Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Convolute winding of material – Simultaneous winding
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-15
2003-01-07
Jillions, John M. (Department: 3654)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Convolute winding of material
Simultaneous winding
C242S393000, C242S534000, C242S540000, C242S541000, C242S594200, C242S594300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06502783
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the manufacture and assembly of electronic, mechanical, or electromechanical components comprised of various small devices such as bare semiconductor die, packaged semiconductor die, lead frames, other electronic devices, small mechanical parts, or any combination thereof More particularly, the present invention relates to the supply and handling of small devices on a carrier tape and, specifically, to an apparatus and method for recycling the carrier tape after removal of the devices carried thereon.
2. State of the Art
Electronic, mechanical, and electromechanical components are commonly manufactured using fully, or at least partially, automated manufacturing systems. Complex assemblies, such as, for example, multichip memory modules, motherboards, and other control modules, are often comprised of numerous—and, in some instances, dozens of—bare and/or packaged semiconductor die as well as other electronic devices such as resistors, capacitors, heat sinks, and LEDs. Further, the numerous parts or subassemblies that are incorporated into a complex electrical or mechanical component may be of greatly varying size and shape. Thus, for many applications, a critical facet of automated manufacturing is the supply and handling of discrete parts for assembly into a next-level component.
A common method for supplying and handling large numbers of discrete parts in automated manufacturing systems is to employ a carrier tape. Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, a typical carrier tape
10
comprises a continuous tape
12
having one or more rows of pockets
14
disposed thereon. The pockets
14
are each configured to receive a particular part such as, for example, a bare semiconductor die, a packaged semiconductor die, a lead frame, an electronic device, or a small mechanical part. Each pocket
14
may include an aperture
15
for passage therethrough of a push-out pin for extracting a part resting within the pocket
14
. One or more raised portions
16
may be disposed in each pocket
14
for supporting a part resting therein. Disposed proximate each edge
13
of the continuous tape
12
is one or more rows of indexing holes
18
. The indexing holes
18
may be of any suitable shape, such as, for example, circular
18
a
or rectangular
18
b.
The configuration of the carrier tape
10
shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
is only exemplary and numerous other carrier tape configurations are known in the art. For example, a carrier tape
10
may include multiple rows of pockets
14
, multiple rows of indexing holes
18
adjacent each edge
13
, or indexing holes
18
arranged along only one edge
13
. The carrier tape
10
may also include a protective covering (not shown) adhered to the top surface of the continuous tape
12
to protect parts disposed in the pockets
14
prior to extraction. Carrier tape
10
is conventionally manufactured from a variety of plastic materials, such as, for example, a polycarbonate material, as well as from metallic materials.
A common medium for storing, transporting, and handling a plurality of parts borne on a length of carrier tape
10
is a tape reel. A typical tape reel
20
is shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4
. The tape reel
20
includes a hub
22
extending between and attached to opposing side plates
24
. Each side plate
24
is disk-shaped and includes an outer circumferential edge
25
and an outer surface
26
. The tape reel
20
has a thickness
21
corresponding to the distance between the outer surfaces
26
of the opposing side plates
24
. Extending through the hub
22
and concentric with the axis of rotation
27
of the tape reel
20
is a shaft hole
28
configured for insertion of a shaft (not shown) therethrough to rotationally support the tape reel
20
. To facilitate rotation of a tape reel
20
, the shaft hole
28
may have a “key” shape, such as the three-prong shape shown in
FIG. 3
, enabling the tape reel
20
to be positively rotationally driven by a mating shaft. The tape reel
20
may further include a plurality of windows
29
disposed in the side plates
24
for viewing the quantity of carrier tape
10
wound on the hub
22
. The configuration of the tape reel
20
shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4
is only exemplary and other tape reel configurations are known in the art.
Automated manufacturing systems adapted for manipulating reels of carrier tape, and the parts disposed therein, are well-known in the art. Manufacturing systems adapted for removing parts from carrier tape
10
wound on a tape reel
20
generally include an extraction mechanism for removing the parts carried in the pockets
14
of the carrier tape
10
and a feed mechanism for feeding carrier tape
10
from a tape reel
20
to the extraction mechanism. A typical extraction mechanism includes an extraction head configured to remove a part from a pocket
14
of a carrier tape
10
, as well as a push-out pin to assist in the extraction. An extraction head may comprise a vacuum quill, a mechanical gripping mechanism, or any other suitable extraction device known in the art.
Extraction of the parts borne on a carrier tape
10
requires that the pockets
14
arranged in a row along the length of the carrier tape
10
be sequentially positioned into a target location underneath or proximate the extraction head. Further, removal of a part from its respective pocket
14
on the carrier tape
10
generally requires that the pocket
14
be substantially aligned with the extraction head. The feed mechanism sequentially feeds, or indexes, the pockets
14
on a length of carrier tape
10
relative to the extraction head and aligns an individual pocket
14
therewith, using the indexing holes
18
of the carrier tape
10
. A typical feed mechanism includes a plurality of indexing teeth—arranged, for example, around an outer circumferential edge of a feed wheel—configured to closely mate with the row or rows of indexing holes
18
of the carrier tape
10
. With one or more indexing teeth engaging each row of indexing holes
18
on a length of carrier tape
10
, feeding and alignment of the pockets
14
on the carrier tape
10
relative to an extraction head is effected by movement of the indexing teeth. Feeding of the carrier tape
10
to the extraction mechanism, and precise alignment of a pocket
14
on the carrier tape
10
relative thereto, can be achieved so long as a close mating relationship exists between the indexing teeth of the feed mechanism and the carrier tape indexing holes
18
. If the close mating fit between the indexing teeth and carrier tape indexing holes
18
is compromised—for example, by damage to the carrier tape indexing holes
18
—feeding and precise alignment of the carrier tape
10
relative to the extraction mechanism may no longer be possible.
After removal of the parts borne on a carrier tape, a typical automated manufacturing system feeds the emptied, or bare, carrier tape into a storage bin or receptacle. For some manufacturing systems, the bare carrier tape is simply allowed to collect on the floor of the manufacturing facility, presenting a potential safety hazard. The bare carrier tape is then disposed of as waste, resulting in a large quantity of plastic waste being discarded in landfills and other disposal sites, thereby creating an adverse environmental impact. As the manufacture and assembly of electronic, mechanical, and electromechanical components becomes increasingly automated—especially in the semiconductor and electronics industries—the amount of waste carrier tape disposed of will increase and, accordingly, the adverse environmental impact will grow.
Disposing of bare carrier tape as waste also increases manufacturing costs. A length of carrier tape is currently utilized only once during its lifetime; however, after removal of the parts borne on a length of carrier tape by an automated manufacturing system, the bare carrier tape may be essentially undamaged. It is believed that carrier tape may be reused so long as the integrity of the indexing holes of the ca
Bicknell Merle
Higgins Todd D.
Ibarra Tony T.
Smith Derek T.
Jillions John M.
Micro)n Technology, Inc.
TraskBritt
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