Integrated circuit element packaging method and integrated circuit element packaging device

Abstract

The invention provides an integrated circuit element packaging method and device. The integrated circuit element packaging method comprises the following steps: providing an integrated circuit element, and carrying the integrated circuit element on a carrying disc; providing a conveying flow path, wherein the conveying flow path is composed of a plurality of rails and can be used for conveying the carrying disc carrying the integrated circuit element along the conveying flow path; the loading disc loaded with the integrated circuit element is sequentially and respectively executed in a plurality of different operation stations in the conveying flow path: the operation of forming a thermal interface material on the integrated circuit element, the operation of coating a glue material on the integrated circuit element, the operation of placing an upper cover on the integrated circuit element, and the operation of placing the upper cover on the integrated circuit element; and applying a pressure for pressing the integrated circuit element to the upper cover. Therefore, the packaging efficiency and the compatibility of thermal interface material application are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a packaging method and apparatus, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for packaging integrated circuit (IC) components. Background Technology

[0002] Taiwan Patent No. I568324, "Method and Apparatus for Placing Heat Sinks," discloses an integrated circuit component packaging process. This process utilizes a series production line consisting of a coating device, a die-planting device, and a pressing device to perform a coating step, a die-planting step, and a pressing and curing step. The process involves coating a composite material with a chip already mounted on a substrate before placing the heat sink (generally called the top cover). The coating device, equipped with adhesive valves and adhesive needles, coats the four corners of the substrate surrounding the chip with a first adhesive in a ∟-shaped, center-oriented frame to adhere to the lower periphery of the heat sink. A second adhesive, in a crisscross pattern, is coated on the upper surface of the chip to adhere to the inner edge of the raised surface of the heat sink. The die-planting device then places the heat sink onto the substrate and chip, which have been coated with adhesive. Finally, the pressing device performs a pressing and curing step, applying pressure and heating to the heat sink to cure the liquid adhesive and complete the packaging.

[0003] Background Technology In the aforementioned packaging process, liquid adhesive is used for (1) bonding the periphery of the heat sink to the substrate; (2) heat transfer between the chip and the heat sink; With the rapid development of technology, the process of integrated circuit components is moving towards 2.5D IC and even 3D IC packaging. The chip is no longer directly fixed to the substrate, but has advanced to forming a chip stacking architecture with the lead carrier (intermediate layer, RDL Interposer). In the case of wafers (e.g., Cow), and multiple wafers packaged on a substrate, the heat dissipation requirements cannot be met simply by applying a second adhesive in a cross pattern to the surface of a single wafer. Furthermore, in the prior art, when a coating device is used for the adhesive application step, the first adhesive must be applied to the substrate around the wafer using adhesive valves and adhesive needles, and the second adhesive must also be applied to the surface of the wafer. This process consumes a lot of time in the same workstation. Moreover, the adhesive valves and adhesive needles of the coating device can only allow liquid adhesives to be applied and cannot adapt to the application of non-liquid adhesives between the wafer and the heat sink. It is evident that the prior art still has room for improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a method for packaging integrated circuit elements that can improve upon at least one of the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0005] Another object of the present invention is to provide an integrated circuit element packaging device that can improve upon at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide an integrated circuit element packaging apparatus that can be used to perform the integrated circuit element packaging method as described above.

[0007] The integrated circuit element packaging method according to the present invention includes: providing an integrated circuit element carried on a carrier; providing a transport path consisting of a plurality of tracks for transporting the carrier carrying the integrated circuit element along the transport path; and causing the carrier carrying the integrated circuit element to be sequentially subjected to the following operations at different work stations in the transport path: performing operations to form a thermal interface material on the integrated circuit element, applying an adhesive to the integrated circuit element, placing a top cover on the integrated circuit element, and applying pressure to the top cover to press against the integrated circuit element.

