Placement alignment method and system

Abstract

An electronic device placement system includes a spindle assembly having a positioning system configured to move between a pick-up position and a placement position, an upward camera, and a downward camera, the spindle assembly including a spindle having a transparent spindle body and a vertical suction nozzle, the upward camera is configured to image the bottom of the electronic device picked up by the main shaft suction nozzle before the electronic device is placed; and the downward camera is movable over the spindle during pickup and placement of the electronics by the spindle. The downward camera is configured to image an outer edge of the electronic device through the transparent spindle body during a spindle placement process, and to capture an image of the substrate surface before and / or during the placement process.

Description

[0001] Related matters

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 357,942, filed on July 1, 2022, entitled “PLACEMENT ALIGNMENT METHODS AND SYSTEMS,” and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 414,275, filed on October 7, 2022, entitled “PLACEMENT ALIGNMENT METHODS AND SYSTEMS,” the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application generally relates to the placement of electronic devices, electronic components and / or dies on substrates, such as wafers, printed circuit boards, fan-out panels, dies, etc. More particularly, the present invention relates to placement methods and systems in which the precision or accuracy of aligning features of placed devices to targets is improved. Background Art

[0004] There are generally four known pick and place systems or assembly machines.

[0005] The first known assembly machines used machine calibration to learn the positions of the components that determine the machine's placement accuracy, such as the position of the camera used to locate the component on the placement head spindle, the position of the camera used to locate the substrate / substrate destination of the component, and finally the position of the spindle on the placement head relative to these cameras. Using this information, the component can be placed with an accuracy of about 10 microns. Generally speaking, this is a fast method of placing components, and thousands of components can be placed per hour.

[0006] A disadvantage of the first known machines is that the calibration values ​​are not completely stable. In particular, thermal effects and friction affect the placement accuracy over time. In these machines, placement is an open loop process and the calibration needs to be monitored to obtain stable results.

[0007] A second known assembly machine uses two cameras looking down from behind the spindle tip along both sides of the spindle. In this machine, the spindle tip holds the component. Through the hole in the tip, special markings on the substrate can be imaged by the two cameras, which helps align the component carried by the bottom of the spindle. Because the component clamped at the bottom of the spindle is imaged by the upward-facing camera, the machine controller knows the relationship between the component and the hole in the spindle tip, so that the component can be accurately aligned with almost no calibration, and the spindle is moved downward with the device, guided by the cameras, to align the markings on the substrate with the holes in the spindle tip. This second known assembly machine is accurate to single micron placement, but at speeds that are about one-tenth the speed that requires calibration (such as the first machine).

[0008] The second known type of assembly machine monitors the back of the spindle while placing the component. The machine aligns the hole in the spindle tip with marks on the substrate. The main disadvantage of this method is that these marks consume valuable surface area on the substrate. Depending on the size of the substrate and the size of the marks, this can result in a loss of 10% to 50% of the substrate. In addition, the extra steps in the alignment process between the component and the hole in the spindle tip and between the placement target and the alignment marks can affect placement accuracy.

[0009] A third known assembly machine includes a die placement device that wire bonds the top of the die to the component substrate using an on-axis camera and glass nozzle. In this third assembly machine, the top surface of the component is imaged and aligned to the substrate using a single camera that is fixedly placed on the substrate. This setup does not require a second upward camera to check the bottom of the die to determine the position of the die relative to the spindle. This setup also simplifies the calibration of the system.

[0010] This third known assembly machine does not align the features on the bottom of the component with the substrate. Therefore, the third type of machine cannot be used for the process required to align the micro connections on the bottom with the corresponding connections on the substrate.

[0011] Finally, there is a fourth known assembly machine that can be used to place high-power LED components where the positional accuracy of the bottom of the component is not important, but the position of the light-emitting portion of the top of the component needs to be precisely aligned. For these components, a process called "Top Alignment Placement" is used, in which the component is first inspected from the top by a vision system camera before the component is picked up by the spindle. This enables the vision system to calculate the position of the light-emitting area at the top relative to the outline of the component. After the component is picked up, the spindle carries the component to the device camera that looks upward to image the bottom of the component. This enables the vision system to calculate the position of the component outline relative to the spindle. The component can then be placed on the substrate, thus optimizing the positional accuracy of the light-emitting area.

[0012] This fourth known assembly machine also cannot align features on the bottom of the component with the substrate (as described above for the third type). Thus, the fourth known assembly machine type is able to align the top of the component, but not the features on the bottom.

[0013] Therefore, methods and systems for improving the precision or accuracy of aligning features of placed devices to targets without requiring special features on the substrate and achieving sub-micron (ie, better than 1 micron) precision are well-received in the art. Summary of the invention

[0014] According to one aspect, an electronic device placement system includes a spindle assembly, an upward camera, and a downward camera, the spindle assembly having a positioning system, the positioning system being configured to move between a pick-up position and a placement position, the spindle assembly including a spindle having a transparent spindle body, the spindle including a nozzle vertically mounted to the transparent spindle body; the upward camera being configured to image the bottom of the electronic device picked up by the spindle nozzle before the placement process of the electronic device; and the downward camera moving on the spindle during the picking and placement of the electronic device by the spindle, wherein the downward camera is configured to image the outer edge of the electronic device through the transparent spindle body during the spindle placement process, wherein the downward camera is configured to capture an image of the substrate surface before and / or during the placement process.

[0015] According to another aspect, an electronic device placement method includes: using a positioning system to move a spindle assembly to a pick-up position, the spindle assembly including a spindle having a transparent spindle body, the spindle including a nozzle vertically mounted to the transparent spindle body; using the spindle to pick up an electronic component; before placing the electronic component, using an upward camera to image the bottom of the electronic component picked up by the spindle; moving the spindle with the electronic component to a placement position; before and / or during the placement process, imaging the surface of the substrate with a downward camera; and during the placement process of the spindle, using a downward camera moving on the spindle to image the outer edge of the electronic device through the transparent spindle body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The above advantages and further advantages of the present invention may be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference numerals represent similar elements and features in different figures. For clarity, not every element may be indicated in every figure. The accompanying drawings are not necessarily to scale, and emphasis is placed on illustrating the principles of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 1 Depicted is a top view of an electronic device placement system according to one embodiment.

[0018] Figure 2 Depicted is a diagram according to an embodiment Figure 1 Side view of an electronics placement system.

[0019] Figure 3A Depicted is an image of a first downward camera during or before picking up, according to one embodiment.

[0020] Figure 3B Depicted is an image of a second downward camera when the spindle is carrying a device according to one embodiment.

[0021] Figure 3C Depicted is an image of a third downward camera during active placement according to one embodiment.

[0022] Figure 4A A schematic diagram depicts a bottom-up camera image of a device including a raised pattern according to one embodiment.

[0023] Figure 4B Depicted are the steps of processing the same image again to determine the center of the contour and to determine the azimuth of the contour according to one embodiment.

