Electric-circuit fabricating method and system, and electric-circuit fabricating program

• US 20030059964A1
• Filed: 09/18/2002
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Fuji Machine Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Mitsui, Kazuo, Kodama, Seigo, Kawai, Takayoshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,861,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/14
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32049 Store program data, manufacturing history on workpiece, shifts to next
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45031 Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/54473 for use after dicing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/544 Marks applied to semiconductor devices or parts, e.g. registration marks, alignment structures, wafer maps test patterns for characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes H01L22/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0269 for visual or optical inspection
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/00 Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method of fabricating an electric circuit, including first and second working processes of performing respective first and second working operations on a circuit substrate, wherein the first working process includes a first substrate-identifying step of obtaining substrate identifying information identifying the substrate on which the first working operation is to be performed, a specific-information obtaining step of recognizing a specific-information providing portion of the substrate, to obtain specific information indicating at least one specific characteristic of the substrate, a first working step of performing the first working operation on the basis of the obtained specific information, and a specific-information storing step of storing the specific information in relation to the substrate identifying information, and the second working process includes a second substrate-identifying step of obtaining the substrate identifying information identifying the substrate on which the second working operation is to be performed, and a second working step of performing the second working operation on the basis of the specific information stored in relation to the substrate identifying information. Also disclosed are electric-circuit fabricating system and control program suitable to practice the method.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating an electric circuit, comprising a first working process of performing a predetermined first working operation on a circuit substrate, and a second working process of performing a predetermined second working operation on said circuit substrate, wherein an improvement comprises:

said first working process including a first substrate-identifying step of obtaining substrate identifying information identifying said circuit substrate on which said predetermined first working operation is to be performed, a specific-information obtaining step of recognizing a specific-information providing portion of said circuit substrate, to obtain specific information indicating at least one specific characteristic of said circuit substrate, a first working step of performing said predetermined first working operation on the basis of the obtained specific information, and a specific-information storing step of storing said specific information in relation to said substrate identifying information; and

said second working process including a second substrate-identifying step of obtaining said substrate identifying information identifying said circuit substrate on which said predetermined second working operation is to be performed, and a second working step of performing said predetermined second working operation on the basis of said specific information stored in relation to said substrate identifying information.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said circuit substrate has at least one working area, and said specific information includes area-working inhibit/non-inhibit information indicating whether the working operation in each of said at least one working area is inhibited or permitted.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said circuit substrate has at least one working area, and said specific information includes area-position specifying information indicating a position of each of said at least one working area relative to said circuit substrate.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of said first and second working processes further includes a substrate-holding step of holding said circuit substrate, and a substrate-position-information obtaining step of recognizing a substrate-fiducial-position indicating portion of said circuit substrate, to obtain substrate-position information indicating the position at which said circuit substrate is held, and wherein each of said first and second working operations is performed on the basis of said substrate-position information.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said substrate-position indicating portion has at least one substrate-position fiducial mark provided on a surface of said circuit substrate, and said substrate-position-information obtaining step comprises taking an image of each of said at least one substrate-position fiducial mark, and obtaining said substrate-position information on the basis of said image.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein said circuit substrate has at least one working area, and said specific information includes area-working inhibit/non-inhibit information indicating whether the working operation in each of said at least one working area is inhibited or permitted,

and wherein said specific-information providing portion has an area-working inhibit/non-inhibit mark for each of said at least one working area, and said specific-information obtaining step comprises taking an image of said area-working inhibit/non-inhibit mark to obtain said area-working inhibit/non-inhibit information.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the image of each of said at least one substrate-position fiducial mark and the image of said area-working inhibit/non-inhibit mark are taken by a same imaging device in said first working process.