[0008] According to another objective of the present invention, an integrated circuit element packaging apparatus includes: a transport flow path composed of multiple tracks for transporting a tray carrying an integrated circuit element along the transport flow path; and multiple work stations arranged sequentially along the transport flow path, including a thermal interface material application station for applying a thermal interface material to the integrated circuit element, an adhesive coating station for applying an adhesive to the integrated circuit element, a cover placement station for placing a cover onto the integrated circuit element, and a cover pressing station for pressing the cover onto the integrated circuit element.

[0009] An integrated circuit element packaging apparatus according to another object of the present invention can be used to perform the integrated circuit element packaging method as described above.

[0010] The integrated circuit element packaging method and apparatus of the present invention, because the operation of forming the thermal interface material on the integrated circuit element is not performed in the same work station as the operation of applying the adhesive to the integrated circuit element using adhesive valves and adhesive needles, but is set in a sequential work station in the transport flow path, and is performed independently in the preprocess work station of the adhesive application operation. Therefore, it can independently apply different thermal interface materials such as thermal interface film, metal thermal interface material, or liquid metal thermal interface material, and use different application mechanisms depending on the thermal interface material. For example, the thermal interface film can be applied by bonding, without being affected by the fact that the work station for applying the adhesive can only apply thermosetting adhesive using adhesive valves and adhesive needles, thereby improving the packaging efficiency and compatibility of thermal interface material application. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1This is a perspective view illustrating that the integrated circuit element in the embodiment of the present invention includes a chip and a substrate.

[0012] Figure 2 This is an exploded perspective view illustrating that, in this embodiment of the invention, the package of the integrated circuit element is a cover on which the integrated circuit element is placed.

[0013] Figure 3 This is an exploded 3D view illustrating that, in this embodiment of the invention, the integrated circuit elements are arranged in multiple matrices on a carrier disk.

[0014] Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional exploded view, illustrating that in this embodiment of the invention, the top cover is arranged in multiple matrices on the material tray.

[0015] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the integrated circuit element packaging device and its various workstations in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the transport flow path of the integrated circuit element packaging device in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working head and drive mechanism of each workstation in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the conveying flow path, working head, and drive mechanism in each workstation of this embodiment of the invention.

[0019] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the preset operations performed by each workstation on the integrated circuit element in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] [Symbol Explanation]

