Metal mask manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a plating method capable of using a non-conductive base material and easily peeling a seed layer and a plating layer.SOLUTION: A plating method comprises a seed layer forming step S2 and a first growing step S5. The seed layer forming step S2 forms a conducive diamond-like carbon film on the base material as a seed layer. The first growing step S5 forms a plating layer on the seed layer by electrolytic plating after the seed layer forming step S2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to plating methods. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, techniques for manufacturing metal masks using plating methods have been proposed (e.g., Patent Documents 1 to 3). Specifically, a metal layer is formed in a predetermined pattern on a conductive metal layer by electrolytic plating using the conductive metal layer as an electrode. For example, a resist pattern is formed on the conductive layer, and then electrolytic plating is performed to form a pattern of the metal layer on the conductive layer. The metal layer is then peeled off from the conductive layer to produce a metal mask made of the metal layer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-116579 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-152396 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-45657 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the techniques of Patent Documents 1 to 3, the conductive layer (seed layer) contains a metal, so the seed layer and the metal layer (plating layer) are compatible with each other and have high adhesion. Alternatively, because the seed layer is made of metal, its surface is not particularly flat, and the anchor effect or improved adhesion area increases the adhesion between the seed layer and the plating layer. Therefore, a larger external force is required to peel the seed layer from the plating layer. If the external force is too large, problems such as bending of the plating layer may occur during peeling.

[0005] It has also been desired that electrolytic plating be able to be used on not only conductive base materials but also non-conductive base materials.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a plating method that can utilize not only conductive base materials but also non-conductive base materials, and that can easily separate the seed layer and the plating layer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first aspect of the method for manufacturing a metal mask includes a seed layer forming step of forming a conductive diamond-like carbon film as the seed layer on a base material under film forming conditions such that the sheet resistance of the seed layer is 500 mΩ / sq or less, and a resist pattern forming step of forming a resist pattern on the seed layer. No. 1 a resist process; No. 1 a first growth step of forming a first plating layer by electrolytic plating on a portion of the seed layer that is not covered with the resist after the resist step; and removing the resist after the first growth step. No. 1 a resist removing step; No. 1 After the resist removal step, a first peeling step is included in which the plating layer is peeled off from the seed layer and the first plating layer is used as a metal mask.

[0009] Metal mask manufacturing Method No. 2 The embodiment is 1 Regarding the aspect of Metal mask manufacturing In the seed layer formation step, the diamond-like carbon film is formed on the base material by chemical vapor deposition using a material gas containing carbon elements and a conductivity-imparting gas containing a dopant element that imparts conductivity to the diamond-like carbon film.

[0010] Metal mask manufacturing Method No. 3 The first aspect is or second Regarding the aspect of Metal mask manufacturing The method further includes, before the seed layer forming step, a dry cleaning step of dry cleaning the surface of the base material in a vacuum state where the pressure in the chamber is reduced.

[0011] Metal mask manufacturing Method No. 4 The embodiment is 3 Regarding the aspect of Metal mask manufacturing In the method, the seed layer forming step is performed while maintaining a vacuum state from the dry cleaning step.

[0013] A fifth aspect of the method for manufacturing a metal mask is the method for manufacturing a metal mask according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein after the first peeling step, a second resist process for patterning a resist on the seed layer; a second growth process for forming a second plating layer by electrolytic plating on a portion of the seed layer that is not covered with the resist after the second resist process; and a second resist removal process for removing the resist after the second growth process. The second Resist removal The method further includes a second peeling step of peeling the second plating layer from the seed layer after the step and using the second plating layer as another metal mask. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] Metal mask manufacturing According to the first aspect of the method, a seed layer, which is a conductive diamond-like carbon film, is formed on a base material, and a plating layer is formed on the seed layer by electroplating. Therefore, even if the base material is non-conductive, a plating layer can be formed by electroplating. Electroplating is preferable because it can form a plating layer with high throughput.

[0015] Moreover, the diamond-like carbon film has a high degree of flatness at the atomic level, which allows the plating layer to be easily peeled off from the seed layer.

[0016] Moreover, This allows the plating layer to be formed more efficiently in electrolytic plating. The plating layer can also be used as a product (metal mask).

