Metal fusion bonding – With means to juxtapose and bond plural workpieces – Plural discrete workpieces
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-12
2001-02-27
Ryan, Patrick (Department: 1725)
Metal fusion bonding
With means to juxtapose and bond plural workpieces
Plural discrete workpieces
C228S004500, C228S102000, C228S179100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193130
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bump bonding apparatus for forming bumps on semiconductor pellets.
2. Prior Art
In a bump bonding apparatus, for instance, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) Nos. H2-273945 and H7-86286 and also in Japanese Patent Application Publication (Kokoku) No. H4-41519, after a ball is formed on the tip of a bonding wire (merely called “wire”), the wire is pressed against the electrode of a semiconductor pellet and then cut from the root portion of the ball, thus forming a bump on the electrode of the semiconductor pellet.
A conventional bump bonding apparatus as described above has a loader section and an unloader section provided one on each side of a bonding stage. A tray which accommodates therein semiconductor pellets is sent from the loader section to the front of the bonding stage, a semiconductor pellet is then picked up from the tray by a pick-up means, placed on a positioning stage and then positioned by a positioning means. After this, the semiconductor pellet is picked up by the pick-up means, placed on the bonding stage, and a bump is applied. The semiconductor pellet that has a bump thus made is then picked up by the pick-up means and returned to where it was originally accommodated in the tray.
This operation is repeated until bumps are applied to all of the semiconductor pellets in the tray, upon which the tray is moved to the unloader section.
In the above prior art, the loader section and unloader section are provided one on each side of the bonding stage. Accordingly, when, for example, a bump shaping stage that shapes up the bumps of the semiconductor pellets to which bumps have been applied is installed, or when an inspection stage that inspects the semiconductor pellets to which bumps have been applied is installed, these stages need to be installed between the bonding stage and the unloader section. However, this arrangement makes the bonding apparatus large in size. On the other hand, the apparatus becomes more expensive if an inspection apparatus having the above-described inspection stage is installed separately.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a bump bonding apparatus that can be built compact compared to prior art apparatuses.
The above object is accomplished by a unique structure for a bump bonding apparatus which applies bumps to a semiconductor pellet placed on a bonding stage, and in the present invention, the bump bonding apparatus includes:
a loader section that holds trays which accommodate therein semiconductor pellets, and an unloader section that holds trays which accommodate therein semiconductor pellets to which bumps have been applied, the loader and unloader sections being installed next to each other on one side of the bonding stage;
a buffer station and a supply and holding station which are installed so as to positionally correspond to the loader section and unloader section, respectively;
a pushing means for sending a tray from the loader section to the buffer station;
a pushing means for sending a tray from the supply and holding station to the unloader section;
a pushing means for sending a tray from the buffer station to the supply and holding station; and
a pellet transfer mechanism for picking up a semiconductor pellet in the tray on the supply and holding station, transferring the pellet to the bonding stage, and returning the pellet to which bumps have been applied to the tray in which the semiconductor pellet was accommodated before.
In the above structure, a plurality of bonding stages can be provided next to each other so that each one of the bonding stages is moved independently to a pellet supply and take-out position and to a bonding position.
In addition, the pellet transfer mechanism has two suction nozzles provided so as to be selectively moved up and down, the suction component of one of the suction nozzles is formed in a trapezoidal shape, and the suction component of the other suction nozzle is formed flat
Furthermore, a bump shaping stage for shaping the bumps of a semiconductor pellet and an inspection stage for inspecting the semiconductor pellet that has the bump which is shaped on the bump shaping stage are also provided.
In addition, the bump shaping stage and the inspection stage are provided on the opposite side from where the loader section and the unloader section are provided.
Furthermore, a positioning claw for positioning the semiconductor pellets placed on the bonding stage is provided on a bonding head or on an XY table on which the bonding head is mounted.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4768070 (1988-08-01), Takizawa et al.
patent: 5294038 (1994-03-01), Nakano
patent: 5579985 (1996-12-01), Ichikawa
patent: 5699951 (1997-12-01), Miyoshi
patent: 5979739 (1999-11-01), Jin et al.
patent: 5987722 (1999-11-01), Park et al.
patent: 2-273945 (1990-11-01), None
patent: 4-41519 (1992-07-01), None
patent: 7-86286 (1995-03-01), None
Moroe Hirofumi
Takahashi Koichi
Ushiki Hiroshi
Kabushiki Kaisha Shinkawa
Koda & Androlia
Pittman Zidia T.
Ryan Patrick
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