[0021] 1: Integrated circuit components

[0022] 11: Chips

[0023] 111: First Page

[0024] 12: Substrate

[0025] 121: Second page

[0026] 2: Top cover

[0027] 3: Thermal interface materials

[0028] 4: Adhesive materials

[0029] A: Transport flow path

[0030] A1: Track

[0031] B: Supply Station

[0032] B1: Control Unit

[0033] B2: Drive mechanism

[0034] B3: Material feeding head

[0035] C: Thermal interface material application station

[0036] C1: Control Unit

[0037] C2: Drive mechanism

[0038] C3: Treatment Head

[0039] C31: Feeder pulley

[0040] C32: Take-up reel

[0041] C33: Offset

[0042] D: Thermal Interface Material Inspection Station

[0043] D1: Control Unit

[0044] D2: Drive mechanism

[0045] D3: Thermal interface material inspection head

[0046] E: Adhesive Coating Station

[0047] E1: Control Unit

[0048] E2: Drive mechanism

[0049] E3: Glue applicator

[0050] F: Adhesive Inspection Station

[0051] F1: Control Unit

[0052] F2: Drive mechanism

[0053] F3: Adhesive Inspection Head

[0054] G: Covering the planting station

[0055] G1: Control Unit

[0056] G2: Drive mechanism

[0057] G3: Planting Head

[0058] H: Checkpoint

[0059] H1: Control Unit

[0060] H2: Drive mechanism

[0061] H3: Cover the inspection head

[0062] I: Covering and pressing station

[0063] I1: Control Unit

[0064] I2: Pressing mechanism

[0065] I21: Lower mold fixture

[0066] I22: Upper mold fixture

[0067] I3: Transfer Mechanism

[0068] J: Pressing Inspection Station

[0069] J1: Control Unit

[0070] J2: Drive mechanism

[0071] J3: Pressing Inspection Head

[0072] K: Receiving Station

[0073] K1: Control Unit

[0074] K2: Drive mechanism

[0075] K3: Receiving Operation Head

[0076] L: Overhead crane system

[0077] T: Release tape

[0078] S1: Carrier disk

[0079] S2: Tray

[0080] W1: Material box

[0081] W2: Material box

[0082] W3: Material Box Detailed Implementation

[0083] Please see Figure 1The integrated circuit element packaging method and apparatus of this invention are applicable to packaging an integrated circuit element 1 as shown in the figure. The integrated circuit element 1 has a wafer 11 on a substrate 12. The integrated circuit element 1 has a first surface 111 on the side of the wafer 11 opposite to the substrate 12, and a second surface 121 on the side of the substrate 12 opposite to the wafer 11. In this embodiment of the invention, the wafer 11 is defined broadly to include, for example, a wafer stacking architecture (e.g., Cow, Chip on wafer) consisting of one or more dies or chips combined with a conductive layer (RDL Interposer). The substrate 12 may be, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB Substrate).

[0084] Please see Figure 1 , 2 During the packaging process of the integrated circuit element 1, a top cover 2 (Lid, Heatsink, or Heat Slug) will be placed on the integrated circuit element 1. Before the top cover 2 is placed on the integrated circuit element 1, a thermal interface material 3 (TIM), such as a film, a metal, or a liquid metal, will be formed on the first surface 111 of the integrated circuit element 1. The substrate 12 and the top cover 2 are used for heat transfer between the chip 11 and the top cover 2. The periphery of the second surface 121 of the integrated circuit element 1 is coated with an adhesive 4 for bonding between the substrate 12 and the top cover 2. The adhesive 4 can be, for example, a thermosetting adhesive. The present invention is also applicable to the packaging process of integrating, for example, silicon photonic optical communication elements into the top cover 2 during packaging.

[0085] Please see Figure 3 , 4 The integrated circuit element 1 can be carried on a boat S1, which has a rectangular shape and on which multiple integrated circuit elements 1 are arranged in an array; the top cover 2 can be carried on a tray S2, which has a rectangular shape and on which multiple top covers 2 are arranged in an array.

[0086] Please see Figure 5 , 6 The integrated circuit element packaging method of this invention can be described using the process on the integrated circuit element packaging device shown in the figure as an example. This device is equipped with:

[0087] A conveying path A is composed of multiple tracks A1 and can be used to transport the carrier S1 carrying the integrated circuit element 1 along the conveying path A;

[0088] Multiple workstations are sequentially arranged along the conveyor path A: a feeding station B providing the carrier tray S1 containing the integrated circuit element 1; a thermal interface material application station C applying the thermal interface material 3 onto the integrated circuit element 1; a thermal interface material inspection station D capable of visually inspecting the thermal interface material 3 applied to the integrated circuit element 1; an adhesive coating station E applying the adhesive 4 onto the integrated circuit element 1; and a workstation for inspecting the adhesive 4 applied to the integrated circuit element 1. The system includes an adhesive material inspection station F for visual inspection of the adhesive material 4, a cover placement station G for placing the cover 2 on the integrated circuit element 1, a cover inspection station H for visual inspection of the cover 2 placed on the integrated circuit element 1, a cover pressing station I for pressing the cover 2 onto the integrated circuit element 1, a pressing inspection station J for visual inspection of the pressed cover 2, and a receiving station K for collecting the tray S1 containing the integrated circuit element 1.

[0089] The thermal interface material inspection station D is located between the thermal interface material application station C and the adhesive coating station E; the adhesive inspection station F is located between the adhesive coating station E and the cover placement station G; the cover inspection station H is located between the cover placement station G and the cover pressing station I; and the pressing inspection station J is located between the cover pressing station I and the receiving station K.