[0017] Metal mask manufacturing Method No. 2 According to this aspect, a conductive diamond-like carbon film can be formed with wide coverage.

[0018] Metal mask manufacturing Method No. 3According to this embodiment, the surface of the base material is Purity Therefore, a diamond-like carbon film can be formed on the surface of the base material with high adhesion.

[0019] Metal mask manufacturing Method No. 4 According to this aspect, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of impurities to the base material and the formation of oxides after the dry cleaning process, and therefore, in the seed layer formation process, it is possible to form a seed layer with high adhesion to the base material.

[0021] Metal mask manufacturing Method No. 5 According to this aspect, the seed layer can be reused. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for manufacturing a metal mask using a plating method according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1A to 1C are diagrams each showing an example of a state of each manufacturing stage. [Figure 3] 1A to 1C are diagrams each showing an example of a state of each manufacturing stage. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a vacuum processing apparatus. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating another example of a vacuum processing apparatus. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing another example of a method for manufacturing a metal mask. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the components described in the embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In the drawings, the dimensions or number of each part may be exaggerated or simplified as necessary for ease of understanding.

[0024] Unless otherwise specified, expressions indicating relative or absolute positional relationships (e.g., "in one direction," "along one direction," "parallel," "orthogonal," "center," "concentric," "coaxial," etc.) not only indicate that positional relationship exactly, but also indicate a state where there is a relative displacement in terms of angle or distance within a range where tolerance or equivalent functionality is obtained. Expressions indicating an equal state (e.g., "identical," "equal," "homogeneous," etc.) not only indicate a state where there is strict quantitative equality, but also indicate a state where there is a difference where tolerance or equivalent functionality is obtained, unless otherwise specified. Expressions indicating shape (e.g., "square shape" or "cylindrical shape") not only indicate that shape strictly geometrically, but also indicate a shape with, for example, concaves and convexes or chamfers within a range where equivalent effects are obtained, unless otherwise specified. The expressions "comprise," "include," "have," "includes," "includes," or "have" of one component are not exclusive expressions that exclude the presence of other components. The expression "at least one of A, B, and C" includes A only, B only, C only, any two of A, B, and C, and all of A, B, and C.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for manufacturing a metal mask 1 using the plating method according to this embodiment. FIGS. 2(a) to 2(d) and 3(a) to 3(c) are diagrams schematically illustrating an example of the state of each manufacturing step. This manufacturing method produces a metal mask 1 having a plurality of openings 1a (see FIG. 3(c)). This metal mask 1 is used, for example, in the manufacture of organic electroluminescence (EL) displays. As a more specific example, the metal mask 1 is used to form an organic light-emitting layer. That is, the metal mask 1 is placed on a predetermined substrate (not shown), and an organic light-emitting material is vapor-deposited onto the predetermined substrate through the openings 1a in the metal mask 1. This forms an organic light-emitting layer on the substrate.

[0026] An example of a method for manufacturing such a metal mask 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In the example of FIG. 1, first, the surface of the base material 10 is dry-cleaned (step S1: dry-cleaning process). The base material 10 is formed of a material such as stainless steel, synthetic resin, or ceramics. The base material 10 may or may not be conductive. The base material 10 has, for example, a plate-like shape.

[0027] This base material 10 is transported to a predetermined vacuum processing apparatus 100. The base material 10 is placed in the vacuum processing apparatus 100 with its thickness direction aligned vertically and with its main surface 10a facing vertically upward. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the vacuum processing apparatus 100. In the example of FIG. 4, the vacuum processing apparatus 100 includes a dry cleaning apparatus 110 and a film forming apparatus 120. The base material 10 is carried into the dry cleaning apparatus 110 by a transfer robot 200.

[0028] The dry cleaning device 110 is a cleaning device that performs dry cleaning on the surface of the base material 10. For example, the dry cleaning device 110 includes a first chamber, a first decompression mechanism (e.g., a vacuum pump) that decompresses the inside of the first chamber, a first plasma reactor provided in the first chamber, and a first gas supply unit that supplies a gas for plasma into the first chamber.