[0024] Figure 4C The steps of calculating the protrusion center relative to the contour and the sharp corner according to one embodiment, and further calculating the angle between the protrusion pattern relative to the contour and the sharp corner are described.

[0025] Figure 4D A schematic diagram depicting an image of a downward-looking camera on top of a substrate according to one embodiment.

[0026] Figure 5A A method of electronic device placement according to one embodiment is depicted.

[0027] Figure 5B Depicted is a diagram according to an embodiment Figure 5A Continuation of the method.

[0028] Fig. 6A Depicted is a side schematic diagram of an electronic device placement system including a downward camera, a spindle having a nozzle that picks up electronic devices that move out of a visual path of the downward camera, according to one embodiment.

[0029] Figure 6B Depicted is a diagram according to an embodiment Fig. 6A A side schematic diagram of an electronic device placement system including a downward-facing camera and a spindle with a nozzle that picks up electronic devices on a substrate.

[0030] Figure 7 Depicted is a diagram according to an embodiment Fig. 6A and Figure 6B A side schematic diagram of an electronic device placement system including a downward-facing camera and a spindle located above the downward-facing camera.

[0031] Figure 8 Another method of placing an electronic device according to one embodiment is depicted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the teachings. References to specific embodiments in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[0033] The present teaching will now be described in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. Although the present teaching is described in conjunction with various embodiments and examples, it is not intended that the present teaching be limited to such embodiments. On the contrary, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the present teaching encompasses various substitutions, modifications, and equivalents. A person of ordinary skill in the art who is able to access the teachings described herein will recognize additional implementations, modifications, and embodiments and other areas of use within the scope of the present application as described herein.

[0034] The present application is capable of placing electronic devices, such as components, dies, etc., on a substrate or printed circuit board, and the alignment of the device features with the target on the substrate is better than that of prior art devices. For example, the current electronic device placement system and method described herein can place electronic devices with an accuracy equal to or better than 1 micron.

[0035] Figure 1 A top view of an electronic device placement system 10 is depicted according to one embodiment, and Figure 2 Depicted Figure 1 A side view of the electronic device placement system 10 is shown. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in , the electronic device placement system 10 includes a positioning system, and the positioning system includes a pair of parallel linear bearings 12a, 12b arranged and extending along the Y direction on the Y axis 13a, 13b respectively. The positioning system also includes three beams extending between the pair of linear bearings 12a, 12b, and the three beams are a first beam 14a, a second beam 14b and a third beam 14c.

[0036] The first beam 14a is movably coupled to the linear bearings 12a, 12b and arranged along a first X-axis 15a perpendicular to the Y-axis 13a, 13b. Similarly, the second beam 14b is movably coupled to the linear bearings 12a, 12b and arranged along a second X-axis 15b also perpendicular to the Y-axis 13a, 13b. Similarly, the third beam 14c is movably coupled to the linear bearings 12a, 12b and arranged along a third X-axis 15c also perpendicular to the Y-axis 13a, 13b. Therefore, the first beam 14a, the second beam 14b and the third beam 14c are parallel beams and are arranged in an interval manner between a pair of parallel linear bearings 12a, 12b along the Y-axis 13a, 13b. In particular, the third beam 14c is located between the first beam 14a and the second beam 14b. In other words, the first beam 14a is located at a first side of the electronic device placement system 10, the second beam 14b is located at a second side of the electronic device placement system 10, and the third beam 14c is located therebetween. The first beam 14a, the second beam 14b, and the third beam 14c are each configured to independently move relative to the linear bearings 12a, 12b in the Y direction along the Y axes 13a, 13b.

[0037] As shown, the positioning system includes a first carriage 16a, which is movably coupled to the first beam 14a. The first carriage 16a is configured to move along a first X-axis 15a relative to the first beam. Similarly, the positioning system also includes a second carriage 16b, which is movably coupled to the second beam 14b. The second carriage 16b is configured to move along a second X-axis 15b relative to the second beam 14b. Similarly, the positioning system also includes a third carriage 16c, which is movably coupled to the third beam 14c. The third carriage 16c is configured to move along a third X-axis 15c relative to the third beam 14c.

[0038] The parallel linear bearings 12a, 12b and / or the crossbeams 14a, 14b, 14c and / or carriages 16a, 16b, 16c may include any type of positioning or bearing system configured to allow movement of the spindle assembly and / or the downward camera system in the X direction along the X axis and in the Y direction along the Y axis. The connection between these bearings, crossbeams and carriages may take any form, such as wheels / rollers, sliding motion, or any other type of controllable precision bearing system.

[0039] The first spindle 18a of the first spindle assembly 25a is movably coupled to the first carriage 16a. In particular, the first spindle 18a is attached or otherwise coupled to a first piezoelectric stage 20a, which is attached or coupled to a first spindle assembly Z driver 22a. In particular, the first spindle assembly Z driver 22a is movably coupled to the first carriage 16a and is configured to move along a first Z axis 24a relative to the first carriage 16a. The first spindle assembly Z axis 22a is configured to move the first spindle 18a along the first Z axis 24a. The first piezoelectric stage 20a is movably coupled between the first spindle assembly Z driver 22a and the first spindle 20a. The first piezoelectric stage 20a is configured to move the first spindle 18a relative to the first spindle assembly Z driver 22a to perform fine positioning adjustments to the positioning of the first spindle 18a.

[0040] As with the first spindle 18a, the second spindle 18b of the second spindle assembly 25b is movably coupled to the second carriage 16b. In particular, the second spindle 18b is attached or otherwise coupled to the second piezoelectric stage 20b, and the second piezoelectric stage 20b is attached or coupled to the second spindle assembly Z driver 22b. In particular, the second spindle assembly Z driver 22b is movably coupled to the second carriage 16b and is configured to move relative to the second carriage 16b along the second Z axis 24b. The second spindle assembly Z driver 22b is configured to move the second spindle 18b along the second Z axis 24b. The second piezoelectric stage 20b is movably coupled between the second spindle assembly Z driver 22b and the second spindle 20b. The second piezoelectric stage 20b is configured to move the second spindle 18b relative to the second spindle assembly Z driver 22b to perform fine positioning adjustments to the positioning of the second spindle 18b.

[0041] The first spindle 18a and the second spindle 18b can be spindle assemblies, which include a transparent first spindle body 19a and a transparent second spindle body 19b, respectively. The transparent first spindle body 19a and the second spindle body 19b can include a pair of glass plates 26a, 26b, one of which is on the spindle 18a and the spindle 18b, and one is below it. Other transparent materials can be used instead of glass plates, especially if different wavelengths of light (such as infrared or X-rays) can be used for illumination. In addition, the main structure of the spindles 18a, 18b can be made of transparent materials. The first spindle 18a and the second spindle 18b can include vertically aligned suction nozzles 28a, 28b, respectively. In some embodiments, the spindle suction nozzles 28a, 28b can also be made of transparent materials. In addition, the first spindle 18a and the second spindle 18b can each be configured to provide a gas distribution device to the spindle suction nozzles 28a, 28b, respectively, so as to generate vacuum suction and / or air discharge from the suction nozzles 28a, 28b. The spindles 18a, 18b may also include theta drives 30a, 30b, respectively, to rotate the glass sheet to enable pick-up and placement at different angles.

