A mask and its manufacturing method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a mask and a method for manufacturing the same. The method comprises preparing a first inorganic material layer on a substrate and etching it to form a first graphic layer comprising a plurality of first graphics; preparing a metal layer on the first graphic layer and etching it to form a metal graphic layer comprising a plurality of metal graphics, wherein each metal graphic is located between two adjacent first graphics; preparing a second inorganic material layer on the metal graphic layer, and forming a third inorganic material layer at least on the side of the substrate; then retaining the substrate in the second region, removing the substrate in the first region, and finally removing the second inorganic material layer and the first graphic layer. Preparing the metal graphic layer on the substrate using a semiconductor manufacturing process can reduce the size of the through-holes in the metal graphic layer, thereby meeting the user's demand for high resolution of the display panel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular to a mask and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display panels use OLEDs as display pixels. Compared to traditional liquid crystal display panels, OLED display panels are increasingly popular in the market due to their many advantages, including self-luminescence, low power consumption, excellent color quality, and flexible display capabilities.

[0003] OLED light-emitting devices are typically manufactured by evaporating organic light-emitting materials onto an array substrate. This evaporation typically requires the use of a mask. Existing masks typically use metal strips, through which holes are punched using a laser. Due to the precision limitations of the laser drilling process, the holes in existing fine metal masks are typically large, increasingly unable to meet the high-resolution demands of display panels. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a mask plate and a manufacturing method thereof, so as to reduce the size of through holes on the mask plate, reduce the restriction of the through hole size on the evaporation process, and meet the user's demand for high resolution of the display panel.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a mask is provided, the method comprising the following steps:

[0006] A substrate is provided, the substrate comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, and a side surface disposed between the first surface and the second surface; a first inorganic material layer is formed on the first surface of the substrate; the first inorganic material layer is etched to form a first graphic layer comprising a plurality of first patterns, the first pattern comprising a first top surface away from the substrate and a first side surface connected to the first top surface, the first top surface and the first side surface having a first angle therebetween; a metal layer is formed on the first graphic layer, and the metal layer is etched to form a metal graphic layer comprising a plurality of metal patterns, each of the metal patterns being located between two adjacent first patterns; the metal pattern comprising a second top surface away from the substrate and a second side surface connected to the second top surface, the second top surface and the second side surface having a second angle therebetween, the second angle being complementary to the first angle; a second inorganic material layer is formed on the metal graphic layer and the first graphic layer; a third inorganic material layer is formed on at least the side surface of the substrate; the substrate is etched from the second surface side of the substrate, the substrate in the second region is retained, and the substrate in the first region is removed; wherein the second region is a peripheral region surrounding the first region; and the first graphic layer and the second inorganic material layer are removed.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, a mask is provided, which includes a first side and a second side arranged opposite to each other, and the mask includes a first area and a second area surrounding the first area; in the first area, the mask includes a plurality of metal patterns, and through holes are provided between adjacent metal patterns; on the first side of the mask, the metal pattern includes a second top surface, and the metal pattern also includes a second side surface connected to the second top surface, and a second angle is formed between the second top surface and the second side surface of the metal pattern; in the second area, the mask has a first frame layer and a second frame layer, the material of the first frame layer is a semiconductor material, and the material of the second frame layer is the same as the material of the metal pattern.

[0008] The mask and its manufacturing method provided in embodiments of the present invention form a metal pattern layer on a substrate through a semiconductor manufacturing process. Compared with traditional fine metal mask manufacturing processes, this method facilitates reducing the size of the through-holes in the metal pattern layer, thereby reducing the restrictions of the through-hole size on the evaporation process, thereby meeting the user's demand for high resolution of the display panel. In addition, the substrate retained in the second region can support and fix the metal pattern layer. On the one hand, compared with traditional fine metal mask manufacturing processes, this can reduce the rigidity requirements for the metal pattern layer, helping to reduce the thickness of the metal layer, thereby facilitating the reduction of the distance between the mask and the substrate to be evaporated during evaporation, reducing the shadow effect during the evaporation process, reducing the deviation between the actual evaporated film pattern size and the designed value, and improving the accuracy of the evaporation process. On the other hand, compared with the solution of laser welding the mask to the mask frame, this method can prevent displacement between the metal pattern layer and the substrate, thereby improving the accuracy of the evaporation process.

[0009] It should be understood that the content described in this section is not intended to identify the key or important features of the embodiments of the present invention, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Other features of the present invention will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a partial cross-sectional structure of a display panel in the related art;

[0012] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a partial cross-sectional structure of a display panel provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a process for manufacturing a mask provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 4-13 A schematic diagram of the process structure of a method for manufacturing a mask provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of the process structure of another method for manufacturing a mask provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 15 A schematic structural diagram of an evaporation process provided for related technology;

[0017] Figure 16 A schematic structural diagram of an evaporation process provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 17 is a comparative schematic diagram of metal graphics;

[0019] Figure 18 A schematic structural diagram of a substrate provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 19 A schematic structural diagram of a mask provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 20 for Figure 19 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure along the A-A' direction;

[0022] Figure 21 A schematic diagram of a cross-sectional structure of a mask provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 22 A schematic diagram of a cross-sectional structure of another mask provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 23 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of another mask provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solutions of the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the description and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the numbers used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0027] Figure 1is a schematic diagram of a partial cross-sectional structure of a display panel in the related art, such as Figure 1 As shown, the display panel uses an organic light emitting diode 10 that emits white light in combination with a color filter (CF) 11 to realize color image display.

[0028] The organic light-emitting diode 10 includes an anode 101, an organic light-emitting material layer 102, and a cathode 103 stacked on one side of an array substrate 13. When electrons and holes are injected from the cathode 103 and anode 101, respectively, into the organic light-emitting material layer 102, the electrons and holes recombine in the organic light-emitting material layer 102, releasing energy and emitting light. The material of the organic light-emitting material layer 102 determines the color of the light emitted by the organic light-emitting diode 10. In this embodiment, since all organic light-emitting diodes 10 emit white light, the organic light-emitting material layer 102 in all organic light-emitting diodes 10 can be made of the same organic material. Therefore, the organic light-emitting material layer 102 can be prepared as a single layer. In the display panel manufacturing process, an open mask can be used to evaporate the organic material on the array substrate 13 to form the organic light-emitting material layer 102.

[0029] It should be noted that an open mask refers to a mask with a larger opening area, which is suitable for forming a film layer with a larger coverage area on the array substrate 13. When the organic light-emitting material layer 102 is evaporated through the open mask, the opening of the open mask can correspond to the entire display area of ​​the display panel, so that the orthographic projection of the organic light-emitting material layer 102 formed by vapor deposition in the plane where the display panel is located covers the entire display area of ​​the display panel.

[0030] However, in Figure 1 In the color display solution shown, the color gamut of the color filter 11 will limit the color gamut range of the display panel, thereby affecting the final display effect of the display panel.

[0031] Based on the above technical issues, Figure 2 A partial cross-sectional structural diagram of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, the display panel uses organic light emitting diodes 10 that emit light of different colors to realize color image display, for example, Figure 2 The organic light emitting diodes 10 in the display include a red organic light emitting diode 10R, a green organic light emitting diode 10G and a blue organic light emitting diode 10B to realize color image display. Compared with the display panel that uses color filters to realize color image display, the display panel has a high color gamut characteristic, thereby improving the color image display effect of the display panel.

