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KR-102961852-B1 - DEVICE FOR CLEANING MASK FRAME

KR102961852B1KR 102961852 B1KR102961852 B1KR 102961852B1KR-102961852-B1

Abstract

The present application relates to a cleaning device for a mask frame, a method for cleaning a mask frame using the cleaning device for the mask frame, and a mask frame cleaned using the cleaning device for the mask frame. According to the cleaning device for a mask frame and the cleaning method for a mask frame using the cleaning device for the mask frame of the present application, when cleaning a mask frame, the cleaning power for stains, defects, and impurities can be maximized, space utilization is excellent, the external discharge of chemicals used during cleaning is minimized, the amount of cleaning liquid, pure water, and air sprayed through a nozzle is minimized, and the reuse of pure water is possible. Furthermore, according to the mask frame of the present application, by being cleaned using the aforementioned cleaning device for the mask frame, it can be cleaned with excellent cleaning power.

Inventors

  • 한상현

Assignees

  • 풍원정밀(주)

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20230629

Claims (20)

  1. A device for cleaning a mask frame composed of a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides, Cleaning unit for cleaning the mask frame; and A pair of lower rollers disposed in the inner lower portion of the cleaning portion to transport the mask frame, and a pair of upper rollers disposed in the inner upper portion of the cleaning portion to support the mask frame, and a transport portion inserted between the lower rollers and the upper rollers to transport the mask frame such that the long or short side of the pair of mask frames is arranged along a vertical direction. The above cleaning unit includes one or more alkaline cleaning tanks, one or more acid cleaning tanks, one or more pure cleaning tanks, one or more pure rinsing tanks, and an air drying tank, and A first section in which some of the one or more alkaline cleaning tanks, one or more acid cleaning tanks, one or more pure cleaning tanks, one or more pure rinsing tanks and one or more air drying tanks included in the cleaning section are arranged in order along one direction, A second section in which the remainder, excluding a portion arranged in the first section, are arranged in order along another direction opposite to the first direction, and It includes a transmission section that connects any one disposed at the end of the first section and any one disposed at the beginning of the second section, and transmits a mask frame discharged through any one disposed at the end of the first section to any one disposed at the beginning of the second section. A cleaning device for a mask frame, wherein the above-mentioned transfer section is provided with a transfer frame having a plurality of a pair of lower rollers and a pair of upper rollers, and a cylinder that moves the transfer frame along a rail, wherein the transfer frame fixes the mask frame discharged from the first section by means of the pair of lower rollers and the pair of upper rollers, and the cylinder moves the transfer frame with the fixed mask frame in a straight line along the rail to a position corresponding to the starting end of the second section.
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  3. In Article 1, A cleaning device for a mask frame further comprising a control unit that controls the operation of the alkaline cleaning tank, the acid cleaning tank, the pure cleaning tank, the pure rinsing tank, and the air drying tank when the conveyed mask frame passes through any of the alkaline cleaning tank, the acid cleaning tank, the pure cleaning tank, the pure rinsing tank, and the air drying tank of the cleaning unit.
  4. In Paragraph 3, The above cleaning unit comprises, in order: a first alkaline cleaning tank for cleaning a mask frame with an alkaline solution; a first pure water rinse tank for removing the alkaline solution present on the cleaned mask frame with pure water; a first acid cleaning tank for cleaning the mask frame from which the alkaline solution has been removed with an acid solution; a second acid cleaning tank for further cleaning the mask frame cleaned with the acid solution with an acid solution; a second pure water rinse tank for removing one or more of the alkaline solution and the acid solution present on the cleaned mask frame with pure water; a second alkaline cleaning tank for cleaning the mask frame from which one or more of the alkaline solution and the acid solution have been removed with an alkaline solution; a third alkaline cleaning tank for further cleaning the mask frame cleaned with an alkaline solution with an alkaline solution; a third pure water rinse tank for removing one or more of the alkaline solution and the acid solution present on the cleaned mask frame with pure water; a pure water cleaning tank for cleaning the mask frame from which one or more of the alkaline solution and the acid solution have been removed with pure water; a fourth pure water rinse tank for removing one or more of the alkaline solution and the acid solution present on the cleaned mask frame; and an air drying tank for drying the mask frame from which the alkaline solution and the acid solution have been removed with air. Frame cleaning device.