[0042] As shown, the nozzles 28a, 28b each pick up an electronic device 32a, 32b, such as a component, die, etc. The combination of the positioning system consisting of the linear bearings 12a, 12b, the beams 14a, 14b, the Z-axis drives 22a, 22b and the θ drives 30a, 30b enables the electronic device placement system 10 to pick up the electronic device 32a, 32b and move the electronic device 32a, 32b over all large distances on the X, Y, Z and θ (rotation) axes through the positioning system. Once the first spindle 18a and the second spindle 18b are attached or otherwise connected to the nozzles 28a, 28b with the picked electronic device 32a, 32b, the electronic device 32a, 32b can be transported from a pick-up location, such as a feed area and / or a feed library (not shown), to a device imaging location and / or placement location on a substrate 34 or other target, as described below.

[0043] In the illustrated embodiment, the electronic device placement system 10 further includes a first upward camera 36 facing upward, which is configured to image the bottom of the electronic device. In particular, the first upward camera 36 can be configured to image the electronic device picked up by the first spindle 18a, such as the first electronic device 32a. The imaging of the first upward camera 36 occurs before the placement process of the first spindle 18a that places the first electronic device 32a.

[0044] Like the first upward camera 36, ​​the electronic device placement system 10 also includes a second upward camera 38 facing upward, which is configured to image the bottom of the electronic device. In particular, the second upward camera 38 can be configured to image the electronic device picked up by the second spindle 18b, such as the second electronic device 32b. The imaging of the second upward camera 38 occurs before the placement process of the second spindle 18b that places the second electronic device 32b.

[0045] The electronic device placement system 10 also includes a base 40, which is located below the positioning system, linear bearings 12a, 12b, beams 14a, 14b, 14c, etc. The positioning system can be operably attached or connected to the base 40 of the electronic device placement system 10. The base 40 includes a substrate clamp system 42 for clamping a substrate 34, on which the first electronic device 32a and the second electronic device 32b can be placed during the placement process of the first spindle 18a and the second spindle 18b, respectively. The first upward-facing camera 36 is located on a first side of the substrate clamp system 42, and the second upward-facing camera 38 is located on a second side of the substrate clamp. In other words, the first side of the substrate clamp 42 is close to the first end of the linear bearings 12a, 12b, and the second side of the substrate clamp 42 is close to the second (opposite) end of the linear bearings 12a, 12b.

[0046] The electronic device placement system 10 also includes a downward camera 50 coupled to the third carriage 16c. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 includes a single downward camera 50, it should be understood that embodiments in which more than one downward camera is arranged are contemplated. For example, a downward camera may be arranged for each individual spindle assembly. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, during placement of a first device, such as a first electronic device 32a, by the first spindle 18a, the downward camera 50 can be moved on the first spindle 18a. The downward camera 50 can be roughly located above the target (e.g., within 100 microns) in the X, Y, Z axes and the rotational axis, and the major axes X, Y, Z and θ of the positioning system of the beams 14a, 14b, 14c, the carriages 16a, 16b, 16c and the Z drives 22a, 22b, 52 are completely stopped.

[0047] Once in position, the downward camera 50 is configured to image the outer edge of the picked electronic device during the placement process of the first spindle 18a through the transparent first spindle body (as described above). Similarly, during the placement of a second electronic device, such as the second device 32b, by the second spindle 18b, the downward camera 50 can be moved on the second spindle 18b. To achieve this, the first beam 14a can be moved along the linear bearings 12a, 12b away from the substrate 34 and toward the upward camera 36 and / or the feed magazine or pick-up position. The second beam 14b can then be moved above the substrate 34 or across the substrate 34. Here, the downward camera 50 can therefore be configured to image the outer edge of the picked electronic device during the placement process of the second spindle 18b through the transparent second spindle body (as described above). The downward camera 50 can also be, or is configured to be, moved in the vertical Z direction by the camera Z drive 52 so that it can focus on the substrate, and when the downward camera 50 is suspended above the substrate 34, it can also focus on the device.

[0048] Therefore, the first beam 14a and the second beam 14b (i.e., the placement beam) of the system 10 carry the spindles 18a, 18b, respectively, and as long as the first beam 14a and the second beam 14b stay on both sides of the third beam 14c, respectively, they can move their respective spindles 18a, 18b in the X, Y and Z axes independently of the third beam 14c (i.e., the camera beam). In other words, the first beam 14a, the second beam 14b and the third beam 14c may not pass through each other in the Y direction along the linear bearings 12a, 12b.

[0049] In order to provide space for the downward camera 50, the spindle assembly can extend from the respective placement head beams (i.e., the first beam 14a and the second beam 14b) in the direction of the camera beam (i.e., the third beam 14c), so that when the beams are close to each other, they can position the spindles 18a, 18b below the downward camera 50. For example, when the first beam 14a approaches the third beam 14c, the first spindle 18a can be positioned directly below the downward camera 50, and when the second beam 14b approaches the third beam 14c, the second spindle 18b can be positioned directly below the downward camera 50.

[0050] An extension of each spindle 18a, 18b carries a suction nozzle 28a, 28b mounted vertically between the centers of two horizontal glass plates 18a, 18b so that a downward camera 50 on the third beam 14c is located above the glass plates to image the outer edge of the picked device during the actual placement process and actively align the outer edge with the target on the substrate 34.

[0051] The first piezoelectric table 20a and the second piezoelectric table 20b can be configured to finely adjust the positioning of the first main axis 18a and the second main axis 18b in six axis directions, including the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, the Z-axis direction, the θ rotation axis direction, the d rotation axis direction, and the β rotation axis direction. The X-axis direction can be parallel to the X-axis 15a, 15b, 15c, the Y-axis direction can be parallel to the Y-axis 13a, 13b, and the Z-axis direction can be parallel to the Z-axis 24a, 24b. The d rotation direction may be a rotation direction around an axis parallel to the X-axis 15a, 15b, 15c, the β rotation direction may be a rotation direction around an axis parallel to the Y-axis 13a, 13b, and the θ rotation direction may be a rotation direction around an axis parallel to the Z-axis 24a, 24b.

[0052] For the final adjustments, a piezoelectric actuator-driven stage with six degrees of freedom is mounted between the Z drive of the PH crossbeam carriage and the spindle assembly, enabling precise position adjustments based on the spindle camera information of the difference between the target position and the actual position of the device, while slowly moving to the substrate step by step. The piezoelectric stage enables sub-micron adjustments of the device on the nozzle tip in the X, Y, and Z directions and at θ, d, and β angles relative to the spindle camera and substrate. The angle adjustment required for θ is more precise than that of a traditional θ servo drive. Adjustments of d and β can improve the coplanar contacts of the device on the substrate and prevent sharp-angle interconnect features on the device or substrate from being crushed.