[0032] Continue to refer Figure 2In the display panel, the red organic light emitting diode 10R includes a red organic light emitting material layer 102R, the green organic light emitting diode 10G includes a green organic light emitting material layer 102G, and the blue organic light emitting diode 10B includes a blue organic light emitting material layer 102B. The organic materials of the red organic light emitting material layer 102R, the green organic light emitting material layer 102G, and the blue organic light emitting material layer 102B are different. Therefore, in the manufacturing process of the display panel, a fine metal mask is required. The fine metal mask (FMM) is used to evaporate and form a red organic light-emitting material layer 102R, a green organic light-emitting material layer 102G and a blue organic light-emitting material layer 102B, wherein the fine metal mask needs to have a large number of through holes, and the size of the through holes is comparable to the size of each organic light-emitting diode 10. It can be understood that the higher the display resolution of the display panel, the smaller the size of the organic light-emitting diode 10 in the display panel. When the fine metal mask is used to evaporate the organic light-emitting material layer 102 of the organic light-emitting diode 10, the required size of the through holes on the fine metal mask will be smaller. Therefore, the display resolution of the display panel will be limited by the size of the through holes on the fine metal mask.

[0033] Existing fine metal masks usually use metal strips and use lasers to punch holes in the metal strips to form through-holes. Due to the precision limitations of the laser drilling process, the size of the through-holes on existing fine metal masks is usually relatively large, which is increasingly unable to meet users' high-resolution requirements for display panels.

[0034] At the same time, when using the existing fine metal mask for evaporation, the fine metal mask usually needs to be welded to the mask frame for support and fixation, and then placed in the evaporation machine for use. During the welding process, problems such as uneven tension or thermal effects applied to the fine metal mask are prone to occur, resulting in displacement between the fine metal mask and the mask frame, affecting the evaporation accuracy of the fine metal mask.

[0035] To address the above technical issues, embodiments of the present invention provide a method for manufacturing a mask and a mask. The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. All other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort are considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a process for manufacturing a mask provided by an embodiment of the present invention is provided. Figure 4-13 A schematic diagram of the process structure of a method for manufacturing a mask provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 3-Figure 13 As shown, the method includes:

[0037] Step S110 : providing a substrate 20 , wherein the substrate 20 includes a first surface 201 and a second surface 202 opposite to each other, and a side surface 203 disposed between the first surface 201 and the second surface 202 .

[0038] Specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown, the substrate 20 has a first surface 201 and a second surface 202 opposite to the first surface 201, with a side surface 203 connecting the first surface 201 and the second surface 202. The first surface 201 is the supporting surface for the film layer to be formed later, and the second surface 202 is the etching surface for etching the substrate 20 later.

[0039] The substrate 20 may be a semiconductor substrate, which may be a substrate type commonly used in semiconductor manufacturing processes, such as a wafer, but is not limited thereto.

[0040] Optionally, the material of the substrate 20 includes at least one of silicon nitride, single crystal silicon, germanium, silicon germanium, silicon carbide, gallium arsenide, indium gallium, silicon on insulator, and germanium on insulator.

[0041] Among them, the substrate 20 adopts the above-mentioned materials, which can be more suitable for the subsequent semiconductor process requirements and help improve the quality of the film layer prepared subsequently.

[0042] Step S120 : forming a first inorganic material layer 21 on the first surface 201 of the substrate 20 .

[0043] Among them, such as Figure 5 As shown, the first inorganic material layer 21 is used to provide a process basis for subsequently etching the metal layer to form a metal pattern layer having multiple metal patterns.

[0044] Optionally, the thickness of the first inorganic material layer 21 is 1 μm or less, and the thickness of the first inorganic material layer 21 is the same as or similar to the thickness of a metal pattern layer on which a plurality of metal patterns are subsequently formed.

[0045] In some embodiments, the first inorganic material layer 21 can be formed on the first surface 201 of the substrate 20 by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a method of forming a thin film by chemically reacting one or more vapor-phase compounds or elements containing thin film elements on the substrate surface. In this embodiment, the formation of the first inorganic material layer 21 by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has a number of advantages, including low deposition temperature, easy control of film composition and thickness, good uniformity and repeatability, wide applicability, and simple equipment.

[0046] In other embodiments, the first inorganic material layer 21 may be formed on the first surface 201 of the substrate 20 by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). PECVD is a method of exciting a gas to generate a low-temperature plasma during chemical vapor deposition, thereby enhancing the chemical activity of the reactants and thereby performing epitaxial growth. In this embodiment, forming the first inorganic material layer 21 by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition has the advantages of low deposition temperature, good uniformity of film thickness and composition, strong film adhesion, and a wide range of applications.

[0047] Furthermore, in order to reduce the difficulty of manufacturing the first inorganic material layer 21 , the first inorganic material layer 21 may be made of a material commonly used in the process and having a high degree of process integration, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Step S130, etching the first inorganic material layer 21 to form a first graphic layer 22 including multiple first graphics 221, the first graphics 221 including a first top surface 2211 away from the substrate 20, and a first side surface 2212 connected to the first top surface 2211, and a first angle θ1 is formed between the first top surface 2211 and the first side surface 2212.

[0049] Specifically, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the first inorganic material layer 21 can be etched by a dry etching process, wherein dry etching is a technology for thin film etching using plasma. In this embodiment, when the first inorganic material layer 21 is etched by the dry etching process, a suitable gas can be selected according to the material of the first inorganic material layer 21 to react with the material of the first inorganic material layer 21 more quickly to achieve the purpose of etching and removal. Dry etching has the advantages of controllability, flexibility, good repeatability, safe operation, easy automation, no chemical waste liquid, no pollution introduced during the treatment process, and high cleanliness.

[0050] Continue to refer Figure 5 and Figure 6 After the first inorganic material layer 21 is etched, a patterned first graphic layer 22 is formed. The first graphic layer 22 has multiple first graphics 221. The first graphics 221 include a first top surface 2211 away from the substrate 20, and also include a first side surface 2212 connected to the first top surface 2211, and a first angle θ1 is formed between the first top surface 2211 and the first side surface 2212.

[0051] The first pattern layer 22 is used to provide a process basis for the subsequent etching of the metal layer, wherein the pattern of the first pattern layer 22 is complementary to the pattern of the subsequently formed metal pattern layer having multiple metal patterns.

[0052] A first angle θ1 is formed between the first top surface 2211 and the first side surface 2212 of the first pattern 221 in the first pattern layer 22 . The first angle θ1 may determine the angle of the metal pattern to be formed subsequently.

[0053] Step S140: Form a metal layer 23 on the first pattern layer 22, and etch the metal layer 23 to form a metal pattern layer 24 including a plurality of metal patterns 241. Each metal pattern 241 is located between two adjacent first patterns 221. The metal pattern 241 includes a second top surface 2411 away from the substrate 20, and a second side surface 2412 connected to the second top surface 2411. A second angle θ2 is formed between the second top surface 2411 and the second side surface 2412, and the second angle θ2 is complementary to the first angle θ1.

