JP5302724B2 - Organic EL mask cleaning device and organic EL mask cleaning method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for cleaning a mask for an organic EL at a high degree to remove vapor-deposited materials therefrom while removing the vapor-deposited materials in the state that it has completely no contact with a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The device is provided for cleaning the mask for the organic EL to remove the vapor-deposited materials from the mask 1 for the organic EL. It includes a laser unit 13 for scanning laser light L on a region of all or part of the mask 1 for the organic EL, a suction nozzle 41 for sucking operation obliquely toward a site of scanning the laser light L, and a blow nozzle 42 for blowing operation from the opposite side to the suction nozzle 41 across the site of scanning the laser light L obliquely toward the site of scanning the laser light L. It also includes a nozzle moving part 15 for moving the suction nozzle 41 and the blow nozzle 42 following the site of scanning the laser light L. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an organic EL mask cleaning device that performs laser cleaning by scanning a laser beam, an organic EL display manufacturing device, an organic EL display, and an organic EL mask cleaning method.

  An organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display is used as a low power consumption, lightweight, and thin image display device that does not require a backlight. As its structure, an organic EL thin film layer is laminated on a transparent glass substrate, and the organic EL thin film layer adopts a structure in which a light emitting layer is sandwiched between an anode layer and a cathode layer. The light emitting layer is often formed by vapor-depositing an organic material on a glass substrate to form a thin film, and the region of each pixel constituting the display is divided into three to deposit organic materials of three colors RGB. . Therefore, vapor deposition is performed using an organic EL mask (shadow mask) in which a large number of openings are formed in order to deposit different color organic materials (organic dye materials) in the three regions of each pixel.

  When performing the vapor deposition process, the organic material adheres not only to the glass substrate but also to the organic EL mask. Since the mask for organic EL is not used for only one vapor deposition process but is used repeatedly, if the vapor deposition material adheres to the mask for organic EL during the next vapor deposition process, Vapor deposition material may fall and cause fouling. In addition, an organic material is deposited on edge portions of the openings formed in the organic EL mask so that the area of the openings is partially or entirely blocked. Of course, if the entire area of the opening is blocked, or even if the area of the opening changes due to partial blocking, the deposition accuracy when using the organic EL mask is significantly reduced and it can be used. Is not. Therefore, the organic EL mask is periodically cleaned (preferably after completion of one vapor deposition process) to remove the vapor deposition material.

  As cleaning of the organic EL mask, wet cleaning using a surfactant or the like is mainly performed. Wet cleaning is cleaning performed by supplying a liquid to the organic EL mask. However, the organic EL mask to be cleaned is an ultrathin metal plate on the order of microns (several tens of microns), and a large amount of damage such as distortion or deformation is caused to the organic EL mask by the action of liquid pressure during wet cleaning. Given. In addition, when wet cleaning is performed using chemicals such as surfactants, a chemical solution supply mechanism and a drainage treatment mechanism for processing used chemicals (drainage) are required, which complicates the mechanism and causes environmental pollution due to drainage. There is also a problem.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique relating to cleaning (laser cleaning) performed by irradiating an organic EL mask with laser light as cleaning without using a chemical solution for wet cleaning. In this technique, a peeling force is applied between the organic EL mask and the organic material by irradiating the metal organic EL mask with laser light. Then, the organic material is removed from the organic EL mask by this peeling force to perform cleaning.

  In the technique of this Patent Document 1, the organic material adhered to the organic EL mask by irradiating the laser beam is peeled off. However, in order to prevent contamination in the tank for cleaning or the atmosphere, the organic material after peeling is removed. Is not separated from the organic EL mask. For this reason, in order to remove the organic material after peeling, an adhesive film is used. This film has an adhesive force to transfer the peeled organic material. The film is attached to the organic EL mask and irradiated with laser light to remove the vapor-deposited material peeled from the organic EL mask. It is transferred to film. And the cleaning process is completed by peeling the film which the organic material transcribe | transferred from the mask for organic EL.

JP 2006-169573 A

  By the way, the organic EL mask is an extremely thin metal plate, and even if a very small force is applied thereto, it is distorted or deformed and damaged. Moreover, with the recent increase in the screen size of organic EL displays, the size of organic EL masks has increased, and handling of large and extremely thin organic EL masks must be extremely delicate. In the technique of Patent Document 1, since peeling of the film from the organic EL mask is performed against the adhesive force, excessive peeling force acts on the organic EL mask. As a result, the organic EL mask is distorted, warped, etc., and is seriously damaged.

  That is, in Patent Document 1, although the organic material is peeled from the organic EL mask by laser light, the film is brought into contact with the organic EL mask in order to remove the peeled organic material. Not complete. Moreover, although the raw material (polyethylene terephthalate) which permeate | transmits a laser beam is used as a film, even if it uses a transparent film, attenuation | damping will arise in a laser beam. For this reason, there is a possibility that sufficient energy cannot be given to the organic EL mask and a high cleaning effect cannot be exhibited. And since the mechanism for exclusive use for sticking and peeling of a film is required, there exists a problem that a mechanism becomes complicated and an apparatus becomes large. In particular, if the organic EL mask becomes a large size, the size of the film also increases, and problems such as a complicated mechanism and a large apparatus become more prominent.

  For this reason, it is desirable to clean the organic EL mask in a completely non-contact state without using a film. When laser cleaning is performed on the surface of the organic EL mask, the peeling force acts on the vapor deposition material, and the vapor deposition material is decomposed by the energy of the laser beam, so that the organic EL mask becomes free material such as powder or gas. Try to scatter upwards from the surface. If the film is not used from the viewpoint of avoiding damage to the organic EL mask, the scattered free substance falls onto the organic EL mask due to gravity, regardless of whether the above film is attached to the organic EL mask. And reattach. In addition, free substances wrap around and adhere to the back surface of the organic EL mask from the openings formed in the organic EL mask. If a free substance adheres to the back surface, when a new substrate is deposited, it is transferred to the substrate and contaminated, resulting in a decrease in the degree of cleaning.

