Wafer Level Packaging Component Processing

Abstract

A chuck assembly includes an upper surface configured to support a wafer-level package assembly and a clamping mechanism to secure the wafer-level package assembly to the upper surface.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Wafer-level package components may be formed in various shapes and sizes, making them difficult to handle when inspecting and providing various processing tasks (eg, inspecting and depositing redistribution layers). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] 1A is a schematic top view of a chuck assembly supporting a wafer level package assembly.

[0003] 1B is a schematic side view of the chuck assembly of FIG. 1A .

[0004] 1C is a schematic cross-sectional view of an actuator pin and elastomeric seal positioned on a support surface of a chuck assembly.

[0005] 1D is a schematic cross-sectional view of a vacuum source and elastomeric seal located on a support surface of a chuck assembly.

[0006] 2A is a top view of a material handling system supporting a wafer level package assembly with a clamping mechanism securing the wafer level package assembly to a chuck assembly.

[0007] 2B is a schematic side view of the material handling system of FIG. 2A .

[0008] 2C is a schematic side elevational view of the material handling system of FIG. 2A with an alternative latch mechanism employed.

[0009] 3 is a schematic side view of a material handling system having a placement tool.

[0010] 4 is a schematic top view of an alternative optional chuck assembly on which a wafer level package assembly is supported.

[0011] FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of a gripping member.

[0012] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a travel path of a gripping member.

[0013] 7 is a schematic side view of the travel path of the gripping member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] 1A and 1B show an example where a chuck assembly 10 supports a wafer-level package assembly 12 on a planar support surface 14. The planar support surface 14 is defined by side edge surfaces 16 extending generally perpendicular to the surface 14. As shown, the edge surface 16 is a continuous edge such that the support surface 14 forms a stadium shape. The support surface 14 can be formed into other shapes as desired, such as a rectangle, a rounded rectangle, a circle, an irregular shape, and other shapes. In addition, the support surface can be formed of various materials (e.g., metals) used in material handling systems.

[0015] In one embodiment, the surface 14 may include an elastic ring 17 (see Figures 1C and 1D) located thereon, which can be used to create a vacuum seal between the component 12 and the surface 14. The chuck assembly 10 further includes a lower surface 18 and a base 20. In one embodiment, the wafer-level packaging component 12 is a reconstructed wafer, including a plurality of individual electronic devices (e.g., silicon dies) arranged in a molding material. The chuck assembly 10 can be used to assist in the detection of the wafer-level packaging component 12, for example, using a detection tool. The detection of the wafer-level packaging component 12 can be performed before, during and / or after applying a redistribution layer (RDL) for connecting the devices in the wafer-level packaging component 12.

[0016] The base 20 can be used to translate the chuck assembly 10 when inspecting the wafer-level package assembly 12. In addition, as shown in Figures 1C and 1D, the base 20 can be configured to accommodate various components. For example, the base 20 can include one or more conduits 24 for operating push pins 26, which actuate the wafer-level package assembly 12 vertically relative to the top surface 14. Alternatively or additionally, a vacuum source 28 can be connected to the conduit 24 to apply a negative pressure to the bottom surface of the package assembly 12 when the package assembly 12 is positioned on the surface 14 and sealed against the surface 14 by the seal 17.

[0017] 2A and 2B illustrate a material handling system 100 that utilizes a chuck assembly 10 during inspection of a wafer-level package assembly 12. To secure the wafer-level package assembly 12 to the chuck assembly 10 during the inspection process, the system 100 includes a clamping mechanism 30. The clamping mechanism 30 includes a cover or ring 31 that defines a central hole 32 that exposes the top surface of the wafer-level package assembly 12 during inspection. As shown, the cover 31 and the central hole 32 are rectangular, but other shapes (e.g., square, circular, oval, stadium-shaped, irregular shapes) may be used for the cover 31 and / or the central hole 32 as desired.

[0018] In one embodiment involving a detection method, a package assembly 12 is positioned or loaded on a surface 14. An elastic ring 17 forms a seal, and a vacuum source 28 is used to push the package assembly 12 toward the surface 14. After applying vacuum pressure, a clamping mechanism 30 is positioned on the wafer-level package assembly 12 and the top surface 14. In one embodiment, the clamping mechanism 30 may include an elastic ring (not shown) around the periphery of the hole 32 to prevent damage to the package assembly 12. One or more latch mechanisms 34 (shown schematically) can be used to extend around the edge surface 16 and clamp on the lower surface 18 so as to apply pressure to secure the wafer-level package assembly 12 to the chuck assembly 10. Once the wafer-level package assembly 12 is secured, translation and / or detection of the wafer-level package assembly 12 can be facilitated. In one example, a detection tool 102 such as an optical system (e.g., a camera) or other device can be used to detect the assembly 12.

