Apparatus for attaching interconnects to electronic packages

Abstract

An apparatus for attaching an interconnect to an electronic package comprises a bottom bracket (4), a top bracket (2) and an adapter unit (3). The top bracket (2) includes a perforated portion (23). The perforation part (23) comprises a plurality of through holes (231) arranged in a grid shape. The adapter unit (3) includes a first adapter (3A) and a second adapter (3B), each having an adapter opening (32A, 32B) exposing the through hole (231). The size of the adapter opening (32A) of the first adapter (3A) is different from the size of the adapter opening (32B) of the second adapter (3B) such that the number of through holes (231) exposed from the adapter opening (32A) of the first adapter (3A) is different from the number of through holes (231) exposed from the adapter opening (32B) of the second adapter (3B).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a device for connecting interconnects, such as soldering miniature spring coils / bonds to metal pads on an electronic packaging substrate, such as an integrated circuit packaging substrate. Background Technology

[0002] Larger packages are evolving towards larger sizes to meet the increasing market demands for computing power applications, such as servers. Large Ball Grid Array (BGA) packages are one solution to meet these higher computing power requirements with numerous input / output (I / O) interconnects. In BGA packages, interconnects are formed by solder bumps attached to metal pads on the BGA package substrate. However, as packages become larger, the substrate material (typically ceramic) can expand significantly when heated, and a mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the substrate material with the underlying PCB substrate can cause warping. Ceramic Pillar Grid Arrays (CCGAs) and Micro Coil Springs (MCSs) are solutions to mitigate warping effects. By using ceramic pillars and springs as interconnects, warping between packaged components and the PCB substrate can be prevented. However, aligning ceramic pillars and springs is more challenging than aligning the metal pads of a CCGA substrate with the metal pads of a BGA package, as both have cylindrical shapes, and the springs are elastic, which can cause them to become entangled. Traditional methods for aligning interconnect components and attaching them to the metal pads of CCGA packages include manually placing solder pillars with tweezers, using vibration, or using sacrificial solder adhesive tape. Therefore, finding a fast and accurate method for aligning and attaching interconnect components to CCGA packages is a significant research area in the industry, leading to the continuous design and improvement of various types of devices to address this problem.

[0003] refer to Figure 13 and Figure 14Conventional alignment and positioning devices deposit solder pillars onto a grid array of metal pads on a CCGA package. The device disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 9,629,259B1 includes a top support 7, a bottom support 8, and a pre-package dispenser 9. The pre-package dispenser 9 is a flip-top package repackaged with a plurality of solder pillars 91 arranged in a grid. The top support 7 has a grid region 71 with a plurality of through-holes 711 arranged in a grid, the through-holes 711 being sized to correspond to the grid formed by the solder pillars 91 in the pre-package dispenser 9. The bottom support 8 is connected to the top support 7 and secures an LGA or CCGA package 81 having a grid array of metal pads 811 aligned with the through-holes 711 of the top support 7. Using a conventional device, the pre-packaged dispenser 9 is flipped and attached to the top retainer 7. Solder pillars 91 within the pre-packaged dispenser 9 fall into the through-holes 711 of the top bracket 7, arranged in a grid pattern in the through-holes 711 above the bottom bracket 8, thereby aligning the solder pillars 91 with the metal pads 811 of the CCGA package 81. The device can align the solder pillars 91 with the metal pads 811 of the CCGA package 81. The grid size is specific because the pre-packaged dispenser 9 is pre-installed and its grid size cannot be changed after assembly. This limits the use of conventional devices with dedicated designs and sizes, and requires additional costs to provide different sizes of bottom brackets, top brackets, and / or dispensers to match different sizes of electronic packages. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a device for attaching interconnects to electronic packages and accommodating electronic packages of various sizes.

