Analysis of the current density characteristics in through-mask electrochemical micromachining (TMEMM) for fabrication of micro-hole arrays on invar alloy film

Invar alloy consisting of 64% iron and 36% nickel has been widely used for the production of shadow masks for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) because of its low thermal expansion coefficient (1.86 × 10−6 cm/°C). To fabricate micro-hole arrays on 30 μm invar alloy film, through-mask electrochemical micromachining (TMEMM) was developed and combined with a portion of the photolithography etching process. For precise hole shapes, patterned photoresist (PR) film was applied as an insulating mask. To investigate the relationship between the current density and the material removal rate, the principle of the electrochemical machining was studied with a focus on the equation. The finite element method (FEM) was used to verify the influence of each parameter on the current density on the invar alloy film surface. The parameters considered were the thickness of the PR mask, inter-electrode gap (IEG), and electrolyte concentration. Design of experiments (DOE) was used to figure out the contribution of each parameter. A simulation was conducted with varying parameters to figure out their relationships with the current density. Optimization was conducted to select the suitable conditions. An experiment was carried out to verify the simulation results. It was possible to fabricate micro-hole arrays on invar alloy film using TMEMM, which is a promising method that can be applied to fabrications of OLEDs shadow masks.