Thin-film mask fixture and method for fixing thin-film mask on fixture

Abstract

The present application provides a thin film mask clamp and a method for fixing the thin film mask on the clamp, wherein the thin film mask clamp includes an outer frame, a supporting portion and a positioning portion. A through mounting opening is provided on the outer frame; the mounting opening is provided with a first clamping portion, and the first clamping portion is used to clamp with a second clamping portion of the thin film mask; the supporting portion is installed at the bottom of the mounting opening, and the supporting portion is used to place and bond the thin film mask; the positioning portion is used to apply a force parallel to the axis of the mounting opening to the thin film mask, so as to position the thin film mask on the supporting portion. The thin film mask clamp and the thin film mask are fixed by mechanical clamping and bonding, and after mechanical and bonding fixing, the positioning portion is used to position the thin film mask on the supporting portion, and by applying a force to the thin film mask in a direction parallel to the axis of the mounting opening, the flatness of the thin film mask can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of mask plates, and in particular to a thin film mask plate clamp and a method for fixing the thin film mask plate on the clamp. Background Art

[0002] In the process of manufacturing organic light-emitting diode display panels, a mask is needed. During the processing, if the mask is in direct contact with the working surface, it is difficult to ensure that the mask is not scratched. In addition, if the mask is directly fixed to the working surface, it is difficult for one working surface to be compatible with masks of different sizes. Therefore, the existing technology uses a mask clamp to support and fix the mask.

[0003] An existing patent (US11638388B2) proposes a high-resolution mask, which is a thin film mask. The material of the thin film mask is silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, etc., and the thickness of the thin film mask is nanometer or micrometer level. However, the existing mask clamp is not suitable for thin film masks. The existing mask and the outer frame of the clamp are mostly fixed by snap-fit ​​or mechanical point welding. This fixing method will cause two problems when applied to thin film masks: first, it is difficult to weld the material of the thin film mask to the outer frame, and second, due to the influence of its own residual stress, the flatness of the thin film mask fixed to the outer frame is difficult to ensure. Summary of the invention

[0004] The main technical problem solved by the present invention is to solve the problem that the existing mask clamp is not suitable for thin film mask.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a thin film mask clamp, including an outer frame, a supporting portion and a positioning portion. The outer frame is provided with a through mounting opening; the mounting opening is provided with a first clamping portion, and the first clamping portion is used to clamp with the second clamping portion of the thin film mask; the supporting portion is installed at the bottom of the mounting opening, and the supporting portion is used to place and bond the thin film mask; the positioning portion is used to apply a force parallel to the axis of the mounting opening to the thin film mask, so as to position the thin film mask on the supporting portion.

[0006] In one embodiment, the thin film mask clamp also includes a pressing piece, which includes a pressing block. The pressing block is a positioning portion, and the pressing block has a contact surface. The contact surface is arranged opposite to the supporting portion, and the pressing block can move closer to or away from the supporting portion. When the pressing block moves closer to the supporting portion, the pressing block can press the edge area of ​​the thin film mask onto the supporting portion. The edge area is the area of ​​the thin film mask located outside the effective mask area.

[0007] In one embodiment, at least one end of the pressing block facing the supporting portion is made of elastic material, so that the contact surface is an elastic contact surface.

[0008] In one embodiment, the pressing part also includes a fixed block and a pressure rod, one end of the fixed block is arranged on the outer frame, and the other end of the fixed block is movably connected to the pressure rod, and one end of the pressure rod facing the supporting part is fixedly connected to the pressure block, and the pressure rod can move relative to the fixed block in a direction away from the supporting part and close to the supporting part.

[0009] In one embodiment, the pressure rod is threadedly connected to the fixing block.

[0010] In one embodiment, the shape of the supporting portion matches at least a portion of the shape of an edge region of the thin film mask; the number of the pressing blocks is one, and the shape of the contact surface matches at least a portion of the shape of an edge region of the thin film mask; or, the number of the pressing blocks is multiple, and the multiple pressing blocks are distributed according to at least a portion of the shape of the edge region.

