Supplementary tool for chip transfer device with extraction tool and turning tool

Abstract

Chip transfer device (142) for transferring chips (192) from a wafer (195) to a placement head (136) of a placement machine (110), comprising the chip transfer device (142). a removal tool (150) rotatable about a first axis of rotation (251) (i) for removing individual chips (192) from the wafer (195), (ii) to turn the extracted chips (192) in order to make them available as FCOB chips (292a) at a first collection position (256), and (iii) for transferring, at a common transfer position (246), the extracted chips (192) to a turning tool (160) rotatable about a second axis of rotation (261); and the rotating turning tool (160) (i) to pick up chips (192) from the extraction tool (150), and (ii) to turn the received chips (192) over again in order to make them available as COB chips (292b) at a second pickup position (266); wherein the removal tool (150) has a plurality of first grippers (252) for temporarily picking up one chip (192) each, wherein the first grippers (252) are arranged radially outward from the first axis of rotation (261) in a first plane (352a), wherein the turning tool (160) has a plurality of second grippers (262) for temporarily picking up one chip (192) each, wherein the second grippers (262) are arranged radially outward from the second axis of rotation (261) in a second plane (362a), wherein at least one rotatable tool (160) has a first interface (368) between the removal tool (150) and the turning tool (160), to which a supplementary tool (170) having a plurality of further grippers (372) can be attached, which are arranged radially projecting from a central axis (371) of the supplementary tool (170) in a further plane (372a), and wherein the first interface (368) is designed such that when the supplementary tool (170) is attached, the central axis (371) coincides with the first axis of rotation or the second axis of rotation (261).

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the technical field of placing electronic components onto component carriers, and more specifically to placing unpackaged electronic components designed as chips onto component carriers, which are taken directly from a finished wafer and fed into a placement process. In particular, the present invention relates to a device for transferring chips from a wafer to a placement head of a placement machine, an accessory tool for a rotatable tool of such a device, a chip transfer system comprising such a device and such an accessory tool, and a placement system for removing chips from a wafer and for placing the removed chips onto a component carrier. The present invention further relates to a method for changing a gripper for temporarily picking up a chip in such a chip transfer system. Background of the invention

[0002] To efficiently achieve a high integration density in electronic assemblies, it is common practice to remove electronic components designed as chips directly from a wafer and place them onto a component carrier using the placement head of a pick-and-place machine. With respect to their original orientation on the wafer, the chips can be placed on the component carrier either in a non-inverted orientation (COB - Chip On Board) or in a flipped (FCOB - Flip-Chip On Board) orientation (FCOB - Flipped Chip On Board). Depending on the specific application, an electronic assembly mounted on a component carrier can contain COB components, FCOB components, or a combination of both (so-called mixed assembly).

[0003] Document EP 1 470 747 B1 discloses a chip removal system with which a chip removed from a wafer can be transferred to a placement head either at a first transfer position in an FCOB orientation or at a second transfer position in a COB orientation. The chip removal system comprises (a) a rotatable removal tool for removing chips from the wafer and rotating the removed chips 180° about their longitudinal or transverse axis, and (b) a rotatable turning tool for re-rotating the removed chips 180° about their longitudinal or transverse axis, which interacts with the removal tool in a common transfer position. The first pick-up position is assigned to the removal tool, and the second pick-up position is assigned to the turning tool. The chips are removed with the assistance of a so-called...Ejector, which detaches a single chip of the wafer from an adhesive carrier film and transfers it to a suction gripper of the removal tool.

[0004] An electronic assembly mounted on a component carrier can, regardless of whether it uses COB and / or FCOB chips, also contain chips or components of different sizes. These size differences can be so significant that different types of grippers, referred to simply as "grippers" in this document, must be used. Furthermore, an electronic assembly may include chips such as MEMS chips, which have particularly sensitive surfaces and therefore require special grippers for handling.

[0005] When feeding chips directly from a wafer for a placement process, it may be necessary for the sequence of chip removal from the wafer stack and the sequence of chip provision for the placement process to differ, or even be intentionally different, particularly with regard to short travel distances of a placement head. Therefore, it may be necessary to temporarily store individual chips at the removal tool and / or the turning tool. Such temporary storage may be particularly important when the range of different chips is very broad or the number of different chip types is very large.

