Method, system, and data processing apparatus and computer program for building modules

Abstract

The invention relates to a method (100) for constructing modules (30), each of which is provided with at least two electronic components (50), comprising the following steps: defining (101) a removal pattern, which specifies a specific removal path (60) for a component position on at least one wafer (40) on which the components (50) are provided for constructing the modules; initiating (102) a removal process in which the component (50) is removed from the at least one wafer along the removal path (60); starting (103) a construction process, in which the module (30) is provided with the removed element (50). According to the invention, the extraction path (60) is defined taking into account at least one correlation of the electrical characteristic of the component (50) and the component position on at least one wafer (40). The invention also relates to a system for building a module and to a corresponding device and computer program for processing data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method for constructing modules, each of which is provided with at least two electronic components. The invention also relates to a computer program, a device for data processing and a system for this purpose. Background Art

[0002] It is known from the prior art that when producing symmetrical modules, a picking pattern can be used to optimize the chip removal process. In this case, for example, a chip mounter can be used, which automatically removes the chips from the wafer within the framework of a pick and place process and places them in the provided modules. The picking pattern thus defines, for example, the sequence and orientation of the chips during the pick and place process. Symmetrical modules can be components or parts with similar chips.

[0003] After wafer production, the chips are usually picked out from the wafer and loaded into modules. In this case, however, the quality of the chips is usually reduced due to the wafer production process (such as slicing, polishing, photolithography or etching). Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention proposes a method, a computer program, a device and a system for building a module. Other features and details of the present invention are derived from the technical solution, the specification and the drawings. The features and details described in relation to the method according to the present invention are naturally also applicable to the computer program according to the present invention, the device according to the present invention and the system according to the present invention, and vice versa, so the disclosures of various aspects of the present invention are always mutually referenced or mutually referenceable.

[0005] The subject of the invention is in particular a method for constructing modules, each of which is provided with at least two electronic components, in particular semiconductor components, preferably power semiconductors. The module can be, for example, a power module, and the components are accordingly semiconductors, such as power semiconductors (for example MOSFETs). The module can be used, for example, for an inverter having a plurality of power modules.

[0006] In principle, the goal can be to reduce the size of the components (hereinafter also referred to as chips). However, the reduction in chip size also leads to an increase in temperature, so that the optimization goal is limited by the temperature development on the module. It can therefore be that the components on the module have an influence on the power capacity of the module, for example by influencing the temperature development. In this case, it is often the case that higher temperatures are more advantageous, especially the less similar the components provided in the module. Targeted optimization of the removal pattern to select components with similar electrical properties can provide assistance.

[0007] According to a first method step of the method according to the invention, a removal mode can first be defined, which predetermines a specific removal path for a component position on at least one wafer, on which the components for building the module are manufactured and / or provided. For example, the removal path can be stored digitally so that it can be called up during a particularly automated removal process. Based on the removal path, for example, control instructions for at least one motor can be generated. The removal process can then be started according to a further method step. In this case, the components can be removed from the at least one wafer along the removal path, particularly automatically.

[0008] The method according to the invention also comprises a further method step in which a building process can be started, which can also be carried out automatically if necessary. During this building process, the module can be provided with the removed elements. This step can also be carried out automatically.

[0009] According to the invention, it can be provided that the removal path is defined taking into account at least one correlation of the electrical properties of the component and the position of the component on at least one wafer. As electrical properties, parameters such as RDSON, threshold voltage VTH and / or QGD can be considered, for example. RDS(ON) stands in particular for "Drain-Source On-Resistance" and can represent the resistance between the drain and the source of a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) in the on state. QGD stands in particular for "Gate-Drain Charge" and can represent the charge displaced between the gate and the drain of a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) or a similar transistor type during a switching process. The electrical properties can be specific, for example, for switching losses and conduction losses. In this case, the invention is based in particular on the recognition that, due to similar components, the switching losses are also more similar. This is often advantageous. On the contrary, the less similar the components are, the more unfavorable the operation of the module may be due to the temperature development. In particular, the removal path can be defined in such a way that a module is provided with similar components, so that the temperature can be reduced during module operation.