8. A method according to claim 5, wherein said circuit substrate has at least one working area, and at least one of said predetermined first and second working operations is performed in said at least one working area, and wherein said specific information includes area-position specifying information indicating a position of each of said at least one working area relative to said circuit substrate,

and wherein said specific-information providing portion has an area-position fiducial mark for each of said at least one working area, and said specific-information obtaining step comprises taking an image of said area-position fiducial mark to obtain said area-position specifying information.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the image of each of said at least one substrate-position fiducial mark and the image of said area-position fiducial mark are taken by a same imaging device in said first working process.

10. A method according to claim 5, wherein said circuit substrate has a substrate ID mark identifying said circuit substrate, and each of said first substrate-identifying step and said second substrate-identifying step comprises taking an image of said substrate ID mark, to obtain said substrate identifying information identifying said circuit substrate.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the image of each of said at least one substrate-position fiducial mark and the image of said substrate ID mark are taken by a same imaging device in each of said first and second working processes.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said substrate ID mark is located adjacent to one of said at least one substrate-position fiducial mark, and an image of said substrate ID mark and an image of said one of said at least one substrate-position fiducial mark are simultaneously taken, within an imaging area of said same imaging device.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein said substrate ID mark consists of a two-dimensional code.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of at least one of said predetermined first and second working operations is selected from a group consisting of:

an operation to apply to a surface of said circuit substrate a solder paste for fixing electric components on said surface;

an operation to apply to said surface an adhesive for fixing electric components on said surface;

an operation to mount electric components on said surface; and

an operation to inspect the working operation performed on said surface of the circuit substrate.

15. An electric-circuit fabricating system including a first fabricating apparatus operable to perform a predetermined first working operation on a circuit substrate, and a second fabricating apparatus disposed downstream of said first fabricating apparatus and operable to perform a predetermined second working operation on said circuit substrate, wherein an improvement comprising:

said first fabricating apparatus including a first substrate identifying device operable to obtain substrate identifying information identifying said circuit substrate on which said predetermined first working operation is to be performed, a specific-information obtaining device operable to obtain specific information indicating at least one specific characteristic of said circuit substrate, and a first working device operable to perform said predetermined first working operation on the basis of said specific information obtained by said specific-information obtaining device;

a specific-information storing device for storing said specific information in relation to said substrate identifying information; and

said second fabricating apparatus including a second substrate identifying device operable to obtain said substrate identifying information identifying said circuit substrate on which said predetermined second working operation is to be performed, and a second working device operable to perform said predetermined second working operation on the basis of said specific information stored in said specific-information storing device in relation to said substrate identifying information.

16. An electric-circuit fabricating system according to claim 15, each of said first and second substrate identifying devices includes an imaging device operable to take an image of a substrate identifier portion of said circuit substrate, and an image-data processing device operable to process image data indicative of said image of said substrate identifier portion, to obtain said substrate identifying information,

and wherein said specific-information obtaining includes an imaging device operable to take an image of said specific-information providing portion, and an image-data processing device operable to process image data indicative of said image of said specific-information providing portion, to obtain said specific information.

17. A control program executed by a computer to fabricate an electric circuit, by performing a predetermined first working operation on a circuit substrate and a predetermined second working operation on said circuit substrate, said second working operation being different from said first working operation, said control program comprising a first working process and a second working process, wherein said first working process includes a first substrate-identifying step of obtaining substrate identifying information identifying said circuit substrate on which said predetermined first working operation is to be performed, a specific-information obtaining step of recognizing a specific-information providing portion of said circuit substrate, to obtain specific information indicating at least one specific characteristic of said circuit substrate, a first working step of performing said predetermined first working operation on the basis of the obtained specific information, and a specific-information storing step of storing said specific information in relation to said substrate identifying information,

and wherein said second working process includes a second substrate-identifying step of obtaining said substrate identifying information identifying said circuit substrate on which said predetermined second working operation is to be performed, and a second working step of performing said predetermined second working operation on the basis of said specific information stored in relation to said substrate identifying information.

18. A recording medium which is accessible by a computer and which stores a control program as defined in claim 17.