments of this application do not process separate test holes. Instead, a second vapor deposition opening with the same specifications as the first vapor deposition opening is used as a "test hole". Since the second vapor deposition opening and the first vapor deposition opening have the same specifications, they also have the same processing precision. Therefore, the test pattern formed by the "test hole" in the embodiments of this application is used to evaluate the positional accuracy of the vapor-deposited pattern, which has better accuracy.

[0065] In some embodiments, the arrangement of the first vapor deposition opening is consistent with the arrangement of the second vapor deposition opening. That is, the first and second vapor deposition openings not only have the same specifications, but also the same arrangement. This further ensures the consistency of processing accuracy between the first and second vapor deposition openings, so as to make the evaluation of positional accuracy more precise.

[0066] An embodiment of the third aspect of this application provides a vapor deposition apparatus that includes the mask assembly 100 of any of the embodiments of the first aspect described above.

[0067] In the vapor deposition apparatus of this application embodiment, each vapor deposition opening in the vapor deposition area 111 of the mask substrate 110 in the mask assembly 100 corresponds to a sub-pixel of the display panel. In the specific implementation of the vapor deposition process, the mask assembly 100 is disposed below the substrate to be vapor deposited, and the vapor deposition source is disposed below the mask assembly 100. The vapor deposition source heats the material to cause it to sublimate. After passing through the vapor deposition opening, the material is deposited on the substrate, thereby forming a first pattern on the substrate at a position opposite to the vapor deposition area 111. It is understood that the first shielding member 120 blocks a portion of the vapor deposition area 111, and the first pattern will not be formed at the position on the substrate opposite to the first shielding member 120. Since the first shielding member 120 has a through hole 121, which exposes at least one vapor deposition opening in the shielded portion of the vapor deposition area 111, a corresponding test pattern 200 will be formed at the position on the substrate opposite to the through hole 121. By comparing this test pattern 200 with the alignment pattern 300 pre-set on the substrate, the positional accuracy of the vapor-deposited pattern can be obtained. Compared with the method of processing test holes on a mask in related technologies, this embodiment does not process separate test holes. Instead, the vapor deposition opening exposed through the through hole 121 on the first shielding member 120 is used as a "test hole." Since this "test hole" is originally a vapor deposition opening within the vapor deposition area 111, and both have the same processing precision, the test pattern 200 formed through the "test hole" in this embodiment is used to evaluate the positional accuracy of the vapor-deposited pattern, providing better precision.

[0068] Furthermore, the vapor deposition apparatus also includes a vapor deposition chamber and a vapor deposition source. During vapor deposition, the substrate to be vapor deposited, the mask assembly 100, and the vapor deposition source are all disposed in the vapor deposition chamber, with the vapor deposition source positioned below the mask assembly 100. The material vaporized from the vapor deposition source is deposited onto the substrate through vapor deposition openings on the mask substrate 110, and simultaneously deposited onto the substrate through vapor deposition openings exposed by the through-hole 121.

[0069] An embodiment of the fourth aspect of this application provides a vapor deposition apparatus that includes the mask substrate 150 described in the second aspect embodiment above.

[0070] In the vapor deposition apparatus of this application embodiment, each first vapor deposition opening in the first region 152 of the mask substrate 150 corresponds to a sub-pixel of the display panel. During the vapor deposition process, the mask substrate 150 is positioned below the substrate to be vapor-deposited. The vapor deposition source heats the material to sublimate it. After passing through the vapor deposition opening, the material is deposited on the substrate, thereby forming a first pattern on the substrate at a position opposite to the first region 152. Simultaneously, a test pattern is formed on the substrate at a position opposite to the second region 153. By comparing this test pattern with a pre-set alignment pattern on the substrate, the positional accuracy of the vapor-deposited pattern can be obtained. Compared with the method of processing test holes on the mask in related technologies, this application embodiment does not process separate test holes. Instead, a second vapor deposition opening with the same specifications as the first vapor deposition opening is used as a "test hole." Since the second and first vapor deposition openings have the same specifications, they also have the same processing accuracy. Therefore, the test pattern formed through the "test hole" in this application embodiment is used to evaluate the positional accuracy of the vapor-deposited pattern, resulting in better precision.

[0071] Furthermore, the vapor deposition apparatus also includes a vapor deposition chamber and a vapor deposition source. During vapor deposition, the substrate to be vapor deposited, the mask substrate 150, and the vapor deposition source are all disposed in the vapor deposition chamber, with the vapor deposition source positioned below the mask assembly 100. The material vaporized from the vapor deposition source is deposited onto the substrate through vapor deposition openings on the mask substrate 110, and simultaneously deposited onto the substrate through vapor deposition openings exposed by the through-hole 121.

[0072] An embodiment of the fifth aspect of this application provides a vapor deposition method, the vapor deposition comprising:

[0073] A substrate is provided, which has several target areas and test areas, the target areas corresponding to the display areas of a predetermined display panel;

[0074] A mask assembly is provided, which is the mask plate assembly 100 in any of the embodiments of the first aspect described above;

[0075] Evaporation is performed to form a first pattern and a test pattern 200 on a substrate. The first pattern is located in the target area, and the test pattern 200 is located in the test area.