[0010] In addition, it is conceivable within the scope of the present invention that the removal path is defined as such a path: the path extends alternately in opposite directions so as to predetermine a continuous and / or repeated and / or zigzag and / or sawtooth track on at least one wafer. In other words, the removal path can be defined by taking into account at least one correlation of the electrical characteristics of the component and the position of the component on at least one wafer, so that the removal path is defined as a path extending alternately in opposite directions. This has the following advantages: the components taken out one after another during the removal process have similar electrical characteristics due to the removal path defined in this way, and also have similar electrical characteristics during the transition between two wafers if necessary. Therefore, the module is provided with electrically similar components so that temperature optimization can be achieved when the module is running. In this case, the removal mode, i.e., the picking mode, also has the following influence, i.e., taking into account the potential defect interval on the wafer and thus ensuring that only the best quality chips are selected for assembly.

[0011] It is also advantageous within the scope of the invention if the removal path is defined as a path that extends in a circle from an outer component position of the at least one wafer to an inner component position in order to predetermine a continuous and / or spiral path on the at least one wafer. It is thus possible to define the removal path taking into account at least one correlation between the electrical properties of the components and the component positions on the at least one wafer in such a way that components removed one after the other during the removal process have similar electrical properties.

[0012] It can be provided within the scope of the invention that the removal path is defined as a path that includes a change of direction when a transition (from the current wafer) to a subsequent wafer is provided during removal. It is thus possible to define the removal path taking into account at least one dependency of the electrical properties of the components and the position of the components on at least one wafer so that components removed one after another during the removal process have similar electrical properties even at the transition between the wafers.

[0013] In another possibility, it can be provided that the removal path is defined as a path that runs circularly on the corresponding wafer with a plurality of changes in direction in order to predetermine a continuous, semi-spiral trajectory on the at least one wafer. This also makes it possible to define the removal path taking into account at least one correlation between the electrical properties of the components and the position of the components on the at least one wafer in such a way that components removed one after another during the removal process have similar electrical properties.

[0014] Furthermore, it can be provided within the scope of the invention that when the removal process is started, the following steps are started repeatedly:

[0015] - Take out components from the current wafer along the take-out path until the components of the current wafer are taken out.

[0016] - perform the transition from the current wafer to the subsequent wafer,

[0017] - Taking out components from the subsequent wafer along the taking-out path until the taking-out of components from the subsequent wafer is completed.

[0018] In this case, the removal path can be defined as a path in which, for the current wafer, the removal of the component stops at the same component position where the removal continues for the subsequent wafer after the removal is completed. This also makes it possible to fully utilize the correlation between the electrical characteristics of the component and the component position on at least one wafer.

[0019] Furthermore, it is advantageous within the scope of the invention to operate a removal machine, for example in the form of a placement machine, for removing components along the removal path. Alternatively or additionally, the electronic components can be implemented as semiconductor components, preferably power semiconductors, wherein the corresponding module is equipped with at least three components. These components can thus form a functional structure, for example for a power electronic device, which is optimized by the removal mode according to the invention.

[0020] The subject of the invention is also a system for building modules, which are provided with at least two electronic components. The system can have a device for defining a removal mode. In this case, the removal mode can predetermine a specific removal path for the position of the component on at least one wafer, as in the method according to the invention. In the system according to the invention, the components can be provided on at least one wafer for building the modules. The system according to the invention can also have a removal machine for removing the components from at least one wafer during the removal process.

[0021] According to the invention, it can be provided that during the removal process the component is removed along a removal path, wherein the removal path is defined taking into account at least one correlation between the electrical properties of the component and the position of the component on at least one wafer. The system according to the invention thus brings the same advantages as described in detail with respect to the method according to the invention. Furthermore, the device can be embodied as a device according to the invention for data processing.

[0022] A computer program is also the subject of the present invention, in particular a computer program product, comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method according to the invention. The computer program according to the invention thus brings the same advantages as those described in detail with respect to the method according to the invention.

[0023] A device for data processing is also the subject of the invention, which is configured to implement the method according to the invention. For example, a computer can be provided as the device, which implements the computer program according to the invention. The computer can have at least one processor for implementing the computer program. A non-volatile data memory can also be provided, in which the computer program is stored and from which the computer program can be read by the processor for implementation.