  Therefore, the present invention aims to obtain a high degree of cleaning while removing the deposit in a completely non-contact state with respect to the substrate when performing cleaning for removing the deposit adhering to the organic EL mask. To do.

In order to solve the above problems, claim 1 of the present invention is an organic EL mask cleaning device for removing a vapor deposition material adhering to an organic EL mask, and a part or all of the region of the organic EL mask. A laser cleaning unit that performs cleaning by scanning the laser beam, a suction unit that performs suction from an oblique direction toward the scanning part of the laser light, and an opposite of the suction unit across the scanning part of the laser beam An air blower that blows air from an oblique direction toward the scanning region of the laser light from the side; and a follower that moves the suction unit and the air blowing device to follow the scanning region of the laser light; The means scans the region by sequentially shifting the scanning lines for scanning the laser light in the width direction of the organic EL mask in the depth direction, and the following means is arranged in the width direction. Without even and performs control for moving the said blowing means and said suction means to have a length of the scan lines to the depth direction following the each of the scanning lines.

  According to this organic EL mask cleaning apparatus, suction and blowing are performed from an oblique direction toward the scanning portion of the laser beam. Since the free substance scattered by the scanning of the laser beam is sucked by the suction means, the free substance does not reattach to the organic EL mask. In addition, free substances that could not be completely sucked may reattach, and some of the deposited materials may remain on the organic EL mask. However, by creating an air flow by blowing and sucking, the reattached free substances Can be led to suction means. Then, by blowing air to the interface with the organic EL mask, the remaining vapor deposition material can be lifted so as to be scraped off and recovered by the suction means. Finally, the vapor deposition substance and the free substance can be collected by the suction means, so that laser cleaning can be performed completely in a non-contact manner and a high degree of cleaning can be obtained.

Further, a follow-up means for moving the suction means and the blower means following the scanning portion of the laser light is provided .

Thus, the suction means and the air blowing means are made to follow the scanning part of the laser beam. Since the laser cleaning is a surface cleaning for a predetermined area, the scanning site is constantly changing. On the other hand, if the suction means and the air blowing means are fixed, the relative positional relationship with the scanning part is not constant, and a uniform cleaning degree cannot be obtained depending on the part, and the distance from the scanning part is The degree of cleaning decreases when separated. For this reason, it becomes possible to obtain a uniform and high degree of cleaning by causing the suction means and the air blowing means to follow the scanning portion of the laser light.

Further, the laser cleaning means scans the area by sequentially shifting a scanning line for scanning the laser light in the width direction of the organic EL mask in the depth direction, and the follow-up means is at least in the width direction. It intends row control to move the said blowing means and said suction means to have a length of the scan lines to the depth direction following the each of the scanning lines.

  According to this organic EL mask cleaning apparatus, the suction means and the air blowing means are moved so as to follow the shifting of the scanning line in the width direction. Since the suction unit and the blowing unit have a length corresponding to the scanning line in the width direction, it is not necessary to cause the suction unit and the blowing unit to follow the scanning in the width direction. Therefore, the movement control becomes extremely easy.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an organic EL mask cleaning device for removing a vapor deposition material adhering to the organic EL mask, wherein a part or all of the region of the organic EL mask is removed. A laser cleaning unit that performs cleaning by scanning the laser beam, a suction unit that performs suction from an oblique direction toward the scanning region of the laser beam, and an opposite side of the suction unit across the scanning region of the laser beam. A blower that blows air from an oblique direction toward the scanning region of the laser light, and the angle of the blower of the blower with respect to the organic EL mask is set in the suction direction of the suction means with respect to the organic EL mask. It is characterized by being smaller than the angle .

  According to this organic EL mask cleaning device, the angle in the blowing direction is made smaller than the angle in the suction direction. By reducing the angle in the air blowing direction, the angle can be made closer to the angle parallel to the scanning surface of the organic EL mask, and the deposited material can be scraped off from the interface of the organic EL mask and lifted easily. Thereby, the remaining vapor deposition material can be removed, and a high degree of cleaning can be obtained. Further, by increasing the angle of the suction direction, the suction direction can be brought close to the scattering direction of the free substance (the normal direction of the mask for organic EL), and the recovery efficiency can be increased. As the blowing direction, the direction along the organic EL mask is most desirable, and as the suction direction, it is most desirable to make the angle as large as possible within a range that does not interfere with the optical path of the laser beam.

As for the angle of the air blowing means and the suction means with respect to the organic EL mask, it is desirable that the suction means is provided apart from the air blowing means as described in claim 5.

  According to this organic EL mask cleaning device, the suction means is separated from the organic EL mask rather than the blowing means. Since the free substance scatters right above the organic EL mask, the suction force is applied over a wide range by disposing the suction means at a position separated from the organic EL mask. As a result, it becomes possible to perform suction collection with high recovery efficiency for the infinitely dispersed free substances.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the blowing means can blow ion wind.

  According to this organic EL mask cleaning apparatus, the air blown from the blowing means is an ion wind. The scattered free substance is charged positively or negatively by static electricity, and the air blown from the blowing means is made into an ionic wind having the opposite polarity so that the free substance is efficiently guided to the air sucking means. Is possible.