  5. In Article 4, The above control unit is a cleaning device for a mask frame that controls the first acid cleaning tank, the second acid cleaning tank, the second alkali cleaning tank, and the third alkali cleaning tank so as not to operate when the mask frame is introduced into the above cleaning unit.
  6. In Article 4, A cleaning device for a mask frame further comprising an open metal mask (OMM) sheet or a fine metal mask (FMM) sheet combined with the above mask frame.
  7. In Article 6, A cleaning device for a mask frame, wherein the control unit controls the first acid cleaning tank and the second acid cleaning tank, and controls the second alkali cleaning tank and the third alkali cleaning tank not to be driven when an open metal mask sheet is coupled to a mask frame introduced into the cleaning unit.
  8. In Article 6, The above control unit is a cleaning device for a mask frame that controls the second alkaline cleaning tank and the third alkaline cleaning tank to operate and not operate the first acid cleaning tank and the second acid cleaning tank when a fine metal mask sheet is combined with the mask frame introduced into the above cleaning unit.
  9. In Article 1, A cleaning device for a mask frame, wherein each of the alkaline cleaning tank, the acid cleaning tank, and the pure water cleaning tank further includes applying ultrasound during cleaning.
  10. In Article 4, The above alkaline solution comprises one or more selected from ammonia, ethylhydroxyl, 2-ethoxyethylamine, triethanolamine, diethanolamine, ethylamine, trimethylamine, diethylamine, dimethylamine, ethanolamine, trimethylammonium hydroxide, tetraethylammonium hydroxide, and tetramethylammonium hydroxide, and is a cleaning device for a mask frame.
  11. In Article 4, The above acid solution is a cleaning device for a mask frame comprising one or more selected from nitric acid, hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, acetic acid, carbonic acid, lactic acid, formic acid, citric acid, malic acid, and phthalic acid.
  12. In Article 1, Each of the above alkaline washing tank, the above acid washing tank, the above pure water washing tank, the above pure water rinsing tank, and the above air drying tank is comprised of a housing including an inlet or outlet through which the mask frame is sequentially inserted and discharged along the conveying section, and A cleaning device for a mask frame having an opening/closing part formed therein that opens and closes when the mask frame is inserted into or discharged at each of the above-mentioned entrances.
  13. In Article 12, Each of the above alkaline cleaning tank, the above acid cleaning tank, the above pure water cleaning tank, the above pure water rinsing tank, and the above air drying tank is equipped with a plurality of nozzles for spraying an alkaline solution, an acid solution, pure water, or air, respectively. A cleaning device for a mask frame provided on both sides of the housing that are not equipped with an entrance/exit port, comprising a plurality of the above-mentioned nozzles.
  14. In Article 13, A cleaning device for a mask frame in which a plurality of nozzles are each circular in shape when observed from one side, are arranged in a plurality of rows in contact with each other between adjacent nozzles, and are arranged such that each nozzle of an adjacent row is positioned between adjacent nozzles.
  15. In Article 4, Each of the above-mentioned third pure rinse tank, the above-mentioned pure washing tank, and the above-mentioned fourth pure rinse tank further includes a storage section for storing pure water, and The above pure water is initially introduced into the storage unit included in the above-mentioned fourth pure water rinse tank and is used in the above-mentioned fourth pure water washing tank, and The pure water used in the above-mentioned fourth pure water rinse tank flows into a storage unit included in the above-mentioned third pure water washing tank and is reused in the above-mentioned third pure water washing tank, and A cleaning device for a mask frame in which the pure water used in the third pure water cleaning tank flows into a storage unit included in the second pure water cleaning tank and is reused in the second pure water cleaning tank.
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  17. In Article 1, A cleaning device for a mask frame, wherein a pair of lower rollers are rotatable with a horizontal axis and a space between them for inserting a mask frame.
  18. In Article 1, A cleaning device for a mask frame, wherein a pair of upper rollers are rotatable with a rotation axis in a horizontal or vertical direction and a space is provided between them for inserting a mask frame.
  19. A method for cleaning a mask frame using a cleaning device for a mask frame according to any one of claims 1, 3 to 15, 17, or 18.
  20. A mask frame cleaned using a cleaning device for a mask frame according to any one of claims 1, 3 to 15, 17, or 18.

