A cutting line of a metal mask

Abstract

The application provides a cutting line of a metal mask. Along the length direction of the cutting line, the cutting line is alternately arranged by a first etching blind hole row and a second etching blind hole row, the first etching blind hole row comprises odd etching blind holes, the second etching blind hole row comprises even etching blind holes; the cutting line has a center line along the length direction, and the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row are symmetrical about the center line. Through the above arrangement, the cutting line can have certain strength, can meet the requirement that the metal mask is not pulled off near the cutting line when the metal mask is stretched, can meet the requirement that the metal mask can be smoothly torn along the cutting line when the metal mask is split, and the effective area is not damaged; and the stress near the cutting line on the metal mask can be gradually transitioned, and the bulging phenomenon is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of metal mask plates, and in particular to a cutting line of a metal mask plate. Background Art

[0002] Many film structures in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are formed by evaporation using metal masks, such as Figure 1 As shown, the metal mask 1 is welded to the mask frame in the form of a stretched mesh. After welding, the metal mask can be cut along the cutting lines 6 to remove the clamping area 8 outside the cutting lines. The metal mask 1 can be bent or torn along the cutting lines 6 using a cutting tool to remove the clamping area 8. The design of the cutting lines directly affects the cutting effect. Specifically, the structural design of the cutting lines must ensure that the metal mask 1 will not be broken near the cutting lines 6 when the metal mask 1 is stretched, and that the metal mask 1 can be torn smoothly along the cutting lines 6 when it is split, without damaging the active area 7.

[0003] In the prior art, the design of cutting lines usually adopts the structural design of a half-engraved cutting line on the entire surface. As shown in Figure 2 (a) of the specification, it is a top view of the half-engraved cutting line on the entire surface, and Figure 2 (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cutting line. However, there are some problems in actual application. On the one hand, in the width direction of the half-engraved cutting line on the entire surface, the center line of the groove of the cutting line is the weakest position on the entire metal mask. When tearing along the cutting line, it often breaks at the center line of the groove of the cutting line. When the mesh is stretched, the metal mask is also easily pulled apart at the center line of the cutting line, thereby affecting the normal progress of subsequent processes. On the other hand, a half-engraved groove suddenly appears on the metal mask. Due to the lack of stress transition, the two sides of the cutting line on the metal mask are warped, resulting in bulging. This bulging phenomenon not only affects the structural integrity of the metal mask, but may also cause problems in the evaporation deposition process of the display panel, thereby affecting the display effect and service life of the display panel. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a cutting line for a metal mask, which has a certain strength so that the metal mask will not be broken near the cutting line when the metal mask is stretched, and can also ensure that the metal mask can be torn smoothly along the cutting line when splitting without damaging the effective area; and the stress near the cutting line on the metal mask can be gradually transitioned to reduce bulging.

[0005] The specific plan is as follows.

[0006] A cutting line of a metal mask plate, along the length direction of the cutting line, the cutting line is formed by first etching blind hole row and second etching blind hole row alternately arranged, the first etching blind hole row includes odd number of etching blind holes, and the second etching blind hole row includes even number of etching blind holes;The cutting line has a center line along the length direction thereof, and the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row are symmetrical about the center line.

[0007] Further, each etching blind hole is hemispherical, and the distance between the lowest point of each etching blind hole and the bottom surface of the metal mask plate is the residual thickness of the etching blind hole, and along the width direction of the cutting line, the residual thickness of the etching blind holes in the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row presents a distribution of thin in the middle and thick on both sides.

[0008] Further, in the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row, the side walls of adjacent two etching blind holes are directly connected to form a ridge-shaped structure.

[0009] Further, along the length direction of the cutting line, the center line passes through the center of the middlemost blind hole in the first etching blind hole row and the connection of the two middlemost blind holes in the second etching blind hole row.

[0010] Further, in the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row, from the direction far away from the center line to the direction close to the center line, the residual thickness of the connection points of adjacent two etching blind holes gradually decreases.

[0011] Further, in the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row, the radius of each etching blind hole is the same.

[0012] Further, in the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row, from the direction far away from the center line to the direction close to the center line, the radius of the etching blind hole gradually increases.