[0011] In one embodiment, a portion of the pressing block is made of magnetic material, and the supporting portion is made of metal material. When the contact surface is pressed onto the edge region of the thin film mask, the pressing block and the supporting portion are magnetically adsorbed.

[0012] In one embodiment, the first clamping portion is a protrusion disposed on the side wall of the mounting opening to limit the rotation of the thin film mask. There are multiple first clamping portions, and the multiple first clamping portions are distributed in a ring shape.

[0013] In one embodiment, the positioning portion is a through adsorption hole provided on the supporting portion, and the adsorption hole is used to connect with a vacuum adsorption device to vacuum adsorb the thin film mask onto the supporting portion.

[0014] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application also provides a method for fixing a thin film mask on a fixture, comprising the steps of:

[0015] Adhere at least a portion of the edge region of the thin film mask to the supporting portion of the thin film mask fixture, wherein the edge region is a region outside the effective mask region of the thin film mask;

[0016] The thin film mask is pressed or adsorbed onto the supporting part.

[0017] The present application provides a thin film mask clamp and a method for fixing the thin film mask on the clamp. The thin film mask clamp includes an outer frame, a supporting portion and a positioning portion. A through mounting opening is provided on the outer frame; the mounting opening is provided with a first clamping portion, and the first clamping portion is used to clamp with a second clamping portion of the thin film mask; the supporting portion is installed at the bottom of the mounting opening, and the supporting portion is used to place and bond the thin film mask; the positioning portion is used to apply a force parallel to the axis of the mounting opening to the thin film mask, so as to position the thin film mask on the supporting portion. The thin film mask clamp and the thin film mask are fixed by mechanical clamping and bonding. The clamp adds a bonding fixing method, and does not need to weld the thin film mask and the clamp. Moreover, after mechanical and bonding fixing, the positioning portion is used to position the thin film mask on the supporting portion. By applying a force to the thin film mask in a direction parallel to the axis of the mounting opening, the flatness of the thin film mask can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a thin film mask fixed on a thin film mask fixture at one viewing angle provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A structural diagram from another perspective;

[0020] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the explosion structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The present invention is further described in detail below by specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Wherein similar elements in different embodiments adopt associated similar element numbers. In the following embodiments, many detailed descriptions are for making the present application better understood. However, those skilled in the art can easily recognize that some features can be omitted in different situations, or can be replaced by other elements, materials, methods. In some cases, some operations related to the present application are not shown or described in the specification, this is to avoid the core part of the present application being overwhelmed by too much description, and for those skilled in the art, it is not necessary to describe these related operations in detail, and they can fully understand the related operations according to the description in the specification and the general technical knowledge in the art.

[0022] In addition, the features, operations or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any appropriate manner to form various implementations. At the same time, the steps or actions in the method description can also be interchanged or adjusted in a manner that is obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the various sequences in the specification and the drawings are only for the purpose of clearly describing a certain embodiment and are not meant to be a required sequence, unless otherwise specified that a certain sequence must be followed.

[0023] The serial numbers assigned to the components herein, such as "first", "second", etc., are only used to distinguish the objects described and do not have any order or technical meaning. The "connection" and "coupling" mentioned in this application, unless otherwise specified, include direct and indirect connections (couplings).

[0024] The terms "parallel", "vertical", etc. are defined for the current state of the art, rather than being absolutely strict definitions in a mathematical sense. A small amount of deviation is allowed, and approximately parallel, approximately vertical, etc. are all acceptable. For example, A and B are parallel, which means that A and B are parallel or approximately parallel, and the angle between A and B can be between 0° and 10°. For example, A and B are perpendicular, which means that A and B are perpendicular or approximately perpendicular, and the angle between A and B can be between 80° and 100°. The directional terms mentioned in the embodiments of the present application, such as "upper", "inner", "outer", "side", etc., are only reference to the directions of the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are for better and clearer explanation and understanding of the embodiments of the present application, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0025] like Figure 1-3 As shown, the present application provides a thin film mask clamp 10, which can be used to fix a thin film mask 20. The material of the thin film mask 20 can be silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, etc. The thickness of the thin film mask 20 is nanometer level or micrometer level.