[0053] As described above, in the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the electronic device placement system and method use one or more Cartesian positioning system beams in an electronic device placement assembly machine or system. The beams disclosed herein are configured to move in the Y direction along the same linear bearings and enable the carriage to move in the X direction along each beam. The camera beam carries a spindle camera that looks down vertically. The camera can image the substrate and use a vision system to determine the location of the interconnect features on the substrate, which is the target for placing the device.

[0054] Figure 3A An image 60 of a first downward camera during or before picking is described according to one embodiment. As shown, the image includes an electronic device 61 located on a device feeder 62. It should be understood that the electronic device 61 can be the same or similar to the electronic devices 32a, 32b described above. The figure shows a glass spindle 64, such as one of the spindles 18a, 18b described above. Through the glass spindle 64, the device feeder 62 and the electronic device 61 are visible and imageable. A nozzle 66 is depicted in the middle of the glass spindle 64. The nozzle 66 is located above the electronic device 61 for picking, but in the position shown, and from the image seen by a downward camera, such as the downward camera 50 described above, the nozzle 66 needs to be moved upward to be located in the center of the electronic device 61.

[0055] Figure 3B The image 70 of the second downward camera when the glass spindle 64 carries the electronic device 61 according to one embodiment is described. In particular, it can be seen from Figure 3A The image 70 of the second spindle camera is obtained after the device feeder 62 picks up the electronic device 61 and / or when the glass spindle 64 carries the electronic device 61 to a placement position or substrate. In this image, the spindle camera can capture the outline of the electronic device 61, including the various sharp corners of the electronic device 61. In some embodiments, the downward camera image 70 obtained by the downward camera and the upward image obtained by the upward camera at the bottom of the electronic device can be obtained simultaneously or synchronously (e.g., Figure 4A shown).

[0056] Figure 3C An image 75 of a third downward camera during active placement or during the placement process of a spindle 64 is depicted according to one embodiment. The image 75 of the third downward camera shows the glass spindle 64 above the placement location on the substrate 68 during placement. The substrate includes features 69 that can be imaged by the downward camera to facilitate determining the precise placement location. In particular, imaging, such as the image 75 of the third downward camera, can be used to align the contours and sharp corners of the electronic device 61 to the features on the substrate 68.

[0057] Figure 4A A schematic diagram depicts a camera image 80 of the bottom of a device 61 according to one embodiment, including a raised pattern 84 having a plurality of raised bumps 85. As described above, the camera image 80 may be Figure 3B The image 70 of the downward camera is obtained simultaneously or synchronously. The image 80 of the camera can be obtained by the upward camera, which can be located near the placement position, such as Figure 2 Thus, the spindle can move the picked electronic device to the upward camera to capture the camera's image 80. The camera's image 80 can be used by the placement system to process the raised pattern, find the center, find the azimuth, and any other image processing required based on the bottom of the electronic device 61.

[0058] Figure 4B Depicted is the step 90 of processing the same image again to determine the contour center 91 and to determine the azimuth angle d of the contour from the sharp corner according to one embodiment. The contour may lie in a plane defined by the X-axis and the Y-axis. Figure 4C Depicted is a step 95 of calculating the protrusion center relative to the contour and the tip corner of the device 61 and further calculating the angle d between the protrusion pattern relative to the contour and the tip corner according to one embodiment.

[0059] Figure 4D A schematic diagram depicting a downward camera image 99 of a top portion of a substrate 68 according to one embodiment. The downward camera image 99 may be acquired by the downward camera. During placement, the downward camera may process Figure 4B and 4C The downward camera image 99 can then be processed to find substrate features 69 before the electronic device 61 is brought to placement. The features on the substrate can be traces, vias, or fiducial marks, but can also be actual substrate interconnect features that can be aligned with interconnect features on the bottom of the device 61.

[0060] Through the above imaging, the relationship between the center 91 of the raised pattern 84 and the selected feature 69 on the substrate 68 can be calculated. In addition, the angle d of the raised pattern 84 relative to the feature 69 on the substrate 68 can also be calculated. With this information and image, electronic components can be accurately placed with high precision.

[0061] During operation, the sequence of events of the electronic device placement system 10 is as follows. First, the first spindle assembly (i.e., the first carriage 16a, the first Z drive 22a, the first piezoelectric table 20a, the first spindle 18a, the glass plate 26a, and the first nozzle 28a) can be moved by the first crossbar 14a in the X, Y, and Z directions and θ (rotational direction) to the device feeder position for picking up the electronic device. For this picking process, it is expected that the placement head positioning system can be accurate enough without imaging, but the downward camera 50 can also be used for this movement to ensure that the nozzle 28a picks up the first electronic device 32a so that the edge of the first electronic device 28a remains visible to the downward camera 50 outside the entire periphery of the nozzle 28a tip. Next, the placement head positioning system moves the spindle assembly to the upward camera 36, ​​which is configured to image the interconnect features on the bottom of the electronic device 32a, so as to find the exact location of these features in X, Y and θ. At the same time or synchronously, the downward camera 50 can also image the top surface of the first electronic device 28a through the transparent spindle. The placement head positioning system then processes the same image to determine the exact location of the device edge and calculates the relationship between the edge location and the interconnect feature location in X, Y and θ.

[0062] It should be understood that, although not shown, the electronic device placement system 10 may include a controller and / or an imaging system. The controller and / or imaging system may include one or more computer processors and / or memory systems and / or data storage systems, computer system buses, etc. The electronic device placement system 10 may include wireless components, or may be completely wired and located within the electronic device placement system 10. In some embodiments, the various cameras 36, 38, 50 may include their own local processing systems, which may be interconnected via the electronic device placement system 10. Regardless of the embodiment, the computer processor and the controller and / or imaging system may be configured to image and control the various movements of the placement head positioning system to perform the pick and place described herein.

[0063] During the imaging step (i.e., implemented by the control system) of the upward camera 36, ​​the downward camera 50 can be placed above the target area of ​​the substrate 34. The downward camera 50 can then image the target area and calculate the location of the interconnection features of the substrate 34, as well as the location of the features that are still visible in the same image when the nozzle 28a with the electronic device 32a covers the interconnection features of the substrate. The vision system of the downward camera 50 can then calculate the X, Y, and θ positions of the interconnection features during the placement movement. Subsequently, the placement head positioning system moves the first spindle 18a to a placement position on the substrate 34 so that it is relatively close to the final accurate placement position, for example, X, Y is about 100 microns, Z is about 2 mm, and θ is about 0.1 degrees. By imaging the edge of the electronic device 28a, the vision system of the downward camera 50 can use the previously collected information provided by the upward camera 36 about the relationship between the edge and the interconnection features to calculate the location of the interconnection features at the bottom of the electronic device 32a.

