Wire bonding apparatus

Abstract

A wire bonding apparatus includes: a welding head unit having a welding head with a fixture insertion hole; a fixture for releasing the welding head from gripping a welding needle; a camera unit; and a robotic arm for exchanging welding needles. The welding head unit moves the welding head to an insertion position where the fixture aligns with the fixture insertion hole, and releases the welding needle from gripping by the fixture. With the welding needle released from gripping, the robotic arm exchanges welding needles in the insertion position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a wire bonding apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a wire bonding apparatus. The wire bonding apparatus has a welding pin as a bonding tool. The wire bonding apparatus connects the bonding wire to an electrode by applying heat or ultrasonic vibration to the bonding wire using the welding pin.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 08-306732 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] In electronic equipment manufacturing plants, multiple manufacturing machines operate to produce large quantities of electronic devices. As the number of manufacturing machines increases, production volume can be increased. However, these machines require various maintenance tasks. Therefore, the amount of maintenance work corresponds to the number of manufacturing machines. Thus, the increase in production volume and the burden of maintenance work are contradictory. Therefore, if maintenance tasks could be automated without relying on manual operation, the burden of maintenance work could be reduced.

[0008] The wire bonding device includes a capillary replacement operation as one of the aforementioned maintenance tasks. Therefore, in the art, it is desirable to automate the capillary replacement operation; specifically, it is desirable to automate the process of removing a used capillary from the horn and installing a new capillary on the horn.

[0009] In view of the above background, this disclosure describes a wire bonding device capable of automating the wire bonding needle exchange operation.

[0010] Technical means to solve the problem

[0011] One embodiment of the wire bonding apparatus disclosed herein includes: a welding head unit having a welding head that detachably holds a welding needle and has a fixture insertion hole; a fixture that is inserted into the fixture insertion hole and releases the welding head from holding the welding needle; a camera unit that detects the position of the fixture based on an image captured by the fixture; and a manipulator for exchanging the welding needle held by the welding head; wherein the welding head unit moves the welding head to an insertion position where the fixture and the fixture insertion hole are aligned as detected by the camera unit, and releases the welding head from holding the welding needle through the action of the fixture, and the manipulator exchanges the welding needle in the insertion position while the welding needle is released from holding.

[0012] This wire bonding device, equipped with a welding head that holds the welding needle, requires releasing the welding head's grip on the welding needle during needle exchange. Therefore, the wire bonding device detects the fixture's position based on an image captured by the device. Consequently, the device moves the welding head to the fixture position based on the detected fixture location, allowing the fixture to be inserted into the fixture insertion hole. Then, the device releases the welding head's grip on the welding needle using the fixture. In this state, the wire bonding device can exchange the welding needle using a robotic arm (manipulator). Thus, the wire bonding device can automatically perform the welding needle exchange operation.

[0013] In the above-mentioned wire bonding device, the welding head is provided with a fixture insertion hole and a welding needle mounting hole formed smaller than the welding needle. The fixture insertion hole and the welding needle mounting hole are connected to each other. The welding head uses elastic force to hold the welding needle inserted into the welding needle mounting hole by expanding the welding needle mounting hole. The fixture can expand the fixture insertion hole and the welding needle mounting hole to release the grip on the welding needle.

[0014] The welding needle mounting hole on the welding head is connected to the fixture insertion hole. In this case, when the fixture insertion hole is expanded, the welding needle mounting hole is also expanded. Therefore, the wire bonding device uses a fixture to expand the fixture insertion hole. As a result, with the expansion of the fixture insertion hole, the welding needle mounting hole is also expanded, thereby releasing the grip on the welding needle. In this way, the wire bonding device can easily release the welding head from the welding needle by using the fixture to expand the fixture insertion hole.

[0015] In the wire bonding apparatus described above, the camera unit can detect the position of the fixture based on an image captured from the end face of the fixture's front end. In this case, the wire bonding apparatus can detect the position of the fixture based on the image captured from the end face of the fixture and move the bonding head to the detected fixture position.

[0016] In the aforementioned wire bonding apparatus, the camera unit can move the camera based on an image captured by the fixture, aligning a predetermined image reference point in the captured image with a predetermined fixture reference point on the fixture. By moving the camera in this way, the fixture and the camera can achieve the desired positional relationship. Therefore, the wire bonding apparatus can more accurately detect the position of the fixture based on the image captured by the camera.

[0017] In the aforementioned wire bonding apparatus, the camera unit can also function as a camera for photographing semiconductor chips during wire bonding, positioning the solder pins and photographing the semiconductor chip. In this case, the wire bonding apparatus can use the camera unit provided for wire bonding to photograph the fixture and detect its position. This simplifies the structure of the wire bonding apparatus.