[0026] The thin film mask holder 10 includes an outer frame 11 , a supporting portion 12 and a positioning portion. The outer frame 11 can be detachably fixed on the bottom plate 30 , so that the thin film mask holder 10 of different shapes and sizes can be replaced according to the size and shape of the thin film mask 20 .

[0027] The outer frame 11 is provided with a mounting opening 111 that passes through the outer frame 11. The mounting opening 111 is provided with a first clamping portion 112. The first clamping portion 112 is used to clamp with the second clamping portion 21 of the thin film mask 20. The first clamping portion 112 is used to limit the movement of the thin film mask 20 in the circumferential direction of the mounting opening 111, that is, the first clamping portion 112 limits the thin film mask 20 to rotate around the axis of the thin film mask 20. In one embodiment, one of the first clamping portion 112 and the second clamping portion 21 is a protrusion, and the other is a groove. The protrusion is clamped in the groove to achieve the fixation and positioning of the thin film mask 20 and the outer frame 11 in the circumferential direction of the mounting opening 111.

[0028] In one embodiment, if Figure 3 As shown, the first clamping portion 112 can be a protrusion disposed on the side wall of the mounting port 111 to limit the rotation of the thin film mask 20. The number of the first clamping portions 112 is multiple, and the multiple first clamping portions 112 are distributed in an annular shape. The thin film mask 20 is correspondingly provided with multiple grooves, and the multiple grooves are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple first clamping portions 112. By providing multiple first clamping portions 112 distributed in an annular shape, the thin film mask 20 can be roughly positioned, and the reliability of the thin film mask 20 when fixed to the thin film mask fixture 10 is improved. In other embodiments, the first clamping portion 112 can also be a groove disposed on the side wall of the mounting port 111, and the second clamping portion 21 can be a protrusion.

[0029] like Figure 3 As shown, the supporting portion 12 is installed at the bottom of the mounting opening 111. Specifically, one side of the supporting portion 12 is installed on the side wall of the mounting opening 111, and the other side of the supporting portion 12 extends toward the central axis of the mounting opening 111. The supporting portion 12 can be integrally formed with the outer frame 11.

[0030] The supporting portion 12 is used to place and bond the thin film mask 20. Before the thin film mask 20 is placed on the supporting portion 12, an adhesive may be applied to the lower surface of the thin film mask 20, or an adhesive may be applied to the upper surface of the supporting portion 12, so that when the lower surface of the thin film mask 20 is attached to the upper surface of the supporting portion 12, the thin film mask 20 and the supporting portion 12 are bonded together. It should be noted that the orientations in this application are all based on the placement direction of the thin film mask fixture 10 and the thin film mask 20 in the working state as a reference system. When the thin film mask 20 is placed on the supporting portion 12, the first clamping portion 112 is clamped with the second clamping portion 21.

[0031] The positioning portion is used to apply a force parallel to the axis of the mounting opening 111 to the thin film mask 20 so as to position the thin film mask 20 on the supporting portion 12. The force may be, for example, pressure or adsorption force. The thin film mask 20 has an edge region 22 and an effective mask region 23, wherein the edge region 22 is an area of ​​the thin film mask 20 located outside the effective mask region 23. When the positioning portion applies a force to the thin film mask 20, it needs to be applied to the edge region 22 of the thin film mask 20 to prevent affecting the light transmission effect of the effective mask region 23 of the thin film mask 20.