[0064] If a larger correction is required (i.e., X, Y greater than 100 microns, Z greater than 2 mm, θ greater than 0.1 degrees), the placement head positioning system can be moved by moving the first beam 14a, the first carriage 16a, the Z drive 22a and the θ drive 30a. Alternatively, if the distance between the location of the interconnect feature and the target is within a relatively close position (i.e., X, Y greater than 100 microns, Z approximately 2 mm, θ approximately 0.1 degrees), the piezoelectric stage 20a can be used, and the electronic device 32a can be centered on the target on the substrate 34 with the required accuracy.

[0065] The nozzle 28a is then lowered by the Z drive 22a without contact until the downward camera 50 focuses on the substrate features while focusing on the edge of the device. At this point, the piezoelectric stage 20a may need to be finalized to achieve nanometer-level alignment of X, Y, and θ. Finally, placement is implemented by the Z drive 22a and / or the Z drive of the piezoelectric stage 20a. In addition, the sensors on the piezoelectric stage 20a can be used as sensors to record contact forces at this time. The d and β rotation axes of the piezoelectric stage 20a can be further used in combination with a set of laser sensors to adjust the angle of the substrate surface so that all protrusions contact the target at the same time.

[0066] Once the placement process is completed, the first spindle assembly can be returned to the electronic component feeder through the placement head positioning system to pick up the next component. While this process is taking place, the same process described above can be performed on the second spindle assembly (i.e., the second carriage 16b, the second Z drive 22b, the second piezoelectric table 20b, the second spindle 18b, the glass plate 26b, and the second nozzle 28b) as well as the downward camera 50 and the upward camera 38.

[0067] Figure 5AA method 100 for placing an electronic device (e.g., one or both of the electronic devices 32a, 32b) according to one embodiment is described. The method 100 includes a first step 102 of moving a first beam and a first carriage. The step may include moving the first beam along a Y-axis relative to at least one linear bearing. The first beam may be arranged along a first X-axis perpendicular to the Y-axis, and the first beam may be movably coupled to the at least one linear bearing. The step may further include moving the first carriage relative to the first beam along the first X-axis. The first carriage may be movably coupled to the first beam.

[0068] The method 100 may include a next step 104 of picking up the first electronic device at a first picking position by a first spindle movably coupled to the first carriage. As described above, the first spindle may include a transparent first spindle body.

[0069] Then, the method 100 may include step 106, i.e., moving the first spindle together with the picked-up first electronic device to a first imaging position by moving one or more of the first crossbar along the Y-axis and the first carriage along the X-axis, and imaging the bottom of the first electronic device at the first imaging position by the first upward camera. While imaging the bottom of the first electronic device by the upward camera in step 106, the method 100 may also include a synchronous step 107 of imaging the top of the first electronic device by the downward camera. This simultaneous imaging can provide a high-precision relationship between the top edge of the first electronic device imaged in step 107 and the bottom raised pattern of the first electronic device imaged in step 106.

[0070] The method may include step 108 of imaging the first placement location using the downward camera. It should be understood that step 108 may be performed before moving the first spindle with the picked up first electronic device to the first placement location.

[0071] Then, the method 100 may include step 110 of moving the first spindle with the picked-up first electronic device to a first placement position by moving the first beam along the Y-axis. Then, the method 100 may include step 112 of positioning the first spindle directly below the downward-facing camera in the first placement position (i.e., when the first beam is proximate to the third beam). Step 112 may include moving at least one of the third beam and the first beam so that the third beam is proximate to the first beam.

[0072] Then, the method 100 may include step 114 of initiating a placement process of the first spindle to begin placing the picked first electronic device on the substrate at the first placement position. Then, step 116 includes imaging the outer edge of the first electronic device through the transparent first spindle body by the downward camera during the placement process of the first spindle.

[0073] The method 100 may then include step 118 of moving the first spindle relative to the first spindle assembly Z drive using the first piezoelectric stage to finely adjust the positioning of the first spindle. The method 100 may then include step 120 of placing the first electronic device on the substrate at the first placement location.

[0074] The method 100 further includes Figure 5B The additional steps shown. Figure 5B The steps shown in Figure 5A This is a continuation of the steps shown in , but some of these steps can be found in Figure 5A occurs before all steps in the Figure 5A The steps shown in are performed simultaneously.

[0075] Figure 5B A depicts a continuation of the method 100 for placing an electronic device (e.g., one or both of the electronic devices 32a, 32b) according to one embodiment. The method 100 includes a next step 122 of moving a second beam and a second carriage. The step may include moving the second beam along the Y-axis relative to at least one linear bearing. The second beam may be arranged along a first X-axis perpendicular to the Y-axis, and the second beam may be movably coupled to the at least one linear bearing. The step may further include moving the second carriage relative to the second beam along the first X-axis. The second carriage may be movably coupled to the second beam.

[0076] The method 100 may include a next step 124 of picking up the second electronic device at a second pick-up position by a second spindle movably coupled to the second carriage. The second spindle may include a transparent first spindle body, as described herein above.

[0077] Then, the method 100 may include step 126 of moving the second spindle with the picked-up second electronic device to a second imaging position by moving one or more of the second crossbar along the Y-axis and the second carriage along the X-axis, and imaging the bottom of the second electronic device at the second imaging position by the second upward camera. While imaging the bottom of the second electronic device by the upward camera at step 126, the method 100 may include a synchronous step 127 of imaging the top of the second electronic device using the downward camera. Such simultaneous imaging may provide a high-precision relationship between the top edge of the second electronic device imaged in step 127 and the raised pattern of the bottom of the second electronic device imaged in step 126.

[0078] When step 126 is performed, the method may include a step 128 of imaging the second placement position with the downward camera. It should be understood that step 128 may be performed before moving the second spindle with the picked-up second electronic device to the second placement position.

[0079] Then, the method 100 may include step 130 of moving the second spindle with the picked-up second electronic device to a second placement position by moving the second beam along the Y-axis. Then, the method 100 may include step 132 of positioning the second spindle directly below the downward camera in the second placement position (i.e., when the second beam is close to the third beam). Step 132 may include moving at least one of the third beam and the second beam so that the third beam is close to the second beam.

[0080] Then, the method 100 may include step 134, i.e., starting the placement process of the second spindle to begin placing the picked second electronic device on the substrate at the second placement position. Then, step 136 includes imaging the outer edge of the second electronic device through the transparent second spindle body by the downward camera during the placement process of the second spindle.

[0081] Then, the method 100 may include step 138, using the second piezoelectric stage to move the second spindle assembly Z drive to finely adjust the positioning of the second spindle. Then, the method 100 may include step 140, placing the second electronic device on the substrate at the second placement position. The method 100 may continue in this manner to alternately use each of the first spindle and the second spindle for pick and place.