[0006] JP H05 21 985 A discloses a nozzle changing device for automatically changing nozzles or suction pipettes. The suction pipettes can be removed from the mounting bodies of a placement head and replaced with a new suction pipette. The nozzle changing device comprises (a) a removal device with a plurality of grippers, each for a single suction pipette, for picking up suction pipettes from the placement head, and (b) a supply device, also with a plurality of grippers, each for a single suction pipette, for dispensing the suction pipettes to the placement head. The removal device and the supply device are arranged concentrically with respect to their axes of rotation.

[0007] JP 2016 143 858 A discloses a placement machine with a placement head. The placement head has two concentrically arranged rotatable disks. Each of the two disks has a plurality of suction pipettes projecting radially from a common axis of rotation (not designated by a reference numeral) and designed to receive an electronic component. The annular arrangement of the suction pipettes is offset relative to the annular arrangement of suction pipettes along the circumferential direction of the two disks. Summary of the invention

[0008] The invention is based on the objective of making the transfer of chips from a wafer assembly to a placement head more flexible in such a way that a wide range of different chips can be reliably made available to the placement process as COB or FCOB chips in a desired sequence.

[0009] This problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the present invention are described in the dependent claims.

[0010] According to a first aspect of the invention, a chip transfer device for transferring chips from a wafer to a placement head of a pick-and-place machine is described. The described chip transfer device comprises (a) a pick-up tool rotatable about a first axis of rotation (i) for picking individual chips from the wafer, (ii) for turning the picked-up chips to make them available as FCOB chips at a first pick-up position, and (iii) for transferring the picked-up chips, at a common transfer position, to a turning tool rotatable about a second axis of rotation; and (b) the rotatable turning tool (i) for picking up chips from the pick-up tool, and (ii) for turning the picked-up chips again to make them available as COB chips at a second pick-up position.The extraction tool has a plurality of first grippers for temporarily holding one chip each, the first grippers being arranged radially outward from the first axis of rotation in a first plane. The turning tool has a plurality of second grippers for temporarily holding one chip each, the second grippers being arranged radially outward from the second axis of rotation in a second plane. At least one rotatable tool of the extraction tool and the turning tool has a first interface to which a supplementary tool with a plurality of further grippers can be attached. These further grippers are arranged radially outward from a central axis of the supplementary tool in a further plane. The first interface is designed such that, when the supplementary tool is attached, its central axis coincides with the first or second axis of rotation.

[0011] The described chip transfer device is based on the understanding that, with an attached supplementary tool for operating the device, an increased number of grippers are available, which can contribute to a significant increase in the efficiency of the chip transfer device in various ways. In particular, the additional grippers can serve the following purposes: (A) The additional grippers may be so-called interchangeable grippers, which are kept on hand during the operation of the chip transfer device and then used when needed. This may be the case, for example, if a gripper that has been in operation for a longer period of time is worn out, or if a previously used gripper needs to be replaced with a gripper of a different type because a different type of component or chip is to be processed or transferred. A gripper change can be performed manually, semi-automatically, or fully automatically. A fully automatic gripper change is particularly possible for the rotating tool that does not have the first interface and is not coupled to the supplementary tool.In this case, the additional grippers can be attached "upside down" to the supplementary tool, so that they can be provided to the relevant rotating tool in the correct orientation. By appropriately positioning the supplementary tool and the relevant rotating tool (removal tool OR turning tool) appropriately, a gripper that is no longer needed can be transferred to a free gripper mounting position on the supplementary tool, and a new gripper can be transferred to a free or newly vacated gripper mounting position on the relevant rotating tool. (B) The additional grippers are used as temporary storage locations for chips. This increases the capacity of the described chip transfer device for chips that have been removed from the wafer but not yet picked up by a placement head at the first or second pick-up position as FCOB or COB chips, respectively. The two rotating tools and the supplementary tool can be used not only to remove or turn the chips in question, but all three tools also constitute chip storage. During operation of the chip removal device, chips can be stored on each tool for later processing, corresponding to the number of grippers.The memory functionality can be used in a variety of ways, for example by changing the direction of rotation and / or transferring chips back, in order to flexibly control the sequence and / or timing of the provision of FCOB and / or COB chips.