[0029] The first plasma reactor converts the gas in the first chamber into plasma and causes active species such as ions and radicals from the plasma to act on the main surface 10a of the workpiece 10. The first plasma reactor may be, for example, a capacitively coupled plasma reactor or an inductively coupled plasma reactor. A capacitively coupled plasma reactor includes a pair of electrodes, and an inductively coupled plasma reactor includes an inductively coupled antenna.

[0030] The first gas supply unit includes, for example, a first air supply pipe having an air supply port that opens into the first chamber, and a first valve attached to the first air supply pipe. When the first valve is opened, gas for plasma generation is supplied into the first chamber through the first air supply pipe.

[0031] The first pressure reduction mechanism sucks gas from the first chamber, reducing the pressure therein to, for example, 100 Pa or less. The first gas supply unit supplies plasma gas into the first chamber, while the first plasma reactor converts the gas into plasma. The plasma gas includes, for example, a rare gas such as argon gas. At least one of radicals and ions generated by the plasma conversion acts on the main surface 10a of the base material 10, thereby cleaning the main surface 10a of the base material 10. For example, the ions collide with the main surface 10a of the base material 10, removing impurities on the main surface 10a.

[0032] The first gas supply unit may also supply an oxidizing gas (e.g., oxygen gas) into the first chamber. This allows unnecessary organic matter (e.g., residual oil) on the main surface 10a of the base material 10 to be removed by oxidative decomposition. For example, when oxygen gas is supplied into the first chamber, highly active oxygen radicals are generated by plasma, and these oxygen radicals act on the main surface 10a of the base material 10, oxidizing and removing the organic matter. In other words, supplying an oxidizing gas can improve the cleaning performance of the base material 10. After a predetermined time has elapsed that allows sufficient removal of the organic matter from the base material 10, the first gas supply unit stops supplying the oxidizing gas.

[0033] On the other hand, the supply of oxidizing gas may cause an oxide film to form on the main surface 10a of the base material 10. In this case, the first gas supply unit may supply a reducing gas (e.g., hydrogen gas) into the first chamber after stopping the supply of oxidizing gas. This allows the oxide film on the base material 10 to be reduced and removed. For example, when hydrogen gas is supplied into the first chamber, highly active hydrogen radicals are generated by the plasma, and the hydrogen radicals reduce and remove the oxide film on the base material 10. After a predetermined time has passed that allows the oxide film to be sufficiently removed, the first gas supply unit stops supplying the reducing gas and the gas for plasma.

[0034] As described above, the dry cleaning process can remove impurities from the main surface 10a of the base material 10, and can clean the main surface 10a.

[0035] Note that, before the dry cleaning step, wet cleaning and drying treatment may be performed on the surface of the base material 10. For example, if organic matter such as oil is attached to the base material 10, wet cleaning including solvent (chemical) cleaning and water washing is performed, the base material 10 is dried, and then the above-mentioned dry cleaning is performed. This allows the main surface 10a of the base material 10 to be more appropriately cleaned.

[0036] After the dry cleaning step, a conductive diamond-like carbon film (hereinafter referred to as a DLC film) is formed as a seed layer 20 on the main surface 10a of the base material 10 (step S2: seed layer formation step). The film formation apparatus 120 in FIG. 4 is an apparatus that forms the seed layer 20 on the base material 10. In the example of FIG. 4, a transfer chamber 210 is provided between the dry cleaning apparatus 110 and the film formation apparatus 120. The transfer chamber 210 is connected to the dry cleaning apparatus 110 and the film formation apparatus 120. A gate is provided at the connection between the transfer chamber 210 and the dry cleaning apparatus 110. When the gate is opened, a first chamber of the dry cleaning apparatus 110 communicates with the transfer chamber 210, and when the gate is closed, the first chamber is isolated from the transfer chamber 210. A gate is also provided at the connection between the transfer chamber 210 and the film formation apparatus 120.

[0037] A transfer robot 220 is provided inside the transfer chamber 210. A decompression mechanism (for example, a vacuum pump) is also provided to reduce the pressure inside the transfer chamber 210. The pressure inside the transfer chamber 210 is adjusted to, for example, 100 Pa or less by the decompression mechanism.