[0005] According to this disclosure, an apparatus for attaching interconnects to an electronic package includes a bottom support, a top support, and an adapter unit. The bottom support is used to hold a component substrate. The top support is positioned on top of the bottom support for securing the interconnects to the component substrate. The adapter unit is used to receive and distribute the interconnects to the top support. The top support includes an upper surface, a bottom surface, and through-holes. The through-holes include a plurality of through-holes extending through the upper and bottom surfaces, arranged in a grid pattern, and adapted to hold the interconnects above the bottom support. The adapter unit includes at least a first adapter and a second adapter, which are interchangeably disposed on the upper surface of the top support, and each of the first and second adapters has an adapter opening exposing the through-holes for dropping the interconnects into the through-holes by vibration. The adapter openings of the first adapter and the second adapter are different in size, such that the number of through-holes exposed from the adapter opening of the first adapter is different from the number of through-holes exposed from the adapter opening of the second adapter.

[0006] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent below. The embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that various features may not be drawn to scale. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the device according to the present invention.

[0008] Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view showing the first connector, second connector, and third connector of the first embodiment.

[0009] Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 This is a top view showing the first connector, second connector, and third connector of the first embodiment.

[0010] Figure 8 This is an exploded perspective view of the first embodiment.

[0011] Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing the through hole in the top bracket of the first embodiment.

[0012] Figure 10 It is a three-dimensional view showing through holes arranged in a grid pattern.

[0013] Figure 11 This is an exploded perspective view showing a second embodiment of the device according to the present invention.

[0014] Figure 12 This is a perspective view showing the bottom bracket and bottom bracket adapter of the second embodiment.

[0015] Figure 13 This is a perspective view of a conventional apparatus disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 9,629,259 B1 for aligning and depositing solder pillars in a grid array.

[0016] Figure 14 This is another perspective view showing an existing device disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 9,629,259 B1. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Before describing this disclosure in more detail, it should be noted that, where deemed appropriate, reference numerals or the end portions of reference numerals may be repeated in the figures to indicate corresponding or similar components, which may optionally have similar features.

[0018] It should be noted that, for clarity, spatial terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “up,” “down,” “above,” “above,” “downward,” “upward,” etc., may be used throughout the disclosure, while also referring to the features shown in the figure. The orientation of these features may differ (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or other orientations), and the spatial relative terms used are explained accordingly herein.

[0019] refer to Figures 1 to 8 This illustration shows a first embodiment of a device according to the present invention for attaching an interconnect 1 to an electronic package 6, comprising a bottom bracket 4, a top bracket 2, and an adapter unit 3. The interconnect 1 may be a micro-coil spring (MCS) interconnect or a ceramic pillar grid array (CCGA) solder pillar; however, this is not a limitation of the present disclosure. The bottom bracket 4 is used to secure the electronic package 6. The top bracket 2 includes an upper surface 21, a lower surface 22, a through-hole 23, and a top bracket frame 24. The top bracket 2 is located on top of the bottom bracket 4 and is used to secure the component 1 on the interconnect electronic package 6. The through-hole 23 includes a plurality of through holes 231 penetrating the upper surface 21 and the lower surface 22. More specifically, the through holes 231 are arranged in a grid pattern for securing the interconnect 1 above the bottom bracket 4. The adapter unit 3 is used to adapt the through holes 231 to the size of the electronic package 6 and to accommodate the interconnect 1 into the top bracket 2.

[0020] refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 In this embodiment, the adapter unit 3 includes at least a first adapter 30A and a second adapter 30B. The first adapter 30A is interchangeably disposed on the upper surface 21 of the top bracket 2. Both the first adapter 30A and the second adapter 30B have adapter openings 32A and 32B with an exposed through-hole 231 for allowing the interconnecting member 1 to fall into the through-hole 231 of the top retainer 2 through vibration. In another embodiment, the adapter unit 3 further includes a third adapter 30C, which has an adapter opening 32C, such as... Figure 4 and 7 As shown. The third adapter 30C is interchangeable with the first and second adapters 30A and 30B.

[0021] Please see Figure 9 In this embodiment, the top opening end of the through hole 231 of the top bracket 2 is tapered. This tapered design of the through hole 231 makes it easy for the interconnecting member 1 to be inserted into the through hole 231.

[0022] In this embodiment, the top bracket 2 is a universal top bracket that can accommodate electronic packages 6 of various sizes.