[0090] Each workstation is an independent machine, which is connected to each other along the conveyor flow path A. Each workstation is equipped with a control unit B1, C1, D1, E1, F1, G1, H1, I1, J1, K1, which includes a display and operation interface. The control units of the previous workstation and the next workstation are connected to each other by a signal smema line.

[0091] The tracks A1 are distributed at each work station and can be connected in series or in parallel as needed; some tracks A1 can be installed on rail bases A2 as needed, so that the track A1 installed on rail base A2 can move horizontally or rotate relative to rail base A2 to selectively connect with other tracks A1; the track A1 can be, for example, a combination of rail frame, belt and drive; since the method of connecting, paralleling, moving horizontally or rotating the tracks A1 is not the focus of this invention, it will not be described in detail here.

[0092] Please see Figure 3 , 45, 6, The integrated circuit packaging device can be used with a crane system (e.g., an overhead hoist transfer, OHT) L, which passes over the integrated circuit packaging device and is vertically parallel to the conveying flow path A; the crane system L is used to vertically move the material box W1 vertically into or out of the feeding station B, or to vertically move the material box W2 vertically into or out of the receiving station K, or to vertically move the material box W3 vertically into or out of the capping station G;

[0093] The material box W1 corresponding to the feeding station B is the tray S1 that holds the integrated circuit element 1 and is moved into the feeding station B by the overhead crane system L. After the tray S1 carrying the integrated circuit element 1 is output to the conveying flow path A, the empty material box W1 is moved out of the feeding station B by the overhead crane system L.

[0094] The empty material box W2 of the receiving station K is moved into the receiving station K by the overhead crane system L. After the tray S1 carrying the integrated circuit element 1 is collected from the material box W2 by the conveying flow path A, the material box W2 containing the tray S1 is moved out of the receiving station K by the overhead crane system L.

[0095] The material box W3 corresponding to the cover planting station G is the material tray S2 containing the cover 2 and is moved into the cover planting station G by the overhead crane system L. After the material tray S2 containing the cover 2 is output from the material box W3, the empty material box W3 is moved out of the cover planting station G by the overhead crane system L.

[0096] The overhead crane system L is used to facilitate the transport of material boxes W1, W2, and W3, but it is not limited thereto. The integrated circuit package device can also be used with unmanned vehicles with robotic arms or manually to transport material boxes W1, W2, and W3. Since the way the tray S1 outputs material box W1 at the feeding station B, the way the tray S1 inputs material box W2 at the receiving station K, and the way the tray S2 outputs material box W3 at the cover placement station G are not the focus of this invention, they will not be described in detail here.

[0097] Please see Figure 7 , 8 9. Each workstation is equipped with a work head for pre-programming operations on the integrated circuit element 1 on the carrier disk S1;

[0098] The feeding station B is equipped with a feeding head B3 that can be driven by a drive mechanism B2 to move above the conveying flow path A. The feeding head B3 can photograph the integrated circuit element 1 on the carrier S1 and the control unit B1 can calculate the number of the integrated circuit element 1 on the carrier S1. The drive mechanism B2 can be, for example, a single-axis or multi-axis gantry slide. The feeding head B3 can be, for example, a CCD lens.

[0099] The thermal interface material application station C is equipped with two sets of application heads C3, each driven by a drive mechanism C2 and displaced above the conveying flow path A. Each application head C3 can apply the thermal interface material 3 to the first surface 111 (i.e., the wafer 11) of the integrated circuit element 1. In this embodiment of the invention, the thermal interface material 3 is exemplified by a thermal interface film. Each application head C3 is equipped with a feed roller C31, a take-up roller C32, and a contact element C33 disposed between the feed roller C31 and the take-up roller C32. The interface material 3 is attached to a release tape T. After the release tape T with the thermal interface material 3 is output from the feed pulley C41, it passes through the abutment C33 and is wound up by the take-up pulley C32. The thermal interface material 3 is attached to the other side of the release tape T opposite to the abutment C33. When the release tape T with the thermal interface material 3 is attached passes through the abutment C33, the abutment C33 can attach the thermal interface material 3 to the wafer 11. The drive mechanism C2 can be, for example, a single-axis or multi-axis gantry slide.