[0012] The first interface is, in particular, a mechanical interface that ensures a fixed position of the supplementary tool relative to the relevant rotating tool (with the first interface). If the supplementary tool is attached to the removal tool, the second plane is oriented parallel to the first plane. If the supplementary tool is attached to the turning tool, the second plane is oriented parallel to the second plane. These planes are therefore planes of rotation oriented perpendicular to the respective axis of rotation of the relevant rotating tool. The first interface also ensures a rotationally fixed connection of the supplementary tool to the rotating tool to which the supplementary tool is attached.

[0013] The grippers mentioned can be, in particular, suction grippers or pipettes, which hold the chip in question in a known manner by means of a vacuum supplied via a suction channel. The additional grippers can also be configured, in particular, to temporarily hold one chip each. Instead of or in addition to the additional grippers, the supplementary tool can also include additional chip handling tools, especially for the removal tool, and / or an ejector, which can be used when releasing a single chip from the (remaining) wafer assembly.

[0014] If the other grippers of the removal tool are suction grippers, then the first interface can also include a pneumatic interface, via which a vacuum produced by a vacuum generation unit is transmitted to the suction channels of the suction grippers, so that chips to be held can be gripped by the suction grippers in a manner known per se. It should be noted that the interface may also include means for transmitting electrical energy. Means for transmitting data on demand, such as a tool ID, information about existing sensors, etc., may also be components of the described interface.

[0015] It should be noted that in the general description and explanation of various aspects and embodiments of the invention, only one supplementary tool (with one or more levels of additional grippers) is described, which is attached either to the removal tool or to the rotatable turning tool. The rotatable tool that carries the supplementary tool is therefore generally referred to as the rotatable tool with the first interface. The tool that does not carry the supplementary tool is generally referred to as the other rotatable tool without the first interface. However, it should be noted that the invention is not limited to embodiments with only one supplementary tool.It is also possible to further increase the flexibility and performance of the chip transfer described in this document by equipping both the removal tool and the turning tool with an additional tool (with one or more levels of additional grippers).

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, the rotatable tool with the first interface comprises (a) a chassis; and (b) a displacement drive attached to the chassis for displacing, along the (second or first) axis of rotation of the rotatable tool with the first interface, (i) the (second or first) gripper of the rotatable tool (with the first interface) and (ii) the additional grippers of the supplementary tool. Thus, with suitable control of the displacement drive, the grippers (i) of the rotatable tool with the first interface and (ii) of the supplementary tool, which are located in different parallel planes, can be displaced (together) along the respective axis of rotation. This allows a selected plane of the parallel planes to be positioned in alignment with the first or second plane of the other rotatable tool (without the first interface).This allows the other rotatable tool (without the first interface) to be functionally coupled with the grippers or corresponding gripper mounting positions assigned to the selected level via the common transfer position for the purpose of transferring chips and / or (interchangeable) grippers.

[0017] Naturally, when the shifting drive is activated, the grippers of the supplementary tool will only shift if the supplementary tool is actually attached to the rotatable tool (with the interface).

[0018] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the chip transfer device also has a pneumatic interface for the controlled application of a vacuum to the (second or first) grippers of the rotatable tool connected to the first interface. This application can be controlled or regulated. This has the advantage that suction grippers or suction pipettes can be used as grippers, which, in a known manner, enable a particularly gentle yet reliable temporary gripping of chips.

[0019] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the chip transfer device also includes a pneumatic diverter element, which is connected downstream of the pneumatic interface and which is configured, depending on its current position, to apply negative pressure only to those grippers that are assigned to a selected level of grippers. This has the advantage that only those (suction) grippers that are currently "in operation" or in use are subjected to negative pressure. The terms "in operation" or "in use" can, in particular, mean that only those (suction) grippers of the rotatable tool with the first interface are supplied with negative pressure which, due to the current position of the aforementioned displacement drive (via the common transfer position), interact with grippers of the other rotatable tool without the first interface with regard to the transfer of chips.

[0020] The pneumatic diverter element can be connected to a vacuum line on the input side and have at least two (preferably individually) activatable pneumatic outputs on the output side. The number of pneumatic outputs and / or the number of "diverter positions" can be equal to the number of gripper levels provided by the rotating tool with the first interface and the supplementary tool.

[0021] In this context, it should be noted that if the grippers of another level are used for the temporary storage of chips, the pneumatic switching element can also assume an operating state in which the (suction) grippers, to which more than one level is assigned, are subjected to negative pressure.