[0023] Return to reference Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 It should be noted that the size of the adapter opening 32A of the first adapter 3A and the size of the adapter opening 32B of the second adapter 3B are different, so that the number of through holes 231 exposed from the adapter opening 32A of the first adapter 3A is different from the number of through holes 231 exposed from the adapter opening 32B of the second adapter 3B.

[0024] In this embodiment, the first adapter frame 31A, the second adapter frame 31B, and the third adapter frame 31C are all square frames. For example, the first adapter frame 31A may be a square frame with dimensions of 120mm × 120mm, the second adapter frame 31B may have dimensions of 100mm × 100mm, and the third adapter frame 31C may have dimensions of 80mm × 120mm.

[0025] Because of the universal top bracket 2 and the first, second, and third adapters 30A, 30B, and 30C interchangeably mounted on the top bracket 2, this embodiment can accommodate electronic packages of different sizes (i.e., metal pads of different grid sizes). In an example of this embodiment, the first to third adapters 30A, 30B, and 30C are used for grid sizes of 120mm × 120mm, 100mm × 100mm, and 80mm × 80mm, respectively. The through-holes 231 arranged in a grid pattern in the perforated portion 23 form the largest grid size of 120mm × 120mm. The first adapter 30A of the adapter unit 3 is designed to match the largest electronic package 6 (i.e., 120mm × 120mm) and has a first adapter frame 31A surrounding the adapter opening 32A. The second adapter 30B is designed to match the first smaller electronic package 6 (i.e., 100mm × 100mm) and has a second adapter frame 31B surrounding the adapter opening 32B. The third adapter 30C is designed to match the second smaller electronic package 6 (i.e., 80mm × 80mm) and has a third adapter frame 31C surrounding the third adapter opening 32C.

[0026] When the first adapter 30A is used, the first adapter frame 31A rests on the top support 2 without covering the through-hole portion 23, allowing the interconnect 1 to fall into all the through-holes 231 in the through-hole portion 23. When the second adapter 30B is used, the second adapter frame 31B rests on the top support frame 24 and covers a portion of the through-hole portion 23. The adapter opening 32B of the second adapter 30B exposes the remaining portion of the through-hole portion 23, such that the amount of through-holes 231 exposed from the adapter opening 32B is less than the total number of through-holes 231, thus allowing the interconnect 1 to fall only into the through-holes 231 exposed from the adapter opening 32B. The exposed through-holes 231 are arranged in a grid pattern with a grid size (i.e., 100mm × 100mm) smaller than the maximum grid size. This smaller grid size corresponds to the first smaller electronic package 6. Similarly, when using the third adapter 30C, the third adapter frame 31C sits on the top support frame 24 and covers a portion of the through-hole portion 23; the adapter opening 32C of the third adapter 30C exposes the remaining portion of the through-hole portion 23, such that the number of through-holes 231 exposed from the adapter opening 32C is less than the total number of through-holes 231, thus allowing the interconnect 1 to fall only into the exposed through-holes 231. The exposed through-holes 231 are arranged in a grid pattern, the grid size of which (i.e., 80mm × 80mm) is smaller than the maximum grid size. This smaller grid size corresponds to the second smaller electronic package 6.

[0027] In this embodiment, the perforation 23 is flush with the top support frame 24 at the upper surface 21 and lower surface 22 of the top support 2. This allows the second adapter frame 31B or the third adapter frame 31C to conveniently and appropriately cover a portion of the perforation 23 when positioned on the top support 2.

[0028] In this embodiment, the bottom bracket 4 has a top surface 411, a bottom bracket hole 41, and a bottom bracket recess 412. The cross-section of the bottom bracket hole 41 is smaller than the cross-section of the bottom bracket recess 412, and its depth is greater than the depth of the bottom bracket recess 412. The bottom bracket recess 412 is used to accommodate and fix the electronic package 6. The size of the bottom bracket recess 412 depends on the specific electronic package 6. Therefore, the bottom bracket 4 must be selected with a suitable size for the bottom bracket recess 412 that matches one of the 120x120mm electronic package 6, the 100x100mm electronic package 6, and the 80x80mm electronic package 6.