[0100] The thermal interface material inspection station D is equipped with a thermal interface material inspection head D3 that can be driven by a drive mechanism D2 to move above the conveying flow path A. The thermal interface material inspection head D3 can perform visual inspection on the thermal interface material 3 that has been applied to the wafer 11. The drive mechanism D2 can be, for example, a single-axis or multi-axis gantry slide. The thermal interface material inspection head D3 can be, for example, a CCD lens, and the visual inspection items include whether the application position of the thermal interface material 3 is correct, whether the appearance of the thermal interface material 3 has defects, etc.

[0101] The adhesive coating station E is equipped with two sets of coating heads E3, each driven by a drive mechanism E2 and displaced above the conveying flow path A. The coating head E3 can coat the adhesive 4 on the periphery of the second surface 121 (i.e., the substrate 12) of the integrated circuit element 1. The drive mechanism E2 can be, for example, a single-axis or multi-axis gantry slide. The coating head E3 can be, for example, a screw adhesive valve, a piezoelectric adhesive valve, or a pneumatic adhesive valve, etc.

[0102] The adhesive inspection station F is equipped with an adhesive inspection head F3 that can be driven by a drive mechanism F2 to move above the conveying flow path A. The adhesive inspection head F3 can perform visual inspection on the adhesive 4 that has been coated on the substrate 12. The drive mechanism F2 can be, for example, a single-axis or multi-axis gantry slide. The adhesive inspection head F3 can be, for example, a CCD lens, and the visual inspection items include whether the coating position of the adhesive 4 is correct, whether the appearance of the adhesive 4 has defects, etc.

[0103] The cover placement station G is equipped with two sets of placement heads G3, each driven by a drive mechanism G2 and displaced above the transport flow path A. The placement head G3 can pick up the cover 2 and place the cover 2 on the second surface 121 (i.e., the substrate 12) of the integrated circuit element 1, so that the cover 2 can cover the chip 11. The drive mechanism G2 can be, for example, a single-axis or multi-axis gantry slide. The placement head G3 can be, for example, a negative pressure suction cup.

[0104] The cover inspection station H is equipped with a cover inspection head H3 that can be driven by a drive mechanism H2 to move above the conveying flow path A. The cover inspection head H3 can perform visual inspection on the cover 2 that has been placed on the substrate 12. The drive mechanism H2 can be, for example, a single-axis or multi-axis gantry slide. The cover inspection head H3 can be, for example, a CCD lens, and the visual inspection items include whether the placement position of the cover 2 is correct, whether the appearance of the cover 2 has defects, etc.

[0105] The cover pressing station I is provided with four sets of pressing mechanisms I2, which are respectively arranged in pairs on both sides of the conveying flow path A, and two sets of transfer mechanisms I3 that can transfer the carrier plate S1 between the pressing mechanism I2 and the conveying flow path A. The pressing mechanism I2 is provided with a lower mold fixture I21 and an upper mold fixture I22 that can be displaced relative to the lower mold fixture I21. The transfer mechanism I3 can extract the carrier plate S1 from the conveying flow path A to the pressing mechanism I2 and place the carrier plate S1 on the lower mold fixture I21, so that the upper mold fixture I22 can press down on the upper cover 2 to apply pressure to press the integrated circuit element 1, and heat the integrated circuit element 1 to cure the adhesive material 4 or heat the upper cover 2 to melt the heat interface material 3.

[0106] The pressing inspection station J is equipped with a pressing inspection head J3 that can be driven by a drive mechanism J2 to move above the conveying flow path A. The pressing inspection head J3 can perform visual inspection on the pressed cover 2. The drive mechanism J2 can be, for example, a single-axis or multi-axis gantry slide. The pressing inspection head J3 can be, for example, a CCD lens, and the visual inspection items include whether the cover 2 is offset, whether the cover 2 has any defects in appearance, etc.

