Device and method for applying semiconductor chips to carriers

• US 20060043584A1
• Filed: 09/27/2003
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Muehlbauer GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Muehlbauer AG
• Inventors: Niklas, Sigmund, Weckerle, Ewald, Timm, Uwe
• Granted Patent: US 7,895,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/726
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67132 Apparatus for placing on an insulating substrate, e.g. tape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/2919 with a principal constituent of the material being a polymer, e.g. polyester, phenolic based polymer, epoxy
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/83191 wherein the layer connectors are disposed only on the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/83192 wherein the layer connectors are disposed only on another item or body to be connected to the semiconductor or solid-state body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/83855 Hardening the adhesive by curing, i.e. thermosetting
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/743 Apparatus for manufacturing layer connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/75 Apparatus for connecting with bump connectors or layer connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/83 using a layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/90 Methods for connecting semiconductor or solid state bodies using means for bonding not being attached to, or not being formed on, the body surface to be connected, e.g. pressure contacts using springs or clips
• 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 2924/01004 Beryllium [Be]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01005 Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01032 Germanium [Ge]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01039 Yttrium [Y]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01075 Rhenium [Re]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01084 Polonium [Po]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0665 Epoxy resin
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1798 with liquid adhesive or adhesive activator applying means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53178 : Chip component
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53187 : Multiple station assembly apparatus

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and a method for applying semiconductor chips (5) to a plurality of carriers (4), especially smart card modules or flexboards. According to the invention, an adhesive application device (1) is used to apply an adhesive to pre-defined positions on the carrier (4), a fitting device (2) is used to apply the semiconductor chips (5) to the positions on the carrier (4), and a hardening device (3) is used to harden the adhesive. The hardening device (3) and/or another device can be connected to a conveyor belt (6) for transporting the carrier (4) along the devices, by means of a clamping device (13, 14), and can be displaced in the transport direction at the speed of the conveyor belt (6), by means of a lifting device (15).

Claims

1. An apparatus for applying semiconductor chips to a plurality of substrates, in particular smartcard modules or flexboards, wherein at an adhesive application device adhesive is applied to the substrate at predefined substrate positions, at a fitting device the substrate is fitted with the semiconductor chips at the substrate positions, and in a curing device the adhesive is cured, characterized in that the curing device and/or a further device can be connected by a clamping device to a conveyor belt which transports the substrates along the devices, and can be moved in the transport direction, at a transport speed of the conveyor belt, by a lifting device.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, in the curing device and/or the further device which can be connected to the conveyor belt, a plurality of processing and/or control units are arranged in the transport direction of the conveyor belt, which processing and/or control units carry out simultaneous processing and/or control of the substrates fitted with the semiconductor chips as they are transported.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, characterized by a timer device for setting a time duration which corresponds to the sum of a processing and/or control time of a processing and/or control unit and a time period which is required to return the moved curing device and/or the further device to a starting position in a direction counter to the transport direction.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that arranged in the curing device and/or the further device are the same number of processing and/or control units as the number of substrates moving in the transport direction which can be fitted by the fitting device at a predefined fitting speed within the processing and/or control time.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the movable curing device comprises a thermode array arranged above the conveyor belt, said thermode array comprising a plurality of thermodes assigned to the substrate positions of the substrates, and at least one heating plate arranged below the conveyor belt.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the thermode array and the heating plate can be moved by a slide device in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the conveyor belt in such a way that, with the clamping device closed, they can be moved toward the conveyor belt and away from the conveyor belt.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the clamping device comprises at least two clamping jaw units which are preferably arranged at end regions of the movable curing device and/or of the further device the upper and lower clamping jaws of which can be guided toward the conveyor belt from above and below.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the lifting device is connected to a conveyor belt drive for moving the conveyor belt in a step-wise manner in the transport direction.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterized by a further clamping device, fixed to the apparatus, for keeping the conveyor belt stationary while the moved curing device and/or the further device is being returned in the direction counter to the transport direction.

10. A method for applying semiconductor chips to a plurality of substrates, in particular smartcard modules or flexboards, wherein at an adhesive application device adhesive is applied to the substrate at predefined substrate positions, at a fitting device the substrate is fitted with the semiconductor chips at the substrate positions, and in a curing device the adhesive is cured, characterized by the following steps:

connecting the curing device and/or a further device to a conveyor belt which transports the substrates along the devices, by closing a first clamping device;

opening a second clamping device, fixed to the apparatus, so as to release the conveyor belt moving in the transport direction;

moving processing and/or control units arranged in the curing device and/or the further device into a closed position in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the conveyor belt;

moving the curing device and/or the further device at a transport speed of the conveyor belt in the transport direction during a simultaneous processing and/or control of a plurality of substrates fitted with the semiconductor chips for a predefined processing and/or control time by means of the processing and/or control units;

moving the processing and/or control units into an open position away from the plane of the conveyor belt following expiring of the processing and/or control time;

closing the second clamping device which is fixed to the apparatus;

opening the first claiming device;

returning the curing device and/or the further device to a starting position in a direction counter to the transport direction.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the step of moving the processing and/or control units into an open position can be carried out independently of a movement of the conveyor belt in the transport direction.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the transport speed corresponds to a fitting speed at which the substrates on the conveyor belt are fitted, said conveyor belt moving in a step-wise manner.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the transport speed corresponds to a fitting speed at which the substrates on the conveyor belt are fitted, said conveyor belt moving in a step-wise manner.