[0029] A connecting assembly exists for assembling the bottom bracket 4 and the top bracket 2 with the first, second, or third adapter 30A, 30B, or 30C. See also... Figure 8The top bracket 2 includes four positioning screws 25 and has four positioning holes 251, while the bottom bracket 4 has four screw holes 413. Each positioning screw 25 is inserted into one of the positioning holes 251 of the top bracket 2 and one of the screw holes 413 of the bottom bracket 4 to securely attach the top bracket 2 to the bottom bracket 4. The adapter unit 3 includes two engagement protrusions 311, and the top bracket 2 includes two sockets 26. When the first, second, or third adapter 30A, 30B, or 30C is positioned on the upper surface 21 of the top bracket 2, the engagement protrusions 311 are inserted into the sockets 26 to align and position the first, second, or third adapter 30A, 30B, or 30C to the top bracket 2. The bottom bracket 4 includes two alignment protrusions 42, and the top bracket 2 includes two alignment holes 27. When the top bracket 2 is positioned on top of the bottom bracket 4, the engagement protrusions 42 are inserted into the alignment holes 27 to secure the electronic package 6 between the top bracket 2 and the bottom bracket 4. This facilitates the alignment of the interconnect 1 with the through hole 231 of the perforated portion of the top bracket 2. The top bracket 2 is rectangular, has four sides, and has four side notches 28 for the user to pick up the top bracket 2.

[0030] After assembling the first, second, or third adapter 30A, 30B, or 30C with the bottom bracket 4 and top bracket 2, the entire assembly is attached to the motorized vibrator and gyroscope base, and the interconnect 1 is poured into the adapter openings 32A, 32B, or 32C of the first, second, or third adapter 30A, 30B, or 30C. The motorized vibrator and gyroscope base are then activated to provide low-frequency vibration and gyroscopic motion, which moves and agitates the interconnect 1. The top opening end of the through-hole 231 is tapered, facilitating the insertion of the interconnect 1 into the through-hole 231.

[0031] After the interconnects 1 are filled into the exposed through-holes 231 of frames 31A, 31B, or 31C, excess interconnects 1 that have not fallen into any of the through-holes 231 are removed by vacuuming with a vacuum head. The device is then removed from the motor vibrator and gyroscope base. The interconnects 1 collected by vacuuming can be reused later. The device then undergoes a reflow soldering process to solder the interconnects 1 onto the electronic package 6. The top support 2 is then separated from the bottom support 4, and the electronic package 6 with the soldered interconnects 1 is removed.

[0032] refer to Figure 11The second embodiment of the device is similar to the first embodiment. However, the second embodiment differs in that it additionally includes a bottom bracket adapter 5, optionally and removably positioned in a bottom bracket recess 412 of the bottom bracket 4. The bottom bracket adapter 5 has a flanged tip 51 with a top surface 511. The flanged tip 51 has a laterally projecting flange 512. The top surface 511 is recessed to form an adapter recess 52. When the bottom bracket adapter 5 is positioned in the bottom bracket hole 41, the laterally projecting flange 512 sits in the bottom bracket recess 412, and the adapter recess 52 serves to hold the electronic component 6. When the bottom bracket adapter 5 is not positioned in the bottom bracket hole 41, the bottom bracket recess 412 serves to receive the electronic package 6. The size of the adapter recess 52 is smaller than the size of the bottom bracket recess 412. The bottom bracket recess 412 is used for the largest electronic package 6, while the adapter recess 52 is used for the smaller electronic package 6. Two or more bottom bracket adapters 5 with different sizes of adapter recess 52 can be interchangeably fitted in bottom bracket recess 412, so that two or more smaller electronic packages 6 of different sizes can be used with this embodiment.