[0107] The receiving station K is equipped with a receiving head K3 that can be driven by a drive mechanism K2 to move above the conveying flow path A. The receiving head K3 can photograph the integrated circuit element 1 on the carrier S1 and the control unit K1 can calculate the number of the integrated circuit element 1 on the carrier S1. The drive mechanism K2 can be, for example, a single-axis or multi-axis gantry slide. The receiving head K3 can be, for example, a CCD lens.

[0108] In the implementation of this embodiment of the invention, the carrier tray S1 carrying the integrated circuit element 1 is stored in the material box W1, and the overhead crane system L moves the material box W1 into the feeding station B, so that the carrier tray S1 carrying the integrated circuit element 1 can be output to the conveying flow path A. The carrier tray S1 carrying the integrated circuit element 1 passes sequentially through the hot interface material application station C, the hot interface material inspection station D, the adhesive coating station E, the adhesive inspection station F, the cap placement station G, the cap inspection station H, the cap pressing station I, and the pressing inspection station J in the conveying flow path A, and finally arrives at the receiving station K, so that the carrier tray S1 carrying the integrated circuit element 1 can be input into the material box W2 for collection and the overhead crane system L moves the material box W2 out of the receiving station K;

[0109] The integrated circuit element packaging method includes:

[0110] The carrier S1 carrying the integrated circuit element 1 is sequentially subjected to the following operations at different work stations in the transport path A: forming the thermal interface material 3 on the integrated circuit element 1, applying the adhesive 4 to the integrated circuit element 1, placing the top cover 2 on the integrated circuit element 1, and applying pressure to the top cover 2 to press against the integrated circuit element 1.

[0111] After the operation of forming the thermal interface material 3 on the integrated circuit element 1 is performed, and before the operation of applying the adhesive 4 to the integrated circuit element 1 is performed, a visual inspection of the thermal interface material 3 formed on the wafer 11 is performed.

[0112] After the application of the adhesive 4 to the integrated circuit element 1 and before the placement of the top cover 2 on the integrated circuit element 1, a visual inspection of the adhesive 4 applied to the substrate 12 is performed.

[0113] After the operation of placing the cover 2 on the integrated circuit element 1 and before the operation of applying pressure to the cover 2 to press against the integrated circuit element 1, a visual inspection of the cover 2 placed on the substrate 12 is performed.

[0114] After applying pressure to the top cover 2 to press the integrated circuit element 1, and before the tray S1 carrying the integrated circuit element 1 is conveyed to the receiving station K, a visual inspection of the pressed top cover 2 is performed.

[0115] After the carrier plate S1 carrying the integrated circuit element 1 has undergone preset operations in the thermal interface material application station C, the adhesive coating station E, the cap placement station G, and the cap pressing station I, the thermal interface material inspection station D, the adhesive inspection station F, the cap inspection station H, and the pressing inspection station J will successively perform inspection operations, which can immediately detect defects that occur to the integrated circuit element 1 after the preset operations have been performed in the thermal interface material application station C, the adhesive coating station E, the cap placement station G, and the cap pressing station I.

[0116] During the preset operation of the tray S1 carrying the integrated circuit element 1, if a fault occurs or a defect is found during inspection, the work station performing the operation will stop and issue a warning. Therefore, after the tray S1 carrying the integrated circuit element 1 is output from the material box W1 corresponding to the feeding station B, and is transported to the material box W2 corresponding to the receiving station K for collection, before the tray S1 carrying the integrated circuit element 1 is prepared to be transported from the previous work station (such as the thermal interface material inspection station D) to the next work station (such as the adhesive coating station E), the previous work station will transmit electrical signals through the signal crossover line connecting the control unit D1 and the control unit E1 of the next work station to confirm whether the control unit E1 of the next work station allows the receiving of the tray S1 carrying the integrated circuit element 1, which can prevent the already defective integrated circuit element 1 from continuing to be transported to the next work station.