[0013] Further, in the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row, the residual thickness of the etching blind hole presents linear or nonlinear increase from the middle to both sides.

[0014] Further, in the first etching blind hole row or the second etching blind hole row, the residual thickness of the middlemost blind hole is at least half of the thickness of the metal mask plate.

[0015] Further, along the length direction of the cutting line, the side walls of adjacent two etching blind holes are directly connected to form a ridge-shaped structure.

[0016] The present application has the following technical effects:

[0017] (1) The present application is by the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row respectively by odd number etching blind hole, even number etching blind hole It is composed, and it is alternately arranged, and the center line of cutting line alternately passes through the center of the blind hole in the middle of the first etching blind hole row and the middle of the two blind holes in the middle of the second etching blind hole row, on the one hand, the strength distribution of the whole cutting line can be improved, so that the cutting line has enough strength to avoid being broken when the net is stretched;On the other hand, from the metal mask plate on the cutting line to the center line of the cutting line, the stress inside the metal mask plate is effectively dispersed and buffered, reducing the occurrence of the bulge phenomenon.

[0018] (2) The present application provides a cutting line of a metal mask plate, which is composed of a plurality of rows of etching blind holes, by introducing a residual thickness gradient design in each row of etching blind holes, the residual thickness of the cutting line becomes smaller and smaller from both sides of the cutting line to the center line of the cutting line, which has two outstanding technical effects:

[0019] A) By the above setting, from both sides of the cutting line to the center of the cutting line, as the residual thickness of the cutting line becomes smaller and smaller, the stress inside the metal mask plate also gradually transitions from both sides of the cutting line to the center of the cutting line rather than abruptly, thus further reducing the occurrence of the bulge phenomenon;

[0020] B) On the other hand, since the residual thickness of the cutting line becomes smaller and smaller from both sides to the center, the stress can be uniformly released during the tearing process from the cutting line, making it easier to tear the metal mask plate flat on the cutting line, avoiding uneven or incomplete tearing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments of the present application, it should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present application, therefore should not be regarded as a limitation to the scope, for those skilled in the art, without creative labor, other related drawings can also be obtained from these drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 The metal mask plate structure diagram.

[0023] Fig. 2 (a) is a top view of a whole surface half-etching cutting line on a metal mask plate in the prior art, and Fig. 2 (b) is a sectional view of the whole surface half-etching cutting line.

[0024] Fig. 3 (a) is a top view of a cutting line of a metal mask plate provided by the embodiment 1 of the present application, and Fig. 3 (b) is a sectional view of the cutting line of the metal mask plate provided by the embodiment 1 of the present application.

[0025] Figure 4Fig. 1 is a top view of a cutting line of a metal mask provided by Embodiment 2 of the present application.

[0026] Fig. 5(a) is a sectional view of a first etching blind hole row of a cutting line of a metal mask provided by Embodiment 2 of the present application, and Fig. 5(b) is a sectional view of a second etching blind hole row of a cutting line of a metal mask provided by Embodiment 2 of the present application.

[0027] In the figures, 1 is a metal mask, 2 is an etching blind hole, 3 is a center line, 4 is a first etching blind hole row, 5 is a second etching blind hole row, 6 is a cutting line, 7 is an effective area, and 8 is a clamping jaw area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present application.

[0029] Embodiment 1

[0030] As shown in Fig. 3(a) of the accompanying drawings, the cutting line of the present embodiment is a top view, and along the length direction of the cutting line, the cutting line is composed of multiple rows of blind holes. Specifically, the cutting line is formed by alternately arranging a first etching blind hole row 4 and a second etching blind hole row 5, wherein the first etching blind hole row 4 includes an odd number of etching blind holes 2, and the second etching blind hole row 5 includes an even number of etching blind holes 2. Along the length direction of the cutting line, the cutting line has a center line 3, and the first etching blind hole row 4 and the second etching blind hole row 5 are both symmetrical relative to the center line 3.

[0031] Fig. 3(b) is a sectional view of the first etching blind hole row 4 along the width direction of the cutting line. Each etching blind hole 2 is in a hemispherical shape, and adjacent two etching blind holes 2 are independently distributed and do not contact each other. Similarly, as shown in Fig. 3(a), along the length direction of the cutting line, adjacent two etching blind holes 2 are independently distributed and do not contact each other.