[0022] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the pneumatic switch element is coupled to the displacement drive in such a way that those grippers assigned to the selected gripper level are automatically subjected to negative pressure. This has the advantage that no separate control is required for the operation of the switch element, since the displacement drive acts as the "actuator" for the switch element.

[0023] The described coupling between the sliding drive and the switch element can be achieved simply and efficiently, for example, by having the switch element adjusted or actuated by a drive element that is mechanically coupled to a movable component of the sliding drive. The switch element can, for example, be implemented as a so-called slide valve, which has a sleeve and a piston that is slidable within the sleeve along its longitudinal axis and engages with the drive element. A central bore in the piston can serve as the pneumatic inlet described above. Openings in the sleeve, which can be individually pneumatically coupled to the pneumatic inlet via a suitable transverse bore, can serve as the pneumatic outlets described above.

[0024] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the chip transfer device further comprises a plurality of controllable radial drives, wherein each radial drive is assigned to one of the grippers of the removal tool, the turning tool and the supplementary tool, so that the respective gripper can be moved in a radial direction with respect to the respective axis of rotation.

[0025] The described radial drives allow for particularly gentle handling of the chips being transferred. Specifically, a suitable, rapid yet gentle radial removal and insertion movement enables the high process reliability of picking chips from the wafer or wafer stack and transferring them at the common transfer position from the removal tool and / or the supplementary tool to the turning tool or supplementary tool. The same applies to the transfer of so-called (interchangeable) grippers between the supplementary tool and the rotating tool with the first interface.

[0026] The "multiple controllable radial drives" can be implemented, in particular, with a multiple of individual radial drives, each of which can be controlled individually and independently of one another. In other embodiments, the "multiple controllable radial drives" can also be implemented by a common radial drive with a suitable coupling mechanism, which ensures that the gripper currently in a specific angular position relative to the rotation of the respective rotatable tool is moved radially. For example, such a common radial drive can be arranged at a fixed angular position relative to the axis of rotation of the respective rotatable tool. This means that only the gripper currently in the angular position assigned to the respective radial drive can be moved radially.This can be achieved in particular by a coupling mechanism with suitably designed and movable drive and engagement elements, which are only mechanically engaged when the gripper in question is in the angular position assigned to the respective radial drive during its rotation around the axis of rotation of the respective tool.

[0027] According to a further embodiment of the invention, only one rotatable tool, comprising the removal tool and the turning tool, has the first interface. Furthermore, each gripper of the rotatable tool lacking the first interface is assigned a radial drive. This has the advantage that the total number of radial drives can be kept low without having to accept a (significant) loss of functionality and / or process reliability.This approach, particularly at the shared transfer position, exploits the fact that a reliable transfer of a chip, which requires simultaneous contact by two grippers at the time of transfer—(i) a gripper of the removal tool or the supplementary tool attached to the removal tool, and (ii) a gripper of the turning tool or a supplementary tool attached to the turning tool—is possible without restriction even if only one of the two grippers involved is radially actuated. In this context, "radially actuated" means that the gripper in question can be displaced radially by means of a suitable actuator.

[0028] Preferably, the removal tool is a rotatable tool that has radially actuated grippers. This has the advantage that not only can a chip be transferred at the common transfer position, but chips can also be removed from the wafer by a suitable radial out-and-back movement.

[0029] Preferably, the removal tool has two common radial drives. A first common radial drive is assigned to the angular position of the removal tool at which the chips are removed from the wafer. This enables reliable chip removal from the wafer, particularly in conjunction with a described ejector tool. In such an embodiment, a second common radial drive is assigned to the angular position of the removal tool at which chips are transferred to the turning tool. Preferably, chips are removed from the wafer at the so-called 6 o'clock position and / or chips are transferred between the removal tool and the turning tool at the so-called 9 o'clock position of the removal tool. More preferably, the 9 o'clock position of the removal tool corresponds to the 3 o'clock position of the turning tool.

[0030] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the grippers of the other rotatable tool with the first interface and / or the grippers of the supplementary tool are not assigned a radial drive. This can mean, in particular, that the grippers in question are in a fixed or unchanging position with respect to their radial distance from the relevant axis of rotation. The mechanical design of the rotatable tool with the first interface and / or the supplementary tool can thus be kept simple and straightforward.