[0054] Specifically, such as Figure 7 As shown, a metal layer 23 can be formed on the side of the first patterned layer 22 facing away from the substrate 20 using a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process. PVD refers to a technique that uses a physical method to vaporize the surface of a material source (solid or liquid) into gaseous atoms or molecules, or partially ionize them into ions, under vacuum conditions, and then deposits a thin film on the substrate surface through a low-pressure gas (or plasma) process. In this embodiment, PVD is used to form the metal layer 23, which has the advantages of a simple process, no pollution, low material consumption, uniform and dense film formation, and strong adhesion to the substrate.

[0055] Furthermore, if Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the metal layer 23 can be etched by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). The CMP process combines surface chemistry with mechanical polishing to remove different materials at the micron / nanoscale from the film surface. The main working principle of the CMP process is that under a certain pressure and in the presence of a polishing liquid, the film being polished moves relative to the polishing pad. By combining the mechanical polishing action of the nanoabrasive with the chemical action of various chemical reagents, the thickness of the polished film is reduced, and the surface of the polished film can be made highly flat, with low surface roughness and few defects.

[0056] Among them, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, when etching the metal layer 23, the surface of the metal layer 23 facing away from the substrate 20 is ground until the first pattern layer 22 is exposed, so that the metal layer 23 can form a metal pattern layer 24 complementary to the pattern of the first pattern layer 22, wherein during the evaporation process, a thin film with a preset pattern is formed by the metal pattern layer 24.

[0057] Specifically, during the actual use of the mask, the surface of the metal pattern layer 24 facing the substrate 20 can be directed toward the evaporation source, and the surface of the metal pattern layer 24 facing away from the substrate 20 can be directed toward the substrate to be evaporated. The evaporation material from the evaporation source is evaporated onto the substrate to be evaporated through the metal pattern layer 24 to form a thin film with a preset pattern.

[0058] Continue to refer Figure 7 and Figure 8 The metal pattern layer 24 includes a metal pattern 241 located between two adjacent first patterns 221. After the first pattern 221 is subsequently removed, a through hole matching the first pattern 221 will be formed on the metal pattern layer 24 at the location of the first pattern 221, and the through hole penetrates the metal pattern layer 24. During the evaporation process, a thin film with a preset pattern is formed through the through hole on the metal pattern layer 24.

[0059] Continue to refer Figure 7 and Figure 8 The second angle θ2 between the second top surface 2411 and the second side surface 2412 of the metal pattern 241 is complementary to the first angle θ1 between the first top surface 2211 and the first side surface 2212 of the first pattern 221. That is, the sum of the second angle θ2 and the first angle θ1 is equal to 180 degrees. It will be understood that the pattern of the metal pattern layer 24 is determined by the pattern of the first pattern layer 22, and the second angle θ2 between the second top surface 2411 and the second side surface 2412 of the metal pattern 241 is determined by the first angle θ1 between the first top surface 2211 and the first side surface 2212 of the first pattern 221. Therefore, the pattern of the first pattern layer 22 and the size of the first angle θ1 can be set accordingly based on the desired predetermined pattern of the metal pattern 241 and the desired size of the second angle θ2. This is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] It should be noted that, in order to reduce the difficulty of manufacturing the mask, a material commonly used in the process and having a high degree of process integration can be selected as the material of the metal layer 23 .

[0061] Optionally, the material of the metal layer 23 includes nickel, iron, titanium, tantalum or tungsten, or the material of the metal layer 23 includes an alloy of at least one of nickel, iron, titanium, tantalum and tungsten.

[0062] Among them, the metal layer 23 uses the above-mentioned materials or alloys of the above-mentioned materials, which can make the metal layer 23 have better rigidity and not easy to deform, thereby improving the mechanical strength of the metal pattern layer 24 formed by the metal layer 23. When the metal pattern layer 24 is subsequently used for vapor deposition, the probability of the metal pattern layer 24 being bent, deformed or broken can be reduced, which is beneficial to improving the quality of the mask and the accuracy of vapor deposition.

[0063] Optionally, the thickness of the metal layer 23 is less than or equal to 1 μm.

[0064] Among them, in this embodiment, the metal pattern layer 24 is formed on the substrate 20 through a semiconductor process. The substrate 20 can support and fix the metal pattern layer 24. Compared with the traditional fine metal mask manufacturing process, the rigidity requirement for the metal pattern layer 24 can be reduced, which is conducive to reducing the thickness of the metal layer 23.

[0065] In an embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the metal layer 23 can be set to 1 μm and below. Correspondingly, the thickness of the metal pattern layer 24 formed by etching the metal layer 23 is also 1 μm and below. While ensuring that the metal pattern layer 24 is not easily broken during use of the mask, it is beneficial to reduce the distance between the mask and the substrate to be evaporated during evaporation, thereby reducing the shadow effect during the evaporation process, reducing the deviation between the actual evaporated film pattern size and the design value, and improving the accuracy of the evaporation process.

[0066] Furthermore, if Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, when etching the metal layer 23, the surface of the metal layer 23 facing away from the substrate 20 is ground until the first patterned layer 22 is exposed. The thickness of the metal patterned layer 24 finally formed is generally equal to or less than the thickness of the first patterned layer 22. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the first inorganic material layer 21 can be set to 1 μm or less, so that the thickness of the first patterned layer 22 formed by the first inorganic material layer 21 is 1 μm or less. In addition, the thickness of the first patterned layer 22 matches the required thickness of the metal patterned layer 24, which is conducive to forming a thinner metal patterned layer 24.

[0067] Step S150 : forming a second inorganic material layer 25 on the metal pattern layer 24 and the first pattern layer 22 .

[0068] Among them, such as Figure 9 As shown, the second inorganic material layer 25 can support and protect the metal pattern layer 24 during the subsequent etching of the substrate 20, thereby reducing the probability of the metal pattern layer 24 falling off, bending, deforming or breaking, and thus helping to further improve the quality of the manufactured mask.

[0069] Optionally, the thickness of the second inorganic material layer 25 may be between 0.1 μm and 10 μm, which can provide good support and protection for the metal pattern layer 24 while being beneficial to cost control.

[0070] Specifically, such as Figure 9 As shown, the second inorganic material layer 25 can be formed on the metal pattern layer 24 and the first pattern layer 22 by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), thereby having the advantages of low deposition temperature, good uniformity of film thickness and composition, strong adhesion of the film, and a wide range of applications.

[0071] Furthermore, in order to reduce the difficulty of manufacturing the second inorganic material layer 25 , the second inorganic material layer 25 may be made of a material that is commonly used in the process and has a high degree of process integration.

[0072] Optionally, the second inorganic material layer 25 may be made of silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride or other materials to provide good support and protection for the metal pattern layer 24 , which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0073] Step S160 : forming a third inorganic material layer 26 at least on the side surface 203 of the substrate 20 .

[0074] Among them, such as Figure 10 As shown, the third inorganic material layer 26 is at least used to protect the side surface 203 of the substrate 20 , thereby preventing the side surface 203 of the substrate 20 from being etched when the substrate 20 is subsequently etched.

[0075] Optionally, the third inorganic material layer 26 may be made of silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride or other materials to provide good protection.

