Shielding Metal Mask Structure for Uniform Net Stretching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing metal masks for shielding in OLED display panels suffer from issues such as wrinkles and uneven force transmission during the net stretching process, leading to poor color mixing of red/green/blue sub-pixels and reduced product yield.
Innovation Solution
The metal mask for shielding features through-etching areas with smaller through holes at the periphery of open areas, reducing the solid material area and ensuring uniform force transmission, thereby minimizing wrinkles and sagging, and improving color mixing yield.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the solid material area is reduced by adding through holes, then force transmission uniformity is improved, but the shielding performance may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating through-etching areas with through holes at specific locations (periphery of open areas) rather than uniformly across the entire base plate. This localized modification improves force transmission uniformity at critical areas while preserving the shielding performance of the overall solid material structure. The through holes are strategically positioned to address force transmission issues without compromising the essential shielding function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetry by making the opening size of through holes smaller than the opening size of open areas. This asymmetric design allows the through holes to serve dual purposes: improving force transmission uniformity by reducing solid material area, while simultaneously maintaining shielding performance by being smaller than the open areas that define the display region.
2Manufacturing precision
If through holes are added to reduce solid material area, then wrinkles and sagging are reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a porous structure through through-etching areas containing through holes in the base plate. This porous design reduces the solid material area, which in turn reduces wrinkles and sagging during the net stretching process. The porous structure is created through etching processes that are extensions of existing manufacturing capabilities, balancing the benefit of reduced deformation with the added complexity of the etching steps.
3Productivity
If through-etching areas are created with through holes, then color mixing yield is improved, but production time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring the base plate with through-etching areas and through holes before the net stretching and evaporation processes. This preliminary structuring of the base plate ensures uniform force transmission from the beginning, which prevents wrinkles and sagging that would otherwise require corrective measures later in the production process, thereby improving color mixing yield while minimizing additional production time.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a metal mask for shielding, a net stretching assembly, a mask and a display panel, which belongs to the technical field of displaying. The metal mask for shielding includes a base plate. The base plate includes the plurality of open areas spaced apart from each other, and the solid material area except the plurality of open areas. The open areas penetrate through the base plate, and the open areas are configured to define a shape of the display area. The solid material area includes at least one through-etching area, different through-etching areas are close to different sides of the open area, at least one through hole is opened in the at least one through-etching area, and an opening size of the at least one through hole is smaller than an opening size of the open area in a plane parallel to the base plate.