The organic EL mask cleaning method of the present invention is an organic EL mask cleaning method for removing a vapor deposition material adhering to the organic EL mask, and a laser beam is applied to a part or all of the region of the organic EL mask. When scanning the laser beam, the air is blown from the oblique direction toward the laser beam scanning portion, and the suction is performed from the opposite direction across the scanning portion of the laser light toward the scanning portion from the oblique direction. The air blowing means and the suction means are moved following the scanning portion of the laser light, and the scanning lines for scanning the laser light in the width direction of the organic EL mask are sequentially shifted in the depth direction. The suction means and the air blowing means that scan and have at least the length of the scan line in the width direction follow the scan line in the depth direction. Characterized thereby moving.

  In the present invention, the suction of the suction means and the blow of the air blowing means are applied to the scanning portion of the laser beam from an oblique direction, and the free material remaining and the remaining vapor deposition material are removed from the organic EL by the cooperative action of both. Since it is removed from the mask, a very high degree of cleaning can be obtained. In addition, since the suction means and the air blowing means are made to follow the scanning portion of the laser beam, a uniform and high degree of cleaning can be obtained. Laser cleaning is performed by scanning the laser light on the organic EL mask, scattering the free substance due to the difference in thermal expansion, and sucking it by the suction means, so that the laser cleaning is completed in a completely non-contact manner. And no damage is caused to the organic EL mask.

It is the top view and sectional drawing of a mask for organic EL. It is a front view of the mask cleaning apparatus for organic EL. It is a top view of the mask cleaning apparatus for organic EL. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the organic EL mask cleaning apparatus. It is a figure explaining the state which is performing suction and ventilation with respect to a free substance. It is a top view explaining the state which made the nozzle unit follow a scanning part. It is a figure explaining the state which made the suction nozzle and the ventilation nozzle follow a scanning site | part.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows an organic EL mask 1 to be cleaned by the organic EL mask cleaning apparatus of the present invention. FIGS. 1A and 1B are a plan view and a sectional view, respectively. ing. In order to deposit a vapor deposition substance with high accuracy on a glass substrate constituting an organic EL display, the vapor deposition substance (organic material) is accurately formed in a predetermined region by setting the thickness of the organic EL mask 1 to a micron order. Will be able to. On the other hand, with the recent increase in the screen size of the organic EL display, the glass substrate has also become a large size (for example, 1500 × 1800 mm), and the size of the organic EL mask 1 has also increased. Therefore, the ultra-thin (for example, several tens of microns) and large-sized organic EL mask 1 cannot maintain a flat shape by itself, and in order to provide shape retention, a frame shape as a reinforcing frame is provided on the outer peripheral portion. The mask frame 2 is attached. It should be noted that any means other than the mask frame 2 may be used as long as it has shape retention.

  The organic EL mask 1 is a metal mask plate (shadow mask) in which a large number of regularly arranged openings 3 are formed from a metal. Various metals can be used for the organic EL mask 1, but an alloy of cobalt and nickel is applied here. The organic EL mask 1 is made to vapor-deposit a vapor deposition substance in a state of being in close contact with the glass substrate in a vapor deposition apparatus (not shown) for vapor-depositing an organic material of a light emitting layer. There are various kinds of deposition materials for the light emitting layer, and for example, an organometallic complex such as an aluminum complex (tris aluminum: Alq) can be applied. Note that an organic compound other than an organometallic complex (whether or not a metal is contained) may be applied as a deposition material. The vapor deposition material evaporated from is deposited on the glass substrate from the portion where the opening 3 of the organic EL mask 1 is formed. Thereby, it becomes possible to form a vapor deposition material as a light emitting layer in a region corresponding to a pixel.

  During vapor deposition, the vapor deposition material adheres not only to the glass substrate but also to the organic EL mask 1. Therefore, laser cleaning of the organic EL mask 1 is performed using the following organic EL mask cleaning device. Laser cleaning is one type of dry cleaning, in which the deposition material is removed from the organic EL mask 1 by irradiating laser light, and cleaning is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the organic EL mask 1 is divided into six areas A1 to A6. Since the organic EL mask 1 has a wide area, it is divided into a plurality of areas, and cleaning is performed for each area. The areas A1 to A6 are divided into two areas in the X direction (width direction) shown in FIG. 1A, and are divided into three areas in the Y direction (depth direction). Of course, the number of areas to be divided may be set arbitrarily, and the large organic EL mask 1 is divided into more areas. Further, if the mask 1 is small, the area need not be divided.

  2, 3 and 4 show a front view, a top view and a partial perspective view of the organic EL mask 1, respectively. 2 to 4, the X direction and Y direction are the X direction and Y direction in FIG. 1A, and the Z direction is the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the organic EL mask cleaning apparatus includes a base 11, a mask moving unit 12, a laser unit 13, a nozzle unit 14, and a nozzle moving unit 15. It is installed in the cleaning chamber. The base 11 is a base, and a mask moving unit 12 and a nozzle moving unit 15 are installed on the base 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the mask moving unit 12 includes a moving table 21, a mask placing table 22, a mask holding unit 23, and two guide rails 24. The mask moving unit 12 is a mechanism for moving the organic EL mask 1 in the Y direction. The moving table 21 is a means for moving in the Y direction, and is equipped with a mask table 22. A mask holding unit 23 is disposed on the mask mounting table 22. The mask holding unit 23 holds two opposing sides of the ultra-thin organic EL mask 1, and the organic EL mask 1 is a scanning surface (a surface on which laser cleaning is performed and a vapor deposition substance is attached). Is held with the facing up. The two guide rails 24, 24 are each extended in the Y direction of FIG. 2, and guide the movement of the moving table 21 in the Y direction. A driving mechanism (not shown) is connected to the moving table 21, and the moving table 21 is driven by the driving mechanism and moves in the Y direction along the guide rails 24 and 24.