[0076] In addition, the thickness of the third inorganic material layer 26 may be between 0.1 μm and 1 μm, thereby providing good protection while being beneficial to cost control.

[0077] Alternatively, as Figure 10 As shown, a third inorganic material layer 26 may be further provided to cover the surface of the second inorganic material layer 25. The second inorganic material layer 25 is protected by the third inorganic material layer 26.

[0078] Alternatively, as Figure 10As shown, a third inorganic material layer 26 can also be provided to cover the surface of the second inorganic material layer 25, the side of the second inorganic material layer 25, the exposed side of the metal pattern layer 24, the side 203 of the substrate 20, and the second surface 202 of the substrate 20, so that the third inorganic material layer 26 can provide all-round protection for the second inorganic material layer 25, the metal pattern layer 24 and the substrate 20.

[0079] Furthermore, the third inorganic material layer 26 can be formed by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). LPCVD involves heating gaseous compounds under low pressure to react and deposit on the substrate surface to form a stable solid film. In this embodiment, the third inorganic material layer 26 is formed by LPCVD, which achieves a high deposition rate and output, ensuring that the third inorganic material layer 26 has excellent step coverage.

[0080] Furthermore, in order to reduce the difficulty of manufacturing the third inorganic material layer 26 , the third inorganic material layer 26 may be made of a material commonly used in the process and having a high degree of process integration, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0081] Step S170 , etching the substrate 20 from the second surface 202 of the substrate 20 , retaining the substrate 20 in the second region 32 , and removing the substrate 20 in the first region 31 ; wherein the second region 32 is a peripheral region surrounding the first region 31 .

[0082] In order to realize the normal use function of the mask, the substrate 20 in the first area 31 is removed to expose the metal pattern layer 24 .

[0083] Optionally, if in step S160, the second surface 202 of the substrate 20 is covered with a third inorganic material layer 26, the third inorganic material layer 26 can be used as a mask for etching the substrate 20. Specifically, as shown in FIG. Figure 11 As shown, the third inorganic material layer 26 in the first area 31 on the second surface 202 of the substrate 20 is etched, the third inorganic material layer 26 in the first area 31 is removed, and the third inorganic material layer 26 in the second area 32 is retained. In this embodiment, the third inorganic material layer 26 on the second surface 202 of the substrate 20 can be etched by a dry etching process, thereby having the advantages of controllability, flexibility, good repeatability, safe operation, easy automation, no chemical waste liquid, no pollution introduced during the treatment process, and high cleanliness. For example, Figure 11As shown, when etching the third inorganic material layer 26, the mask can be flipped over and etching can be performed on the third inorganic material layer 26 on the side of the substrate 20 away from the metal pattern layer 24 to remove the third inorganic material layer 26 in the first area 31 and retain the third inorganic material layer 26 in the second area 32.

[0084] Then, if Figure 12 As shown, when the substrate 20 of the first region 31 is removed, the third inorganic material layer 26 can act as an etching mask, thereby protecting the substrate 20 of the second region 32 and the side 203 of the substrate 20, preventing the substrate 20 of the second region 32 and the side 203 of the substrate 20 from being removed excessively. However, a small amount of the substrate 20 of the second region 32 may be etched away, but most of the substrate 20 of the second region 32 will be retained, so that the remaining substrate 20 can still support and fix the metal pattern layer 24, thereby reducing the probability of falling off between the substrate 20 and the metal pattern layer 24, and the probability of the metal pattern layer 24 breaking.

[0085] Optionally, the substrate 20 may be etched by a wet etching process, wherein wet etching is a technique of etching by immersing an etching material in an etching solution.

[0086] In this embodiment, when a wet etching process is used to etch the substrate 20, an appropriate etching solution can be selected based on the material of the substrate 20 to more quickly react with the material of the substrate 20 and achieve the purpose of etching and removing. For example, when the substrate 20 is a silicon substrate, a potassium hydroxide solution can be used to etch the substrate 20, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0087] Optionally, the third inorganic material layer 26 includes at least one of silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, and silicon oxide.

[0088] Among them, the third inorganic material layer 26 adopts the above-mentioned material, which can enable a higher etching selectivity ratio between the third inorganic material layer 26 and the substrate 20, thereby reducing the process difficulty of removing the substrate 20 in the first area 31, and reducing the damage to the third inorganic material layer 26 caused by the process of removing the substrate 20 in the first area 31, so that the third inorganic material layer 26 can better protect the side 203 and other positions of the substrate 20.

[0089] Optionally, if in step S160, the second surface 202 of the substrate 20 is not covered with the third inorganic material layer 26, the substrate 20 can be etched by setting other etching masks, such as forming other film layers on the second surface 202 of the substrate 20, and using the other film layers to block the second area 32 of the substrate 20 and expose the first area of ​​the substrate 20, so as to remove the substrate 20 in the first area 31 to expose the metal graphic layer 24.

[0090] Step S180 , removing the first pattern layer 22 and the second inorganic material layer 25 .

[0091] Among them, such as Figure 13 As shown, in order to realize the normal use function of the mask, the first pattern layer 22 and the second inorganic material layer 25 are removed to expose the metal pattern layer 24.

[0092] Optionally, the material of the first inorganic material layer 21 and the second inorganic material layer 25 includes at least one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride and silicon oxynitride.

[0093] Among them, the first inorganic material layer 21 and the second inorganic material layer 25 are made of the above-mentioned materials, which can enable the first graphic layer 22 and the second inorganic material layer 25 formed by the first inorganic material layer 21 to have a higher etching selectivity ratio with the metal graphic layer 24, thereby reducing the process difficulty of removing the first graphic layer 22 and the second inorganic material layer 25, and reducing the damage to the metal graphic layer 24 caused by the process of removing the first graphic layer 22 and the second inorganic material layer 25.

[0094] Furthermore, the first inorganic material layer 21 and the second inorganic material layer 25 can be made of the same material, so that the first graphic layer 22 and the second inorganic material layer 25 formed by the first inorganic material layer 21 can be removed in the same process step, thereby simplifying the process steps and improving the production efficiency of the mask.

[0095] It should be noted that the removal method of the first graphic layer 22 and the second inorganic material layer 25 can be set according to actual needs. For example, when the first graphic layer 22 and the second inorganic material layer 25 are both made of silicon oxide materials, the first graphic layer 22 and the second inorganic material layer 25 can be removed by etching with dilute hydrofluoric acid (DHF) to achieve a good removal effect, but it is not limited to this.

[0096] Optionally, if in step S160, a third inorganic material layer 26 is also provided to cover the surface of the second inorganic material layer 25, in order to realize the normal use function of the mask, the third material layer 26 covering the surface of the second inorganic material layer 25 needs to be removed to expose the metal pattern layer 24.

[0097] It should be noted that the removal method of the third inorganic material layer 26 can be set according to actual needs. For example, when the third inorganic material layer 26 is made of silicon nitride material, the third inorganic material layer 26 can be removed by etching with dilute hydrofluoric acid (DHF) to achieve a good removal effect, but it is not limited to this.

[0098] Optionally, the step of removing the third inorganic material layer 26 may be performed before, after, or simultaneously with step S180 .