[0031] It should be noted that radial "actuation" of the grippers located at the first and second pick-up positions is not practically necessary to transfer the chips gently and reliably to a placement head. A placement head is typically equipped with a so-called z-drive, which can move a gripper of the placement head relative to its chassis, usually along a vertical z-direction, to enable both the gentle and reliable picking up of a component or chip and the gentle and reliable placement of a component or chip onto a component carrier. This movement of the grippers of a placement head is sufficient to ensure a gentle and reliable transfer of a chip from the pick-up tool at the first pick-up position or the turning tool at the second pick-up position to the respective placement head.

[0032] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the first grippers, the second grippers, and / or the further grippers are spring-mounted, at least in the radial direction. This advantageously enables gentle handling of the chips during all transfer operations. In particular, these are the transfer operations during (i) removal of the chips from the wafer, (ii) transfer of the chips between the removal tool and the turning tool, (iii) placement of FCOB chips by the placement head, and / or (iv) placement of COB chips by the placement head or a further placement head.

[0033] The spring-loaded mounting can be achieved in particular by simple passive spring elements, which ensure that the suction gripper in question is spring-loaded on its tool in the radial direction.

[0034] According to a further aspect of the invention, an accessory tool for a chip transfer device of the type described above is described. The described accessory tool comprises (a) a plurality of additional grippers arranged radially extending from a central axis of the accessory tool in a further plane; (b) a second interface by means of which the accessory tool can be attached to a first interface of a rotatable tool of the chip transfer device such that (i) the further plane is oriented parallel to a plane of the rotatable tool (with the first interface) within which a plurality of (first or second) grippers extend radially from an axis of rotation, and that (ii) when the rotatable tool (with the first interface) is rotated, the attached removal tool rotates together with the rotatable tool (with the first interface) about the same axis of rotation.According to the invention, the second interface is configured such that the supplementary tool can be fixed to the rotatable tool with the first interface by means of a vacuum.

[0035] The described supplementary tool is based on the understanding that the functionality and / or performance of a chip removal system known, for example, from EP 1 470 747 B1, can be expanded or improved by coupling the supplementary tool with several additional grippers to the removal tool or the turning tool via suitable interfaces (on both sides) using negative pressure. This achieves a structurally simple increase in the number of available grippers for chips. As described above, the additional grippers can be used either for (automatic) gripper changes or for increasing the number of available temporary storage locations for chips.

[0036] According to one embodiment of the invention, the supplementary tool further comprises a plurality of additional grippers projecting radially from the central axis in an additional plane. This additional plane is offset relative to the other plane along the central axis. Furthermore, the additional plane is oriented parallel to the other plane.

[0037] Providing additional gripper levels can have the particular advantage of easily increasing the total number of available grippers. Specifically, it eliminates the need to reduce the pitch distance between two adjacent grippers along the circumference of the tool, which would lead to a reduction in gripper-to-gripper spacing along the circumference.

[0038] With a sufficiently large number of available grippers, it becomes possible to have different types of grippers, ensuring that a suitable gripper can be used for a wide range of chips. Alternatively, or in combination, it becomes possible to provide multiple (interchangeable) grippers, which can optionally include different types of grippers. This significantly increases the flexibility of the chip transfer system described in this document.

[0039] It should be noted that the number of additional levels (each with multiple additional grippers) is not limited. Rather, the described supplementary tool can be equipped with a suitable number of levels, each with multiple grippers, for any given application.

[0040] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the supplementary tool has a locking mechanism which (ii) in a first position fixes the additional grippers to a chassis of the supplementary tool and (ii) in a second position unlocks at least one of the additional grippers for the purpose of removing the gripper. This reliably prevents additional grippers from unintentionally falling off the chassis and hindering the transfer of chips from the wafer to a placement machine downstream of the chip transfer device. This ensures a high level of process reliability for all components involved in the chip transfer.

[0041] The locking mechanism can be coupled with an actuator that can switch the locking mechanism, in particular between the two positions "locked" and "unlocked". Furthermore, a suitable sensor can be provided that detects the current position of the locking mechanism and transmits the corresponding information to a control unit. This also ensures a high level of operational reliability with regard to the transfer of grippers.