[0082] Fig. 6A Depicted is a side view of an electronic device placement system 200 including a downward camera 250 and a spindle 218 of a spindle assembly 219 having a nozzle 228 that picks up electronic devices that move out of a visual path of the downward camera 250 , according to one embodiment. Figure 6B A side view of an electronic device placement system 200 is depicted, including a downward facing camera 250 with a nozzle 228 picking up an electronic device 228 on a substrate 234, according to one embodiment.

[0083] Although not shown, the electronic device placement system 200 may include a positioning system having a pair of linear bearings and at least one beam, a pair of linear bearings such as linear bearings 12a, 12b, and at least one beam such as at least one of beams 14a, 14b, 14c. On the beam, a slide 216 is shown, and the downward camera 250 and the spindle 218 are both movably coupled to the slide 216. Therefore, in this embodiment, the beam can be movably coupled to at least one bearing arranged along the X axis perpendicular to the Y axis. The beam can be configured to move along the Y axis relative to the at least one linear bearing to achieve movement in the X and Y directions. The slide 216 can be movably coupled to the beam and can be configured to move along the X axis relative to the beam.

[0084] The electronic device placement system 200 includes a spindle assembly Z drive 222 movably coupled to the carriage 216, which is configured to move relative to the carriage along a Z axis perpendicular to the x-axis and the y-axis. Similarly, the spindle 218 is coupled to the spindle assembly Z drive 222. The spindle may be the same or similar to the spindles 18a, 18b described above. As shown, the spindle 218 includes a nozzle 228 vertically mounted on a transparent spindle body. The transparent spindle body includes two glass plates 226. As shown, the spindle 218 includes a θ drive 230 for rotating the spindle 218 and the nozzle 228.

[0085] Although not shown, the electronic device placement system 200 may include an upward facing camera and configured to image the bottom of the electronic device 232, just like at least one of the upward facing cameras 36, 38 described above. In this single spindle embodiment, the electronic device placement system 200 may include only a single upward facing camera. The device camera may be configured to image the electronic device 232 picked up by the nozzle 228 of the spindle 218 before the placement process of the electronic device 232.

[0086] The electronic device placement system 200 includes a downward-facing camera 250 that is movable on the spindle 218 during placement of the electronic device 232. Figure 6B . The downward camera 250 is configured to image the outer edge of the electronic device 232 through the transparent spindle body during the placement process of the spindle 218. The downward camera 250 may include a lens and / or an illumination system 254 to facilitate proper imaging. The downward camera 250 may include a camera Z drive 252, which is movably coupled to the slide 216 and configured to move relative to the slide in the Z axis. Therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, the downward camera 250 and the spindle 218 can be movably coupled to the same slide 216. However, the downward camera 250 can be moved relative to the slide 216 in the Z axis independently of the spindle 218. Therefore, each spindle 218 and the downward camera 250 includes a dedicated separate Z drive 222, 252 for independent movement.

[0087] like Fig. 6AAs shown in , when the spindle camera is pointed at the placement location, the spindle 218 can be configured to move out of the visual path of the downward camera 250 along the movement path M. In the illustrated embodiment, the spindle 218 can be configured to articulate and rotate about the carriage 216. However, in other embodiments, the spindle 218 can move relative to the carriage 216 along a spindle linear bearing (not shown) to move out from under the downward camera 250 and allow the downward camera 250 to directly image the substrate 234. The spindle 218 can move with at least one degree of freedom relative to the downward camera 250. Alternatively, the spindle 218 can move with at least two degrees of freedom (i.e., vertical independent movement and horizontal independent movement) relative to the downward camera 250. In addition, although not shown, it should be understood that the electronic device placement system 200 includes a frame and a substrate gripper system, such as the frame 40 and the substrate gripper system 42 described above herein.

[0088] The electronic device placement system 200 also includes a voltage stage 220 that is movably coupled between the spindle assembly Z drive 222 and the spindle 218. The voltage stage 220 can be configured to move the spindle 218 relative to the spindle assembly Z drive 222 to make fine positioning adjustments to the positioning of the spindle 218. The piezoelectric stage is configured to make fine adjustments to the positioning of the spindle in six axial directions, including an X-axial direction, a Y-axial direction, a Z-axial direction, a θ-rotational axial direction, a d-rotational axial direction, and a β-rotational axial direction, similar to the piezoelectric stages 20a, 20b described above.

[0089] Reference now Figure 7 , showing a schematic diagram of a method according to an embodiment Fig. 6A and 6B 2 is a side view of an electronic device placement system 200, which includes a downward camera 250 and a spindle 218 located above an upward camera 236. The upward camera 236 can be a fixed camera, or it can also include its own positioning system. In any embodiment, the upward camera 236 and the downward camera 250 can be positioned or moved so that they are vertically aligned, so that the downward camera can capture the outline of the picked electronic component through the transparent spindle, and the upward camera can capture the bottom of the electronic component.

[0090] As shown, the upward camera 236 includes its own lens and / or lighting system 254. Figure 7As shown, the upward camera 254 can be configured to image the bottom of the electronic device 232 while the downward camera 250 images the top of the electronic device 232. To achieve this imaging, the upward lighting system 237 and the downward lighting system 254 can be configured to perform synchronous illumination during the simultaneous imaging of the electronic device by the upward camera and the downward camera. For example, the illumination can provide illumination for less than 10 microseconds for the imaging of the two cameras to eliminate the influence of system vibration.

[0091] In some embodiments, an aperture 260 with a sharp inner edge may be located above the upward camera 236 so that when the upward camera 236 and the downward camera 250 simultaneously image the electronics 232, the electronics 232 may be positioned at the height of the aperture 260. The aperture or blades may completely surround the electronics 232 and may taper to a very thin blade point at the inner periphery of the surrounding element. The aperture 260 may aid in calibration or alignment of the imaging.

[0092] exist Figure 6A-6BIn the illustrated embodiment, the sequence of events may be as follows. First, the placement head system (i.e., carriage 216 and attached components) is moved to a device feeder position (not shown) by a positioning system in the X and Y directions for picking up electronic devices 232. In this movement, a downward camera 250 may be used to ensure that the suction nozzle 228 picks up the electronic device 232, so that the edge of the electronic device 232 remains visible to the downward camera 250 outside the entire periphery of the tip of the spindle 218. Then, the positioning system moves the spindle 218 to the device camera that is viewed upward, which is configured to image the contact protrusions of the electronic device, and in this way finds the precise targets of X, Y, and θ. Subsequently, the imaging and / or control system processes the same image of the edge of the electronic device 232 and calculates the relationship between the edge and the X, Y, and θ targets. Below, the positioning system moves the spindle 218 to the placement point on the substrate 234, with X and Y approximately within 10 microns, Z approximately within 2 millimeters, and θ approximately within 0.01 degrees. By observing the edge of the electronics 232, the downward camera 250 can calculate the center of the bump using the information provided by the upward camera. After moving the downward camera 250 downward by approximately 2 mm, the downward camera 250 can image the substrate 234. In one embodiment, if greater correction is required, the positioning system can move the carriage 216 further. However, if the target is within microns, the piezoelectric stage 220 can be used and the electronics 232 will be precisely aligned to the target on the substrate 234. The spindle 218 is then lowered by the spindle assembly Z drive 222, without contact, until the downward camera 250 focuses on the device edge and the substrate features at the same time. At this point, the piezoelectric stage 220 may be required to perform a final correction to achieve nanometer-level alignment in the X, Y, and θ directions. The placement is then performed by the spindle assembly Z drive 222 and / or the piezoelectric stage 220. At this point, the piezoelectric stage actuator can be used as a sensor to record the contact force. The d-axis and beta-axis on the piezoelectric stage are used in conjunction with a set of laser sensors to adjust the substrate surface angle so that all bumps contact the target at the same time.