[0099] In some embodiments, the removal of the third inorganic material layer 26 and the removal of the first graphic layer 22 and the second inorganic material layer 25 can be performed separately in different process steps, so that different removal methods can be selected according to the materials of the third inorganic material layer 26, the first graphic layer 22 and the second inorganic material layer 25, thereby achieving a good removal effect.

[0100] In other embodiments, the removal of the third inorganic material layer 26 and the removal of the first patterned layer 22 and the second inorganic material layer 25 can also be performed in the same process step to simplify the process steps and improve the efficiency of mask production. For example, when the third inorganic material layer 26 is made of silicon nitride and the first patterned layer 22 and the second inorganic material layer 25 are made of silicon oxide, the third inorganic material layer 26, the first patterned layer 22 and the second inorganic material layer 25 can be removed in the same process step using dilute hydrofluoric acid (DHF), but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0101] Continue to refer Figure 13 It should be noted that, in the first region 31, the substrate 20, the first graphic layer 22, and the second inorganic material layer 25 are all removed, and a hollow portion is formed at the location of the first graphic layer 22, thereby forming at least one through-hole 242 penetrating the metal graphic layer 24 in the metal graphic layer 24. It can be understood that the through-hole 242 matches the pattern of the first graphic 221. During the evaporation process, the evaporation material is evaporated onto the substrate to be evaporated through the through-hole 242 on the metal graphic layer 24 to form a thin film with a preset pattern.

[0102] Among them, the first graphic layer 22 and the metal graphic layer 24 are formed by a semiconductor process technology. The semiconductor process technology can realize a smaller size of the first graphic layer 22 and improve the accuracy of the first graphic layer 22, which is conducive to reducing the size of the through hole 242 on the metal graphic layer 24. In the embodiment of the present invention, the aperture of the through hole 242 formed by the semiconductor process technology can reach 0.5μm to 10μm, realizing a smaller through hole size, thereby reducing the limitation of the size of the through hole 242 on the evaporation process, thereby meeting the user's high-resolution requirements for the display panel.

[0103] It should be noted that there may be multiple through holes 242 in the first region 31 . In this embodiment, for ease of illustration, only two through holes 242 and the first regions 31 corresponding to the through holes 242 are illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0104] In step S160 , if the third inorganic material layer 26 is formed only on the side 203 of the substrate 20 , optionally, the third inorganic material layer 26 on the side 203 of the substrate 20 may not be removed, and the mask finally formed still has the third inorganic material layer 26 on the side 203 of the substrate 20 .

[0105] In summary, the mask manufacturing method provided by an embodiment of the present invention forms a first inorganic material layer on the first surface of a substrate and etches the first inorganic material layer to form a first graphic layer including multiple first graphics. A metal layer is formed on the first graphic layer and etches the metal layer to form a metal graphic layer including multiple metal graphics, each metal graphic being located between two adjacent first graphics. A second inorganic material layer is formed on the metal graphic layer and the first graphic layer, and a third inorganic material layer is formed on at least the side of the substrate. The substrate in the second region is retained, and the substrate in the first region is removed. Finally, the first graphic layer and the second inorganic material layer are removed. The metal graphic layer is formed on the substrate using a semiconductor manufacturing process. Compared with the traditional fine metal mask manufacturing process, this method facilitates reducing the size of the through-holes in the metal graphic layer, reducing the restrictions of the through-hole size on the evaporation process, and thus meeting the user's demand for high resolution of the display panel. In addition, the substrate retained in the second area can support and fix the metal pattern layer. On the one hand, compared with the traditional fine metal mask manufacturing process, it can reduce the rigidity requirements for the metal pattern layer, help reduce the thickness of the metal layer, and thus help to shorten the distance between the mask and the substrate to be evaporated during evaporation, reduce the shadow effect during the evaporation process, reduce the deviation between the actual evaporated film pattern size and the design value, and improve the accuracy of the evaporation process; on the other hand, compared with the solution of welding the mask to the mask frame by laser welding, it can prevent displacement between the metal pattern layer and the substrate, which is beneficial to improving the accuracy of the evaporation process.

[0106] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of the process structure of another method for manufacturing a mask provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 14 As shown, optionally, before etching the metal layer 23, the process further includes:

[0107] The metal layer 23 and the substrate 20 are heat-treated to form a metal diffusion layer 27 on a side of the substrate 20 close to the metal layer 23 .

[0108] Among them, such as Figure 14 As shown in (a), the substrate 20 provided with the metal layer 23 is subjected to heat treatment; Figure 14 (b) During the heat treatment process, the metal elements in the metal layer 23 will diffuse toward the side of the substrate 20 to form a metal diffusion layer 27, thereby increasing the adhesion between the metal layer 23 and the substrate 20. When the metal layer 23 is etched by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), the possibility of the metal layer 23 falling off from the substrate 20 can be reduced, which is conducive to the smooth progress of the etching process.

[0109] Optionally, the heat treatment temperature may be 300° C. to 400° C., and the heat treatment time may be 1 minute to 10 minutes to achieve a good metal diffusion effect and further increase the adhesion between the metal layer 23 and the substrate 20 , but is not limited thereto.

[0110] Continue to refer Figure 14 (b) Optionally, the ratio of the thickness of the metal diffusion layer 27 to the thickness of the metal layer 23 is greater than or equal to 5 / 95.

[0111] In this embodiment, the thickness of the metal diffusion layer 27 is set to 5 / 95 or more of the thickness of the metal layer 23, that is, the thickness of the metal diffusion layer 27 is 5% or more of the total thickness of the metal diffusion layer 27 and the metal layer 23, which can ensure that the metal layer 23 and the substrate 20 have good adhesion, so that when the metal layer 23 is etched by the chemical mechanical polishing process, the metal layer 23 can be prevented from falling off from the substrate 20, thereby ensuring the smooth progress of the etching process.

[0112] It should be noted that the specific value of the thickness of the metal diffusion layer 27 can be set according to actual needs. It can be understood that the larger the ratio of the thickness of the metal diffusion layer 27 to the total thickness of the metal diffusion layer 27 and the metal layer 23, the better the adhesion between the metal layer 23 and the substrate 20. The embodiment of the present invention does not make specific limitations on this.

[0113] In addition, the total thickness of the metal diffusion layer 27 and the metal layer 23 can be less than or equal to 1 μm, which ensures that the mask is not easily broken during use, while helping to reduce the distance between the mask and the substrate to be evaporated during evaporation, thereby reducing the shadow effect during the evaporation process, reducing the deviation between the actual evaporated film pattern size and the design value, and improving the accuracy of the evaporation process.

[0114] Other process steps such as Figure 14 (c) to Figure 14 As shown in (f), it is the same or similar to the above process flow and will not be repeated here.

[0115] refer to Figures 4 to 14 Optionally, the first angle θ1 is greater than or equal to 130 degrees, and the second angle θ2 is less than or equal to 50 degrees.