[0033] Please see Figure 12 The bottom bracket 4 has two clamps 43 for securing the electronic package 6 and / or the bottom bracket adapter 5. The bottom bracket adapter 5 also has two clamps 53 for securing the electronic package 6. When the bottom bracket adapter 5 is positioned in the bottom bracket hole 41 of the bottom bracket 4, the clamps 43 of the bottom bracket 4 will align with the clamps 53 of the bottom bracket adapter 5. In this case, the clamps 43 of the bottom bracket 4 are operable to slide and push the clamps 53 of the bottom bracket adapter 5, which helps to clamp the electronic package 6.

[0034] In summary, the device disclosed herein is a convenient and effective tool for attaching interconnect 1 to electronic package 6. Furthermore, since the top bracket 2 is universal and the adapter unit 3 includes a first adapter 30A, a second adapter 30B, and a third adapter 30C, the device can be used with electronic packages 6 of different sizes. Additionally, when used with smaller electronic packages 6, the device can include a bottom bracket adapter 5, which can secure the electronic package 6 and provide good alignment for the interconnect 1.

[0035] In the above description, numerous specific details have been set forth for illustrative purposes to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be understood that references throughout the specification to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," embodiments with ordinal numbers, etc., imply that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be incorporated into the practice of the embodiment. It should also be understood that, in order to simplify this disclosure and aid in understanding the various aspects of the invention, various features are sometimes combined together in a single embodiment, drawing, or description thereof; this does not mean that each of these features needs to be practiced in the presence of all other features. In other words, in any described embodiment, when the implementation of one or more features or details does not affect the implementation of another or more features or details, said one or more features or details may be selected and practiced individually without said other or more features or details. It should also be noted that in the practice of this disclosure, where appropriate, one or more features or details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or details from another embodiment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for attaching an interconnect (1) to an electronic package (6); characterized in that, The device includes: Bottom bracket (4) is used to fix the electronic package (6); The top bracket (2), located on top of the bottom bracket (4), is used to fix the interconnect (1) on the electronic package (6); and Adapter unit (3) for receiving and distributing interconnect (1) to the top bracket (2); The top support (2) includes an upper surface (21), a lower surface (22) and a perforated portion (23), the perforated portion (23) including a plurality of through holes (231) extending through the upper surface (21) and the lower surface (22) and arranged in a grid pattern, suitable for holding the interconnect (1) above the bottom support (4); The adapter unit (3) includes at least a first adapter (3A) and a second adapter (3B), which are interchangeably disposed on the upper surface (21) of the top bracket (2), and each of the first adapter (3A) and the second adapter (3B) has an adapter opening (32A, 32B) exposing the through hole (231) for allowing the interconnect (1) to fall into the through hole (231) through vibration. The size of the adapter opening (32A) of the first adapter (3A) and the size of the adapter opening (32B) of the second adapter (3B) are different, such that the number of through holes (231) exposed from the adapter opening (32A) of the first adapter (3A) is different from the number of through holes (231) exposed from the adapter opening (32B) of the second adapter (3B).

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom bracket (4) has a bottom bracket hole (41) and a bottom bracket groove (412). The cross-section of the bottom bracket hole (41) is smaller than the cross-section of the bottom bracket groove (412), and the depth is greater than the depth of the bottom bracket groove (412). The bottom bracket groove (412) is used to accommodate and fix the electronic package (6).

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top support (2) further includes a top support frame (24), and the perforated portion (23) is flush with the top support frame (24) at the upper surface (21) and the lower surface (22) of the top support (2).

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top opening end of the through hole (231) of the top bracket (2) is tapered.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that: The device further includes a bottom bracket adapter (5) detachably positioned in a bottom bracket recess (412) of the bottom bracket (4), the bottom bracket adapter (5) having a flanged top end (51) having a top surface (511) recessed to form an adapter recess (52).

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that: The top end (51) has a laterally projecting flange (512) which sits in the bottom bracket recess (41) when the bottom bracket adapter (5) is positioned in the bottom bracket hole (41), and the adapter recess (52) is used to hold the electronic package (6). When the bottom bracket adapter (5) is not positioned in the bottom bracket hole (41), the bottom bracket recess (412) is used to receive the electronic package (6).

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that: The size of the adapter groove (52) is smaller than the size of the bottom bracket groove (412).

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