[0024] A computer-readable storage medium is also a subject of the invention, which storage medium is part of the system according to the invention and / or has a computer program according to the invention and / or comprises instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method according to the invention. The storage medium is designed, for example, as a data memory, such as a hard disk and / or a non-volatile memory and / or a memory card. The storage medium can be integrated, for example, in a computer.

[0025] The steps of the method according to the invention can be performed repeatedly and / or automatically and / or computer-assisted. The method can also be implemented as a computer-implemented method.

[0026] Further advantages, features and details of the invention are apparent from the following description, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings. The features mentioned in the claims and in the description may be essential to the invention individually or in any combination. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The accompanying drawings show:

[0028] Figure 1 : Schematic visualization of methods, systems, storage media, and computer programs according to embodiments of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 : Schematic description of the temperature distribution of the module after fabrication;

[0030] Figure 3 : Zigzag removal mode;

[0031] Figure 4 : A removal mode according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] exist Figure 1 Schematically describes a system 1 with an apparatus 10, a storage medium 15 and a computer program 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1The method 100 for constructing modules 30 is shown, each of which is provided with at least two electronic components 50, in particular semiconductor components, preferably power semiconductors. According to a first method step 101, a removal mode, also called a picking mode, can first be defined, which predetermines a specific removal path 60 for a component position on at least one wafer 40 (see Figure 4 , in which a removal path 60 is shown by way of example, on which components 50 are manufactured and provided for building a module 30. Then, according to a second method step 102, a removal process can be started, in which the components 50 are removed from the at least one wafer 40 along the removal path 60. Furthermore, according to a third method step 103, a construction process can be started, in which the module 30 is provided with, for example, equipped with, the removed components 50. It can be provided that the removal path 60 is defined taking into account at least one correlation between the electrical properties of the component 50 and the position of the component on the at least one wafer 40.

[0033] In addition Figure 1 A system 1 for building a module 30 according to a variant embodiment of the invention is also described. The system 1 may include a device 10 for defining 101 a removal mode and a removal machine 70 for removing components 50 from at least one wafer 40 during the removal process. In other words, the system 1 may be implemented for implementing the method 100 according to the invention.

[0034] The invention is based inter alia on the consideration that instead of merely assuming that adjacent components 50 (hereinafter also referred to as chips) have unrelated electrical characteristics, statistics and patterns found in the on-wafer measurement data can be exploited to define a sorting scheme and thus reduce tolerances within a module. Figure 2 An exemplary graph is shown in FIG. 1 , in which the temperature T is plotted against the number of modules 30 . j In this graph, for small T j Value and for high T j The distribution of values ​​shows a reduced number of pieces and increased costs. The extreme values ​​of this distribution lead in particular to a significant increase in costs and should therefore be minimized. In addition, a chip limit (Chip Limit) is given as a boundary value by 201.

[0035] According to the present invention, an improved sorting mode for wafers can be provided. Figure 3 An exemplary measurement of a chip quality parameter in relation to the chip position on the wafer is given in FIG. 3 . In this figure, curve 301 can represent a quality parameter, i.e. a measured variable or characteristic of, for example, a manufactured chip. The quality parameter can accordingly be specific to the manufacturing process and / or the quality of the manufactured chip. The measured variable is, for example, “Qgd”, i.e. in particular the gate-drain charge of the chip, or also RDS(ON) . Curve 302 can give the radius on the wafer at which the chip is arranged. Curve 303 can describe the vertical position of the point on the wafer at which the chip is arranged in the Cartesian coordinate system. In these measurements, the dependence of the electrical properties, in particular the quality parameters, on the position of the chip on the wafer can be clearly seen. These measurements are produced here for a conventional zigzag pattern. The "zigzag pattern" in the "wafer picking mode" is particularly used to specify the order in which the chips on the wafer are selected or checked. For example, there is a provision that the chips are selected or checked in a zigzag order across the wafer.