[0032] The film mask fixture 10 and the film mask 20 are fixed by mechanical clamping and bonding. The film mask fixture 10 adds bonding, and does not need welding between the film mask 20 and the film mask fixture 10, which solves the problem of difficulty in welding the material of the film mask 20 and the film mask fixture 10. In addition, after mechanical and bonding fixation, the film mask 20 is positioned on the supporting part 12 using the positioning part, and the residual stress of the film mask 20 due to its thin size is offset by applying a force to the film mask 20 in a direction parallel to the axis of the mounting port 111, so that the positioning part can be provided to effectively improve the flatness of the film mask 20 installed on the film mask fixture 10.

[0033] In one embodiment, if Figure 1-3 As shown, the thin film mask clamp 10 also includes a pressing member 13, and the pressing member 13 includes a pressing block 131, and the pressing block 131 is a positioning portion. The pressing block 131 has a contact surface (not shown), and the contact surface is arranged in a direction opposite to the supporting portion 12. The pressing block 131 can move close to or away from the supporting portion 12. When the pressing block 131 moves close to the supporting portion 12, the pressing block 131 can press the edge area 22 of the thin film mask 20 onto the supporting portion 12 to improve the flatness of the thin film mask 20. In this embodiment, the positioning portion applies downward pressure to the thin film mask 20, thereby pressing the thin film mask 20 onto the supporting portion 12. When the pressing block 131 moves away from the supporting portion 12, it is convenient to place the thin film mask 20 on the supporting portion 12, or to remove the thin film mask 20 placed on the supporting portion 12.

[0034] Furthermore, at least one end of the pressing block 131 facing the supporting portion 12 is made of elastic material, so that the contact surface is an elastic contact surface. For example, the material of the pressing block 131 can be silicone. By configuring at least part of the pressing block 131 as an elastic material, the problem of the pressing block 131 being rigidly pressed on the thin film mask 20 and causing the thin film mask 20 to break can be prevented.

[0035] In one embodiment, if Figure 1-3As shown, the pressing member 13 also includes a fixing block 132 and a pressing rod 133. One end of the fixing block 132 is arranged on the outer frame 11, and the one end of the fixing block 132 can be detachably arranged on the outer frame 11, or can be fixedly arranged on the outer frame 11. The other end of the fixing block 132 is movably connected to the pressing rod 133, and the end of the pressing rod 133 facing the supporting portion 12 is fixedly connected to the pressing block 131, and the pressing rod 133 can move relative to the fixing block 132 in the direction away from the supporting portion 12 and close to the supporting portion 12. By providing the fixing block 132 and the pressing rod 133, the disassembly and fixing between the fixing block 132 and the outer frame 11 are facilitated, and the thin film mask 20 is placed on the supporting portion 12 or removed from the supporting portion 12, which is convenient for quickly replacing the thin film mask 20, thereby improving the efficiency of replacing the thin film mask 20.

[0036] In one embodiment, the pressure rod 133 is threadedly connected to the fixed block 132. Specifically, a first connecting hole (not shown) may be provided on the fixed block 132, and an internal thread is provided in the first connecting hole. An external thread matching the internal thread is provided on the pressure rod 133, and the pressure rod 133 is installed in the first connecting hole so that the pressure rod 133 is threadedly connected to the fixed block 132. The pressure rod 133 may be, for example, a screw of a threaded part such as a screw or a screw. When the pressure rod 133 rotates, the pressure rod 133 may rotate up and down relative to the fixed block 132. This structure does not need to rely on electricity, and only uses a mechanical structure to achieve the fixing and disassembly of the thin film mask 20, which has a relatively low cost. In other embodiments, the pressure rod 133 and the fixed block 132 may be only connected by sliding, and do not rotate relative to each other.

[0037] In one embodiment, if Figure 3 As shown, the shape of the support portion 12 matches the shape of at least a portion of the edge region 22 of the thin film mask 20, for example, Figure 3 In the embodiment, an annular edge region 22 is provided around the effective mask region 23 in the middle of the thin film mask 20, and the shape of the supporting portion 12 is annular. When the thin film mask 20 is placed on the supporting portion 12, the edge region 22 of the thin film mask 20 fits with the supporting portion 12.