  The laser unit 13 is a laser cleaning unit that is schematically configured to include a laser light source 31, a galvano mirror 32, and a galvano drive unit 33, and is disposed on the organic EL mask 1. The laser light source 31 oscillates laser light having a predetermined wavelength, and oscillates laser light having such a wavelength that the metal material of the organic EL mask 1 reacts. When the organic EL mask 1 is an alloy of cobalt and nickel, it is set so as to oscillate a laser beam in the vicinity of 532 nm, which is a wavelength region in which the alloy reacts. When the organic EL mask 1 is made of another metal material, a laser beam that reacts with the material is oscillated.

  Laser light is oscillated from the laser light source 31 in the horizontal direction, and a galvanometer mirror 32 is disposed at the incident position of the laser light. The galvanometer mirror 32 is a reflection mirror that converts the optical path of the incident laser beam, and is arranged so as to form an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the laser beam. For this reason, the optical path of the laser light reflected by the galvanometer mirror 32 is changed by 90 degrees, and the optical path is directed downward to enter the organic EL mask 1. A galvano driving unit 33 is connected to the galvano mirror 32, and the galvano driving unit 33 causes the galvano mirror 32 to vibrate slightly. When the galvanometer mirror 32 vibrates minutely, the reflection angle of the laser beam slightly changes. By performing this minute vibration at high speed, the irradiation position of the laser light on the organic EL mask 1 is changed at high speed, and the laser light is scanned. The laser light oscillated from the laser light source 31 is finally focused on the scanning surface of the organic EL mask 1. For this reason, the laser light oscillated from the laser light source 31 is used as convergent light or an objective lens. The optical parts such as are used for focusing.

  Further, the laser unit 13 is integrally formed, and includes a moving mechanism that moves the laser unit 13 in the X direction as a whole. The laser unit 13 is displaced in the X direction by this moving mechanism. As described above, laser cleaning is performed while being divided into areas A1 to A6. The laser in the X direction is used when cleaning areas A1, A3, and A5 and when cleaning areas A2, A4, and A6. The relative positional relationship between the unit 13 and the organic EL mask 1 is changed. Therefore, if a mechanism for moving the organic EL mask 1 in the X direction is provided, the organic EL mask 1 may be moved in the X direction instead of moving the laser unit 13.

  Next, the nozzle unit 14 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the nozzle unit 14 includes a suction nozzle 41, a blower nozzle 42, a top plate 43, and a top plate slider 44. The suction nozzle 41 is a suction means composed of an elongated nozzle having a length that is half the width of the organic EL mask 1 (the length in the X direction in FIG. 2). The blower nozzle 42 is also a blower configured by an elongated nozzle having a length that is half the width of the organic EL mask 1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a suction slit 41S is opened in the suction nozzle 41, and outside air is sucked by the suction slit 41S. Moreover, the ventilation nozzle 42 has the ventilation slit 42S opened, and air is sent from the ventilation slit 42S. The suction slit 41S and the air blowing slit 42S face obliquely downward with respect to the organic EL mask 1, but the suction slit 41S faces the organic EL mask 1 at a large angle (deep angle). The slit 42S faces the organic EL mask 1 at a small angle (shallow angle). When the angle formed between the suction direction of the suction nozzle 41 and the scanning surface of the organic EL mask 1 is α, and the angle formed between the blowing direction of the blowing nozzle 42 and the scanning surface of the organic EL mask 1 is β, α> β It becomes the relationship. Further, the suction nozzle 41 is disposed at a position farther from the organic EL mask 1 than the blowing nozzle 42, and the distance between the suction nozzle 41 and the organic EL mask 1 is H 1, and the blowing nozzle 42 and the organic EL mask 1. H1> H2 when the distance between and is H2.

  Here, the wind blown from the blowing slit 42S is an ion wind that excites ion migration caused by discharge. The ionic wind forms an electric field in the air and directly accelerates the charged particles, thereby generating wind generated by the interaction between the charged particles and air molecules present in the space. By using an ionic wind, the suction wind itself can have a positive or negative polarity.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the top plate 43 forms a laser passage space 43 </ b> A with the center as an opening region, and the laser light passes through the laser passage space 43 </ b> A. With this laser passage space 43A as a boundary, the suction nozzle 41 side is an area 43V, and the blow nozzle 42 side is an area 43B. In addition to the mechanism for attaching the suction nozzle 41, a top slider 44 is provided below the region 43V, and the top slider 44 is provided below the region 43B in addition to the mechanism for attaching the blower nozzle 42. The top sliders 44 and 44 serve as moving members for moving the nozzle unit 14 in the X direction.

  As the laser passage space 43A, it is desirable to provide two or more scanning lines in the Y direction. This is because the laser passage space 43A may be incident not only in the orthogonal direction but also at an angle, so that if the space is set too narrow, the laser light cannot enter the organic EL mask 1. However, if the length of the laser passage space 43A in the Y direction is set to be excessively long, the suction nozzle 41 and the blower nozzle 42 are greatly separated from each other. Therefore, both are not desirable because they are separated from the laser beam scanning portion. For this reason, when the maximum angle of the laser beam L (the maximum incident angle with respect to the normal line direction of the organic EL mask 1) is “20 degrees”, the length in the Y direction of the laser passage space 43A is “ It is desirable to be about 140 mm ".

