# US 2014/0150721 A1 · Mask frame assembly for thin film deposition > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0150721 A1 - Document ID: US20140150721A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/966,242 - Filed: 2013-08-13 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Samsung Display Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Display Co., LTD. - Inventors: Yoon-Chan Oh; Choon-Ho Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140150721A1 ## CPC - B05C 21/005: {Masking devices (stencils B05C17/06; masking devices for which the means for applying liquids or other fluent material is spraying or is not important B05B12/20)} - C23C 14/042: {using masks} - H10K 71/166: {using selective deposition, e.g. using a mask} - B05C: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL (spraying apparatus, atomising apparatus, nozzles B05B; plant for applying liquids or other fluent materials to objects by electrostatic spraying B05B5/08) - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - H10K: ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES ## Abstract A mask frame assembly for thin film deposition includes a mask frame having an opening, and a mask configured to be coupled to the mask frame and including a first surface for facing a deposition substrate, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a deformation prevention part having varying thicknesses. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A mask frame assembly for thin film deposition, the mask frame assembly comprising: a mask frame having an opening; and a mask configured to be coupled to the mask frame and comprising: a first surface for facing a deposition substrate; a second surface opposite the first surface; and a deformation prevention part having varying thicknesses. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The mask frame assembly of claim 1, wherein the mask further comprises: deposition regions, each of which comprising deposition patterns, spaced from each other along a first direction of the mask; ribs between adjacent ones of the deposition regions; and borders at edges of the deposition regions along a second direction of the mask that crosses the first direction, wherein the deformation prevention part is at the borders. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The mask frame assembly of claim 2, wherein the mask is configured to be stretched in the first direction, and wherein two end portions of the mask are configured to be welded to the mask frame. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The mask frame assembly of claim 2, wherein the mask comprises a plurality of split masks, wherein the first direction is a length direction of the split masks, and wherein the second direction is a width direction of the split masks. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The mask frame assembly of claim 4, wherein a width of the mask is less than a length of the mask, and wherein the mask is configured to be stretched in a length direction of the mask. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The mask frame assembly of claim 2, wherein the deformation prevention part extends at the borders along the first direction of the mask, and wherein the deformation prevention part comprises a plurality of first parts having a first thickness, and a plurality of second parts having a second thickness that is less than the first thickness. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The mask frame assembly of claim 6, wherein the deformation prevention part comprises a plurality of deformation prevention regions, and wherein the deformation prevention regions comprise the first and second parts alternately arranged along the first direction of the mask. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The mask frame assembly of claim 7, wherein each of the borders comprises a plurality of lines along the second direction of the mask, and wherein corresponding ones of the deformation prevention regions are located in each line along the first direction. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The mask frame assembly of claim 7, wherein a width of the deformation prevention regions in the second direction is less than a width of the deposition regions in the first direction and is less than a width of the ribs in the first direction. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The mask frame assembly of claim 7, wherein a size of each of the deformation prevention regions in the first direction corresponds to one of the first or second parts. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The mask frame assembly of claim 6, wherein the first parts are not etched in a thickness direction of the mask, and wherein the second parts are half etched in the thickness direction of the mask. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The mask frame assembly of claim 11, wherein the second parts comprise regions of the mask that are half etched from the second surface, and have a thickness that is less than thicknesses of other parts of the mask. ### Claim 13 (depends on 2) The mask frame assembly of claim 2, wherein each of the ribs is between adjacent deposition regions, and comprises a first region that is half etched and a second region that is not half etched. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The mask frame assembly of claim 13, wherein the second region of the ribs has at least one dummy pattern. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The mask frame assembly of claim 14, wherein the dummy pattern comprises a dot-shaped slit pattern or a strip-shaped slit pattern. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The mask frame assembly of claim 13, wherein a width of the ribs in the first direction is less than the width of the deposition regions in the first direction. ### Claim 17 (depends on 2) The mask frame assembly of claim 2, wherein the mask further comprises, at an outside of the deposition region along the first direction: a half region; a stick region; and a dummy deposition region having dummy deposition patterns. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The mask frame assembly of claim 17, wherein the stick region is not etched in a thickness direction of the mask, and is configured to be welded to the mask frame. ### Claim 19 (depends on 2) The mask frame assembly of claim 2, further comprising a first half region, a first stick region, a second half region, a dummy deposition region, and a second stick region sequentially arranged from an outside of the deposition region to an end of the mask. ### Claim 20 (depends on 2) The mask frame assembly of claim 2, wherein the deposition patterns comprise dot-shaped slit patterns or strip-shaped slit patterns. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The mask frame assembly of claim 1, wherein the mask frame comprises a plurality of first frames facing each other along a first direction, and a plurality of second frames facing each other along a second direction, and wherein the plurality of first frames are coupled to the plurality of second frames to define the opening. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The mask frame assembly of claim 21, wherein the mask comprises a plurality of split masks extending in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of first frames, each having two end portions configured to be fixed to the mask frame, and arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of second frames. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The mask frame assembly of claim 1, wherein the mask comprises at least one split mask extending in a first direction to cross the opening of the mask frame.