[0038] After dry cleaning, the base material 10 is removed from the first chamber of the dry cleaning apparatus 110 by the transfer robot 220 and transferred into the second chamber of the film formation apparatus 120. In other words, the base material 10 is transferred from the dry cleaning apparatus 110 to the film formation apparatus 120 via the space inside the transfer chamber 210, which has a high degree of vacuum. Therefore, the base material 10 undergoes the seed layer formation process from the dry cleaning process without passing through an atmospheric pressure space. In other words, the seed layer formation process is performed while continuing the vacuum state from the dry cleaning process. The vacuum state here refers to a state in which the base material 10 is located in a space of 100 Pa or less.

[0039] The film formation apparatus 120 forms the seed layer 20 on the main surface 10a of the base material 10 by, for example, physical vapor deposition or chemical vapor deposition (see FIG. 2(b)). As the physical vapor deposition, for example, sputtering can be used. As the chemical vapor deposition, for example, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition can be used. When the film formation apparatus 120 forms the seed layer 20 by chemical vapor deposition, the seed layer 20 can be formed with wide coverage on the main surface 10a of the base material 10, unlike sputtering, which has high linearity.

[0040] A specific example of a film formation apparatus 120 that performs film formation processing by chemical vapor deposition will be described below. The film formation apparatus 120 includes, for example, a second chamber, a second decompression mechanism (e.g., a vacuum pump) that decompresses the second chamber, a second plasma reactor provided in the second chamber, and a second gas supply unit that supplies gas into the second chamber. The second plasma reactor may be, for example, a capacitively coupled plasma reactor or an inductively coupled plasma reactor. The second gas supply unit includes, for example, a second air supply pipe having an air supply port that opens into the second chamber, and a second valve attached to the second air supply pipe.

[0041] The second pressure reduction mechanism sucks gas from the second chamber to reduce the pressure in the second chamber to, for example, 100 Pa or less. The second gas supply unit supplies a material gas and a conductivity-imparting gas into the second chamber. The material gas is a gas containing carbon elements, such as a hydrocarbon gas (specifically, methane gas, acetylene gas, etc.). The conductivity-imparting gas is a gas containing a dopant element that imparts conductivity to the DLC film, such as nitrogen gas.

[0042] The second plasma reactor converts these gases into plasma. As a result, a conductive DLC film containing a dopant element is gradually deposited on the main surface 10a of the base material 10. When the thickness of the conductive DLC film reaches a predetermined thickness, the film formation apparatus 120 ends the film formation process. As a result of this film formation process, a seed layer 20 is formed on the main surface 10a of the base material 10.

[0043] For electrolytic plating, which will be described later, the sheet resistance of the seed layer 20 is preferably 500 mΩ / sq or less, and more preferably 200 mΩ / sq or less. That is, the film formation apparatus 120 may form the seed layer 20 under film formation conditions that result in a sheet resistance of 500 mΩ / sq or less (more preferably 200 mΩ / sq or less). This sheet resistance can be adjusted by the amount of defects caused by the dopant element in the seed layer 20. Specifically, the sheet resistance of the seed layer 20 can be reduced by increasing the flow rate of the conductivity-imparting gas in the seed layer formation process. In other words, the flow rate of the conductivity-imparting gas may be set so that the sheet resistance is 500 mΩ / sq or less (more preferably 200 mΩ / sq or less).

[0044] The base material 10 on which the seed layer 20 has been formed is removed from the film forming apparatus 120 by, for example, a transfer robot (not shown).

[0045] Next, a resist 30 is patterned on the seed layer 20. Specifically, the base material 10 is transported to a predetermined resist device. The resist device forms the resist 30 on the seed layer 20. For example, the resist device applies a resist liquid onto the seed layer 20 and then dries the resist liquid to form the resist 30. Alternatively, a film-like resist 30 may be attached to the seed layer 20.

[0046] Next, a photomask 31 is placed on the resist 30 (see FIG. 2(c)), and then the resist 30 is exposed to light (step S3: resist exposure step). Then, after removing the photomask 31, the resist 30 is developed using a developer (step S4: resist development step). As a result, the resist 30 having a predetermined pattern shape is formed on the seed layer 20 (see FIG. 2(d)).

[0047] The base material 10 on which the resist 30 has been patterned is removed from the resist device by, for example, a transfer robot (not shown).