[0116] Figure 15 A structural diagram of an evaporation process provided for related technologies, such as Figure 15As shown, during the evaporation process, the evaporation source 14 and the substrate to be evaporated 17 have a certain relative movement. The evaporation material is heated and vaporized in the evaporation source 14, sprayed through the nozzle 15, and then evaporated onto the substrate to be evaporated 17 through the through holes between the metal patterns 161, forming a corresponding evaporation film layer 28. Among them, the inventors have found through research that when the angle θ between the surface of the metal pattern 161 facing the substrate to be evaporated 17 and its side surface is large, during the evaporation deposition process, the evaporation material sprayed out by the nozzle 15 is sprayed in a beam shape, and the metal pattern 161 will block the evaporation material. Specifically, when the angle θ is large, the vertex 1611 of the metal pattern 161 close to the evaporation source 14 side will cause a larger blocking area 19. In the blocking area 19, the evaporation material cannot be uniformly deposited into a film, resulting in poor evaporation.

[0117] Based on the above technical issues, such as Figure 4-Figure 14 As shown, in this embodiment, the first angle θ1 is set to be greater than or equal to 130 degrees, and the second angle θ2 is less than or equal to 50 degrees, that is, the angle between the second top surface 2411 and the second side surface 2412 of the metal pattern 241 is less than or equal to 50 degrees. Specifically, Figure 16 A schematic structural diagram of an evaporation process provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 16 As shown, during the actual use of the mask, the second top surface 2411 of the metal pattern 241 is directed toward the side of the substrate to be evaporated 37, and the second angle θ2 is less than or equal to 50 degrees, that is, the angle between the side of the metal pattern 241 of the mask facing the substrate to be evaporated 37 and its side surface is less than or equal to 50 degrees, which can reduce the obstruction of the metal pattern 241 on the evaporated material, so that more evaporated material can pass through the through hole 242, thereby increasing the area of ​​the evaporated film layer 38 on the substrate to be evaporated 37 by the evaporated material, and further improve the flatness of the edge area of ​​the evaporated film layer 38, thereby improving the phenomenon that other material film layers formed subsequently are broken due to the low flatness of the film layer.

[0118] It should be noted that, considering that the size of the through hole 242 of the metal graphic layer 24 on the mask is designed according to the preset pattern size, when implementing the solution of the present invention, the size of the through hole 242 can be adjusted as needed to ensure that the deviation between the pattern size of the actual evaporated film layer 28 and the design value is small.

[0119] In addition, the specific values ​​of the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 can be set according to actual needs, for example, Figure 16As shown, the angle limiting plate 36 can be used to limit the evaporation angle α of the evaporation material sprayed from the nozzle 35, and the second angle θ2 can be set to be less than or equal to the evaporation angle α to reduce or avoid unnecessary obstruction of the evaporation area. The evaporation angle α is the maximum divergence angle of the vaporized evaporation material after being sprayed from the nozzle 35 and limited by the angle limiting plate 36. Figure 16 As shown, the second angle θ2 is set to be less than or equal to the evaporation angle α, so that the second angle θ2 has a smaller angle range. Even the evaporated material with the largest diffusion angle will not be blocked by the vertex of the metal pattern 241 close to the evaporation source 34, thereby increasing the area of ​​the evaporated film layer 38 evaporated by the evaporated material on the substrate to be evaporated 37, and further improving the flatness of the edge area of ​​the evaporated film layer 38, thereby improving the phenomenon that other material film layers formed subsequently are broken due to the low flatness of the film layer, but it is not limited to this, and the embodiments of the present invention do not make specific limitations on this.

[0120] It can be understood that since the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 are complementary to each other, when the angle value of one of the first angle θ1 and the second angle θ2 is determined, the corresponding angle value of the other one is also determined. For example, when the first angle θ1 is set to 135 degrees, the subsequently formed second angle θ2 is 45 degrees. Those skilled in the art can set it according to actual needs.

[0121] The mask manufacturing method provided by the embodiment of the present invention and the mask obtained by the manufacturing method have the following advantages: the metal pattern of the mask is formed by a semiconductor film forming process and can be set very thin, which can be set to 1μm or less, so that the second angle θ2 can be set smaller. Figure 17 For a comparison diagram of metal graphics, refer to Figure 17 When the width of the metal pattern is the same, such as the width d of metal pattern 161 in the related art and metal pattern 241 in the embodiment of the present invention, but the thickness of metal pattern 241 is smaller than that of metal pattern 161, and the second angle θ2 of metal pattern 241 is smaller than the angle θ of metal pattern 161, metal pattern 241 can reduce or even eliminate the shadow effect, thereby improving the efficiency of evaporation film formation. In addition, the metal pattern is formed through a semiconductor etching process, and its width is very small. Compared with the existing technology of laser drilling through metal strips to form through holes, the size of through hole 242 is also very small, making it very suitable for the film formation process of small-sized, high-precision display panels.

[0122] Figure 18 A schematic structural diagram of a substrate provided in an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 18 As shown, optionally, the base 20 is circular in shape.

[0123] Typically, substrates such as silicon wafers used to fabricate semiconductor film layers are circular. Therefore, in this embodiment, by providing a circular substrate 20, the need for cutting substrate 20 can be reduced, thereby simplifying the process steps and improving mask production efficiency. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and substrate 20 may also be square or other shapes.

[0124] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a mask plate, which can be manufactured using the mask plate manufacturing method provided by any of the above embodiments. Therefore, the mask plate provided by an embodiment of the present invention can have the technical effects of the technical solutions in any of the above embodiments, and the structures that are the same or corresponding to the above embodiments and the explanation of terms will not be repeated here.

[0125] Figure 19 A schematic structural diagram of a mask provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 20 for Figure 19 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure along the A-A' direction, as shown Figure 19 and Figure 20 As shown, the mask includes a first side 41 and a second side 42 oppositely disposed, wherein the first side 41 is the side facing the evaporation source. The mask includes a first region 31 and a second region 32 surrounding the first region 31. In the first region 31, the mask includes a plurality of metal patterns 241, with through holes 242 disposed between adjacent metal patterns 241. On the first side 41 of the mask, the metal patterns 241 include a second top surface 2411 and a second side surface 2412 connected to the second top surface 2411. A second angle θ2 is formed between the second top surface 2411 and the second side surface 2412 of the metal pattern 241. In the second region 32, the mask includes a first frame layer 51 and a second frame layer 52. The first frame layer 51 is made of a semiconductor material, and the second frame layer 52 is made of the same material as the metal pattern 241.

[0126] Specifically, such as Figure 19 and Figure 20 As shown, the mask has a first area 31 and a second area 32 surrounding the first area 31. The mask is provided with a plurality of metal patterns 241 in the first area 31. The plurality of metal patterns 241 constitute a metal pattern layer 24. Through holes 242 are provided between adjacent metal patterns 241, and the through holes 242 penetrate the metal pattern layer 24. During the evaporation process, a thin film with a preset pattern is formed through the through holes 242 on the metal pattern layer 24.

[0127] Continue to refer Figure 19 and Figure 20The surface of the metal pattern 241 facing the first side 41 of the mask is a second top surface 2411. The metal pattern 241 further includes a second side surface 2412 connected to the second top surface 2411. A second angle θ2 is defined between the second top surface 2411 and the second side surface 2412 of the metal pattern 241. The specific value of the second angle θ2 can be set according to actual needs and is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

[0128] Continue to refer Figure 19 and Figure 20 In the second region 32 , the mask has a first frame layer 51 and a second frame layer 52 . The first frame layer 51 is located on the second side 42 of the mask, and the second frame layer 52 is located on the first side 41 of the mask.