[0019] The latch mechanism 34 can take a variety of different forms and operate in different ways (e.g., rotationally, linearly) to secure the clamping mechanism 30 to the chuck assembly 10. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2B , the latch mechanism 34 forms an "L" shape and is attached to the cover 31 by a spring-loaded hinge 36. In this embodiment, each latch mechanism 34 is adjustable from a first open position to a second closed position. The top of the "L" is attached to the cover 31 by a hinge 36, wherein the spring of the hinge 36 biases the latch mechanism to a closed position, wherein the lower portion of the "L" engages the lower surface 18 of the chuck assembly 10. In the open position, the lower portion of the "L" moves away from the lower surface 18, so that the clamping mechanism 30 can be removed from the chuck assembly 10 (e.g., by vertically lifting the clamping mechanism away from the chuck assembly 10).

[0020] Another latch mechanism 34' is shown in FIG. 2C , which is coupled to a shaft 40 that extends through a corresponding hole 42 in the cover 31. The latch mechanism 34' is "L" shaped, with the upper portion of the "L" attached to the shaft 40, and the lower portion of the "L" configured to engage with the surface 18 in a closed position (as shown on the right side of FIG. 2C ). In one embodiment, a locking mechanism (e.g., a nut, a clamp, or other device) can be coupled to the shaft 40 to secure the latch mechanism 34' to the surface 18, and thus the clamping mechanism 30 to the chuck assembly 10. In order to disengage the latch mechanism 34' from the surface 18, the shaft 40 can be adjusted so that the lower portion of the "L" of the latch mechanism 34' is spaced apart from the surface 18 (as shown on the left side of FIG. 2C ). Then, when the latch mechanism 34' is disengaged from the surface 18, the shaft 40 can be lifted vertically to release the clamping mechanism 30 from the chuck assembly 10.

[0021] In the embodiment of FIG. 3 , a placement mechanism or tool 120 can be used with the material handling system 100. As shown, the mechanism 120 includes a first arm 122A that terminates at a distal tool 124A (e.g., an end effector and a robotic arm) and a second arm 122B that terminates at a distal tool 124B. Each arm 122 is coupled to an actuator assembly 126 that operates to move the arm 122 and the distal tool 124. In one embodiment, the actuator assembly 126 can be one or more hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders. When the tool 124 is in place, the actuator assembly 126 can actuate the arms 128A and 128B to the latch mechanism 34 relative to the arms 122A and 122B, respectively. In the open position, the arms 128A and 128B actuate the latch mechanism 34 in the open position. In this position, the placement mechanism can place the clamping mechanism 30 on the packaging assembly 12. In some embodiments, the placement mechanism further aligns the central hole 32 with the packaging assembly 12 on the chuck assembly 10. When the clamp mechanism 30 is in place, the release of the arm 128 from the latch mechanism 34 allows the spring-loaded latch mechanism 34 to return to the closed position in which the latch mechanism 34 engages the surface 18 .

[0022] After the latch mechanism 34 secures the packaged component 12 to the surface 14, the placement mechanism 120 can be retracted and the component 12 can be addressed to the inspection tool to perform inspection on the component 12. After the inspection is completed, the latch mechanism 34 can be released and the placement mechanism 120 can be moved into contact with the clamping mechanism 30. The placement mechanism 120 can retract the clamping mechanism 30 from the component 12 and the surface 14 so that the component 12 can be unloaded from the surface 14 for further processing.