[0048] Next, the plating layer 40 is formed on the seed layer 20 (Step S5: growth step). The plating layer 40 is made of a metal such as copper or nickel.

[0049] First, the base material 10 on which the seed layer 20 and the resist 30 are formed is transported to a predetermined plating device. In the plating device, the base material 10 is immersed in an electrolytic solution. The electrolytic solution is also called a plating solution. For example, an electrolytic solution such as sulfamic acid can be used as the electrolytic solution. Then, a voltage is applied between the seed layer 20 and a predetermined electrode (e.g., nickel) immersed in the electrolytic solution. As a result, a metal (e.g., nickel) is deposited on the surface of the seed layer 20, forming a plating layer 40 (see FIG. 3(a)). When the thickness of the plating layer 40 reaches a predetermined thickness, the plating device stops outputting the voltage. The thickness of the plating layer 40 is, for example, equal to or less than the thickness of the resist 30.

[0050] The base material 10 on which the plating layer 40 has been formed is removed from the plating apparatus by, for example, a transfer robot (not shown).

[0051] Next, the resist 30 is removed (step S6: resist removal process). Specifically, the base material 10 on which the seed layer 20, the resist 30, and the plating layer 40 have been formed is transported to a predetermined resist removal device. The resist removal device removes the resist 30 using a resist removal solution such as sulfuric acid. This forms a plurality of openings 1a in the plating layer 40 (see FIG. 3(b)). The base material 10 from which the resist 30 has been removed is taken out of the resist removal device by, for example, a transport robot (not shown).

[0052] Next, the plating layer 40 is peeled off from the seed layer 20 (step S7: peeling step). Specifically, the seed layer 20 and the base material 10 on which the plating layer 40 is formed are transported to a predetermined peeling device. The peeling device applies an external force to the plating layer 40 and the seed layer 20 to separate them, for example. This causes the plating layer 40 to peel off from the seed layer 20 (see FIG. 3(c)). For example, the peeling device can peel the plating layer 40 off from the seed layer 20 by driving a wedge into the boundary between the plating layer 40 and the seed layer 20 to peel off a portion of the plating layer 40 from the seed layer 20 while applying an external force to move a portion of the plating layer 40 away from the seed layer 20. The plating layer 40 peeled off from the seed layer 20 in this way corresponds to the product (here, the metal mask 1).

[0053] The metal mask 1 can be manufactured by the above manufacturing method. Moreover, in the above example, a conductive DLC film is used as the seed layer 20. Because the seed layer 20 is conductive, the plating layer 40 can be formed by electrolytic plating, as described above. In electrolytic plating, the plating layer 40 is formed using electric power, so the plating layer 40 can be formed with high throughput and at low cost.

[0054] Furthermore, due to the properties of the DLC film, the surface of the seed layer 20 can be made extremely flat at the atomic level. In other words, the plating layer 40 is formed on the flat surface of the seed layer 20. Therefore, there is almost no anchor effect at the boundary between the seed layer 20 and the plating layer 40, and the adhesion therebetween is weak. Furthermore, while the plating layer 40 is a metal, the seed layer 20 is a DLC film, which is different from metals. Therefore, the adhesion between the plating layer 40 and the seed layer 20 due to their material compatibility is not very high. Therefore, in the peeling process, the plating layer 40 can be peeled off from the seed layer 20 with a smaller external force, and bending of the plating layer 40 (i.e., the metal mask 1) can be suppressed.

[0055] Furthermore, DLC films have high corrosion resistance against acids and alkalis. Therefore, even when the base material 10 is immersed in an electrolyte, the seed layer 20 is hardly lost and can maintain stable film quality. In other words, the flatness of the surface of the seed layer 20 can be maintained even when the base material 10 is immersed. Therefore, the plating layer 40 can be formed on the flat surface of the seed layer 20.

[0056] For comparison, a structure in which the seed layer 20 is formed from a metal will be described. Since most metals are corroded by acids, when the base material 10 is immersed in an acidic electrolyte, the seed layer 20 is dissolved by the acid, which can cause irregularities on the surface. To avoid such irregularities, it is necessary to use an electrolyte appropriate for the type of metal of the seed layer 20. In other words, it is necessary to use an electrolyte that does not corrode the seed layer 20.