[0129] The material of the second frame layer 52 is the same as that of the metal pattern 241 , so that the second frame layer 52 and the metal pattern 241 can be manufactured in the same process step, thereby simplifying the process steps and improving the production efficiency of the mask.

[0130] At the same time, the material of the first frame layer 51 is semiconductor material, and the first frame layer 51 is used to support and fix the second frame layer 52 in the second area 32. On the one hand, compared with the traditional fine metal mask manufacturing process, the rigidity requirement for the second frame layer 52 can be reduced, which helps to reduce the thickness of the second frame layer 52, thereby helping to reduce the distance between the mask and the substrate to be evaporated during evaporation, reduce the shadow effect during the evaporation process, reduce the deviation between the actual evaporated film pattern size and the design value, and improve the accuracy of the evaporation process; on the other hand, compared with the solution of welding the mask to the mask frame by laser welding, it can prevent displacement between the first frame layer 51 and the second frame layer 52, which is beneficial to improve the accuracy of the evaporation process.

[0131] The first frame layer 51 can be made of a substrate material commonly used in semiconductor manufacturing processes. During mask preparation, multiple metal patterns 241 can be formed on the substrate using semiconductor manufacturing processes. This helps reduce the size of the through-holes 242 and reduces the restrictions imposed by the through-hole 242 size on the evaporation process, thereby meeting user requirements for high-resolution display panels. The substrate is then etched, retaining the substrate in the second region 32 and removing the substrate in the first region 31, thereby forming the first frame layer 51.

[0132] Optionally, the material of the first frame layer 51 includes at least one of silicon, germanium, silicon germanium, silicon carbide, gallium arsenide, indium gallium, silicon on insulator, and germanium on insulator.

[0133] The first frame layer 51 is made of the above-mentioned material, which can be more suitable for semiconductor process requirements when preparing the mask, and helps to improve the film quality of the mask.

[0134] Optionally, the thickness of the metal pattern 241 is less than or equal to 1 μm.

[0135] Among them, the metal pattern 241 can be formed on the substrate through a semiconductor process. The substrate can support and fix the metal pattern 241. Compared with the traditional fine metal mask manufacturing process, the rigidity requirement for the metal pattern 241 can be reduced, which is conducive to reducing the thickness of the metal pattern 241.

[0136] In an embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the metal pattern 241 can be set to 1 μm or less. While ensuring that the metal pattern 241 is not easily broken during use, it is beneficial to reduce the distance between the mask and the substrate to be evaporated during evaporation, thereby reducing the shadow effect during the evaporation process, reducing the deviation between the actual evaporated film pattern size and the design value, and improving the accuracy of the evaporation process.

[0137] refer to Figure 19 and Figure 20 Optionally, the second angle θ2 is less than or equal to 50 degrees.

[0138] In this embodiment, the second angle θ2 is set to be less than or equal to 50 degrees. Figure 16 As shown, during the actual use of the mask, the second top surface 2411 of the metal pattern 241 can be directed toward the substrate to be evaporated 37. By setting the second angle θ2 to be less than or equal to 50 degrees, the shadow effect can be reduced or even eliminated, thereby increasing the area of ​​the evaporated film layer 38 on the substrate to be evaporated 37 where the evaporated material is evaporated, thereby improving the flatness of the edge area of ​​the evaporated film layer 38, and improving the phenomenon that the subsequent film layers of other materials are broken due to the low flatness of the film layer.

[0139] It should be noted that, considering that the size of the through hole 242 of the metal graphic layer 24 on the mask is designed according to the preset pattern size, when implementing the solution of the present invention, the size of the through hole 242 can be adjusted as needed to ensure that the deviation between the pattern size of the actual evaporated film layer 38 and the design value is small.

[0140] In addition, the specific value of the second angle θ2 can be set according to actual needs, for example, Figure 17As shown, an angle limiting plate 36 can be used to limit the evaporation angle α of the evaporation material ejected through the nozzle 35 to ensure that a serious shadow effect is not generated. In an exemplary embodiment, the first angle θ1 can be set to be greater than or equal to (180-α) so that the second angle θ2 is less than or equal to the evaporation angle α, thereby reducing or even eliminating the shadow effect, increasing the area of ​​the evaporated film layer 38 evaporated by the evaporation material on the substrate to be evaporated 37, and further improving the flatness of the edge area of ​​the evaporated film layer 38. This improves the phenomenon of subsequent fracture of other material film layers formed due to the low flatness of the film layer, but the present invention is not limited to this and is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0141] Continue to refer Figure 19 Optionally, the mask has a circular shape. Typically, substrates such as silicon wafers used to fabricate semiconductor films are circular. Therefore, in this embodiment, by setting the mask to a circular shape, a circular substrate can be directly used during mask production, thereby reducing substrate cutting, simplifying the process steps, and improving mask production efficiency. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the mask may also have a square or other shape.

[0142] Figure 21 A schematic diagram of a cross-sectional structure of a mask provided in an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 21 As shown, optionally, a third inorganic material layer 26 is further provided on the side of the first frame layer 51 of the mask, and the third inorganic material layer 26 covers the side of the first frame layer 51 to protect the side of the first frame layer 51. Figure 22 A schematic diagram of a cross-sectional structure of another mask provided in an embodiment of the present invention is provided. Figure 22 In other embodiments, the third inorganic material layer 26 may also cover the sides of the first frame layer 51 and the second frame layer 52 to protect the edges of the first frame layer 51 and the second frame layer 52 .

[0143] Figure 23 A schematic diagram of a cross-sectional structure of another mask provided in an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 23 As shown, optionally, the second frame layer 52 includes a metal diffusion layer 27 toward the second side 42 of the mask.

[0144] Among them, such as Figure 14As shown, before etching the metal layer 23 to form a plurality of metal patterns 241, the substrate 20 provided with the metal layer 23 may be subjected to a heat treatment to form a metal diffusion layer 27 on a side of the substrate 20 close to the metal layer 23. Specifically, during the heat treatment process, the metal elements in the metal layer 23 diffuse toward the side of the substrate 20 to form the metal diffusion layer 27, thereby increasing the adhesion between the metal layer 23 and the substrate 20. Furthermore, when etching the metal layer 23 by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), the possibility of the metal layer 23 falling off the substrate 20 is reduced, thereby facilitating a smooth etching process.

[0145] Optionally, the ratio of the thickness of the metal diffusion layer 27 to the thickness of the second frame layer 52 is greater than or equal to 5%.

[0146] Among them, by setting the thickness of the metal diffusion layer 27 to 5% or more of the thickness of the second frame layer 52, it can be ensured that when the metal layer 23 is etched, the metal layer 23 and the substrate 20 have good adhesion, so that when the metal layer 23 is etched by the chemical mechanical polishing process, the metal layer 23 can be prevented from falling off from the substrate 20, thereby ensuring the smooth progress of the etching process.

[0147] It should be noted that the specific value of the thickness of the metal diffusion layer 27 can be set according to actual needs. It can be understood that the larger the ratio between the thickness of the metal diffusion layer 27 and the thickness of the second frame layer 52, the better the adhesion between the metal layer 23 and the substrate 20 when etching the metal layer 23. The embodiment of the present invention does not make specific limitations on this.