Description

Cleaning device for mask frame The present application relates to a cleaning device for a mask frame, a method for cleaning a mask frame using the cleaning device for the mask frame, and a mask frame cleaned using the cleaning device for the mask frame. As the demand for high-resolution and low-power display devices increases, various display technologies such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and electroluminescent displays (ELEDs) are being developed. ELEDs are attracting attention as next-generation display devices due to their superior characteristics compared to LCDs, including low light emission, low power consumption, and high resolution. Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs), referred to as next-generation display technology, are gaining prominence due to their advantages, such as low driving voltage, long light-emitting element lifespan, and fast response speed. In such OLED displays, the remaining organic layers, excluding the anode and cathode electrodes, such as the hole injection layer, hole transport layer, emissive layer, electron transport layer, and electron injection layer, are composed of organic thin films. These organic thin films are patterned on a substrate through a deposition process. The deposition process is carried out by placing the substrate in a vacuum chamber, aligning a mask assembly with a specific pattern formed thereon to the substrate, and then heating the crucible of an evaporation source to deposit deposition particles evaporated from the crucible onto the substrate. A common layer comprising a hole common layer consisting of a hole injection layer and a hole transport layer, and an electron common layer consisting of an electron transport layer and an electron injection layer, performs the deposition of organic material using a mask assembly in which an open metal mask (OMM) sheet with an open front is coupled to a mask frame. Additionally, for the emissive layer, organic material is deposited using a mask assembly in which a fine metal mask (FMM) sheet is coupled to a mask frame for each red, green, and blue subpixel. Accordingly, the common layer is deposited across the entire substrate without being separated by pixel, while the emissive layer is deposited separately by subpixel. However, during the deposition process or due to various factors, residues such as organic materials are generated and present in the mask assembly. These residues, in the form of particles, act as defect factors during the deposition process. In other words, these residues can cause defects in the deposition of organic patterns. Therefore, to remove impurities such as these residues, a cleaning process is performed on the mask assembly before and after the deposition process to eliminate the impurities. In addition, the mask frame of the mask assembly after the deposition process is completed can be separated from the open metal mask sheet or fine metal mask sheet and reused. However, even in this case, impurities such as residues are generated and present on the mask frame due to the deposition process or various factors, so a process of cleaning the mask frame to remove impurities is required. To solve these problems, conventionally, mask frames or mask assemblies were cleaned by immersing them in a process of loading, transporting, and unloading them into respective treatment tanks containing cleaning solutions by each transport robot. However, when using a cleaning device that includes such a transfer robot, the process of loading, transferring, and unloading mask frames or mask assemblies before immersing them in their respective cleaning tanks requires a separate transfer robot arm for each step. This results in increased takt time, reduced productivity, and degraded effectiveness and performance of each treatment tank. Furthermore, it presents disadvantages such as requiring a large amount of space for equipment installation and high ceiling heights. Therefore, a cleaning device for mask frames is required to address these problems and drawbacks. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an exemplary cleaning device for a mask frame according to one embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2 is a front view exemplarily showing a pair of lower rollers and a pair of upper rollers according to one embodiment of the present application. FIG. 3 is a front view exemplarily showing a pair of lower rollers and a pair of upper rollers according to another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a part of a cleaning section exemplarily to explain the opening and closing section included in an entrance/exit according to one embodiment of the present application. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a part of a cleaning section exemplarily to explain a nozzle according to one embodiment of the present application. Hereinafter, a cleaning device for a mask frame of the present application will be described with reference to the attached drawings.