[0036] According to an embodiment variant of the present invention, a modification or replacement of the traditional zigzag pattern is proposed. Figure 4 First, a conventional zigzag pattern 401 is shown. Instead, according to an embodiment variant of the invention, a modified zigzag pattern 402 can be defined with an alternating y direction, that is to say with a change of direction, defining a coil pattern 403 or a half coil pattern 404. Thus, a new picking pattern, also called removal pattern, can be defined taking into account the aforementioned dependencies and in this way symmetrical modules can be constructed, achieving a compact distribution and thus a higher power.

[0037] exist Figure 4 In the removal mode 402 , the removal path 60 is defined as a path that runs alternately in opposite directions in order to predetermine a continuous, repetitive, zigzag or sawtooth-like trajectory on at least one wafer 40 .

[0038] In the removal mode 403 , the removal path 60 is defined as a path which extends circularly from an outer component position 41 of the at least one wafer 40 to an inner component position 42 in order to predetermine a continuous, spiral trajectory on the at least one wafer 40 .

[0039] In the removal mode 404 , the removal path 60 is defined as a path which has a circular course with a plurality of changes in direction on the corresponding wafer 40 in order to predetermine a continuous, semi-spiral trajectory on at least one wafer 40 .

[0040] The above description of the embodiments only describes the present invention within the scope of examples. Of course, as long as it is technically feasible, the various features of the embodiments of the present invention can be freely combined without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method (100) for constructing modules (30), each of which is provided with at least two electronic components (50), comprising the following steps: - defining (101) a removal pattern which predetermines a specific removal path (60) for a component position on at least one wafer (40) on which the components (50) are provided for building the module, - starting (102) a removal process, in which the component (50) is removed from the at least one wafer (40) along the removal path (60), - starting (103) a building process in which the module (30) is provided with the removed element (50), It is characterized in that The removal path (60) is defined taking into account at least one dependency between an electrical property of the component (50) and a position of the component on the at least one wafer (40).

2. The method (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The removal path (60) is defined as a path which extends alternately in opposite directions in order to predetermine a continuous, repetitive, zigzag-shaped or sawtooth-shaped trajectory on the at least one wafer (40).

3. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The removal path (60) is defined as a path which extends circularly from an outer element position (41) to an inner element position (42) of the at least one wafer (40) in order to predetermine a continuous, spiral trajectory on the at least one wafer (40).

4. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The removal path (60) is defined as a path which includes a change of direction if a transition to a subsequent wafer (40) is provided during removal.

5. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The removal path (60) is defined as a path which extends circularly with a plurality of changes of direction on the corresponding wafer (40) in order to predetermine a continuous, semi-spiral trajectory on the at least one wafer (40).

6. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that When starting (102) the removal process, the following steps are repeated: - taking out the component (50) from the current wafer (40) along the taking-out path (60) until the taking out of the component (50) for the current wafer (40) is completed, - performing a transition from a current wafer to a subsequent wafer (40), - taking out the component (50) from the subsequent wafer (40) along the taking-out path (60) until the taking out of the component (50) for the subsequent wafer (40) is completed, The removal path (60) is defined as a path in which, after removal of a current wafer (40) is completed, removal of the component (50) is terminated at the same component position where removal of a subsequent wafer (40) is continued.

7. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that In order to remove the component (50), a removal machine (70) is actuated along the removal path (60).

8. The method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that The electronic components (50) are embodied as semiconductor components, wherein a corresponding module (30) is equipped with at least three components (50).

9. Computer program (20) comprising instructions which, when the computer program (20) is executed by a computer (10), cause the computer to carry out the method (100) according to any one of the preceding claims.

10. A device (10) for data processing, the device being configured to carry out the method (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. A system (1) for constructing a module (30) provided with at least two electronic components (50), the system comprising: - a device (10) for defining (101) a removal pattern, which predetermines a specific removal path (60) for a component position on at least one wafer (40) on which the components (50) are provided for building the module (30), a removal machine (70) for removing the component (50) from the at least one wafer (40) in a removal process, in which the component (50) is removed along the removal path (60), wherein: The removal path (60) is defined taking into account at least one dependency between an electrical property of the component (50) and a position of the component on the at least one wafer (40).

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