OLED Mask Skeletons for Coating Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional packaging methods for OLED devices, such as dispensing and screen printing, result in poor package quality due to speed limitations, pressure control issues, and potential for discontinuous or insufficient coating, leading to reduced lifespan and stability.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a mask with a metal plate featuring a first and second blocking area and a coating area with intervally disposed skeletons, where the coating area is etched to reduce thickness and hollowed, allowing for controlled glass paste application and improved substrate alignment during lamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If dispensing method is used to coat glass paste, then coating can be achieved, but coating speed is slow and pressure control is difficult causing poor package quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mask as an intermediary tool between the dispensing system and the substrate. The mask with its specific structure (blocking areas, coating area, and hollowing areas) mediates the coating process, enabling precise control of glass paste distribution while maintaining fast coating speed. The mask structure acts as a template that guides the dispensing process, solving both control and speed issues simultaneously.
2Productivity
If screen printing method is used to increase coating speed, then coating speed improves, but screen printing plate breaks easily and leaves cross-shaped prints causing poor package quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the problematic screen printing plate from the system and replaces it with a mask that has the necessary pattern already formed through etching and hollowing processes. This eliminates the fragility and cross-shaped print defects associated with traditional screen printing plates while maintaining the ability to achieve fast coating speeds through the mask's optimized structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the structural parameters of the coating tool by creating a mask with specific geometric features including blocking areas, coating areas, and hollowing areas. This parameter change transforms the mask into a more reliable tool that prevents screen breaking and cross-shaped prints while enabling controlled glass paste application for high-quality packaging.
3Quantity of substance
If conventional dispensing or screen printing is used, then glass paste can be applied, but discontinuous or insufficient coating occurs reducing OLED lifespan
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different regions in the mask with distinct functions: blocking areas that prevent paste application, coating areas that allow paste flow, and hollowing areas that collect and store glass paste. This local differentiation ensures continuous and sufficient glass paste distribution across the substrate, preventing the discontinuous coating that would otherwise compromise OLED lifespan and reliability.
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 ensures adequate glass paste distribution, preventing gaps between substrates during sintering and enhancing production yield by maintaining the glass paste in a consistent horizontal position, thus improving package quality and stability.
Implementation Method 1
The step of reducing a thickness of the coating area includes: etching the coating area to thereby etch off a part of the coating area along a thickness direction of the coating area
Implementation Method 2
performing an intervally hollowing processing on the coating area to thereby make the coating area be formed with skeletons which are intervally disposed and connected between the first blocking area and the second blocking area and hollowing areas which are surrounded by the first blocking area, the second blocking area and the skeletons
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a mask, a method for manufacturing a mask, and a method for manufacturing an OLED panel. The method of manufacturing a mask includes: providing a metal plate; defining a first blocking area, a second blocking area and a coating area located between the first blocking area and the second blocking area; reducing a thickness of the coating area; and intervally hollowing the coating area to thereby form skeletons which are intervally disposed and connected between the first blocking area and the second blocking area and hollowing areas which are surrounded by the first blocking area, the second blocking area and the skeletons. Accordingly, the present invention can improve the production yield.