[0038] Furthermore, the number of the pressing block 131 may be one, and the shape and size of the contact surface may match the edge region 22 of the thin film mask 20. Figure 3 As shown, there are multiple pressing blocks 131, and the multiple pressing blocks 131 can be distributed according to the shape of the edge area 22. Correspondingly, there are also multiple fixing blocks 132 and pressing rods 133. For example, Figure 3 In the embodiment of the present invention, the edge region 22 is in the shape of a ring, and the plurality of pressing blocks 131 are distributed in a ring shape, thereby pressing the edge region 22 of the thin film mask 20 at various positions in the circumferential direction.

[0039] In one embodiment, a part of the material of the pressing block 131 may be a magnetic material, for example, the material of the upper half of the pressing block 131 may be a magnetic material, and the material of the lower half of the pressing block 131 may be an elastic material. The supporting portion 12 is made of metal, and the metal material needs to be able to be magnetically adsorbed with the magnetic material. When the contact surface is pressed on the edge area 22 of the thin film mask 20, the pressing block 131 is magnetically adsorbed with the supporting portion 12. In this embodiment, the pressing block 131 can be manually placed on the edge area 22 of the thin film mask 20, and the thin film mask 20 is pressed against the supporting portion 12 by the magnetic force of the pressing block 131 and the supporting portion 12. When the pressing block 131 needs to be removed, the pressing block 131 can also be directly removed manually. This method does not rely on the fixed block 132 and the pressure rod 133 to provide the pressing force, thereby reducing the structural complexity of the thin film mask fixture 10. Of course, this magnetically adsorbable pressing block 131 can also cooperate with the fixed block 132 and the pressure rod 133 to move.

[0040] In one embodiment, the positioning portion may be a through adsorption hole (not shown) provided on the supporting portion 12, and the adsorption hole is used to connect with a vacuum adsorption device to vacuum adsorb the thin film mask 20 on the supporting portion 12. In this embodiment, the pressure difference is effectively used to adsorb the thin film mask 20 on the supporting portion 12, and the number of adsorption holes may be multiple and distributed in an annular shape on the supporting portion 12 to correspond to the edge area 22 of the thin film mask 20.

[0041] The present application also provides a method for fixing a thin film mask on a fixture, wherein the fixture 10 is the thin film mask fixture 10 described in any one of the above embodiments, and the fixing method includes:

[0042] Step S10 : bonding at least a portion of the edge region 22 of the pellicle mask 20 to the supporting portion 12 of the pellicle mask fixture 10 .

[0043] The edge region 22 is the region outside the effective mask region 23 of the thin film mask 20 . Before step S10 , the method may further include step S01 : fixing the thin film mask fixture 10 on the base plate 30 .

[0044] In step S10 , adhesive may be applied to all or part of the edge region 22 of the thin film mask 20 , or adhesive may be applied to all or part of the supporting portion 12 , and then the edge region 22 of the thin film mask 20 may be bonded to the supporting portion 12 .

[0045] Step S20 : ​​pressing or adsorbing the thin film mask 20 onto the supporting portion 12 .

[0046] The step of pressing the pellicle mask 20 onto the supporting portion 12 may include pressing a flexible contact surface of the pressing block 131 of the pellicle mask fixture 10 onto the edge region 22 of the pellicle mask 20 to press the pellicle mask 20 onto the supporting portion 12 .

[0047] Furthermore, before the step of pressing the flexible contact surface of the pressing block 131 of the thin film mask clamp 10 on the edge area 22 of the thin film mask 20, the step may also be included: fixing the fixed block 132 of the pressing component 13 on the outer frame 11, driving the pressing rod 133 of the pressing component 13 to move toward the thin film mask 20, so as to press the flexible contact surface of the pressing block 131 on the edge area 22 of the thin film mask 20.

[0048] The step of adsorbing the thin film mask 20 onto the supporting part 12 may include: vacuum adsorbing the thin film mask 20 onto the supporting part 12, or configuring a portion of the pressing block 131 of the thin film mask fixture 10 as a magnet to magnetically adsorb the thin film mask 20 onto the supporting part 12. Specifically, the adsorption head of the vacuum adsorption device may be first mounted on the adsorption hole of the supporting part 12, and the vacuum adsorption device may be started, so that the thin film mask 20 is vacuum adsorbed onto the supporting part 12.