[0076] The test pattern 200 is compared with the alignment pattern 300 preset on the substrate to determine the positional accuracy of the vapor deposition process.

[0077] In the vapor deposition method of this application embodiment, the mask assembly 100 uses a mask substrate 110, where each vapor deposition opening in the vapor deposition area 111 corresponds to a sub-pixel of the display panel. Vapor deposition material is deposited on the substrate after passing through the vapor deposition opening, thereby forming a first pattern in the target area on the substrate. It is understood that the first blocking member 120 blocks a portion of the vapor deposition area 111, and the position on the substrate opposite to the first blocking member 120 will not form a first pattern. Because the first blocking member 120 is provided with a through hole 121, the through hole 121 exposes at least one vapor deposition opening in the blocked portion of the vapor deposition area 111. Therefore, a test pattern 200 is formed in the test area on the substrate. By comparing the test pattern 200 with the alignment pattern 300 preset on the substrate, the positional accuracy of the vapor-deposited pattern can be obtained. Compared with the method of processing test holes on a mask in related technologies, the embodiments of this application do not process separate test holes. Instead, the vapor deposition opening exposed through the through hole 121 on the first shielding member 120 is used as the "test hole". Since the "test hole" is originally the vapor deposition opening in the vapor deposition area 111, the two have the same processing precision. Therefore, the test pattern 200 formed by the "test hole" in the embodiments of this application is used to evaluate the positional accuracy of the vapor-deposited pattern and has better accuracy.

[0078] An embodiment of the sixth aspect of this application provides a vapor deposition method, the vapor deposition comprising:

[0079] Provide substrate;

[0080] The mask substrate 150 in the second aspect embodiment described above is provided, and the mask substrate 150 is disposed below the substrate;

[0081] Evaporation is performed to form a first pattern and a test pattern 200 on a substrate. The first pattern is located in the target area, and the test pattern 200 is located in the test area.

[0082] The test pattern 200 is compared with the alignment pattern 300 preset on the substrate to obtain the positional accuracy of the pattern.

[0083] In the vapor deposition method of this application embodiment, each first vapor deposition opening in the first region 152 of the mask substrate 150 corresponds to a sub-pixel of the display panel. During the specific implementation of the vapor deposition process, the mask substrate 150 is positioned below the substrate to be vapor-deposited. The vapor deposition source heats the material to sublimate it. After passing through the vapor deposition opening, the material is deposited on the substrate, thereby forming a first pattern in the target area on the substrate. Simultaneously, a test pattern is formed in the test area on the substrate. By comparing this test pattern with a pre-set alignment pattern on the substrate, the positional accuracy of the vapor-deposited pattern can be obtained. Compared with the method of processing test holes on the mask in related technologies, this application embodiment does not process separate test holes. Instead, a second vapor deposition opening with the same specifications as the first vapor deposition opening is used as a "test hole." Since the second and first vapor deposition openings have the same specifications, they also have the same processing accuracy. Therefore, the test pattern formed through the "test hole" in this application embodiment is used to evaluate the positional accuracy of the vapor-deposited pattern, resulting in better precision.

[0084] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0085] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A mask assembly, characterized in that, include: A mask substrate, wherein a vapor deposition area is provided on the mask substrate, and a plurality of vapor deposition openings are provided in the vapor deposition area; The system includes a first shielding member configured to cover a portion of the vapor deposition area; wherein the first shielding member has through holes configured to expose at least one vapor deposition opening in the covered portion of the vapor deposition area; the multiple vapor deposition openings have the same specifications and arrangement; the first shielding member extends along a first direction, and the vapor deposition area is divided by the first shielding member into multiple sub-vapor deposition areas spaced apart along a second direction; the first shielding member between adjacent sub-vapor deposition areas has at least two through holes, each through hole configured to expose at least one vapor deposition opening; each vapor deposition opening within the vapor deposition area corresponds to a sub-pixel of the same display panel, and the vapor deposition opening exposed by the through holes is used to form a test hole for the vapor deposition pattern; the at least two through holes on the first shielding member between adjacent sub-vapor deposition areas are spaced apart along the first direction, which is perpendicular to the second direction; the area of ​​the through holes is larger than the area of ​​the vapor deposition openings, and the orthographic projection of at least one vapor deposition opening on the first shielding member is located within the through holes.

2. The mask assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of the first shielding members is at least one, and the dimensions of each sub-evaporation area are equal. The first direction is the width direction of the mask substrate, and the second direction is the length direction of the mask substrate.

3. The mask assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The vapor deposition openings within the vapor deposition area are arranged in an array; the spacing between adjacent sub-vapor deposition areas along the second direction is set to an integer multiple of the distance between two adjacent vapor deposition openings along the second direction.

4. A vapor deposition apparatus, characterized in that, Includes the mask assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A vapor deposition method, characterized in that, include: A substrate is provided, the substrate having a plurality of target areas and test areas, the target areas corresponding to the display areas of a predetermined display panel; a mask assembly is provided, the mask assembly being the mask plate assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3; A vapor deposition process is performed to form a first pattern and a test pattern on a substrate, wherein the first pattern is located in the target area and the test pattern is located in the test area; The test pattern is compared with the alignment pattern preset on the substrate to determine the positional accuracy of the vapor deposition process.

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