[0057] In contrast, when the seed layer 20 is a DLC film, it has corrosion resistance to a wider variety of electrolytes and can be applied to a wider variety of electrolytes, which means that the selectivity of the electrolyte in electroplating can be improved.

[0058] In the above example, the DLC film is formed in the seed layer formation process under film formation conditions that result in a sheet resistance of 500 mΩ / sq or less, more preferably 200 mΩ / sq or less. This allows the seed layer 20 to be formed with low electrical resistance. This allows the current flowing through the electrode and the seed layer 20 to be improved during electrolytic plating. This allows the plating layer 40 to be formed with higher efficiency.

[0059] In the above example, the DLC film is formed by chemical vapor deposition in the seed layer formation process. This allows the DLC film to be formed with wide coverage. Therefore, even if the main surface 10a of the base material 10 is curved or has protrusions, a uniform DLC film can be formed on the main surface 10a of the base material 10.

[0060] When sputtering is used, for example, a carbon target is placed in a chamber so as to face the main surface 10a of the base material 10, and ions from the plasma are collided with the target while a conductivity-imparting gas such as nitrogen gas is supplied to the chamber. This allows a conductive DLC film to be formed on the main surface 10a of the base material 10.

[0061] Furthermore, in the above example, the base material 10 is dry-cleaned before the formation of the DLC film, which allows impurities on the main surface 10a of the base material 10 to be removed in advance, thereby improving the adhesion between the base material 10 and the seed layer 20.

[0062] Incidentally, if the base material 10 is conductive, a voltage may be applied between the base material 10 and an electrode during electrolytic plating. In this case, the base material 10 and the seed layer 20 function as electrodes. If impurities are present between the base material 10 and the seed layer 20, the electrical resistance of the electrode increases in that area, which can result in a non-uniform film thickness distribution of the plating layer 40 during the growth process. In contrast, in the above example, the impurities are removed from the main surface 10a of the base material 10 before the seed layer 20 is formed, so the film thickness of the plating layer 40 can be made uniform during the growth process.

[0063] In the above example, the base material 10 is subjected to the dry cleaning process and the seed layer formation process successively in a high-vacuum space. That is, the base material 10 is subjected to the dry cleaning and film formation processes without passing through an atmospheric pressure space. If the base material 10 passes through an atmospheric pressure space, impurities such as particles may adhere to the main surface 10a of the base material 10, or the main surface 10a of the base material 10 may be oxidized by oxygen gas. In the above example, the base material 10 is subjected to the dry cleaning and film formation processes only through a high-vacuum space (for example, a pressure of 100 Pa or less), thereby preventing impurities and oxide films from forming on the main surface 10a. Therefore, the seed layer 20 can be formed on the main surface 10a of the base material 10 with even higher adhesion, and peeling between the seed layer 20 and the base material 10 can be prevented in the peeling process.

[0064] Furthermore, in the above example, the base material 10 is cleaned using dry cleaning, which reduces the consumption of chemicals and water compared to when the base material 10 is cleaned using only wet cleaning, thereby reducing the environmental impact.

[0065] <Vacuum processing equipment> Although the vacuum processing apparatus 100 in the example of FIG. 4 includes the dry cleaning apparatus 110 and the film forming apparatus 120, it may also include a single processing apparatus that performs both of these functions. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of such a vacuum processing apparatus 100. The vacuum processing apparatus 100 has both a dry cleaning function and a film forming function. The vacuum processing apparatus 100 includes, for example, a chamber, a decompression mechanism (e.g., a vacuum pump) that decompresses the chamber, a plasma reactor provided in the chamber, and a gas supply unit that supplies various gases into the chamber. The plasma reactor may be, for example, a capacitively coupled plasma reactor or an inductively coupled plasma reactor.

[0066] The gas supply unit supplies dry cleaning gas and film formation gas into the chamber. The dry cleaning gas includes, for example, a rare gas, an oxidizing gas, and a reducing gas. The film formation gas includes, for example, a material gas and a conductivity-imparting gas. The gas supply unit includes, for example, air supply pipes for various gases having air supply ports opening in the chamber, and valves interposed in each air supply pipe.