[0049] The method of fixing the thin film mask on the thin film mask fixture can produce the same or similar technical effects as the above-mentioned thin film mask fixture 10, and will not be repeated here.

[0050] The above specific examples are used to illustrate the present invention, which is only used to help understand the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, according to the concept of the present invention, some simple deductions, modifications or substitutions can be made.

Claims

1. A thin film mask clamp, the thin film mask clamp is used to fix the thin film mask, the thickness of the thin film mask is nanometer level or micrometer level, characterized in that: include: An outer frame, wherein a through mounting opening is provided on the outer frame; the mounting opening is provided with a first clamping portion, the first clamping portion is used to clamp with the second clamping portion of the thin film mask; the first clamping portion is used to limit the movement of the thin film mask in the circumferential direction of the mounting opening; A supporting portion, the supporting portion is installed at the bottom of the installation opening, and the supporting portion is used to place and bond the thin film mask; and a positioning portion, the positioning portion being used to apply a force parallel to the axis of the mounting opening to an edge region of the thin film mask, the force being used to offset the stress of the thin film mask so as to position the thin film mask on the supporting portion; Wherein, the thin film mask clamp comprises a pressing part; The pressing piece includes a pressing block, a fixing block and a pressing rod, the pressing block is the positioning part, one end of the fixing block is arranged on the outer frame, the other end of the fixing block is movably connected to the pressing rod, one end of the pressing rod facing the supporting part is fixedly connected to the pressing block, the pressing block has a contact surface, the contact surface is arranged opposite to the supporting part, the pressing block can move closer to or away from the supporting part relative to the fixing block, when the pressing block moves closer to the supporting part, the pressing block can press the edge area of ​​the thin film mask onto the supporting part, the edge area is the area of ​​the thin film mask located outside the effective mask area; Alternatively, the pressing part includes the pressing block, the pressing block is the positioning part, a part of the pressing block is made of magnetic material, the supporting part is made of metal material, and when the contact surface of the pressing block is pressed on the edge area of ​​the thin film mask, the pressing block is magnetically adsorbed to the supporting part.

2. The thin film mask holder according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one end of the pressing block facing the supporting portion is made of elastic material, so that the contact surface is an elastic contact surface.

3. The thin film mask holder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressing rod is threadedly connected to the fixing block.

4. The thin film mask holder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shape of the support portion matches at least a portion of the shape of the edge region; The number of the pressing block is one, and the shape of the contact surface matches at least a partial shape of the edge region; or, the number of the pressing blocks is multiple, and the multiple pressing blocks are distributed according to at least a partial shape of the edge region.

5. The thin film mask holder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first clamping portion is a protrusion disposed on the side wall of the mounting opening, and is used to limit the thin film mask from rotating. There are multiple first clamping portions, and the multiple first clamping portions are distributed in a ring shape.

6. A method for fixing a thin film mask on a fixture, characterized in that: include: Adhere at least part of the edge area of ​​the thin film mask to the supporting part of the thin film mask fixture, and the second clamping part of the thin film mask is clamped with the first clamping part of the mounting port of the thin film mask fixture; the thickness of the thin film mask is nanometer level or micrometer level; the edge area is the area outside the effective mask area of ​​the thin film mask; The first clamping portion is used to limit the movement of the thin film mask in the circumferential direction of the mounting opening; The fixing block of the pressing piece of the thin film mask clamp is fixed on the outer frame, and the pressing rod of the pressing piece is driven to move toward the thin film mask so as to press the flexible contact surface of the pressing block connected to the pressing rod onto the edge area of ​​the thin film mask; or, a part of the pressing block of the thin film mask clamp is configured as a magnet so as to magnetically adsorb the thin film mask onto the supporting portion.

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