[0093] Figure 7 Depicted is an example according to an embodiment Fig. 6A and Figure 6B A method 300 for placing an electronic device such as an electronic device 332a. The method 300 includes a first step 302 of moving at least one beam and a movably coupled carriage to a pick-up position. Step 302 may include moving the at least one beam along the Y axis relative to the at least one linear bearing when the at least one beam is arranged along an X axis perpendicular to the Y axis and the at least one beam is movably coupled to at least one linear bearing. Step 302 may further include moving the carriage relative to the at least one along the X axis, wherein the carriage is movably coupled to the at least one beam.

[0094] The method 300 may include a next step 304, namely, by a main axis (such as Fig. 6A and Figure 6B The nozzle of the spindle (as shown in the figure) coupled to the spindle assembly Z drive picks up the electronic device at the pick-up position. The spindle may include a transparent spindle body, and the nozzle may also be transparent and / or vertically mounted to the transparent spindle body.

[0095] Then, the method 300 may include step 306 of moving the spindle with the picked-up electronic device to an imaging position and imaging the bottom of the electronic device at the imaging position by the upward device camera. While the upward camera is used to image the bottom of the electronic device in step 306, the method 300 may also include a synchronous step 307 of imaging the top of the electronic device using the downward camera. This simultaneous imaging approach can provide a high-precision relationship between the top edge of the electronic device imaged in step 307 and the raised pattern of the bottom of the electronic device imaged in step 306.

[0096] Then, method 300 may include step 308, moving the spindle assembly with the picked electronic device to a placement position by moving at least one beam along the Y axis, a carriage along the X axis, and one or more of a spindle assembly Z drive along the Z axis; rotating the spindle and the nozzle with a θ drive. Step 308 may further include moving a downward camera downward above the placement position.

[0097] The method 300 then includes step 310 of moving the spindle out of the visual path of the downward camera when the downward camera is pointed at the placement location. This step can be accomplished, for example, by rotating the spindle about a carriage hinge and / or moving the spindle along a spindle linear bearing relative to the carriage. The method can then include step 311 of imaging the placement location and conventional surrounding features on the substrate. The method can then include step 312 of moving the spindle back into the visual path of the downward camera.

[0098] Then, the method 300 may include step 313 of initiating a placement process of the spindle to begin placing the picked electronic device on the substrate at the placement position. Step 313 may include moving the spindle assembly Z drive relative to the carriage along a Z axis perpendicular to the X axis and the Y axis when the spindle assembly Z drive is movably coupled to the carriage.

[0099] The method 300 includes step 314, during the placement process of the spindle, the downward camera images the outer edge of the electronic device through the transparent spindle body. This may include moving the camera Z driver relative to the carriage along the Z axis to move the downward camera along the Z axis and / or independently moving the downward camera relative to the spindle along the Z axis.

[0100] Then, the method 300 may include step 316, i.e., using the piezoelectric stage to move the spindle relative to the spindle assembly Z drive to finely adjust the position of the spindle. For example, step 316 may include using the piezoelectric stage to finely adjust the position of the spindle in six axis directions, including the X axis direction, the Y axis direction, the Z axis direction, theta rotation axis direction, the d rotation axis direction, and the beta rotation axis direction. The final step 318 of the method 300 may include placing the electronic device on the substrate.

[0101] The methods described herein can be used to place electronic devices picked up by the nozzle of the spindle assembly with an accuracy better than 1 micron. In addition, these methods can also include using a downward camera to capture a single image containing the device outline and the substrate surface during the placement process, thereby eliminating the need to set a reference frame mark or special mark on the substrate. Various other advantages can also be achieved by applying the concepts provided in this article.

[0102] One of the advantages of the above-described embodiment is improved placement accuracy, which is required for next-generation chip designs. This is mainly due to the elimination of steps in the placement process that lead to placement errors. During the actual placement process, the present embodiment uniquely achieves closed-loop placement by processing a single image containing the device outline and the substrate surface. Another major advantage of the present system compared to prior art equipment is that no special marks are required to set the reference frame marks on the device or substrate. Instead, the present system can be achieved by simply using known device features and substrate features. This not only saves a lot of money, but also produces smaller products.

[0103] Figure 1 and Figure 2 Another advantage of the embodiment shown in is the improved accuracy achieved by the use of two drive systems. This placement process is unique in that the spindle camera is on a positioning system that is independent of the placement head positioning system. This allows for parallel processing and improves the output of the system, especially when two placement head positioning systems are used on both sides of the spindle camera positioning system. This allows device picking and device camera imaging to be performed in parallel with the placement process, thereby increasing (up to double) the system output.

[0104] Another unique feature of this mechanism is the use of the camera Z actuator described in this article to move the downward camera in the Z direction. This allows for true closed-loop active alignment until the part touches the ground.

[0105] The ability to image the device profile during the placement cycle may also be valuable, without the need for a piezo stage, using only conventional X, Y, Z, and theta positioning systems. In other words, embodiments can be envisioned that do not use a piezo stage for fine adjustments. However, piezo stages are considered a significant improvement in placement in situations where precise data of the target location on a printed circuit board (PCB) or substrate is not available. In this case, all corrections can be made directly by the higher accuracy positioning system.

[0106] In various alternative embodiments, it may also be useful to make the glass sheet spindle easily replaceable on the placement head drive to accommodate various other device sizes. In addition, the glass sheet spindle without the nozzle can be used as a tool to calibrate the upward camera and the downward camera by placing a glass device on the upward camera and imaging the glass device with both cameras at the same time.

[0107] As mentioned above, other transparent materials can be used instead of glass sheets, especially if the illumination uses light of a different wavelength, such as infrared or ultraviolet. In addition, a glass sheet with protruding glass burrs can be used instead of a separate nozzle extending from the bottom plate mounted between the two glass sheets to allow the downward camera to capture more of the top surface.

[0108] Figure 5A and Figure 5B In a single beam version as shown in , the entire spindle assembly can be mounted on hinges or on horizontal linear bearings so that the spindle assembly can be moved out of the downward camera path after the device is picked or placed. This can allow the downward camera to directly view the substrate without the spindle in between, thereby directly imaging the substrate protrusions and / or features with the highest accuracy and calculating the actual relationship between the protrusions and features of the electronic device and the substrate before the spindle assembly is moved back into alignment with the spindle camera to begin the placement process.