[0018] In the wire bonding apparatus described above, the height of the end face of the fixture's front end can be approximately the same as the bonding height when wire bonding semiconductor chips is being wire bonded. Therefore, when the wire bonding apparatus uses a wire bonding camera unit to photograph the fixture, it can capture a clearer image of the fixture's end face. Consequently, the wire bonding apparatus can detect the fixture's position with higher precision based on the clearly captured image.

[0019] The effects of the invention

[0020] According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the capillary replacement operation can be performed automatically. Attached Figure Description

[0021] [ Figure 1 ] Figure 1 This is a side view of the wire bonding device of the embodiment.

[0022] [ Figure 2 ] Figure 2 This is an enlarged view of the area around the welding pin exchange unit from the side.

[0023] [ Figure 3 ] Figure 3 (a) is a view of the jig from above. Figure 3 (b) is a diagram showing an image of a jig taken by a camera.

[0024] [ Figure 4 ] Figure 4 This is a picture of the ultrasonic welding head viewed from above.

[0025] [ Figure 5 ] Figure 5 (a) ~ Figure 5 (d) is a diagram showing the state of the welding pin mounting hole and the fixture insertion hole when the fixture performs a gripping and releasing action.

[0026] [ Figure 6 ] Figure 6 It is a block diagram showing the functional structure of the controller.

[0027] [ Figure 7 ] Figure 7 It is a flowchart showing the process of exchanging welding pins in the wire bonding device. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, in each drawing, the same or equivalent elements will be labeled with the same symbols, and repeated descriptions will be omitted.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the wire bonding apparatus 100 bonds the bonding wire Y to the semiconductor chip C. The wire bonding apparatus 100 has the following main components: a wire bonding unit (horn unit) 1, a camera unit 2, a bonding table 3, a horn exchange unit 4, and a controller 5. The wire bonding unit 1 bonds the bonding wire Y to the semiconductor chip C. The camera unit 2 acquires images for controlling the operation of the wire bonding unit 1. The controller 5 is equipped with various control units for controlling the operation of each part of the wire bonding apparatus 100 and performing various processing tasks.

[0030] <Wire bonding unit>

[0031] The wire bonding unit 1 includes a welding pin 10, an ultrasonic welding head 11 (welding head), a wire clamp 12, a welding head support 13, a Z-axis drive unit 14, a tool XY platform 15, and a welding head control unit 52 (see [link]). Figure 6 ).

[0032] The welding pin 10, acting as a bonding tool, bonds the bonding wire Y to the semiconductor chip C. An ultrasonic welding head 11 detachably holds the welding pin 10 at its front end. The base end of the ultrasonic welding head 11 is mounted on the front end of the welding head support 13. In addition to the ultrasonic welding head 11, the base end of the wire clamp 12 is also mounted on the front end of the welding head support 13. The front end of the wire clamp 12 is located approximately above the welding pin 10.

[0033] The base end of the welding head support 13 is mounted on the Z-axis drive unit 14. The Z-axis drive unit 14 is mounted on the tool XY platform 15. Therefore, the welding needle 10, ultrasonic welding head 11, wire clamp 12, welding head support 13, and Z-axis drive unit 14, which are directly or indirectly mounted on the Z-axis drive unit 14, can move parallel to each other along the XY plane. The tool XY platform 15 is a high-speed, high-precision platform using a servo motor. The XY plane is, for example, a horizontal plane.

[0034] The Z-axis drive unit 14 causes the welding head support 13 to move in an arc. Through the arc movement of the welding head support 13, the welding needle 10, ultrasonic welding head 11, and wire clamp 12, which are directly or indirectly mounted on the welding head support 13, also move in an arc. That is, the Z-axis position of the welding needle 10, etc., changes. It should be noted that the Z-axis is an axis perpendicular to the XY plane. Through the arc movement of the welding needle 10, the welding needle 10 performs a welding action. The torch arm 16 is also mounted on the Z-axis drive unit 14. An adapter 17 for the torch (not shown) is mounted on the front end of the torch arm 16.

[0035] Thus, in the wire bonding unit 1, the welding needle 10, mounted on the ultrasonic welding head 11 as a bonding tool, and the Z-axis drive unit 14, which causes the welding needle 10 to perform arc motion and bonding action, are mounted on the tool XY platform 15. The welding head control unit 52 controls and processes various actions of the wire bonding unit 1. Details of the control performed by the welding head control unit 52 will be described later.

[0036] <Camera Unit>

[0037] Camera unit 2 is used to photograph the semiconductor chip C. The image of the semiconductor chip C is used for positioning the solder pins 10 during wire bonding. Thus, camera unit 2 functions as a wire bonding camera unit for performing wire bonding. Furthermore, camera unit 2 is also used to photograph the fixture 41 (see...). Figure 2 The image captured by the fixture 41 is used to position the ultrasonic welding head 11 during the exchange of welding needles 10 in the welding needle exchange unit 4.

[0038] The camera unit 2, which is an optical system for positioning, includes a camera 21 containing an imaging element, an arm 22 supporting the camera 21, an XY stage 15 for tools, and a camera control unit 51 (see [link]). Figure 6 The base of the arm 22 is mounted on the tool XY table 15. A camera 21 is mounted on the front end of the arm 22. The arm 22 supports the camera 21 above the wire drawing table 3.

[0039] Camera 21 and arm 22 are mounted on the tool XY platform 15. That is, camera 21 and arm 22 can move parallel to each other in the XY plane along with the welding needle 10, etc., driven by the tool XY platform 15. Thus, the tool XY platform 15 functions not only as part of the wire bonding unit 1, but also as part of the camera unit 2. The camera control unit 51 performs various controls and processes for the camera unit 2. Details regarding the controls performed by the camera control unit 51 will be explained later.

[0040] <bonding stage>

[0041] The bonding station 3 is positioned below the solder pin 10. The bonding station 3 is used to hold the semiconductor chip C below the solder pin 10.

[0042] <Bolt Exchange Unit>

[0043] The welding needle exchange unit 4 is used to retrieve the welding needles 10 mounted on the ultrasonic welding head 11 and install new welding needles 10 on the ultrasonic welding head 11. In other words, the welding needle 10 exchange operation includes the operation of retrieving the welding needles 10 and the operation of installing the welding needles 10. This welding needle 10 exchange operation is performed automatically when preset conditions are met. For example, the conditions may be the number of welding operations. That is, the welding needle 10 exchange operation is performed after a certain number of welding operations.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, the welding needle exchange unit 4 includes a grip release unit 40 and a manipulator 45. The grip release unit 40 is used to release the ultrasonic welding head 11 from gripping the welding needle 10. More specifically, the grip release unit 40 includes a fixture 41, a fixture drive unit 42, and a fixture control unit 53 (see [link to documentation]). Figure 6 The fixture 41 is inserted into the fixture insertion hole H2 provided on the ultrasonic welding head 11 to release the ultrasonic welding head 11 from gripping the welding needle 10. The upper front end of the fixture 41 is provided with a rod-shaped insertion portion 41a. The insertion portion 41a is the part that inserts into the fixture insertion hole H2 of the ultrasonic welding head 11. The insertion portion 41a extends along the Z-axis.

[0045] like Figure 3 As shown in (a), the cross-sectional shape of the insertion part 41a is such that the length L1 in the first direction is longer than the length L2 in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the insertion part 41a is elliptical.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown, the base end (lower end) of the fixture 41 is mounted on the fixture drive unit 42. The fixture drive unit 42 drives the fixture 41 based on instructions from the fixture control unit 53. The fixture drive unit 42 is capable of rotating the fixture 41 about the Z-axis. Furthermore, the fixture drive unit 42 is capable of moving the fixture 41 along the Z-axis.

[0047] Here, the structural details of the ultrasonic welding head 11 holding the welding needle 10 are explained. For example... Figure 4As shown, a welding needle mounting hole H1 and a fixture insertion hole H2 are formed at the front end of the ultrasonic welding head 11. The welding needle mounting hole H1 and the fixture insertion hole H2 extend through the ultrasonic welding head 11 along the Z-axis. In this embodiment, the welding needle mounting hole H1 is located closer to the front end of the ultrasonic welding head 11 than the fixture insertion hole H2. However, the fixture insertion hole H2 may also be located closer to the front end of the ultrasonic welding head 11 than the welding needle mounting hole H1.

[0048] The welding needle mounting hole H1 and the fixture insertion hole H2 are interconnected. In this embodiment, the welding needle mounting hole H1 and the fixture insertion hole H2 are interconnected through a slit S1. The slit S1 passes through the ultrasonic welding head 11 in the Z-axis direction.

[0049] Furthermore, a slit S2 is formed on the ultrasonic welding head 11. The slit S2 communicates with the fixture insertion hole H2. The fixture insertion hole H2 is formed closer to the base end of the ultrasonic welding head 11 than the welding needle mounting hole H1. The slit S2 penetrates the ultrasonic welding head 11 in the Z-axis direction. Thus, the welding needle mounting hole H1, the slit S1, the fixture insertion hole H2, and the slit S2 are interconnected.

[0050] A welding needle 10 is inserted into the welding needle mounting hole H1. Here, the ultrasonic welding head 11 is formed of an elastically deformable material. Figure 5 As shown in (a), the size of the welding needle mounting hole H1 is smaller than the outer diameter of the welding needle 10 when the welding needle 10 is not inserted. The ultrasonic welding head 11 can hold the welding needle 10 inserted into the welding needle mounting hole H1 by expanding the welding needle mounting hole H1 using elastic force. That is, the welding needle 10 is inserted into the welding needle mounting hole H1 when the welding needle mounting hole H1 is expanded.

[0051] like Figure 5 As shown in (a), the fixture insertion hole H2 is an elliptical hole. The fixture insertion hole H2 allows insertion of the insertion portion 41a of the fixture 41. The fixture insertion hole H2 is used to insert the insertion portion 41a to release the ultrasonic welding head 11 from its grip on the welding needle 10. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown in (a), the inner wall surface of the fixture insertion hole H2 includes a first facet W1 and a second facet W2 facing each other. The first facet W1 and the second facet W2 face each other along the minor axis of the elliptical fixture insertion hole H2. Additionally, slits S1 and S2 face each other along the longitudinal direction of the elliptical fixture insertion hole H2. When the insertion portion 41a of the fixture 41 is not inserted into the fixture insertion hole H2, the length of the fixture insertion hole H2 along its minor axis is shorter than the length L1 of the insertion portion 41a in the first direction (longitudinal direction). The welding pin mounting hole H1 communicates with the longitudinal end of the elliptical fixture insertion hole H2 through the slit S1.

[0052] Next, the grip release action of the ultrasonic welding head 11 releasing its grip on the welding needle 10 will be described. This grip release action is performed by the fixture 41. Figure 4 As shown, the ultrasonic welding head 11 holds the welding needle 10 inserted into the welding needle mounting hole H1 by elastic force. When this holding is released, the insertion part 41a of the fixture 41 is inserted into the fixture insertion hole H2 of the ultrasonic welding head 11. The action of inserting the fixture 41 into the fixture insertion hole H2 is performed by the fixture drive part 42.

[0053] like Figure 5 As shown in (b), with the insertion part 41a inserted into the fixture insertion hole H2, the insertion part 41a is rotated 90 degrees around the Z-axis. This causes the two ends of the insertion part 41a in the first direction (the two longitudinal ends of the elliptical shape) to press against the first surface W1 and the second surface W2. Due to the pressure exerted by the insertion part 41a on the first surface W1 and the second surface W2, the ultrasonic welding head 11 undergoes elastic deformation. Therefore, the gap between the first surface W1 and the second surface W2 of the fixture insertion hole H2 widens. The rotation of the fixture 41 is performed by the fixture drive part 42.

[0054] Here, the fixture insertion hole H2 and the welding needle mounting hole H1 are interconnected through the slit S1. Therefore, when the insertion part 41a expands the gap between the first facet W1 and the second facet W2, the welding needle mounting hole H1 also expands accordingly. Due to the expansion of the welding needle mounting hole H1, the grip of the ultrasonic welding head 11 on the welding needle 10 is released. In other words, the grip release action is the action of rotating the fixture 41 while the insertion part 41a is inserted into the fixture insertion hole H2. Moreover, the grip release action is the action of applying pressure to the first facet W1 and the second facet W2 at both ends (the longitudinal ends of the elliptical shape) of the insertion part 41a in the first direction, thereby expanding the gap between the first facet W1 and the second facet W2, and simultaneously expanding the welding needle mounting hole H1. In this way, the fixture 41 expands the fixture insertion hole H2 and the welding needle mounting hole H1 at the same time, releasing the grip of the ultrasonic welding head 11 on the welding needle 10.

[0055] like Figure 5 As shown in (b), with the welding needle mounting hole H1 expanded by the fixture 41, the welding needle 10 is removed from the ultrasonic welding head 11, and a new welding needle 10 is inserted into the welding needle mounting hole H1. This exchange of welding needle 10 is performed by the manipulator 45. Afterwards, as... Figure 5 As shown in (c), the insertion part 41a is rotated 90 degrees around the Z-axis to release the pressure of the insertion part 41a on the first face W1 and the second face W2. In other words, the grip release action is released. As a result, the fixture insertion hole H2 and the welding pin mounting hole H1 will attempt to return to their original positions. Figure 5(a) shows the original shape. Due to the elastic force that restores the original shape, the welding needle 10 inserted into the welding needle mounting hole H1 is held by the inner wall surface of the welding needle mounting hole H1.

[0056] After that, as Figure 5 As shown in (d), the insertion part 41a is pulled out from the fixture insertion hole H2. Thus, in the ultrasonic welding head 11, the fixture 41 can be used to perform the gripping and releasing actions of the ultrasonic welding head 11 on the welding needle 10.

[0057] like Figure 2 As shown, the manipulator 45 performs the action of exchanging welding needles 10 when the gripping of the welding needles 10 is released. The action of exchanging welding needles 10 refers to the action of receiving welding needles 10 from the ultrasonic welding head 11 and inserting new welding needles 10 into the fixture insertion hole H2 of the ultrasonic welding head 11. As long as the welding needle exchange operation can be performed, the structure of the manipulator 45 is not particularly limited.

[0058] <Controller>

[0059] Next, the details of controller 5 will be explained. Controller 5 controls wire bonding unit 1 based on images captured by camera unit 2. The control of wire bonding unit 1 includes a series of actions, such as position control of the tip of solder pin 10 relative to semiconductor chip C, and control of the wire bonding action of solder pin 10. Furthermore, controller 5 also controls the solder pin exchange action of solder pin exchange unit 4 based on images captured by camera unit 2. The following explains the control performed by controller 5 on each part during the solder pin 10 exchange operation.

[0060] Controller 5 is a computer and its connected electronic circuitry, which executes specific programs via the CPU to achieve functional components. Controller 5 includes control units for each module. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the controller 5 functionally includes a camera control unit 51 for the camera unit 2, a welding head control unit 52 for the wire bonding unit 1, and a fixture control unit 53 for the grip release unit 40. Additionally, the controller 5 may also include a control unit for a manipulator 45.

[0061] The camera control unit 51 controls the shooting and movement of the camera 21. The camera control unit 51 controls the movement of the camera 21 in the XY plane by issuing instructions to the tool XY platform 15. Here, when it is necessary to exchange the welding needle 10 held by the ultrasonic welding head 11, the fixture 41 must be inserted into the fixture insertion hole H2 of the ultrasonic welding head 11. For this purpose, the camera control unit 51 causes the camera 21 to photograph the insertion part 41a so that the position of the insertion part 41a can be detected based on the photographed image. Furthermore, the camera 21 photographs the front end face of the insertion part 41a facing the insertion direction of the fixture insertion hole H2. That is, the camera 21 photographs the upper end face of the insertion part 41a.

[0062] Furthermore, in order to insert the insertion part 41a into the insertion hole H2 of the fixture, the position of the insertion part 41a needs to be accurately determined. Therefore, the camera control unit 51 moves the camera 21 so that the camera 21 can take pictures in a state where it is in a predetermined positional relationship with the insertion part 41a. Specifically, the camera control unit 51 moves the camera 21 based on the image of the insertion part 41a captured by the camera 21. Figure 3 (b) The pre-defined image reference point P2 in the captured image D coincides with the pre-defined fixture reference point P1 on the end face of the insertion part 41a. The image reference point P2 in the captured image D can be, for example, set as the center point of the captured image D. The fixture reference point P1 can be, for example, set as the center point of the end face of the insertion part 41a. The camera control unit 51 can identify the fixture reference point P1 based on the image of the end face of the insertion part 41a.

[0063] Furthermore, for example, depending on the position of the camera 21, the insertion part 41a may be located outside the shooting range of the camera 21. In this case, the wire bonding device 100 cannot move the camera 21 based on the image of the insertion part 41a captured by the camera 21. Therefore, for example, an operator or the like can move the camera 21 so that the insertion part 41a is included within the shooting range of the camera 21. When the camera 21 is capable of capturing the insertion part 41a, the camera control unit 51 can move the camera 21 based on the image of the insertion part 41a captured by the camera 21 so that the fixture reference point P1 is aligned with the image reference point P2.

[0064] Here, the camera unit 2 is also used to position the bonding pins 10 during wire bonding of the semiconductor chip C. Therefore, in the Z-axis direction, the focal position of the camera 21 is set at the bonding height position during wire bonding of the semiconductor chip C. When the camera 21 photographs the insertion part 41a, the height position of the end face of the insertion part 41a on the camera 21 side is approximately the same as the bonding height position. The end face height position of the insertion part 41a is approximately the same as the bonding height position, including both being exactly the same and both being slightly different. If the deviation between the end face height position of the insertion part 41a and the bonding height position becomes large, the image of the end face of the insertion part 41a captured by the camera 21 will become unclear. Therefore, the acceptable deviation range is the range within which the camera control unit 51 can detect the position of the insertion part 41a with a precision higher than a certain requirement based on the image of the end face of the insertion part 41a.

[0065] Furthermore, the camera control unit 51 detects the position of the insertion part 41a of the fixture 41 based on the image of the fixture captured by the camera 21. More specifically, the camera control unit 51 detects the position of the insertion part 41a in the XY plane as the position of the insertion part 41a.

[0066] Here, when the fixture reference point P1 in the captured image coincides with the image reference point P2, the insertion part 41a and the camera 21 are in a predetermined positional relationship. Furthermore, the position of the camera 21, which is moved by the tool XY platform 15, is known. Therefore, the camera control unit 51 can detect the position of the insertion part 41a based on the position of the camera 21 when capturing an image where the fixture reference point P1 coincides with the image reference point P2.

[0067] Furthermore, the camera 21 takes pictures of the insertion part 41a and the camera control unit 51 detects the position of the insertion part 41a, which can be performed each time the welding pin 10 is exchanged or each specific number of specified exchange operations are performed, or when the wire bonding device 100 is set up.

[0068] The welding head control unit 52 controls the movement of the ultrasonic welding head 11. The welding head control unit 52 controls the movement of the ultrasonic welding head 11 in the XY plane by issuing instructions to the tool XY platform 15. The welding head control unit 52 moves the ultrasonic welding head 11 to the position of the fixture 41 detected by the camera control unit 51.

[0069] More specifically, the welding head control unit 52 moves the ultrasonic welding head 11 to the fixture insertion position based on the detected position of the insertion portion 41a of the fixture 41. For example... Figure 2As shown, the fixture insertion position is the position for inserting the insertion part 41a into the fixture insertion hole H2. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the fixture insertion position is the position where the ultrasonic welding head 11 is located above the fixture 41. Moreover, the fixture insertion position refers to the position of the ultrasonic welding head 11 where, when viewed along the Z-axis, the fixture insertion hole H2 coincides with the insertion part 41a. In other words, the fixture insertion position is the position where the insertion part 41a can be inserted into the fixture insertion hole H2 by moving the insertion part 41a relative to the ultrasonic welding head 11 located at the fixture insertion position along the Z-axis.

[0070] The fixture control unit 53 controls the movement of the fixture 41. The fixture control unit 53 controls the movement of the fixture 41 by issuing instructions to the fixture drive unit 42. More specifically, the fixture control unit 53 moves the fixture 41 to insert it into the fixture insertion hole H2 of the ultrasonic welding head 11, which has been moved to the fixture insertion position. Here, the fixture control unit 53 causes the fixture 41 to rise along the Z-axis, inserting the insertion part 41a into the fixture insertion hole H2. Furthermore, when the insertion part 41a is inserted, its orientation has been pre-adjusted for insertion into the fixture insertion hole H2.

[0071] The fixture control unit 53, with the insertion part 41a inserted into the fixture insertion hole H2, performs a grip release action to release the grip of the ultrasonic welding head 11 on the welding needle 10. Here, the fixture control unit 53 rotates the fixture 41 90 degrees around the Z-axis. This expands the gap between the first surface W1 and the second surface W2 of the fixture insertion hole H2, and simultaneously expands the welding needle mounting hole H1. Because the welding needle mounting hole H1 is expanded, the grip of the ultrasonic welding head 11 on the welding needle 10 is released. Furthermore, although the fixture control unit 53 rotates the insertion part 41a 90 degrees, it is not limited to rotating it 90 degrees. The fixture control unit 53 only needs to rotate the insertion part 41a by a specific angle to expand the gap between the first surface W1 and the second surface W2.

[0072] After the robotic arm (manipulator) 45 completes the exchange action of the welding needle 10, the fixture control unit 53 releases the gripping release action of the insertion part 41a and uses the elastic force of the ultrasonic welding head 11 to grip the welding needle 10.

[0073] Next, the procedure for exchanging the welding pins 10 using the wire bonding device 100 will be explained. For example... Figure 7 As shown, the camera control unit 51 causes the camera unit 2 to capture an image of the insertion portion 41a of the fixture 41 (S101: image capture process). Based on the captured image of the insertion portion 41a, the camera control unit 51 detects the position of the insertion portion 41a (S102: position detection process). Based on the detected position of the insertion portion 41a, the welding head control unit 52 moves the ultrasonic welding head 11 to the fixture insertion position (S103: welding head movement process).

[0074] Furthermore, the processes S101 and S102 are performed each time a welding needle 10 is exchanged, or after a specific number of exchange operations, or when the wire bonding device 100 is set up. If the processes S101 and S102 are not performed each time a welding needle 10 is exchanged, the welding head control unit 52 only needs to move the ultrasonic welding head 11 according to the position of the insertion part 41a detected in the previous S102 process.

[0075] The fixture control unit 53 causes the fixture 41 to perform a grip release action. As a result, the wire bonding unit 1 releases the grip of the ultrasonic welding head 11 on the welding needle 10 through the grip release action of the fixture 41 (S104: grip release process). The manipulator 45 performs a welding needle 10 exchange action (S105: welding needle exchange process). After the welding needle 10 exchange is completed, the fixture control unit 53 causes the fixture 41 to release the grip release action. As a result, the ultrasonic welding head 11 grips the new welding needle 10 inserted into the fixture insertion hole H2 (S106: gripping process).

[0076] As described above, in this wire bonding apparatus 100 with an ultrasonic welding head 11 holding the welding needle 10, it is necessary to release the grip of the ultrasonic welding head 11 on the welding needle 10 when exchanging the welding needle 10. Therefore, the wire bonding apparatus 100 detects the position of the fixture 41 based on the captured image of the fixture 41. Thus, the wire bonding apparatus 100 can move the ultrasonic welding head 11 to the position of the fixture 41 according to the detected position of the fixture 41, so as to insert the fixture 41 into the fixture insertion hole H2. Then, the wire bonding apparatus 100 releases the grip of the ultrasonic welding head 11 on the welding needle 10 via the fixture 41. In this state, the wire bonding apparatus 100 can exchange the welding needle 10 using a robotic arm (manipulator) 45. In this way, the wire bonding apparatus 100 can automatically perform the welding needle 10 exchange operation.

[0077] The welding needle mounting hole H1 on the ultrasonic welding head 11 is connected to the fixture insertion hole H2. In this case, when the fixture insertion hole H2 is expanded, the welding needle mounting hole H1 is also expanded. Therefore, the wire bonding device 100 uses the fixture 41 to expand the fixture insertion hole H2. As a result, with the expansion of the fixture insertion hole H2, the welding needle mounting hole H1 is also expanded, thereby releasing the grip on the welding needle 10. In this way, the wire bonding device 100 can easily release the grip on the welding needle 10 by the ultrasonic welding head 11 using the fixture 41 to expand the fixture insertion hole H2.

[0078] Camera 21 captures an image of the end face of the insertion portion 41a of fixture 41. Camera control unit 51 detects the position of insertion portion 41a based on the captured image of the end face of insertion portion 41a. In this case, wire bonding device 100 can detect the position of fixture 41 based on the captured image of the end face of fixture 41 and move ultrasonic welding head 11 to the detected position of fixture 41.

[0079] The camera control unit 51 moves the camera 21 so that the image reference point P2 in the captured image D by the camera 21 coincides with the fixture reference point P1 on the end face of the insertion part 41a of the fixture 41. In this case, the fixture 41 and the camera 21 are in a predetermined positional relationship. As a result, the wire bonding device 100 can detect the position of the fixture 41 with higher precision based on the captured image of the camera 21.

[0080] The camera unit 2, used for photographing the fixture 41, also functions as a wire bonding camera unit when wire bonding the semiconductor chip C is being performed, for photographing the semiconductor chip C to position the solder pins 10. In this case, the wire bonding apparatus 100 can use the camera unit 2, which is provided for wire bonding, to photograph the fixture 41 and detect the position of the fixture 41. As a result, the wire bonding apparatus 100 can achieve a simplified structure.

[0081] The height of the insertion portion 41a of the fixture 41 at the end face of the camera unit 2 is approximately the same as the bonding height position when wire bonding is performed on the semiconductor chip C. Therefore, when the wire bonding apparatus 100 uses the camera unit 2 (which is provided for bonding) to photograph the fixture 41, it can capture a clearer image of the end face of the insertion portion 41a. Consequently, the wire bonding apparatus 100 can detect the position of the fixture 41 with higher precision based on the clearly captured image of the fixture 41.

[0082] The embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, but this disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the structure of the ultrasonic welding head 11 is not limited to all the components including the welding needle mounting hole H1, the fixture insertion hole H2, the slit S1, and the slit S2. For example, the welding needle mounting hole H1 and the fixture insertion hole H2 may be directly connected to each other without the slit S1. In addition, the ultrasonic welding head 11 may also omit the slit S2.

[0083] The camera unit 2 can be a structure that moves parallel to the XY plane by a different drive source than the tool's XY platform 15.

[0084] In the above embodiment, the wire bonding unit 1 moves the ultrasonic welding head 11 to the detected position of the fixture 41 based on the captured image. During this process, the wire bonding unit 1 moves the ultrasonic welding head 11 to the fixture insertion position. This is not limited to this; the wire bonding unit 1 can also move the ultrasonic welding head 11 based on the detected position of the fixture 41 to a state where the fixture 41 is inserted into the fixture insertion hole H2. In this case, the fixture drive unit 42 of the grip release unit 40 does not need to move the fixture 41 in the Z-axis direction.

[0085] This disclosure includes the following structure.

[0086] This disclosure is [1] "a wire bonding device, comprising: a welding head unit having a welding head that can be detachably held for a welding needle and has a fixture insertion hole,

[0087] The fixture inserted into the fixture insertion hole is used to release the welding head from gripping the welding pin.

[0088] A camera unit that detects the position of the fixture based on images captured by the fixture, and

[0089] A robotic arm (manipulator) used to exchange the welding needle held by the welding head.

[0090] The welding head unit moves the welding head to an insertion position where the fixture, detected by the camera unit, aligns with the fixture insertion hole, and releases the welding head from the welding needle through the action of the fixture.

[0091] The robotic arm (manipulator) exchanges the welding needle in the insertion position while the gripping of the welding needle is released.

[0092] This disclosure is [2] "According to the wire bonding apparatus described in [1], wherein the welding head is provided with the fixture insertion hole and a welding needle mounting hole formed smaller than the welding needle."

[0093] The fixture insertion hole and the welding pin mounting hole are interconnected.

[0094] The welding head grips the welding needle inserted into the welding needle mounting hole by expanding the hole and utilizing elastic force.

[0095] The fixture expands the fixture insertion hole and the welding pin mounting hole, and releases the grip on the welding pin.

[0096] This disclosure is [3] "According to the wire bonding apparatus described in [1] or [2], wherein the camera unit detects the position of the fixture based on the captured image of the end face of the front end side of the fixture."

[0097] This disclosure is [4] "According to any of the [1] to [3] wire bonding apparatuses, wherein the camera unit moves the camera of the fixture based on the captured image of the fixture, so that a predetermined image reference point in the captured image is consistent with a predetermined fixture reference point in the fixture."

[0098] This disclosure is [5] "A wire bonding apparatus according to any of [1] to [4], wherein the camera unit also functions as a camera unit for photographing semiconductor chips during wire bonding, and is used to photograph the semiconductor chip to position the solder pins during wire bonding."

[0099] This disclosure is [6] "According to the wire bonding apparatus described in [5], the height position of the end face of the front end side of the fixture is approximately the same as the bonding height position when wire bonding the semiconductor chip."

[0100] Explanation of icon numbers

[0101] 1: Wire bonding unit (welding head unit)

[0102] 2: Camera Unit

[0103] 10: Welding needle

[0104] 11: Ultrasonic welding head (welding head)

[0105] 21: Camera

[0106] 41: Jig

[0107] 41a: Insertion section

[0108] 45: Robotic Arm

[0109] 100: Wire bonding device

[0110] C: Semiconductor chip

[0111] D: Capture image

[0112] H1: Welding pin mounting hole

[0113] H2: Fixture insertion hole

[0114] P1: Fixture reference point

[0115] P2: Image reference point

Claims

1. A wire bonding device, comprising: A welding head unit has a welding head that can detachably hold a welding needle and is provided with a fixture insertion hole; A fixture is inserted into the fixture insertion hole and is used to release the welding head from the welding pin; A camera unit detects the position of the fixture based on images captured by the fixture; as well as A robotic arm for exchanging the welding needle held by the welding head. The welding head unit moves the welding head to an insertion position where the fixture, detected by the camera unit, aligns with the fixture insertion hole, and releases the welding head from the welding needle through the action of the fixture. The robotic arm exchanges the welding needles in the insertion position while the grip on the welding needles is released.

2. The wire bonding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the welding head is provided with the fixture insertion hole and a welding needle mounting hole formed smaller than the welding needle. The fixture insertion hole and the welding pin mounting hole are interconnected. The welding head grips the welding needle inserted into the welding needle mounting hole by expanding the hole and utilizing elastic force. The fixture expands the fixture insertion hole and the welding needle mounting hole, and releases the grip on the welding needle.

3. The wire bonding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera unit detects the position of the fixture based on the captured image of the end face of the front end side of the fixture.

4. The wire bonding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera unit moves the camera that captures the image of the fixture based on the captured image of the fixture, so that a predetermined image reference point in the captured image is aligned with a predetermined fixture reference point in the fixture.

5. The wire bonding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the camera unit also functions as a camera unit for photographing semiconductor chips during wire bonding, and is used to photograph the semiconductor chip to position the bonding pins during wire bonding.

6. The wire bonding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the height position of the end face of the front end side of the fixture is approximately the same as the bonding height position when wire bonding the semiconductor chip.

Images