Masks, method to inspect and adjust mask position, and method to pattern pixels of organic light-emitting display device utilizing the masks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9705082-B2
Application number	US-201514883989-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2015
Priority date	May 19, 2015
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A method for pixel patterning and pixel position inspection of an organic light-emitting display device includes: forming, on a substrate using a first mask, a thin film layer of a first color corresponding to a first pixel pattern and a first pixel positioning pattern for inspecting a position of a first pixel; shifting, by a determined pitch, the first mask from a position associated with forming the thin film layer of the first color; aligning the shifted first mask with respect to the substrate; and forming, on the substrate using the shifted first mask, a thin film layer of a second color corresponding to the first pixel pattern and another first pixel positioning pattern for inspecting a position of a second pixel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for pixel patterning and pixel position inspection of an organic light-emitting display device, the method comprising:
forming, on a substrate using a first mask, a thin film layer of a first color corresponding to a first pixel pattern in an active area of the organic light-emitting display device and a first pixel positioning pattern for inspecting a position of a first pixel in a dummy area of the organic light-emitting display device, the dummy area being disposed outside the active area;
shifting, by a determined pitch, the first mask from a position associated with forming the thin film layer of the first color;
aligning the shifted first mask with respect to the substrate; and
forming, on the substrate using the shifted first mask, a thin film layer of a second color corresponding to the first pixel pattern in the active area and another first pixel positioning pattern for inspecting a position of a second pixel in the dummy area.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first pixel pattern comprises a first area in a central portion and a second area disposed outside the first area; and
the determined pitch is less than or equal to a width of the second area in a direction of the shifting.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein:
shapes of the thin film layer of the first color and the thin film layer of the second color are equivalent; and
the shapes are spaced apart by the determined pitch.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
inspecting position accuracy of the thin film layer of the first color based on a position of a thin film layer for a first inspection formed to correspond to the first pixel positioning pattern; and
inspecting position accuracy of the thin film layer of the second color based on a position of a thin film layer for a second inspection formed to correspond to the another first pixel positioning pattern.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein a second pixel positioning pattern for inspecting the position of the second pixel is formed on the substrate in a position different from a position of the first pixel positioning pattern for inspecting the position of the first pixel.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
rotating, prior to forming the thin film layer of the first color, the first mask by a determined angle, the rotated first mask being utilized to form the thin film layer of the first color; and
forming, prior to rotating the first mask, a thin film layer of a first auxiliary layer corresponding to the first pixel pattern and still another first pixel positioning pattern for inspecting the position of the first pixel.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the thin film layer of the first color and the thin film layer of the first auxiliary layer are formed overlapping each other in a same position on the substrate;
the thin film layer for the first inspection and a thin film layer for a third inspection formed to correspond to the another first pixel positioning pattern for inspecting the position of the second pixel are formed at different positions.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the determined angle is 180 degrees.

9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
inspecting position accuracy of the thin film layer of the first auxiliary layer based on a position of the thin film layer for the third inspection.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein:
the thin film layer of the first color comprises an emission layer of a red pixel;
the thin film layer of the second color comprises an emission layer of a blue pixel; and
the thin film layer of the first auxiliary layer comprises a hole injection layer of the red pixel.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
disposing, over the substrate, a second mask in association with a position of a third pixel, the second mask comprising a second pixel pattern and a second pixel positioning pattern for inspecting a position of a fourth pixel;
forming, on the substrate using the second mask, a thin film layer of a second auxiliary layer corresponding to the second pixel pattern and the second pixel positioning pattern for inspecting the position of the fourth pixel;
rotating, after forming the thin film layer of the second auxiliary layer, the second mask by a determined angle; and
forming, on the substrate using the rotated second mask, a thin film layer of a third color corresponding to the second pixel pattern and another second pixel positioning pattern for inspecting a position of the third pixel.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the thin film layer of the third color and the thin film layer of the second auxiliary layer are formed overlapping each other in a same position on the substrate;
a thin film layer for a fourth inspection formed to correspond to the another second pixel positioning pattern for inspecting the position of the third pixel, and a thin film layer for a fifth inspection formed to correspond to the second pixel positioning pattern for inspecting the position of the fourth pixel are formed at different positions.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the thin film layer of the third color comprises an emission layer of a green pixel; and
the thin film layer of the second auxiliary layer comprises a hole injection layer of the green pixel.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the determined angle is 180 degrees.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second pixel pattern comprises two-fold symmetry.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
inspecting position accuracy of the thin film layer of the third color based on a position of the thin film layer of the fourth inspection; and
inspecting position accuracy of the thin film layer of the second auxiliary layer based on a position of the thin film layer of the fifth inspection.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first pixel pattern comprising two-fold symmetry.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Sangshin
• Ha Dongjin
• Kang Mingoo
• Kwon Ohseob
• Yi Sangmin

Classifications

• H10K50/17

  Carrier injection layers · CPC title

• H01L51/56

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/5088

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/3211

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/0011 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic