Tool carrier and lead frame assembly

Abstract

The invention provides a tool carrier and a lead frame assembly. The tool carrier is used for bearing an intermediate structure obtained in the process of preparing a semiconductor structure; the middle structure comprises a lead frame, a chip and a substrate, and one end of a pin of the lead frame and the chip are respectively mounted on the substrate. The tool carrier comprises a main body part, a first insertion part and a second insertion part. The main body part is provided with a first limiting part and at least one second limiting part; the first limiting part is used for limiting the lead frame, and the second limiting part is used for limiting the substrate; the main body part comprises a first end part and a second end part which are opposite to each other; the first insertion part is connected with the first end part, and the second insertion part is connected with the second end part; the first inserting part and the second inserting part are used for being inserted into a limiting groove of a material box containing the middle structure. The lead frame assembly comprises a lead frame and the tool carrier.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of semiconductor technology, and in particular to a tooling fixture and lead frame assembly. Background Technology

[0002] A chip packaging structure includes a chip, a lead frame, a substrate, bonding wires, and a molding compound. The lead frame includes pins; the substrate includes a ceramic plate and a conductive layer located on at least one side of the ceramic plate; the pins of the lead frame and the chip are both mounted on the same conductive layer of the substrate; the bonding wires bond the chip's pads to the conductive layer, thereby electrically connecting the chip's pads to the pins of the lead frame through the bonding wires and the conductive layer; the molding compound at least encapsulates the chip, the pins of the lead frame, and the bonding wires.

[0003] The fabrication process of a chip package structure includes the following steps: First, the chip and lead frame pins are mounted on the conductive layer of the substrate, excluding the base island; then, bonding wires are used to bond the chip's pads to the conductive layer of the substrate; finally, molding is performed. In these three steps, a cassette is needed to transfer the intermediate structure obtained after each step to the next. Currently, when placing the intermediate structure in the cassette, the substrate is inserted into the cassette's recess, posing a risk of scratching the substrate, impacting the chip and bonding wires, and affecting product yield. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a tooling fixture and a lead frame assembly.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this application, a tooling fixture is provided. The tooling fixture is used to carry an intermediate structure obtained during the fabrication of a semiconductor structure; the intermediate structure includes a lead frame, a chip, and a substrate, wherein one end of the pins of the lead frame and the chip are respectively mounted on the substrate; the tooling fixture includes:

[0006] The main body includes a first limiting part and at least one second limiting part; the first limiting part is used to limit the lead frame, and the second limiting part is used to limit the substrate; the main body includes opposing first end portions and second end portions;

[0007] A first insertion part and a second insertion part; the first insertion part is connected to the first end, and the second insertion part is connected to the second end; the first insertion part and the second insertion part are used to insert into the limiting groove of the material box that accommodates the intermediate structure.

[0008] In one embodiment, the main body includes a first plate, a second plate, and a third plate connected in sequence. The first plate includes a first surface for supporting the lead frame, and the third plate includes a second surface located on the same side as the first surface. The height of the first surface is greater than the height of the second surface. The first limiting part is disposed on the first plate, and the second limiting part is disposed on the third plate.

[0009] In one embodiment, the first limiting portion is a limiting protrusion located at one end of the first plate portion away from the second plate portion.

[0010] In one embodiment, the main body portion further includes a fourth plate portion connected to the end of the first plate portion away from the third plate portion, the fourth plate portion being located on the same side as the third plate portion, and the first insertion portion being connected to the end of the fourth plate portion away from the first plate portion.

[0011] In one embodiment, the second insertion portion is connected to the end of the third plate portion away from the first plate portion, and the thickness of the second insertion portion is less than the maximum thickness of the third plate portion.

[0012] In one embodiment, the second limiting portion includes a receiving groove and a support portion located at the bottom of the receiving groove.

[0013] In one embodiment, a portion of the support portion has a perforated design.

[0014] In one embodiment, the cutout is located in the central region of the support portion, and the support portion includes a support structure arranged circumferentially along the cutout; the support structures located on opposite sides of the cutout are symmetrically arranged.

[0015] In one embodiment, the receiving groove has a notch on its side.

[0016] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of this application, a lead frame assembly is provided, the lead frame assembly including a lead frame and the above-described tooling fixture.

[0017] The tooling fixture and lead frame assembly provided in this application embodiment have a first limiting part and at least one second limiting part in the main body of the tooling fixture. The first limiting part can limit the lead frame of the intermediate structure, and the second limiting part can limit the substrate of the intermediate structure, thereby limiting the intermediate structure to be located on the tooling fixture. When the tooling fixture and the intermediate structure are placed in the cassette, the first insertion part and the second insertion part of the tooling fixture can be inserted into the groove of the cassette, thereby limiting the tooling fixture to be located in the cassette, and limiting the intermediate structure to be located in the cassette. Then the cassette can transfer the intermediate structure to the next process. By inserting the first insertion part and the second insertion part of the tooling fixture into the limiting groove of the cassette, the intermediate structure is limited to be located in the cassette. The substrate, chip and lead frame of the intermediate structure do not contact the cassette, which can avoid the intermediate structure being scratched or impacted by the cassette, thus ensuring the quality of the intermediate structure and improving the yield of the semiconductor structure prepared based on the intermediate structure. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of an intermediate structure placed on a tooling fixture, provided by an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of this application after an intermediate structure has been placed on a tooling fixture;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a side view of an intermediate structure placed on a tooling fixture, provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a side view of another intermediate structure provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application after it has been placed on the tooling fixture;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a tooling fixture provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a side view of a tooling fixture provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a tooling fixture with an intermediate structure placed within a material box, provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Specific Implementation

[0025] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0026] The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0027] The following detailed description of some embodiments of this application is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0028] This application provides a tooling fixture. For example... Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the tooling fixture 100 is used to carry the intermediate structure 200 obtained during the semiconductor structure fabrication process. The intermediate structure 200 includes a lead frame 40, a substrate 50, and a chip 60. The lead frame 40 includes pins 41, one end of the pins 41 and the chip 60 are respectively attached to the substrate 50.

[0029] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the tooling fixture includes a main body 10, a first insertion part 20, and a second insertion part 30. The main body 10 is provided with a first limiting part 11 and at least one second limiting part 12; the first limiting part 11 is used to limit the lead frame 40, and the second limiting part 12 is used to limit the substrate 50. The main body 10 includes opposing first and second ends. The first insertion part 20 is connected to the first end of the main body 10, and the second insertion part 30 is connected to the second end of the main body 10. Figure 7 As shown, both the first insertion part 20 and the second insertion part 30 are used to insert into the limiting groove 81 of the material box 80 that accommodates the intermediate structure.

[0030] The tooling fixture provided in this embodiment has a first limiting part 11 and at least one second limiting part 12 on its main body 10. The first limiting part 11 can limit the lead frame 40 of the intermediate structure 200, and the second limiting part 12 can limit the substrate 50 of the intermediate structure 200, thereby limiting the intermediate structure 200 to be positioned on the tooling fixture 100. When the tooling fixture 100 carrying the intermediate structure 200 is placed in the material box, the first insertion part 20 and the second insertion part 30 of the tooling fixture 100 can be inserted into the groove of the material box. This allows the tooling fixture 100 to be confined within the cassette, thereby confining the intermediate structure 200 within the cassette. The cassette can then transfer the intermediate structure to the next process. By inserting the first insertion part 20 and the second insertion part 30 of the tooling fixture 100 into the limiting groove of the cassette, the intermediate structure 200 can be confined within the cassette. The substrate 50, chip 60, and lead frame 40 of the intermediate structure 200 do not contact the cassette, thus preventing the intermediate structure from being scratched or impacted by the cassette, ensuring the quality of the intermediate structure, and thereby improving the yield of the semiconductor structure prepared based on the intermediate structure.

[0031] In one embodiment, in the intermediate structure 200, the chip 60 is mounted on the substrate 50 using an adhesive material. The adhesive material may be, for example, solder paste or silver paste. The surface of the chip 60 away from the substrate 50 has multiple solder pads for bringing out signals from within the chip 60.

[0032] In one embodiment, the substrate 50 of the intermediate structure includes a ceramic plate and conductive material layers located on opposite sides of the ceramic plate. The conductive material layers can be metals, such as copper. One conductive material layer is used for mounting the chip 60 and the pins 41 of the lead frame 40, while the other conductive layer is used for heat dissipation. The ceramic plate of the substrate 50 insulates the two conductive layers.

[0033] In one embodiment, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the intermediate structure 200 also includes a bonding wire 70, one end of which is connected to the solder pad of the chip 60, and the other end is connected to the substrate 50. Thus, the solder pad of the chip 60 is electrically connected to the pin 41 via the bonding wire 70 and the conductive material layer of the substrate 50.

[0034] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the intermediate structure includes multiple substrates 50 arranged in parallel, and each substrate 50 is respectively mounted with a chip 60 and pins 41.

[0035] In one embodiment, such as Figure 4As shown, the intermediate structure 200 does not include bonding wires. This intermediate structure 200 is obtained before bonding the chip 60 and the substrate 50 using bonding wires 70. The intermediate structure 200 can also be confined within a tooling fixture. That is, when the chip 60 and substrate 50 are not bonded using bonding wires 70, the intermediate structure can be confined within the tooling fixture and housed in a cassette, and transported to the bonding process from the cassette. After bonding the chip 60 and substrate 50 using bonding wires 70, the intermediate structure can be confined within the tooling fixture and housed in a cassette, and transported to the molding process from the cassette. Intermediate structures obtained in different processes can all be confined within the tooling fixture, demonstrating good applicability of the tooling fixture.

[0036] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the lead frame 40 includes a plurality of pins 41 arranged in parallel. The lead frame 40 also includes a first link 42 and a second link 43. The ends of each pin 41 furthest from the substrate 50 are connected to the first link 42. The second link 43 is located between the first link 42 and the ends of the pins 41 furthest from the first link 42, and each pin 41 is connected to the second link 43. The first link 42 and the second link 43 can improve the strength of the lead frame 40.

[0037] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, each of the pins 41 is bent, and each pin 41 includes a first pin portion 411, a second pin portion 412, and a third pin portion 413 connected in sequence. The first pin portion 411 and the third pin portion 413 have a height difference, and the third pin portion 413 is mounted on the substrate 50. After the third pin portion 413 is mounted on the substrate 50, there is a height difference between the first pin portion 411 and the substrate 50.

[0038] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the main body 10 includes a first plate 101, a second plate 102, and a third plate 103 connected in sequence. The first plate 101 includes a first surface 13 for supporting the lead frame 40, and the third plate 103 includes a second surface 14 located on the same side as the first surface 13. The height of the first surface 13 is greater than the height of the second surface 14. A first limiting part 11 is provided on the first plate 101, and a second limiting part 12 is provided on the third plate 103. By setting the height of the first surface 13 to be greater than the height of the second surface 14, when the substrate 50 is limited by the second limiting part 12, the first pin portion 411 of the lead frame 40 is in contact with the first surface 13, ensuring the support effect of the tooling fixture on the intermediate structure. By providing the first limiting part 11 on the first plate 101, the portion of the lead frame 40 located on the first surface 13 is limited by the first limiting part 11.

[0039] Furthermore, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the first limiting portion 11 is a limiting protrusion provided on the side of the first plate portion 101 away from the second plate portion 102. Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the first limiting part 11 abuts against the end of the lead frame 40 away from the substrate 50, which can prevent the lead frame 40 from moving relative to the first plate part 101 in a direction away from the third plate part 103. Since the lead frame 40 is attached to the substrate 50, the lead frame 40 cannot move relative to the substrate 50 in a direction parallel to the first surface 13. At this time, the substrate 50 is limited to the second limiting part 12, and the lead frame 40 is simultaneously limited by the substrate 50. In this way, the lead frame 40 can be limited to the tooling fixture.

[0040] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, the second limiting portion 12 includes a receiving groove 121 and a support portion 122 located at the bottom of the receiving groove 121. Specifically, the support portion 122 is located on the side of the receiving groove 121 away from the second surface 14. With this configuration, after the intermediate structure 200 is placed on the tooling fixture 100, at least a portion of the thickness of the substrate 50 is located within the receiving groove 121, and the bottom surface of the substrate 50 abuts against the support portion 122. The receiving groove 121 can restrict the movement of the substrate 50 in a direction parallel to the first surface 13, and the support portion 122 can restrict the movement of the substrate 50 in a direction away from the first surface 13, thereby limiting the substrate 50.

[0041] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, the third plate portion 103 is provided with a plurality of second limiting portions 12, which are arranged in parallel. The arrangement direction of the plurality of second limiting portions 12 may be the same as the arrangement direction of the plurality of pins 41.

[0042] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, the receiving grooves 121 of the plurality of second limiting portions 12 are of the same size. In other embodiments, the receiving grooves 121 of the plurality of second limiting portions 12 may not be all the same, so that the tooling fixture can limit substrates 50 of different sizes in the same intermediate structure.

[0043] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, a portion of the support portion 122 has a perforation 1222. This design reduces the weight of the tooling fixture and the amount of raw materials used, thus lowering costs. In other embodiments, the support portion 122 may be a complete plate without perforations.

[0044] Furthermore, such as Figure 5As shown, the cutout 1222 is located in the central region of the support portion 122. The support portion 122 includes a support structure 1221 arranged circumferentially along the cutout 1222; the support structures 1221 located on opposite sides of the cutout 1222 are symmetrically arranged. By symmetrically arranging the support structures 1221 located on opposite sides of the cutout 1222, the supporting force of the support portion 122 on the two opposite edge regions of the substrate 50 can be made uniform, avoiding uneven force on the substrate 50 and causing tilting, which helps to improve the limiting effect of the second limiting portion 12 on the substrate 50. The support structures 1221 located on any opposite sides of the four sides of the cutout 1222 can be symmetrically arranged.

[0045] Furthermore, such as Figure 5 As shown, the support portion 1221 includes a plurality of support structures 1221 arranged at intervals around the periphery of the cutout 1222, and at least two support structures 1221 are provided on each side of the cutout 1222.

[0046] In one embodiment, the depth of the receiving groove 121 is greater than or equal to half the thickness of the substrate 50. This configuration enhances the limiting effect of the receiving groove 121 on the substrate 50.

[0047] In one embodiment, the depth of the receiving groove 121 is less than or equal to the thickness of the substrate 50. This arrangement prevents the receiving groove 121 from being too deep, as the portion of the end of the pin 41 connected to the substrate 50 that enters the groove may come into contact with the side of the receiving groove 121, thereby causing deformation of the end of the pin 41 connected to the substrate 50.

[0048] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, the side of the receiving groove 121 is provided with a notch 123. (As indicated...) Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the notch 123 on the side of the receiving groove 121 does not contact the substrate 50. The notch 123 reduces the contact area between the side of the substrate 50 and the side of the receiving groove 121, thereby reducing the wear between the substrate 50 and the main body 10 and helping to protect the substrate 50.

[0049] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, the notch 123 penetrates the support portion 122. Specifically, the notch 123 is located between two adjacent support structures 1221. The side of the notch 123 may be arc-shaped.

[0050] In some embodiments, a notch 123 is provided between any two adjacent support structures 1221 of the support portion 122. This effectively reduces the contact area between the side surface of the substrate 50 and the side surface of the receiving groove 121. Figure 5In the embodiment shown, notches 123 are provided at the four corners of the receiving groove 121 and on each side of the receiving groove 121.

[0051] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the main body 10 further includes a fourth plate 104 connected to the end of the first plate 101 away from the third plate 103. The fourth plate 104 and the third plate 103 are located on the same side of the first plate 101, and the first insertion part 20 is connected to the end of the fourth plate 104 away from the first plate 101. By providing a fourth plate 104 connected to the end of the first plate 101, and with the fourth plate 104 and the third plate 103 located on the same side of the first plate 101, the height difference between the first insertion part 20 and the second insertion part 30 can be reduced; at the same time, the stability of the tooling can be improved, making the tooling less prone to deformation.

[0052] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the second insertion portion 30 is connected to the end of the third plate portion 103 away from the first plate portion 101, and the thickness of the second insertion portion 30 is less than the maximum thickness of the third plate portion 103. This arrangement helps to reduce the weight of the tooling fixture and the amount of material used.

[0053] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, the first insertion part 20 is provided with a plurality of first through holes 21, and the second insertion part 30 is provided with a plurality of second through holes 31. In the semiconductor structure fabrication process, the first through holes 21 and the second through holes 31 can cooperate with the limiting part on the base of the processing equipment, so that the tooling fixture is limited on the base, thereby limiting the intermediate structure on the base, which facilitates the processing equipment to process the intermediate structure.

[0054] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the thickness of the first insertion part 20 is basically the same as the thickness of the second insertion part 30, and the maximum thickness of the first plate part 101, the second plate part 102, the third plate part 103 and the fourth plate part 104 can all be greater than the thickness of the first insertion part 20.

[0055] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the second plate portion 102 is approximately perpendicular to the first plate portion 101, and the fourth plate portion 104 is approximately perpendicular to the first plate portion 101.

[0056] In one embodiment, the main body 10, the first insertion part 20, and the third insertion part 30 can be integrally formed. This helps to improve the strength of the connection between the first insertion part 20 and the second insertion part 30 and the main body 10.

[0057] In one embodiment, the material of the loading tool is a high-strength material, such as stainless steel.

[0058] This application also provides a lead frame assembly, which includes a lead frame 40 and the tooling fixture 100 described in any of the above embodiments.

[0059] The tooling fixture 100 can limit the lead frame 40 and the substrate connected to the lead frame 40, and the first insertion part 20 and the second insertion part 30 of the tooling fixture 100 can be inserted into the material box, thereby limiting the lead frame 40 and the intermediate structure connected to the lead frame 40 within the material box. After the intermediate structure is separated from the tooling fixture, the tooling fixture can be reused, which helps to reduce the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor structure. Compared with the scheme of setting the lead frame including the frame structure surrounding the pins and limiting the intermediate structure within the material box by inserting the frame structure into the limiting groove of the material box, in this embodiment the lead frame does not need to be set with a frame body, which can save the amount of raw materials used for the lead frame and reduce the cost of the lead frame.

[0060] In one embodiment, the height difference between the first surface 13 of the first plate portion 101 and the second surface 14 of the third plate portion 103 of the tooling fixture 100 is less than or equal to the height difference between the first pin portion 411 and the third pin portion 413 of the pin 41.

[0061] Other embodiments of this application will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this application that follow the general principles of this application and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this application are indicated by the following claims.

[0062] It should be understood that this application is not limited to the precise structure described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this application is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A tooling loader, characterized in that, The tooling fixture is used to carry the intermediate structure obtained during the semiconductor structure fabrication process; the intermediate structure includes a lead frame, a chip, and a substrate, with one end of the lead frame pins and the chip respectively mounted on the substrate; The tooling includes: The main body includes a first limiting part and at least one second limiting part; the first limiting part is used to limit the lead frame, and the second limiting part is used to limit the substrate; the main body includes opposing first end portions and second end portions; A first insertion part and a second insertion part; the first insertion part is connected to the first end, and the second insertion part is connected to the second end; the first insertion part and the second insertion part are used to insert into the limiting groove of the material box that accommodates the intermediate structure.

2. The tooling fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main body includes a first plate, a second plate, and a third plate connected in sequence. The first plate includes a first surface for supporting the lead frame. The third plate includes a second surface located on the same side as the first surface. The height of the first surface is greater than the height of the second surface. The first limiting part is disposed on the first plate, and the second limiting part is disposed on the third plate.

3. The tooling fixture according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first limiting part is a limiting protrusion provided at the end of the first plate portion away from the second plate portion.

4. The tooling fixture according to claim 2, characterized in that, The main body also includes a fourth plate portion connected to the end of the first plate portion away from the third plate portion. The fourth plate portion and the third plate portion are located on the same side of the first plate portion, and the first insertion portion is connected to the end of the fourth plate portion away from the first plate portion.

5. The tooling fixture according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second insertion portion is connected to the end of the third plate portion away from the first plate portion, and the thickness of the second insertion portion is less than the maximum thickness of the third plate portion.

6. The tooling fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The second limiting part includes a receiving groove and a support part located at the bottom of the receiving groove.

7. The tooling fixture according to claim 6, characterized in that, The support section has a hollowed-out area.

8. The tooling fixture according to claim 7, characterized in that, The cutout is located in the central region of the support portion, which includes a support structure arranged circumferentially along the cutout; the support structures located on opposite sides of the cutout are symmetrically arranged.

9. The tooling fixture according to claim 6, characterized in that, The side of the receiving groove has a notch.

10. A lead frame assembly, characterized in that, Includes the lead frame and the tooling fixture as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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