[0067] When the base material 10 is transferred to this vacuum processing apparatus 100, the pressure reduction mechanism reduces the pressure in the chamber to, for example, 100 Pa or less, and the vacuum processing apparatus 100 then performs a dry cleaning process and a seed layer formation process in this order. Even in this vacuum processing apparatus 100, the base material 10 is not exposed to atmospheric pressure between the dry cleaning process and the seed layer formation process. Therefore, almost no impurities or oxide film are formed on the main surface 10a of the base material 10 after dry cleaning. Therefore, the seed layer 20 can be formed on the main surface 10a of the base material 10 with high adhesion.

[0068] <Seed layer reuse> In the present embodiment, the seed layer 20 is made of a conductive DLC film as described above, and therefore the adhesion between the seed layer 20 and the plating layer 40 is low. Therefore, in the peeling step, the plating layer 40 can be peeled cleanly from the seed layer 20. Therefore, the seed layer 20 after this peeling step may be reused to manufacture another metal mask 1.

[0069] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for manufacturing such a metal mask 1. In the example of FIG. 6, a dry cleaning step (step S1), a seed layer formation step (step S2), a resist exposure step (step S3), a resist development step (step S4), a growth step (step S5: corresponding to the first growth step), a resist removal step (step S6), and a peeling step (step S7: corresponding to the first peeling step) are performed in this order, and then a resist exposure step (step S3) is performed again. That is, another resist 30 is formed on the seed layer 20 (see FIG. 3(c)) after the metal mask 1 is peeled off, and the resist 30 is exposed to light. Then, a pattern is formed in the resist 30 by a resist development step (step S4), and a new plating layer 40 is formed on the seed layer 20 by a growth step (step S5: corresponding to the second growth step). Then, the resist 30 is removed in a resist removal step (step S6), and the other plating layer 40 is peeled off from the seed layer 20 in a peeling step (step S7: second peeling step), thereby producing another metal mask 1.

[0070] According to this manufacturing method, a common DLC film can be used to manufacture a plurality of metal masks 1. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the metal mask 1 can be reduced.

[0071] Although the plating method has been described in detail above, the above description is merely an example in all respects, and the plating method is not limited thereto. It is understood that countless variations not exemplified can be envisioned without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The configurations described in the above embodiments and variations can be combined or omitted as appropriate as long as they are not mutually inconsistent. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 10 Base material 20 seed layer 40 plating layer S1 Dry cleaning process (step) S2 Seed layer formation step S5 First growth step, second growth step S7 First peeling process, second peeling process (step)

Claims

1. a seed layer forming step of forming a conductive diamond-like carbon film as the seed layer on a base material under film forming conditions such that the sheet resistance of the seed layer is 500 mΩ / sq or less; a first resist process for patterning a resist on the seed layer; a first growing step of forming a first plating layer on a portion of the seed layer that is not covered with the resist by electrolytic plating after the first resist step; a first resist removal step of removing the resist after the first growth step; a first peeling step of peeling the first plating layer from the seed layer after the first resist removing step, and using the first plating layer as a metal mask; A method for manufacturing a metal mask, comprising:

2. 2. A method for manufacturing a metal mask according to claim 1, In the seed layer formation step, the diamond-like carbon film is formed on the base material by chemical vapor deposition using a material gas containing a carbon element and a conductivity-imparting gas containing a dopant element that imparts conductivity to the diamond-like carbon film.

3. 3. A method for manufacturing a metal mask according to claim 1 or 2, comprising: The method for manufacturing a metal mask further comprises, before the seed layer forming step, a dry cleaning step of dry cleaning the surface of the base material in a vacuum state in which the pressure in a chamber is reduced.

4. 4. The method for manufacturing a metal mask according to claim 3, The method for manufacturing a metal mask, wherein the seed layer forming step is performed while maintaining a vacuum state from the dry cleaning step.

5. 5. A method for manufacturing a metal mask according to claim 1, comprising: a second resist step of patterning a resist on the seed layer after the first peeling step; a second growth step of forming a second plating layer on a portion of the seed layer that is not covered with the resist by electrolytic plating after the second resist step; a second resist removal step of removing the resist after the second growth step; a second peeling step of peeling the second plating layer from the seed layer after the second resist removal step, and using the second plating layer as another metal mask; The method for manufacturing a metal mask further comprises:

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