Etching Mask Two-Stage Process Eliminates Dead Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods using etching masks to create island-shaped un-etched regions in organic electroluminescence devices face issues such as 'dead zones' of etching due to support portions and thermal expansion, leading to deviations in patterning and incomplete etching.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a two-stage etching process using an etching mask with specific opening and non-opening portions, where the first etching process creates an initial pattern and the second process refines it to form a virtual etching mask, eliminating the need for support portions and reducing 'dead zones' by applying atmospheric-pressure plasma etching in a controlled direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If support portions are added to the etching mask to maintain structural integrity, then the mask strength is improved, but dead zones of etching are created and manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the support portions from the etching mask structure. By using a membrane structure that is self-supporting through its tensioned surface, the patent eliminates the need for discrete support portions that create dead zones, thereby resolving the contradiction between mask strength and etching precision
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical support portion structure with a tensioned membrane structure. The membrane's inherent tensile strength and surface tension provide the necessary structural integrity without requiring additional support elements, thus eliminating dead zones while maintaining mask strength
2Device complexity
If thermal expansion is not compensated, then device complexity is reduced, but patterning accuracy deteriorates due to deviations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the thermal expansion parameter by selecting materials with matched thermal expansion coefficients. The etching mask and substrate are made of materials that expand and contract at similar rates, eliminating relative displacement and maintaining patterning accuracy without requiring complex compensation mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a thermal equipotential state between the etching mask and substrate by using materials with matched thermal properties. This ensures that both components experience identical thermal expansion, preventing relative movement and maintaining alignment accuracy throughout the etching process
3Productivity
If a single etching process is used, then productivity is improved, but etching completeness deteriorates due to dead zones
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the dead zones by removing support portions from the mask structure. This allows the etching plasma to access all areas uniformly, achieving complete etching in a single pass without requiring multiple processes, thus improving both productivity and completeness
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach effectively prevents un-etched regions from remaining and reduces deviations, ensuring accurate patterning without the need for supporting meshes, thus improving the etching process's precision and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
performing etching through the opened region
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided, of manufacturing a material to be etched that can more preferably prevent a region to be etched from remaining as an un-etched region and reduce deviation of etched/un-etched regions. Patterning (a method of manufacturing a material to be etched) of a substrate 100, which is manufactured by performing etching through an opened region 10 by an etching mask M1, is performed by a first etching process and a second etching process that is performed after the first etching process. The second etching process is a process for etching a region including a region that is not etched by the first etching process. An un-etched region, which is the same as etched using a virtual etching mask M1′, is formed on the surface of an object to be etched by the first and second etching processes.