[0023] 4 is a top plan view of an alternative chuck assembly 50, which includes a top surface 52 and can be further used with a placement mechanism 120 as discussed above. The chuck assembly 50 further includes a plurality of gripping members 54 that are placed around the wafer-level package assembly 12. The gripping members 54 can be transitioned from a first embedded position to a second gripping position to secure the wafer-level package assembly 12 to the chuck assembly 50.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the operation of the gripping member 54. As shown, the gripping member 54 is embedded from the top surface 52. Specifically, when the gripping member 54 is in the embedded position, the top surface 60 of the gripping member 54 can be coplanar with the top surface 52 and / or embedded from the top surface. In order to fix the wafer-level package assembly 12 to the chuck assembly 50, the gripping member 54 can be operated to the gripping position 54', in which the gripping member 54 applies pressure to the wafer-level package assembly 12 and then fixes the wafer-level package assembly 12 to the chuck assembly 50. In one embodiment, a pneumatic actuator can be used to control the movement of the gripping member 54.

[0025] The operation of the gripping member 54 can move in a linear manner, such as schematically shown in FIG6. Specifically, the transition of the gripping member 54 to the gripping position 54' involves vertical movement, horizontal movement, and another vertical movement. Alternatively, as shown in FIG7, the gripping member 54 can define vertical movement, curved movement, and another vertical movement to fix the wafer-level package assembly 12 to the chuck assembly 50.

[0026] Various embodiments of the present invention have been described above for the purpose of illustrating the details thereof and enabling one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the present invention. The details and features of the disclosed embodiments are not intended to be limiting, but many variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to be broadly interpreted and includes all variations and modifications that fall within the scope and spirit of the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims

1. A wafer-level packaging processing system, comprising: A chuck assembly defining an upper surface configured to support a wafer level package assembly; A clamping mechanism, fixing the wafer-level packaging assembly to the upper surface, wherein the clamping mechanism includes a latching mechanism extending around a side edge of the chuck assembly and applying pressure between the clamping mechanism and the wafer-level package assembly to secure the wafer-level package assembly to the chuck assembly; and The latch mechanism forms an L-shape, wherein a lower portion of the L-shape of the latch mechanism engages a lower surface of the chuck assembly, thereby securing the wafer-level package assembly to the chuck assembly.

2. The processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that The clamping mechanism includes a central opening aligned with the wafer level package assembly.

3. The processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that The latch mechanism is spring loaded.

4. The processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that The latch mechanism is spring loaded to bias the latch mechanism to a closed position in which the wafer level package assembly is secured to the chuck assembly by the latch mechanism.

5. The processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that The upper surface includes an elastic ring configured to form a seal between the clamping mechanism and the upper surface; and a vacuum source for applying pressure to the wafer level package assembly toward the upper surface.

6. The processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that Further included is an optical system for detecting the wafer-level packaging assembly.

7. The processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that Further included is a placement mechanism configured to position the clamping mechanism relative to the wafer level package assembly.

8. The processing system according to claim 7, characterized in that Further included is an actuator configured to operate a latch mechanism to secure the clamping mechanism to the chuck assembly.

9. A method for processing a package assembly of a semiconductor device, comprising: loading the package assembly onto a surface of a chuck assembly; positioning a cover on the packaging assembly; applying pressure to the cover to secure the package assembly to the surface; and detecting the package component, wherein applying pressure includes operating a latch mechanism around an edge of the chuck assembly to secure the wafer level package assembly to the chuck assembly; and The latch mechanism forms an L-shape, wherein a lower portion of the L-shape of the latch mechanism engages a lower surface of the chuck assembly, thereby securing the wafer-level package assembly to the chuck assembly.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that Further including: The hole of the cover is aligned with the packaging assembly.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that Further including: A placement mechanism is operated to position the cover relative to the packaging assembly.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that Further including: The arm of the placement mechanism is used to operate the latch mechanism.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that Further including: The placement mechanism is operated to remove the cover from the chuck assembly.

14. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that Further including: loading a second packaging assembly onto the chuck assembly; operating the placement mechanism to position the cover relative to the second packaging assembly; and Pressure is applied to the cover to secure the second packaging assembly to the chuck assembly.

15. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The latch mechanism is spring loaded.

16. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The latch mechanism is spring loaded to bias the latch mechanism to a closed position in which the wafer level package assembly is secured to the chuck assembly by the latch mechanism.

17. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The latch mechanism extends through a hole in the cover, the latch mechanism including a finger operable to transition from a first position in which the finger engages the chuck assembly to secure the cover to the chuck assembly, to a second position in which the finger engages the cover to lift the cover relative to the chuck assembly.

18. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that Further including: The package assembly is inspected using an optical system.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that Further including: The chuck assembly is moved relative to the optical system.

20. A wafer level package assembly formed according to the method of claim 9.

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