[0109] In another sequence of events, as a first step in a placement sequence, the spindle's theta drive can rotate the spindle, which in turn rotates the electronics, so that a downward-facing camera can image the sharp corners of a raised pattern on the substrate and calculate the relationship of the raised pattern to visible features on the substrate that are visible to the downward-facing camera during placement.

[0110] Each element of the embodiment of the present invention is introduced with the article "a" or "an". The article means that there are one or more elements. The terms "including" and "having" and their derivatives are intended to be open-ended, so there may be other elements besides the listed elements. The conjunction "or" when used with at least two terms means any term or combination of terms. The terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between elements and do not indicate a particular order.

[0111] Although the present invention has been described in detail in conjunction with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but may be modified to incorporate any number of variants, deformations, substitutions, or equivalent structures, which are not described herein but are consistent with the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, although many embodiments of the present invention have been described, it should be understood that various aspects of the present invention may include only certain embodiments described. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electronic device placement system, comprising: a spindle assembly having a positioning system configured to move between a pick position and a place position, the spindle assembly comprising a spindle having a transparent spindle body, the spindle including a nozzle mounted vertically to the transparent spindle body; an upward camera configured to image a bottom of an electronic device picked up by a spindle nozzle prior to a placement process of the electronic device; as well as A downward camera is moved on the spindle during spindle pick and placement of electronic devices, wherein the downward camera is configured to image an outer edge of the electronic device through the transparent spindle body during the spindle placement process, wherein the downward camera is configured to capture an image of the substrate surface before and / or during the placement process.

2. The electronic device placement system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upward camera is configured to image a bottom of the electronic device simultaneously with the downward camera imaging a top of the electronic device.

3. The electronic device placement system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upward camera includes an upward lighting system, wherein the downward camera includes a downward lighting system, wherein the upward lighting system and the downward lighting system are configured to perform synchronized lighting during simultaneous imaging of the upward camera and the downward camera of the electronic device.

4. The electronic device placement system according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also included is an aperture located above the upward camera, so that during simultaneous imaging of the upward camera and the downward camera of the electronic device, the electronic device is positioned at the height of the aperture.

5. The electronic device placement system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spindle is configured to move out of a visual path of the downward camera when the downward camera is pointed at a placement location.

6. The electronic device placement system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spindle assembly and downward camera are attached to a carriage of the positioning system, wherein the spindle is configured to move with at least one degree of freedom relative to the downward camera.

7. The electronic device placement system according to claim 6, characterized in that: Also includes: a camera Z actuator operably attached to the downward-facing camera, the camera Z actuator being movably coupled to the carriage and configured to move in a vertical direction relative to the carriage, Wherein, the spindle assembly includes a spindle assembly Z drive, which is movably coupled to a slide, and the slide is configured to move the spindle assembly relative to the slide along a vertical direction, wherein the upward camera moves independently of the spindle assembly relative to the slide on the Z axis.

8. The electronic device placement system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a spindle assembly Z driver and a piezoelectric worktable, wherein the piezoelectric worktable is movably coupled between the spindle assembly Z driver and the spindle, and the piezoelectric worktable is configured to move the spindle relative to the spindle assembly Z driver to perform fine positioning adjustment on the spindle, wherein the piezoelectric worktable is configured to perform fine positioning adjustment on the spindle in six axis directions, and the six axis directions include an X-axis direction, a Y-axis direction, a Z-axis direction, a θ rotation axis direction, an α rotation axis direction, and a β rotation axis direction.

9. The electronic device placement system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transparent spindle body includes two glass plates, wherein the spindle includes a theta drive for rotating the nozzle.

10. The electronic device placement system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electronic device placement system is configured to place picked electronic devices with an accuracy of better than 1 micron through the suction nozzle of the spindle, wherein the downward camera is configured to capture a single image including the device outline and conventional features on the substrate surface during the placement process, thereby eliminating the need for reference frame marks or special markings on the substrate.

11. A method for placing an electronic device, comprising: moving a spindle assembly to a pick-up position using a positioning system, the spindle assembly including a spindle having a transparent spindle body, the spindle including a nozzle mounted vertically to the transparent spindle body; Pick up electronic components using a spindle; Use an upward-facing camera to image the bottom of the electronic component picked up by the spindle before placing the electronic component; Moving the spindle with the electronic components to the placement position; as well as imaging the surface of the substrate using a downward-facing camera before and / or during the placement process; During the spindle placement process, the outer edge of the electronics is imaged through the transparent spindle body using a downward-looking camera that moves over the spindle.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising using an upward camera to image a bottom of the electronic device while simultaneously using a downward camera to image a top of the device.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The upward camera includes an upward lighting system, wherein the downward camera includes a downward lighting system, and the method further includes: Using the upward lighting system and the downward lighting system, synchronous lighting is performed during simultaneous imaging by the upward camera and the downward camera.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: providing an aperture located above the upward-facing camera; as well as The electronics are positioned at the height of the aperture while the upward and downward cameras of the electronics are imaging simultaneously.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising moving the spindle out of a visual path of the downward camera when the downward camera is pointed at a placement location.

16. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The spindle assembly and the downward camera are attached to a carriage of the positioning system, wherein the spindle further comprises at least one of the following: A main axis of rotation is articulated about the carriage; and The spindle moves relative to the carriage along the spindle linear bearings.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that The positioning system further includes a camera Z actuator operably attached to the downward camera, wherein the spindle assembly includes a spindle assembly Z drive movably coupled to the carriage, the method further comprising: Use the camera Z drive to move the camera in the vertical direction; and The spindle is moved in a vertical direction using a spindle assembly Z drive, wherein movement of the spindle assembly Z drive is independent of movement of the camera Z drive.

18. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The spindle assembly further includes a spindle assembly Z drive and a piezoelectric stage movably coupled between the spindle assembly Z drive and the spindle, the method further comprising: moving the spindle relative to the spindle assembly Z drive using the piezoelectric stage to make fine positioning adjustments to the positioning of the spindle, wherein the piezoelectric stage is movably coupled between the spindle assembly Z drive and the spindle; and The piezoelectric worktable is used to perform fine positioning adjustment on the main axis in six axis directions, wherein the six axis directions include an X-axis direction, a Y-axis direction, a Z-axis direction, a θ rotation axis direction, an α rotation axis direction, and a β rotation axis direction.

19. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The transparent spindle body includes two glass plates, wherein the spindle includes a theta drive for rotating the spindle and the nozzle, and the method further includes rotating the spindle and the nozzle using the theta drive.

20. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: placing the electronic device picked up by the nozzle of the spindle with an accuracy better than 1 micron; as well as During the placement process, a downward-facing camera is used to capture a single image containing the device outline and common features on the substrate surface, so no fiducial markers or special markings are required on the substrate.

Images