[0032] The cutting line of the present embodiment has the following technical effects.

[0033] (1) Compared with the prior art in which a whole-face half-cutting line suddenly forms a continuous groove in the length direction of the cutting line on the whole metal mask, the stress rapidly changes suddenly on the metal mask at different positions, i.e., from the metal mask outside the cutting line to the center of the cutting line groove. However, in the present embodiment, the first etching blind hole row 4 and the second etching blind hole row 5 are alternately arranged in the length direction, i.e., the odd blind hole row and the even blind hole row are alternately arranged, thereby effectively dispersing and buffering the stress inside the metal mask from the mask outside the cutting line to the center line of the cutting line, and reducing the occurrence of the bulging phenomenon.

[0034] (2) The existing technology is that the minimum residual thickness is at the center line of the cutting line, so the metal mask is easily broken at the center line of the cutting line when the screen is stretched. In the embodiment, the first etching blind hole row 4 and the second etching blind hole row 5 are respectively composed of an odd number of etching blind holes and an even number of etching blind holes, and are alternately arranged, and the center line 3 of the cutting line alternately passes through the center of the etching blind hole in the middle of the first etching blind hole row 4 and the middle position of the two blind holes in the middle of the second etching blind hole row 5, thereby improving the strength distribution of the entire cutting line, so that the cutting line has sufficient strength to avoid being broken when the screen is stretched.

[0035] Embodiment 2

[0036] The embodiment discloses a cutting line of a metal mask, as shown in Figure 4 Fig. 5(a) and Fig. 5(b) are top view schematic diagrams of the cutting line of the embodiment. As shown in Figure 4 Along the length direction of the cutting line, the cutting line is composed of a plurality of rows of etching blind holes. Specifically, along the length direction of the cutting line, the cutting line is alternately arranged by the first etching blind hole row 4 and the second etching blind hole row 5, the first etching blind hole row 4 includes an odd number of etching blind holes 2, and the second etching blind hole row 5 includes an even number of etching blind holes 2. On the entire cutting line, there is a center line 3 along the length direction, and the first etching blind hole row 4 and the second etching blind hole row 5 are symmetrically distributed relative to the center line 3.

[0037] Fig. 5(a) and Fig. 5(b) are cross-sectional schematic diagrams of the first etching blind hole row 4 and the second etching blind hole row 5 of the cutting line of the embodiment, respectively, and each etching blind hole 2 is in a hemispherical shape. Different from embodiment 1, in the embodiment, the distance between the lowest point of each etching blind hole 2 and the bottom surface of the metal mask 1 is the residual thickness of the etching blind hole 2, and along the width direction of the cutting line, the residual thickness of each row of etching blind holes 2 presents a distribution of thin in the middle and thick on both sides. For example, in the first etching blind hole row 4 in Fig. 5(a), there are a total of 5 etching blind holes, and from the side of the cutting line to the center line 3 of the cutting line, the residual thickness heights of the etching blind holes are H1, H2 and H3 respectively, and H1>H2>H3; in the second etching blind hole row 5 in Fig. 5(b), there are a total of 4 etching blind holes, and from the side of the cutting line to the center line 3 of the cutting line, the residual thickness heights of the etching blind holes are H4, H5 respectively, and H4>H5.

[0038] By the above setting, the stress inside the metal mask 1 from the two sides of the cutting line to the center line 3 of the cutting line is continuously and gradually changed instead of being suddenly changed, as the residual thickness of the etching blind hole 2 on the cutting line becomes smaller and smaller, so that the occurrence of the bulging phenomenon can be further reduced; on the other hand, since the residual thickness of the cutting line becomes smaller and smaller from the two sides to the center, the stress can be uniformly released during the tearing process, avoiding uneven or incomplete tearing.

[0039] Further, as shown in FIG. 5(a) and FIG. 5(b), whether it is the first etching blind hole row 4 or the second etching blind hole row 5, in each row of etching blind holes, the side walls of the two adjacent etching blind holes 2 are directly connected, forming a ridge-shaped structure.