  Next, the nozzle moving part 15 is demonstrated using FIG. 3 and FIG. The nozzle moving unit 15 is a means for moving the nozzle unit 14 in the Y direction, and includes a ball screw 51, a motor 52, a bearing 53, a ball nut 54, a main slider 55, a main slider guide 56, and two bridging rails 57, 57. And a sub-slider 58 and a sub-slider guide 59. The ball screw 51 has one end connected to the motor 52 and the other end connected to the bearing 53. The ball screw 51 extends in the Y direction, and the ball nut 54 is moved in the Y direction by the rotational force of the motor 52. The ball screw 51, the motor 52, the bearing 53, and the ball nut 54 constitute a ball screw means 50B. The ball screw means 50B is provided outside the mask moving unit 12 in the X direction.

  A main slider 55 is connected to the ball nut 54, and the main slider 55 is movable in the Y direction along the main slider guide 56 by ball screw means 50B. Two bridge rails 57 and 57 are attached to the main slider 55. The bridging rails 57 and 57 are rails that bridge the upper part of the mask moving unit 12 in the X direction, and are arranged so that the two rails are in parallel. The top plate sliders 44 and 44 of the nozzle unit 14 slide on the bridge rails 57 and 57, respectively. The nozzle unit 14 moves on the bridge rails 57 and 57 in the X direction.

  The bridging rails 57 and 57 are attached to the main slider 55 at one end, but are attached to the sub-slider 58 at the other end as shown in FIG. The sub-slider 58 slides along a sub-slider guide 59 provided outside the mask moving unit 12, and the sub-slider 58 moves together with the bridging rails 57 and 57. As a result, the nozzle unit 14 moves in the Y direction. The above is an example in which the nozzle unit 14 is moved in the X direction and the Y direction, and the present invention is not limited to this, and any moving means may be used. For example, a linear motor or the like may be used instead of the ball screw means 50B.

  The operation in the above configuration will be described. First, the organic EL mask 1 is held by the mask holding unit 23 of the mask moving unit 12, and the moving table 21 is moved in the Y direction along the guide rail 24. Then, the relative positional relationship between the organic EL mask 1 and the laser unit 13 is adjusted. At this time, the position adjustment is performed so that the reflection position of the galvano mirror 32 (the position where the laser beam is reflected) and the center position of the area A1 of the organic EL mask 1 (the intermediate point in the X direction and the Y direction in the area) coincide. (In this state, the laser beam L reflected by the galvanometer mirror 32 enters from the vertical direction with respect to the center position of the area A1). In an initial state, the laser unit 13 is arranged so that the center position of the area A1 and the reflection position of the galvanometer mirror 32 coincide with each other in the X direction. Then, the moving table 21 is moved in the Y direction to complete the alignment.

  After the alignment is completed, laser cleaning is performed by scanning the laser beam L. The scanning of the laser beam is based on a scanning line that scans a predetermined length in the X direction, and a predetermined region is cleaned by sequentially shifting the scanning line in the Y direction. The length of the scanning line in the X direction matches the length of each area in the X direction. By sequentially shifting the scanning line in the X direction in the Y direction, cleaning of one area is completed. When the scanning line is shifted, the scanning of the previous scanning line and the next scanning line is reversed, and scanning is performed by alternately changing the scanning direction. The scanning line to be laser-cleaned first is set as the tip of the area A1 (tip in the moving direction of the moving table 21), and the scanning line is sequentially shifted toward the trailing end (the trailing end in the moving direction of the moving table 21). Alternatively, it may be performed sequentially from the rear end to the front end. Here, the process is performed from the front end toward the rear end.

  The laser cleaning of area A1 is completed by the above scanning. After the laser cleaning of the area A1 is completed, the moving table 21 is moved in the Y direction so that the center position of the area A3 and the reflection position of the galvano mirror 32 are matched in the Y direction. Then, the same scanning as in area A1 is performed to complete the cleaning. The same applies to the area A5. After the laser cleaning of the area A5 is completed, the laser unit 13 is moved so that the center position of the area A6 and the reflection position of the galvano mirror 32 coincide with each other in the X direction. At this time, when using means for moving the organic EL mask 1 in the X direction, the organic EL mask 1 is moved with the laser unit 13 fixed. This time, the scanning line is sequentially shifted from the rear end to the front end to perform laser cleaning of the area A6, and the areas A4 and A2 are sequentially scanned in the same manner to complete the cleaning.

  As described above, the reason why each area is divided is that the organic EL mask 1 has a wide area. That is, since the distance from the front end to the rear end of the organic EL mask 1 is extremely long, the galvano mirror 32 of the organic EL mask 1 is used when laser cleaning is performed with the entire organic EL mask 1 as one area. It must be centered and scanned from the front to the back. At this time, the incident angle of the laser light incident on the front end and the rear end is extremely large, and the optical path length is also greatly different from that at the center position. For this reason, a big difference arises in a depth of focus, and it becomes impossible to focus on the scanning surface of the mask 1 for organic EL, and the intensity | strength of a laser beam changes greatly with parts. Therefore, when the organic EL mask 1 is small, there is no significant difference in the depth of focus between the end portion and the center position, so there is no need to divide the area into areas. It is not necessary to move.

  Next, laser cleaning of the organic EL mask 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows a state where the center position is being scanned, and the laser light L is incident on the organic EL mask 1 from the normal direction. Of course, when scanning the edge of the area, the laser beam L is incident at a predetermined angle with respect to the normal direction. As described above, the laser beam passing space 43A is formed in the top plate 43, and the laser beam L enters the organic EL mask 1 through the laser beam passing space 43A.