[0117] The integrated circuit element packaging method and apparatus of the present invention, since the operation of forming the thermal interface material 3 on the integrated circuit element 1 is not performed in the same work station as the operation of applying the adhesive material 4 to the integrated circuit element 1 using adhesive valves and adhesive needles, but is set in a sequential work station in the transport flow path A, and is performed independently in the preprocess work station of the adhesive material 4 application operation, it can independently apply different thermal interface materials 3 such as thermal interface film, metal thermal interface material, or liquid metal thermal interface material, and use different application mechanisms depending on the thermal interface material 3 applied. For example, the thermal interface film can be applied by bonding method, without being affected by the fact that the work station for applying the adhesive material 4 can only apply thermosetting adhesive using adhesive valves and adhesive needles, thereby improving the packaging efficiency and compatibility of the thermal interface material 3 application.

[0118] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. Any simple equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the patent application and the contents of the patent specification of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the patent of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for packaging an IC device, comprising: providing an IC device carried on a carrier plate; providing a conveying path composed of a plurality of tracks and allowing the carrier plate carrying the IC device to be conveyed along the conveying path; sequentially performing the following operations on the IC device carried on the carrier plate in different operation stations in the conveying path: an operation of forming a thermal interface material on the IC device, an operation of applying a glue material to the IC device, an operation of mounting a cover on the IC device, and an operation of applying a pressing force to the cover towards the IC device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The IC device is provided with a die on a substrate, and the operation of forming a thermal interface material on the IC device is one of applying a thermal interface sheet or applying a metal thermal interface material or a liquid metal thermal interface material to the die.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of applying a layer of adhesive is performed by dispensing a liquid adhesive onto the substrate. The operation of visually inspecting the thermal interface material applied to the IC device is performed in a different operation station after the operation of applying the thermal interface material to the IC device and before the operation of applying the glue material to the IC device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The IC device is provided with a die on a substrate, and the operation of mounting the cover on the IC device is to mount the cover on the substrate so that the cover covers the die.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, The operation of visually inspecting the cover mounted on the substrate is performed after the operation of mounting the cover on the IC device and before the operation of applying a pressing force to the cover towards the IC device.

6. An apparatus for packaging an IC device, comprising: a conveying path composed of a plurality of tracks and allowing a carrier plate carrying an IC device to be conveyed along the conveying path; a plurality of operation stations sequentially arranged along the conveying path and including a thermal interface material forming station for forming a thermal interface material on the IC device, a glue material applying station for applying a glue material to the IC device, a cover mounting station for mounting a cover on the IC device, and a cover pressing station for pressing the cover towards the IC device.

7. The integrated circuit device package assembly of claim 6, wherein, The plurality of operation stations further include a thermal interface material inspection station for visually inspecting the thermal interface material applied to the IC device, which is arranged along the conveying path between the thermal interface material forming station and the glue material applying station.

8. The integrated circuit device package assembly of claim 6, wherein, The plurality of operation stations further include a cover inspection station for visually inspecting the cover mounted on the IC device, which is arranged along the conveying path between the cover mounting station and the cover pressing station.

9. The integrated circuit device package assembly of claim 6, wherein, The plurality of operation stations further include a feeding station for feeding the carrier plate carrying the IC device, which is arranged along the conveying path before the thermal interface material forming station, and the carrier plate carrying the IC device is stored in a magazine corresponding to the feeding station, and the magazine corresponding to the feeding station can be vertically moved into the feeding station by a trolley system.

10. The integrated circuit device package assembly of claim 6, wherein, The plurality of operation stations further include a collecting station for collecting the carrier plate carrying the IC device, which is arranged along the conveying path after the cover pressing station, and the carrier plate carrying the IC device is collected in a magazine corresponding to the collecting station, and the magazine corresponding to the collecting station can be vertically moved out of the collecting station by a trolley system.

11. An integrated circuit device packaging apparatus operable to perform the integrated circuit device packaging method of any one of claims 1 to 5.

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