[0040] Further, as shown in FIG. 5(a) and FIG. 5(b), along the width direction of the cutting line, from the direction away from the center line 3 to the direction close to the center line 3 on both sides of the center line 3, the residual thickness of the connection points of the two adjacent etching blind holes 2 gradually decreases.

[0041] By the above setting, the stress inside the metal mask can be further enhanced to continuously and gradually change from the two sides of the cutting line to the center line 3 of the cutting line, thereby further reducing the occurrence of the bulging phenomenon; and further improving the effect of uniform stress release during the tearing process of the cutting line, avoiding uneven or incomplete tearing.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 5(a) is a cross-sectional view of the first etching blind hole row, and FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view of the second etching blind hole row. Along the length direction of the cutting line, the center line 3 passes through the center of the blind hole in the middle of the first etching blind hole row and the connection between the two blind holes in the middle of the second etching blind hole row.

[0043] Further, in each row of etching blind holes, the radius of each etching blind hole 2 is the same, as shown in FIG. 5(a) and FIG. 5(b).

[0044] Or in each row of etching blind holes, the radius of the etching blind hole 2 gradually increases from the direction away from the center line 3 to the direction close to the center line 3. By the above setting, the effect of stress gradient of the metal mask can be further enhanced.

[0045] Further, in each row of etching blind holes, the residual thickness of the etching blind hole 2 increases linearly or non-linearly from the middle to both sides.

[0046] Further, as shown in FIG. 5(a) and FIG. 5(b), Figure 4As shown, along the length direction of the cutting line, the side walls of two adjacent etching blind holes 2 are directly connected to form a ridge-shaped structure, and the same is true in the width direction of the cutting line, so that the metal mask is easily torn along the length direction of the cutting line, and the stress can be uniformly released in the tearing process, avoiding uneven or incomplete tearing.

[0047] Further, to ensure the strength of the cutting line, the residual thickness of the middle etching blind hole 2 in each row of etching blind holes is at least half of the thickness H0 of the metal mask, so that the cutting line will not be broken when tensioning.

[0048] Finally, it should be noted that: the above examples are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and not to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing examples, those skilled in the art should understand that: it can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing examples, or make equivalent replacement for part of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A cut line of a metal mask, characterized by, Along the length direction of the cutting line, the cutting line is alternately arranged by a first etching blind hole row and a second etching blind hole row, the first etching blind hole row includes odd number of etching blind holes, and the second etching blind hole row includes even number of etching blind holes; the cutting line has a center line along the length direction, and the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row are symmetric about the center line.

2. The cut line of a metal mask according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the etching blind holes is hemispherical, and the distance between the lowest point of each etching blind hole and the bottom surface of the metal mask is the residual thickness of the etching blind hole; along the width direction of the cutting line, the residual thickness of the etching blind holes in the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row presents a distribution of thin in the middle and thick on both sides.

3. The cut line of a metal mask according to claim 2, wherein In the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row, the side walls of adjacent two etching blind holes are directly connected to form a ridge-shaped structure.

4. The cut line of a metal mask according to claim 3, wherein Along the length direction of the cutting line, the center line passes through the center of the middlemost blind hole in the first etching blind hole row and the connection of the two middlemost blind holes in the second etching blind hole row.

5. The cut line for a metal mask according to claim 3, wherein In the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row, from the direction far away from the center line to the direction close to the center line, the residual thickness of the connection points of adjacent two etching blind holes gradually decreases.

6. The cut line for a metal mask according to claim 1, wherein In the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row, the radii of each etching blind hole are the same.

7. The cut line for a metal mask according to claim 1, wherein In the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row, from the direction far away from the center line to the direction close to the center line, the radii of the etching blind holes gradually increase.

8. The cut line for a metal mask according to claim 2, wherein In the first etching blind hole row and the second etching blind hole row, the residual thickness of the etching blind holes presents linear or nonlinear increase from the middle to both sides.

9. The cut line for a metal mask according to claim 2, wherein In the first etching blind hole row or the second etching blind hole row, the residual thickness of the middlemost blind hole is at least half of the thickness of the metal mask.

10. The cut line for a metal mask according to claim 3, wherein Along the length direction of the cutting line, the side walls of adjacent two etching blind holes are directly connected to form a ridge-shaped structure.

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