  The laser light L oscillated from the laser light source 31 has such a wavelength that the metal material of the organic EL mask 1 reacts. When the organic EL mask 1 is an alloy of cobalt and nickel, the wavelength is used. A laser beam having a wavelength of 532 nm is oscillated. For this reason, when the laser beam L is focused on the scanning surface of the organic EL mask 1, the scanning surface of the organic EL mask 1 undergoes a large thermal expansion, but the adhering vapor deposition material 61 is converted into the laser beam L. No thermal expansion due to no reaction. Thereby, decomposition energy acts on the deposited vapor deposition material 61 due to a difference in thermal expansion. Due to the action of the decomposition energy, the vapor deposition material 61 adhering in the form of a film on the scanning surface is decomposed into fine particles and becomes a free material 62. The free material 62 is an extremely fine powder or gas having almost no mass, and is scattered upward from the scanning surface of the organic EL mask 1 when the vapor deposition material 61 is decomposed.

  Note that the intensity of the laser light emitted from the laser light source 31 is not set too high. This is because the energy of the laser beam acts on the organic EL mask 1 instead of the vapor deposition material 61, and if excessive energy is applied, the organic EL mask 1 may be damaged. As the intensity of the laser beam, any material may be used as long as it decomposes the vapor deposition material adhering to the organic EL mask 1 and scatters it as the free material 62 to some extent.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the suction slit 41 </ b> S of the suction nozzle 41 is directed in an oblique direction from a position close to the scanning portion of the laser light L in the organic EL mask 1. As a result, the suction nozzle 41 applies a suction force V to the scanning site. Innumerable free substances 62 are scattered upward by the scanning of the laser beam L, but the suction force V of the suction nozzle 41 acts in the scattering space, and the free substance 62 has almost no mass. Since it is a gas or the like, it is sucked by the suction nozzle 41 and collected. For this reason, the free substance 62 collected by the suction nozzle 41 does not reattach to the organic EL mask 1.

  By scanning with the laser beam L, the free substance 62 is scattered right above (Z direction: normal direction of the organic EL mask 1). For this reason, the angle α in the suction direction of the suction nozzle 41 is increased. Ideally, α = 90 degrees, but if the suction nozzle 41 is arranged so as to have this angle, the optical path of the laser light L is obstructed. For this reason, the suction nozzle 41 is set at a large angle within a range that does not interfere with the optical path of the laser light L. The suction nozzle 41 performs suction from an oblique direction. By increasing the angle α, the scattering direction of the free substance 62 and the suction direction are made closer to each other. As a result, the free substance 62 is efficiently sucked and collected so that the degree of cleaning does not decrease due to reattachment.

  Further, from the viewpoint of the recovery efficiency of the free substance 62, it is desirable to increase the suction force V as much as possible. However, if the suction force V is excessively increased, the ultrathin organic EL mask 1 may be damaged by deformation such as wind pressure, so that the suction force does not affect the organic EL mask 1. Must be suppressed. Therefore, the suction nozzle 41 is separated from the organic EL mask 1 by a certain distance (H1). Thereby, high recovery efficiency can be obtained without damaging the organic EL mask 1.

  Therefore, the suction nozzle 41 sucks the free substance 62 with high recovery efficiency. However, since the free substance 62 is dispersed innumerably, it falls to the slight amount of the free substance 62 that has not been sucked, and re-appears. There is a possibility of adhesion. Further, the vapor deposition substance 61 is scattered as the free substance 62 by the scanning of the laser beam L, but a part of the vapor deposition substance 61 may remain on the organic EL mask 1 and remain attached without being completely decomposed. There is also. These are factors that reduce the cleaning degree of the organic EL mask 1.

  At this time, a suction force V is constantly applied from the suction nozzle 41 toward the organic EL mask 1, and the suction force V acts on the remaining vapor deposition material 61 and the reattached free material 62. Originally, since the decomposition energy acts on the remaining vapor deposition material 61 by the laser beam L, the adhesion strength is remarkably reduced, and the reattached free material 62 is completely decomposed and scattered. Since it is reattached, there is almost no adhesion strength. For this reason, by applying the suction force V, the reattached free substance 62 is sucked as it is, and the remaining vapor deposition substance 61 is easily peeled off and collected by the suction nozzle 41. As described above, since the decomposition force acts due to the difference in thermal expansion between the organic EL mask 1 and the vapor deposition material 61, the vapor deposition material 61 is neatly removed from the organic EL mask 1.

  On the other hand, as described above, when a strong suction force V is applied to the organic EL mask 1 which is an extremely thin metal plate, the metal plate is damaged due to wind pressure or the like. I can't let you. When the suction force V is weak, there is a possibility that the remaining vapor deposition material 61 may not be sucked and collected apart from the reattached free material 62. Therefore, the wind pressure B is applied from the blower nozzle 42. This wind pressure B is applied from the side opposite to the scanning force V with respect to the suction force V, and one air flow is formed by the air blowing from the blow nozzle 42 and the suction of the suction nozzle 41. By this air flow, the free substance 62 having almost no mass is guided to the site where the suction force V acts and is sucked. Further, since the remaining vapor deposition material 61 can cause wind pressure to act on the interface with the organic EL mask 1, the vapor deposition material 61 is lifted so as to be scraped off to reach a site where the suction force V acts. Can lead. That is, since not only the suction force V but also the wind pressure B assists, the suction nozzle 41 can recover the organic EL mask 1 without damaging the organic EL mask 1 due to the cooperative action of both. Become.

  Here, the angle β formed by the blowing direction of the blowing nozzle 42 and the scanning surface of the organic EL mask 1 is a very small angle, and the blowing direction is almost along the scanning surface. In this way, air is blown at a very small angle with respect to the organic EL mask 1. For this reason, even if the wind pressure B is increased, the air blowing direction is an angle that is nearly parallel to the scanning plane, so that a large wind pressure does not act on the organic EL mask 1. Further, by blowing air at a more parallel angle with respect to the scanning surface of the organic EL mask 1, wind pressure can be applied to the interface between the remaining vapor deposition material 61 and the organic EL mask 1. Thereby, the remaining vapor deposition material 61 can be lifted and collected by the suction nozzle 41.