[0042] According to another aspect of the invention, a chip transfer system for transferring chips from a wafer to a placement head of a placement machine is described.This chip transfer system comprises (a) a chip transfer device of the type described above; and (b) an augmentation tool comprising (a) a plurality of additional grippers arranged radially extending from a central axis of the augmentation tool in a further plane; and (b) a second interface by means of which the augmentation tool can be attached to the first interface of a rotatable tool selected from the rotatable removal tool and the rotatable turning tool, such that (i) the further plane is oriented parallel to the first plane and / or the second plane within which a plurality of grippers selected from the plurality of first grippers and from the plurality of second grippers extend radially, and that (ii) when the rotatable tool is rotated, the attached augmentation tool rotates together with the rotatable tool about the same axis of rotation.The supplementary tool is attached to the first interface of the chip transfer device via its second interface.

[0043] The described chip transfer system for transferring chips is based on the understanding that by connecting the aforementioned supplementary tool to a chip removal system known, for example, from EP 1 470 747 B1, with a rotatable removal tool and a rotatable turning tool, a functionally enhanced chip feeding system can be created in a comparatively simple manner. Due to an increased number of available grippers, this chip feeding system exhibits particularly high flexibility, especially with regard to processing different types of chips and / or with regard to the temporary storage of chips that have already been removed from the wafer assembly but have not yet been transferred to a placement head.

[0044] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the first interface and / or the second interface is configured such that the supplementary tool can be attached to the rotatable tool with the first interface in a repeatable and unambiguous angular position. This advantageously ensures a defined attachment of the supplementary tool to the rotatable tool in question, even if this attachment is carried out by an inexperienced or unskilled operator.

[0045] A releasable fixation at a specific angular position can be achieved by an operator using a suitable tool or without tools. Alternatively, automatic fixing or release can also be performed automatically, particularly by a control unit of the described chip transfer system for transferring chips.

[0046] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the first interface and / or the second interface are configured such that the supplementary tool can be fixed to the rotatable tool with the first interface by means of a vacuum.

[0047] A pneumatic, and therefore also releasable, fixation of the auxiliary tool to the relevant rotating tool can be achieved simply and efficiently by using a suitable valve arrangement to utilize the vacuum, which is already required when using suction grippers, for the pneumatic fixation as well. The vacuum can directly provide a force-fit fixation of the auxiliary tool to the relevant rotating tool. Alternatively, a short pneumatic pulse (negative as vacuum or positive as overpressure) can serve as a pneumatic switching impulse, causing a fastening mechanism to switch between a first and a second state. In the first state, the auxiliary tool is fixed to the relevant rotating tool, whereas in the second state, it may be released.The previously existing fixation of the supplementary tool to the relevant rotatable tool is lifted.

[0048] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the grippers which are assigned to a specific plane are of the same type.

[0049] Using identical grippers for a single gripper level simplifies the operation of the described chip transfer system because it eliminates the need to monitor or constantly consider which types of grippers are located at the various angular positions of the respective tool—i.e., the removal tool, the turning tool, and / or the supplementary tool. This simplifies chip transfer control and increases process reliability.

[0050] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the grippers assigned to different levels are of different types. This has the advantage that different types of grippers are available, so that a particularly suitable gripper can be used for a wide range of differently sized chips. Alternatively or in combination, it is possible to provide different types of (interchangeable) grippers in a simple and reliable manner. This significantly increases the flexibility of the described chip transfer system for transferring chips, particularly with regard to the production of many different electronic assemblies.

[0051] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the same number of grippers are assigned to different levels of grippers. Alternatively, or in combination, different levels of grippers are assigned an unequal number of grippers. By appropriately adjusting the number of grippers for a level, the described chip transfer system can be optimized with regard to various requirements.

[0052] Based on current knowledge, it appears advantageous for each level to have, for example, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, or 24 grippers. It is generally beneficial if the number of grippers per level in the removal tool is less than the number of grippers per level in the turning tool and / or in the supplementary tool, if the latter is attached to the turning tool.

[0053] According to a further embodiment of the invention, (a) two immediately adjacent planes of grippers have the same number of grippers, and (b) the grippers of one (adjacent) plane are arranged offset with respect to their angular position about the (first or second) axis of rotation relative to the grippers of the other (adjacent) plane, preferably offset by half an angular pitch. This has the advantage that the grippers can be arranged in a very compact space. As a result, all the intended planes can be realized within a comparatively small axial installation space.

