Mask frame assembly for thin film deposition

• US 9,780,305 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kwen, Hanul, Kim, Junghoon, Kim, Hanyoung, Roh, Younghoon, Jung, Wooyoung, Jeong, Cheolgyu, Ji, Pilseon, Hong, Jaemin
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Binu
• Application Number:
  US14/576,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20160005970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/042 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/042 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/166 using selective deposition, e.g. using a mask

Abstract

Provided is a mask frame assembly for thin film deposition. The mask frame assembly includes a mask frame having an opening surrounded by the mask frame; and a support extending across the opening to support a mask on the mask frame. The support includes a support body, a plurality of ribs in the support body, and one or more patterned portions in spaces between the plurality of ribs, the one or more patterned portions having a different thickness than the ribs.

Claims

1. A mask frame assembly for thin film deposition, the mask frame assembly comprising:

a mask frame having an opening surrounded by the mask frame; and

a support extending in a second direction across the opening to support a mask on the mask frame,

the support including;

a support body,

a plurality of ribs in the support body, and

a plurality of patterned portions arranged along a first direction orthogonal to the second direction in spaces between the plurality of ribs, each of the patterned portions having a different thickness than a thickness of the ribs and extending further along the second direction than in the first direction in a stripe pattern,

wherein the plurality of patterned portions are spaced apart from each other within the support body along the first direction, and each of the patterned portions extending continuously within the support body in the second direction.

2. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mask includes one or more mask sticks extending across the opening in the first direction, and the support extends in the second direction intersecting the one or more mask sticks.

3. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the support is between the mask and the mask frame, and both end portions of the support body are attached to a topmost surface of the mask frame via welding points.

4. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein a portion of the support body has a smaller thickness than the plurality of ribs.

5. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the mask frame assembly includes a plurality of supports spaced apart from each other along the first direction, and each one of the supports includes the plurality of patterned portions spaced apart from each other along the first direction, and

each one of the patterned portions extends continuously in the second direction between a pair of ribs adjacent to each other along the first direction, the patterned portions being regions of smaller thickness than the ribs.

6. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of patterned portions are grooves in the support body, the grooves extending to a depth that is smaller than a thickness of the ribs, and the grooves extending continuously along a majority of a length of the support body.

7. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of patterned portions are regions of half thickness compared to the ribs.

8. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the patterned portions include a first patterned portion having a first region of smaller thickness than the ribs at a center of the support body along the second direction and a second patterned portion having a second first region of smaller thickness than the ribs at both edges of the support body along the first direction.

9. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first region of smaller thickness than the ribs extends to the support body along the second direction, and a plurality of protrusions are in the first region of smaller thickness than the ribs.

10. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein, in a portion of the support body including the plurality of protrusions, a thickness of the support body is equal to a thickness of the plurality of ribs.

11. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second patterned portion is between a pair of adjacent ribs along the first direction and extends to the support body along the second direction.

12. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first patterned portion having the first region of smaller thickness than the ribs and the second patterned portion having the second region of smaller thickness than the ribs are etched toward a bottom surface of the support body from a top surface of the support body that faces the mask.

13. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plurality of patterned portions pass through the support body.

14. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 13, wherein the plurality of patterned portions are between a pair of adjacent ribs along the first direction and are through holes that extend in the support body along the second direction and pass through the support body.

15. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein a bottom surface of the mask directly contacts a top surface of the plurality of ribs.

16. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein a plurality of deposition pattern portions are in the one or more mask sticks along the first direction to be spaced apart from each other, and a mask rib is between adjacent deposition pattern portions to connect the adjacent deposition pattern portions to each other.

17. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the support is at a position corresponding to the mask rib.

18. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first direction is a direction in which a tensile force to weld both end portions of the mask to the mask frame is applied to the mask, and the second direction is a direction in which a tensile force to weld both end portions of the support to the mask frame is applied to the support.

19. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 18, wherein the first direction is a width direction of the support, and the second direction is a longitudinal direction of the support.

20. The mask frame assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mask frame includes a plurality of first frames facing each other in the first direction and a plurality of second frames facing each other in the second direction, and the plurality of first frames and the plurality of second frames are connected to each other to surround the opening.