  Further, when the free substance 62 is decomposed and scattered, static electricity is generated by friction and is charged positively or negatively. Which polarity is charged depends on the material of the free substance 62, that is, the material of the vapor deposition substance 61. And as mentioned above, the blast from the ventilation nozzle 42 is made into ion wind, and this ion wind has either the plus or minus polarity. Therefore, an ion wind is generated so as to have a polarity opposite to the polarity charged by the material of the free substance 62. Thereby, the collection | recovery efficiency of the free substance 62 improves greatly according to the effect of an ion wind.

  Even if the angle β in the blowing direction is larger than the angle α in the suction direction and the angle β is not satisfied, a high degree of cleaning can be obtained by the cooperative action of suction and blowing. . In addition, although H1> H2, if the suction force V of the suction nozzle 41 is weakened, a high degree of cleaning can be obtained by the cooperative action of suction and air blowing even if this is not satisfied. It becomes like this. For example, by setting H1 = H2, the suction nozzle 41 and the blowing nozzle 42 can be arranged at the same height position, and the assembly of the nozzle unit 14 becomes easy. However, the highest effect is obtained when the conditions of α> β and H1> H2 are satisfied.

  As described above, a high degree of cleaning can be obtained by performing suction and blowing with the suction nozzle 41 and the blowing nozzle 42. This is because the suction nozzle 41 and the air blowing nozzle 42 are disposed at a position close to the scanning portion of the laser light L, and the suction and air blowing effects are not so much obtained when they are separated from the scanning portion. . On the other hand, since the scanning part of the laser beam L changes in the X direction and the Y direction, the relative positional relationship changes when the positions of the suction nozzle 41 and the blowing nozzle 42 are fixed. Accordingly, depending on the scanning part, the suction nozzle 41 and the blower nozzle 42 are largely separated from each other, so that the degree of cleaning becomes low, and a uniform degree of cleaning cannot be obtained due to a change in the relative positional relationship. Therefore, the suction nozzle 41 and the blower nozzle 42 are controlled to follow the scanning portion of the laser light L.

  The laser beam L is scanned by shifting the scanning line in the Y direction. Since the suction nozzle 41 and the blowing nozzle 42 each have a length corresponding to the scanning line in the X direction, the relative positional relationship does not change in the X direction without changing the position of each nozzle. When the scanning line is shifted in the Y direction, the relative positional relationship changes. Therefore, the suction nozzle 41 and the blowing nozzle 42 are moved in the Y direction following the change of the scanning line.

  This movement may be continuous movement or intermittent movement. In the case of continuous movement, during the scanning in the X direction, the suction nozzle 41 and the air blowing nozzle 42 are slightly moved in the Y direction by the amount corresponding to the scanning line. In the case of intermittent movement, the scanning line is shifted. The suction nozzle 41 and the blowing nozzle 42 are moved by one line. Since intermittent movement is a repetitive operation of moving and stopping, continuous movement is easier to control. For this reason, the suction nozzle 41 and the blower nozzle 42 are continuously moved.

  As described above, the position of the nozzle unit 14 is changed in the Y direction by the ball screw means 50B. Since the ball screw means 50B moves the nozzle unit 14 by the rotational force of the motor 52, the movement amount of the nozzle unit 14 can be controlled by controlling the rotation speed of the motor 52. On the other hand, the scanning part of the laser beam L is changed by the vibration of the galvanometer mirror 32, and the galvanometer mirror 32 is controlled to be oscillated by the galvano drive unit 33. Since the scanning time for one line in the X direction of the laser light L by the galvano driving unit 33 is known, the movement of the nozzle unit 14 is based on this scanning time and the amount of movement in the Y direction when the scanning line is shifted. Speed is gained. By adjusting the rotation speed of the motor 52 so as to achieve this speed, the suction nozzle 41 and the blowing nozzle 42 can follow the scanning portion of the laser light L. Therefore, the nozzle moving part 15 including the ball screw means 50B serves as a follow-up means. When the nozzle unit 14 is moved intermittently, the galvano drive unit 33 and the motor 52 are connected, and the motor 52 is driven at the timing when the galvano drive unit 33 shifts the scanning line to move the nozzle unit 14 in the Y direction. Let's make it.

  6 and 7, the nozzle unit 14 before moving is indicated by a solid line, and the nozzle unit 14 after moving from this position is indicated by a two-dot chain line. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the position in the Y direction of the scanning line (indicated by SL in FIG. 6) of the laser light L changes, but the suction nozzle 41 and the blower nozzle 42 are made to follow. The relative positional relationship is always kept constant. Thereby, a uniform and high cleaning degree can be obtained.

  As described above, when the laser beam L is scanned on the scanning surface of the organic EL mask 1 and the deposited energy 61 is scattered as the free material 62 by applying the decomposition energy due to the difference in thermal expansion, the laser cleaning is performed. Since suction and air blowing are performed obliquely toward the scanning portion, the reattached free substance 62 can be sucked and collected by the suction nozzle 41, and the remaining vapor deposition substance 61 can be peeled off. Thereby, a very high cleaning degree can be obtained. Further, since the suction nozzle 41 and the blower nozzle 42 are made to follow the scanning portion of the laser light L, a uniform and high degree of cleaning can be obtained. Moreover, since the free substance 62 scattered by the scanning of the laser beam L is collected by the suction nozzle 41, it is possible to perform completely non-contact type laser cleaning without bringing any member into contact with the organic EL mask 1. .