[0148] In addition, the thickness of the second frame layer 52 can be less than or equal to 1 μm, which is conducive to reducing the distance between the mask and the substrate to be evaporated during evaporation, thereby reducing the shadow effect during the evaporation process, reducing the deviation between the actual evaporated film pattern size and the design value, and improving the accuracy of the evaporation process.

[0149] Optionally, the aperture of the through hole 242 between adjacent metal patterns 241 is less than or equal to 10 μm and greater than or equal to 0.5 μm.

[0150] Specifically, the mask structure provided in the embodiment of the present invention can be manufactured through a semiconductor process technology, which is conducive to reducing the size of the through hole 242. The aperture of the through hole 242 formed by the semiconductor process technology can be less than or equal to 10μm to achieve a smaller through hole 242 size, thereby reducing the limitation of the through hole 242 size on the evaporation process. When the organic light-emitting material layer of the display panel is evaporated using the mask, the organic light-emitting diode formed by the organic light-emitting material layer can have a smaller size, meeting the user's high-resolution requirements for the display panel.

[0151] The mask provided by the present invention is particularly suitable for use in the evaporation process of silicon-based OLED micro-displays. Silicon-based OLED micro-displays use single-crystal silicon wafers as substrates, and their pixel size can reach 1 / 10 of that of traditional displays. They have the advantages of low power consumption, small size, and high resolution, and have very high requirements for evaporation size and accuracy.

[0152] It should be understood that the various forms of the processes shown above can be used to reorder, add, or delete steps. For example, the steps described in the present invention can be performed in parallel, sequentially, or in a different order, as long as the desired results of the technical solution of the present invention can be achieved. This is not limited herein.

[0153] The above specific embodiments do not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions may be made based on design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a mask, characterized in that: The production method comprises the following steps: Providing a substrate, the substrate comprising a first surface and a second surface disposed opposite to each other, and a side surface disposed between the first surface and the second surface; forming a first inorganic material layer on the first surface of the substrate; Etching the first inorganic material layer to form a first pattern layer including a plurality of first patterns, wherein the first pattern includes a first top surface away from the substrate and a first side surface connected to the first top surface, and a first angle is formed between the first top surface and the first side surface; forming a metal layer on the first pattern layer, and etching the metal layer to form a metal pattern layer including a plurality of metal patterns, each of the metal patterns being located between two adjacent first patterns; the metal pattern including a second top surface away from the substrate, and a second side surface connected to the second top surface, wherein a second angle is formed between the second top surface and the second side surface, and the second angle is complementary to the first angle; forming a second inorganic material layer on the metal pattern layer and the first pattern layer; forming a third inorganic material layer at least on the side surface of the substrate; Etching the substrate from one side of the second surface of the substrate, retaining the substrate in the second area and removing the substrate in the first area; wherein the second area is a peripheral area surrounding the first area; removing the first graphic layer and the second inorganic material layer; The materials of the first inorganic material layer and the second inorganic material layer include at least one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride and silicon oxynitride; The third inorganic material layer includes at least one of silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, and silicon oxide.

2. The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 1, wherein: The third inorganic material layer also covers the second inorganic material layer; After, before or simultaneously with removing the first graphic layer and the second inorganic material layer, the third inorganic material layer at least located in the first region is removed.

3. The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 1, wherein: The second inorganic material layer also covers the second surface of the substrate; Before etching the substrate from the second surface of the substrate, the second inorganic material layer on the second surface of the substrate is etched to remove the second inorganic material layer in the first region and retain the second inorganic material layer in the second region.

4. The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 1, wherein: The material of the substrate includes at least one of silicon nitride, single crystal silicon, germanium, silicon germanium, silicon carbide, gallium arsenide, indium gallium, silicon on insulator, and germanium on insulator.

5. The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 1, wherein: The material of the metal layer includes nickel, iron, titanium, tantalum, tungsten, or an alloy containing at least one of nickel, iron, titanium, tantalum, and tungsten.

6. The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 1, wherein: The thickness of the metal layer is less than or equal to 1 μm.

7. The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 1, wherein: The etching of the metal layer includes: etching the metal layer from a surface of the metal layer facing away from the substrate by chemical mechanical polishing until the first pattern layer is exposed.

8. The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 1, wherein: The removing of the first pattern layer and the second inorganic material layer comprises: removing the first pattern layer and the second inorganic material layer by etching with dilute hydrofluoric acid.

9. The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 1, wherein: The etching of the substrate from the second surface of the substrate includes: etching the substrate with a potassium hydroxide solution.

10. The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 1, wherein: Before etching the metal layer, the method further comprises: The metal layer and the substrate are heat-treated to form a metal diffusion layer on a side of the substrate close to the metal layer.

11. The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 10, wherein: A ratio between the thickness of the metal diffusion layer and the thickness of the metal layer is greater than or equal to 5 / 95.

12. The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 1, wherein: The first angle is greater than or equal to 130 degrees, and the second angle is less than or equal to 50 degrees.

13. The method for manufacturing a mask according to claim 1, wherein: The shape of the base is circular or square.

14. A mask, characterized in that: The mask includes a first side and a second side that are opposite to each other, and the mask includes a first area and a second area surrounding the first area; In the first area, the mask includes a plurality of metal patterns, and through holes are provided between adjacent metal patterns; On the first side of the mask, the metal pattern includes a second top surface, the metal pattern further includes a second side surface connected to the second top surface, and a second angle is formed between the second top surface and the second side surface of the metal pattern; In the second region, the mask has a first frame layer and a second frame layer, the first frame layer is made of a semiconductor material, and the second frame layer is made of the same material as the metal pattern; The material of the first frame layer includes at least one of silicon nitride, single crystal silicon, germanium, silicon germanium, silicon carbide, gallium arsenide, indium gallium, silicon on insulator and germanium on insulator; The materials of the plurality of metal patterns and the second frame layer include at least one of nickel, iron, titanium, tantalum, and tungsten, or an alloy including at least one of nickel, iron, titanium, tantalum, and tungsten.

15. The mask according to claim 14, wherein: The thickness of the metal pattern is less than or equal to 1 μm.

16. The mask according to claim 14, wherein: The aperture of the through hole between adjacent metal patterns is less than or equal to 10 μm and greater than or equal to 0.5 μm.

17. The mask according to claim 14, wherein: The second angle is less than or equal to 50 degrees.

18. The mask according to claim 14, wherein: When using the mask for evaporation, the second top surface of the metal pattern is directed toward the substrate to be evaporated, the evaporation source and the substrate to be evaporated are arranged with the mask spaced apart, and the degree of the second angle is less than or equal to the degree of the evaporation angle; wherein, the evaporation angle is the maximum divergence angle of the vaporized evaporation material after being ejected from the nozzle and limited by the angle limiting plate.

19. The mask according to claim 14, wherein: The second frame layer toward the second side of the mask includes a metal diffusion layer.

20. The mask according to claim 19, wherein: A ratio between the thickness of the metal diffusion layer and the thickness of the second frame layer is greater than or equal to 5%.

21. The mask according to claim 14, wherein: A third inorganic material layer is further provided on the side of the first frame layer.

22. The mask according to claim 14, wherein: The mask has a circular or square shape.

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