Material or article handling – Device for emptying portable receptacle – With container opening means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-28
2002-10-15
Werner, Frank E. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Device for emptying portable receptacle
With container opening means
C414S416010, C414S403000, C029S413000, C438S460000, C225S002000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06464444
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for peeling chips fabricated on a wafer of silicon or the like off a sheet attached to the reverse side of the wafer in a process of manufacturing ICs or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 10
of the accompanying drawings shows a conventional chip peeling apparatus
10
. As shown in
FIG. 10
, the conventional chip peeling apparatus
10
includes a base
12
having a hole
16
defined therein which is connected to a first vacuum source (not shown). A tubular member
18
has an end fitted in an upper open end of the hole
16
and a flange
20
projecting radially outwardly from an outer circumferential surface thereof. The flange
20
is fixedly mounted on the end of the base
12
which defines the upper open end of the hole
16
, thereby supporting the tubular member
18
on the base
12
. A cylindrical member
22
is inserted in the hole
16
and has an outer wall surface and a distal end spaced from an inner wall surface of the tubular member
18
which defines a hole
24
therein. A pin
26
is inserted in the cylindrical member
22
for axial sliding movement in the cylindrical member
22
, and supports a plurality of needles
28
mounted upwardly on a distal end of the pin
26
. A suction nozzle
30
is fitted in a distal end of the tubular member
18
and fixed to the tubular member
18
by a cover
32
. The suction nozzle
30
has a plurality of holes
34
defined therein for insertion of the needles
28
.
A seat
36
is positioned in upwardly spaced relation to the base
12
, and the suction nozzle
30
has a distal end projecting upwardly slightly from a hole
37
that is defined in the seat
36
. A suction head
38
is disposed upwardly of the suction nozzle
30
for movement toward and away from the suction nozzle
30
. The suction head
38
has an axial hole
40
defined therein which is connected to a section vacuum source (not shown).
A process of peeling chips
42
such as of ICs or the like fabricated on a wafer off a sheet
44
using the chip peeling apparatus
10
will be described below.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, when the sheet
44
to which the chips
42
are attached is moved to a position above the seat
36
and brought into held against an upper portion of the suction nozzle
30
, the sheet
44
is curved upwardly. When the center of a desired one of the chips
42
is aligned with the center of the suction nozzle
30
, the first vacuum source (not shown) is actuated to attract the sheet
44
to the suction nozzle
30
.
Then, the pin
26
is lifted to cause the needles
28
to pierce and project through the sheet
44
, and ascend with the chip
42
placed on the tips of the needles
28
, as shown in
FIG. 11
of the accompanying drawings. At this time, since the sheet
44
is attracted to the suction nozzle
30
, the chip
42
is peeled off the sheet
44
.
Thereafter, the suction head
38
is moved toward the suction nozzle
30
and brought into abutment against the chip
42
. The second vacuum source (not shown) is actuated to attract the chip
42
off the sheet
44
to the suction head
38
. The chip
42
will then be transferred to another location.
FIG. 12
of the accompanying drawings shows another conventional chip peeling apparatus
50
. As shown in
FIG. 12
, the conventional chip peeling apparatus
50
includes a peeling base
52
having a plurality of protrusions
54
with flat tops, the protrusions
54
having heaters (not shown). The peeling base
52
has grooves
56
each defined between adjacent ones of the protrusions
54
and communicating with a hole
58
defined in the peeling base
52
which is connected to a vacuum source (not shown). A suction head (not shown) is positioned above one of the grooves
56
for movement toward and away from the peeling base
52
.
A sheet
44
with a plurality of chips
42
and streets
59
remaining as cut fragments in gaps between the chips
42
is moved toward a position above the peeling base
52
with the chips
42
above the grooves
56
. The protrusions
54
have been heated by the heater to apply heat to the sheet
44
, thereby making the sheet
44
stretchable. The vacuum source is actuated to evacuate the grooves
56
, whereupon the sheet
44
is stretched and curved in the direction in which the vacuum is developed, as indicated by the two-dot-and-dash lines. At this time, the chips
42
have their peripheral edges supported on the flat tops of the protrusions
54
, and the sheet
44
is peeled off central regions of the chips
42
.
Then, the suction head (not shown) is moved toward a desired one of the chips
42
. Because of an attracting action of the suction head, the sheet
44
is peeled off the peripheral edges of the chip
42
, which is attracted to and held by the suction head. The chip
42
will then be transferred to another location.
The former chip peeling apparatus
10
is disadvantageous in that the tips of the needles
28
tend to damage the surface of the chip
42
. When the needles
28
are elevated, the sheet
44
itself may also be stretched and lifted. At this time, the needles
28
may not pierce the sheet
44
, and hence may not form holes in the sheet
44
, with the result that the chip
44
may not be separated from the sheet
44
.
The latter chip peeling apparatus
50
is also problematic in that when the sheet
44
is attracted, the chip
42
itself may be curved, and when the sheet
44
is peeled off, the chip
42
may jump off, resulting in a positional deviation which may prevent the suction head from attracting the chip
42
. As a result, when the chip
42
is to be transferred to and placed in a further process, the chip
42
cannot be positioned with accuracy. When the chip
42
is curved, it cannot be prevented from being unduly curved to an unnecessary extent, and hence may be cracked or broken. If the chip
42
is broken, it is liable to damage the sheet
44
, eliminating the vacuum thereby to fail to peel other normal chips
42
off the sheet
44
. Furthermore, when a chip
42
is to be peeled off by the suction head, a street
59
which lies at the same height as the chip
42
may also be peeled off the sheet
44
, and attracted and transferred together with the chip
42
by the suction head.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a method of and an apparatus for peeling off chips, which have been attached to a sheet and fed therewith, easily and reliably off the sheet for transfer to another process.
A major object of the present invention is to provide a method of and an apparatus for peeling chips, which have been attached to a sheet and fed therewith, off the sheet without damage to the chips while allowing the chips to suffer undesirable positional deviations after the chips have been peeled off.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of and an apparatus for peeling chips, which have been attached to a sheet and fed therewith, off the sheet without damage to the sheet while allowing other chips to be peeled reliably off the sheet.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of and an apparatus for peeling chips off a sheet without the possibility of peeling off streets attached to the sheet between the chips.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of and an apparatus for peeling chips, which have been attached to a sheet and fed therewith, off the sheet efficiently within a short period of time.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3707760 (1973-01-01), Citrin
patent: 3747282 (1973-07-01), Katzke
patent: 3790051 (1974-02-01), Moore
patent: 3988196 (1976-10-01), Wanesky
patent: 4556362 (1985-12-01), Bahnck
patent: 4744550 (1988-05-01),
Ohnishi Takao
Tsuji Hiroyuki
NGK Insulators Ltd.
Parkhurst & Wendel LLP
Werner Frank E.
LandOfFree
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