  In the above, the suction nozzle 41 and the blowing nozzle 42 are made to follow the scanning portion of the laser light L. However, if the suctioning and blowing are performed from the oblique direction with respect to the scanning portion of the laser light L, the suction nozzle 41 is used. And the blower nozzle 42 do not have to follow. If the distance between the front end and the rear end of the area A1 is not so wide, suction can be performed by raising the air so as to be scraped off by blowing air from an oblique direction. However, since the relative positional relationship between the suction nozzle 41 and the blower nozzle 42 and the scanning portion changes, a uniform and high degree of cleaning can be obtained when the follow-up operation is performed.

  Since the suction nozzle 41 and the blowing nozzle 42 have a length equal to or longer than the scanning line in the X direction, the tracking operation in the X direction is not performed. However, the suction nozzle 41 and the blowing nozzle 42 are shorter than the scanning line. The follow-up operation in the X direction may be performed with a thickness. In this case, the suction nozzle 41 and the blowing nozzle 42 are controlled to move in the X direction by the scanning portion of the laser light L.

  In addition, since the scanning portion of the laser beam L changes at high speed, there is a slight difference between the location where the remaining vapor deposition material 61 and the reattached free material 62 are sucked and the location where the laser beam L scans. That is, since the vapor deposition material 61 and the reattached free material 62 remaining after a lapse of a predetermined time after actually irradiating the laser beam L are collected by suction and air blowing, the laser beam L is scanned more than the portion to be scanned. Suction and air are blown slightly to the rear part.

  At this time, when the suction nozzle 41 and the blowing nozzle 42 have a length equal to or longer than the scanning line in the X direction, the suction and the blowing are exerted to a site about one line or two lines in the Y direction. Like that. Thereby, the vapor deposition substance 61 and the free substance 62 in the rear part can be sucked and collected in each of the X direction and the Y direction. In addition, when the suction nozzle 41 and the air blowing nozzle 42 have a length shorter than the scanning line in the X direction, the suction nozzle 41 and the air blowing nozzle 42 are configured to suck and blow air not only in the Y direction but also in the rear part in the X direction. Keep it. For example, the suction nozzle 41 and the air blowing nozzle 42 are provided with a length capable of sucking and blowing air at the rear part, or the suction nozzle 41 and the air blowing are slightly delayed from the scanning part. The nozzle 42 is caused to follow.

  The suction nozzle 41 sucks the scattered free substance 62 and the peeled vapor deposition substance 61. The dust nozzle such as a cyclone is connected to the suction nozzle 41 to collect the free substance 62 and the vapor deposition substance 61. You may do it. By using the dust collector, the vapor deposition substance 61 and the free substance 62 can be reused as organic materials, and the material can be effectively used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Organic EL mask 12 Mask moving part 13 Laser unit 14 Nozzle unit 15 Nozzle moving part 31 Laser light source 32 Galvano mirror 33 Galvano drive part 41 Suction nozzle 42 Blowing nozzle 50B Ball screw means 61 Deposition substance 62 Free substance

Claims (7)

An organic EL mask cleaning device for removing a vapor deposition material attached to an organic EL mask,
Laser cleaning means for cleaning by scanning a laser beam on a part or all of the organic EL mask;
Suction means for performing suction from an oblique direction toward the scanning portion of the laser beam;
An air blowing means for blowing air from an oblique direction toward the laser light scanning portion from the opposite side of the suction means across the laser light scanning portion;
A follow-up means for moving the suction means and the blower means to follow the scanning portion of the laser beam;
The laser cleaning means scans the region by sequentially shifting a scanning line for scanning the laser beam in the width direction of the organic EL mask in the depth direction,
The follow-up means performs control to move the suction means and the blower means that have at least the length of the scanning line in the width direction to move in the depth direction for each scanning line. Organic EL mask cleaning device. An organic EL mask cleaning device for removing a vapor deposition material attached to an organic EL mask,
Laser cleaning means for cleaning by scanning a laser beam on a part or all of the organic EL mask;
Suction means for performing suction from an oblique direction toward the scanning portion of the laser beam;
Air blowing means for blowing air from an oblique direction toward the laser light scanning portion from the opposite side of the suction means across the laser light scanning portion;
An organic EL mask cleaning apparatus , wherein an angle of a blowing direction of the blowing unit with respect to the organic EL mask is smaller than an angle of a sucking direction of the suction unit with respect to the organic EL mask. 2. The organic EL mask cleaning according to claim 1, wherein an angle in a blowing direction of the blowing unit with respect to the organic EL mask is smaller than an angle in a sucking direction of the suction unit with respect to the organic EL mask. apparatus. 3. The organic EL mask cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a follow-up means for moving the suction means and the blower means so as to follow a scanning portion of the laser beam . The suction means is separated from the organic EL mask than the blowing means.
The organic EL mask cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The organic EL mask cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blowing unit blows ion wind . An organic EL mask cleaning method for removing a vapor deposition material attached to an organic EL mask,
When laser light is scanned on a part or all of the area of the organic EL mask, air is blown from a slanting direction toward the laser light scanning part, and the laser light scanning part is From the opposite side sandwiched by the suction means toward the scanning site from the diagonal direction,
Moving the blowing means and the suction means following the scanning portion of the laser beam;
Scanning is performed by sequentially shifting the scanning lines for scanning the laser light in the width direction of the organic EL mask in the depth direction,
The suction means and the air blowing means having at least the length of the scanning line in the width direction are moved in the depth direction following each scanning line.
A method for cleaning an organic EL mask.

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