IC handler and contact cleaning method

Details IC handler and contact cleaning method IC handler and contact cleaning method

2001-11-27

2004-08-03

Hail, III, Joseph J. (Department: 3723)

Abrading

Abrading process

Glass or stone abrading

C451S056000, C209S573000, C209S905000, C324S1540PB, C414S404000, C414S416060

Reexamination Certificate

active

06769963

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an IC handler for sorting ICs and a contact cleaning method, particularly a contact cleaning mechanism for cleaning contacts to which terminals of ICs contact and a contact cleaning method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 2
shows the construction of a conventional contact cleaning mechanism. An IC handler having the construction of a contact cleaning mechanism has been conventionally known as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 4-115081. An example of such a contact cleaning mechanism is shown along FIG.
2
.
With the IC handler shown in
FIG. 2
, an IC
16
is sucked by an IC handler
15
and is conveyed onto a contact
18
, while a pusher
17
presses the IC
16
to the contact
18
, thereby measuring the IC
16
. Upon completion of measurement of the IC
16
, the pusher
17
rises so that an accommodation hand
19
sucks the IC
16
on the contact
18
to take out and convey it.
Thereafter, as shown in
FIG. 3
, the contact
18
has a transferred attached matter
20
thereon. When the contact
18
is cleaned, a cylinder
14
pushes out a brush
13
toward the contact
18
and retracts the brush
13
from the contact
18
one time or plural times. As a result, the contact
18
is brushed and cleaned. That is, the transferred attached matter
20
(hereinafter referred to simply as transfer attachment) comprises solder, plating or the like, which is melted from leads of the IC
16
and remains on the contact
18
.
The contact to which a conventional contact cleaning mechanism is applied is limited only to flat type packaging contacts having terminals which extend in two directions, wherein each terminal has a shape of a horseshoe and is arranged in a shape of teeth of a comb, as viewed from the side thereof.
Furthermore, with the conventional contact cleaning mechanism, the contact is brushed during the replacement of an IC pith another IC on the contact, so that time for replacement of the IC with another IC is reduced to the utmost, and hence it is very difficult to employ the conventional contact cleaning mechanism.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing circumstances, it is an object of the invention to provide an IC handler provided with a contact cleaning mechanism capable of being applied to various contacts which are present for every ICs having various packages and capable of being easily applied to the contacts irrespective of the length of time for replacement of the IC with another IC relative to the contacts, and a contact cleaning method thereof.
To achieve the above object, a first aspect of the invention is to provide an IC handler which is a horizontal conveyance type and includes contacts
4
to which ICs
10
contact, said IC handler comprises contact cleaning chips
1
disposed outside the contacts
4
and made of polishing particles in the same shape as the ICs
10
, wherein a transfer attachment is removed from the contacts
4
when contact cleaning chips
1
are conveyed to the contacts
4
so as to contact the
4
.
It is a second aspect of the invention to provide an IC handler first conveyance means
5
for transferring a plurality of ICs
10
from trays on which the ICs
10
are placed to a supply shuttle
6
which is on standby at a first delivering position P
1
, said supply shuttle
6
conveying the ICs
10
to a second delivering position P
2
, second conveyance means
7
for conveying the ICs
10
positioned at the second delivering position P
2
to contacts
4
and conveying the ICs
10
, and also conveying the ICs, upon completion of measurement of the ICs
10
, to an accommodation shuttle
8
which is on standby at the second delivering position P
2
, said accommodation shuttle
8
conveying the ICs
10
to a third delivering position P
3
, and third conveyance means
9
for sorting and accommodating the ICs
10
in an empty tray, said IC handler further comprising a first accommodation stage
2
disposed in a movable range of the first conveyance means
5
, a second accommodation stage
3
disposed in a movable range of the third conveyance means
9
, and contact cleaning chips
1
made of a material including polishing particles in the same shape as the ICs
10
, wherein a transfer attachment is removed from the contacts
4
when the contact cleaning chips
1
placed on the first accommodation stage
2
are conveyed to the contacts
4
so as to contact the contacts
4
, and the contact cleaning chips
1
are accommodated in the second accommodation stage
3
.
It is a third aspect of the invention to provide a contact cleaning method in an IC handler comprising first conveyance means
5
for transferring a plurality of ICs
10
from trays on which the ICs
10
are placed to a supply shuttle
6
which is on standby at a first delivering position P
1
, said supply shuttle
6
conveying the ICs
10
to a second delivering position P
2
, second conveyance means
7
for conveying the ICs
10
positioned at the second delivering position P
2
to contacts
4
and conveying ICs
10
, and also conveying the ICs, upon completion of measurement of the ICs
10
, to an accommodation shuttle
8
which is on standby at the second delivering position P
2
, said accommodation shuttle
8
conveying the ICs
10
to a third delivering position P
3
, third conveyance means
9
for sorting and accommodating the ICs
10
in an empty tray, a first accommodation stage
2
disposed in a movable range of the first conveyance means
5
, a second accommodation stage
3
disposed in a movable range of the third conveyance means
9
, said method comprising the steps of placing contact cleaning chips
1
made of a material including polishing particles in the same shape as the ICs
10
to the first accommodation stage
2
, transferring the contact cleaning chips
1
to the supply shuttle
6
which is on standby at the first delivering position P
1
by the first conveyance means
5
, conveying the contact cleaning chips
1
to the second accommodation stage
2
by the supply shuttle
6
, conveying the contact cleaning chips
1
positioned at the second delivering position P
2
to the contacts
4
so as to contact the contacts
4
by the second conveying means
7
so that the contact cleaning chips
1
remove a transfer attachment from the contacts
4
, and also conveying the contact cleaning chips
1
removed the transfer attachment to the accommodation shuttle
8
which is on standby at the second delivering position P
2
, conveying the contact cleaning chips
1
to the third delivering position P
3
by the accommodation shuttle
8
, and accommodating the contact cleaning chips
1
in the second accommodation stage
3
by the third conveyance means
9
.
A fourth aspect of the invention is an IC handler wherein the contacts
4
correspond to a CSP/BGA package type IC and the contact cleaning chips
1
correspond to the same CSP/BGA package type IC.
The reference numerals set forth above are provided for the convenience of understanding the invention with reference to the drawings but they do not limit the invention.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5150797 (1992-09-01), Shibata
patent: 5247247 (1993-09-01), Kase
patent: 5805472 (1998-09-01), Fukasawa
patent: 5865319 (1999-02-01), Okuda et al.
patent: 6218852 (2001-04-01), Smith et al.
patent: 6657031 (2003-12-01), Crane et al.
patent: 4-115081 (1992-10-01), None
patent: 405107306 (1993-04-01), None
patent: 410062490 (1998-06-01), None
patent: 410260228 (1998-09-01), None
patent: 02001099892 (2001-04-01), None

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