[0054] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the supplementary tool, in addition to the further level with further grippers, has at least one additional level with a plurality of additional grippers. Furthermore, the grippers of at least one level are interchangeable grippers, which can replace a gripper after it has worn out. Alternatively or in combination, the grippers of at least one other level are of a different type than the grippers of the rotatable tool with the first interface. This has the advantage that the rotatable tool extended by the supplementary tool can handle different components in a time-optimized manner without having to change grippers. Alternatively or in combination, the supplementary tool can also provide interchangeable grippers of one or more different types.

[0055] It should be noted that these advantages apply both to an embodiment in which the supplementary tool is attached to the removal tool, and to an (other) embodiment in which the supplementary tool is attached to the turning tool.

[0056] According to a further embodiment of the invention, a gripper mounting position is provided for each first gripper, each second gripper, and / or each subsequent gripper. Furthermore, the number of gripper mounting positions, in particular the number of gripper mounting positions per level, of the supplementary tool, which gripper mounting positions are each assigned to an interchangeable gripper, is greater than the number of gripper mounting positions, in particular the number of gripper mounting positions per level, of the rotatable tool that interacts with the supplementary tool via the common transfer position.

[0057] Provided that the number of gripper mounting positions assigned to each interchangeable gripper of the supplementary tool is at least one greater (than the number of gripper mounting positions of the rotating tool, which interacts with the supplementary tool via the common transfer position), it becomes advantageously possible to keep a complete second set of interchangeable grippers readily available. The free gripper mounting position of the supplementary tool can then be used to successively change the grippers of the rotating tool.

[0058] If the number of gripper mounting positions assigned to each interchangeable gripper in the supplementary tool is a multiple (e.g., a multiple of four) plus at least one larger, then several complete sets of interchangeable grippers can be kept in the supplementary tool and used successively for a gripper change, taking advantage of at least one free gripper mounting position in the meantime.

[0059] The gripper mounting positions can each have a simple sleeve onto which a gripper can be attached. These sleeves can also be referred to as quills or hollow-drilled work spindles. The radial drives described above can be coupled to these sleeves and move them (together with any attached gripper) in a radial direction.

[0060] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the chip transfer system further comprises (a) a reading device; and (b) an encoding which is readable by the reading device.

[0061] The coding can, in particular, be a code that uniquely identifies the respective component, so that the reading device and, if applicable, a downstream evaluation device can clearly recognize that the supplementary tool, and also which specific supplementary tool, has been added to the relevant rotatable tool. In simpler terms, after the supplementary tool has been attached, automatic identification can be performed by the reading device and, if applicable, a downstream control unit of the described chip transfer system or pick-and-place machine. This allows parameters required for controlling the described chip transfer device or system for transferring chips to be automatically adjusted. These parameters can, for example, be indicative of the geometry or dimensions of the supplementary tool and / or represent calibration factors.Preferably, the encoding is a machine-readable optical encoding (barcode, QR code, etc.) and / or an electromagnetically readable encoding (e.g. RFID).

[0062] It should be noted that in the case of an optically readable code, the reading device can also be implemented using a camera system already employed for other purposes. An example of such a camera system, which can be equipped with the additional functionality of reading the described code, is a so-called printed circuit board camera of the pick-and-place machine, which uses a known method to detect optically readable markings on a component carrier to be assembled.

[0063] According to a further aspect of the invention, a placement system for removing chips from a wafer and for placing the removed chips onto a component carrier is described. The described placement system comprises (a) a chip transfer device of the type described above; and (b) a placement machine with a placement head for picking up FCOB chips provided at the first pick-up position and / or for picking up COB chips provided at the second pick-up position.

[0064] The described placement system is based on the understanding that the above-mentioned chip transfer device and / or the above-mentioned chip transfer system can be functionally coupled to a placement machine in such a way that unpackaged components or chips can be placed on a component carrier, in particular a printed circuit board, without further chip handling steps.

[0065] According to a further aspect of the invention, a method for changing a gripper for temporarily picking up a chip in a chip transfer system of the type described above for transferring chips from a wafer to a placement head of a placement machine is described.The method comprises (a) positioning the turning tool relative to the removal tool such that the attached supplementary tool and the rotating tool without a first interface reach a common transfer position in which a gripper can be transferred between the rotating tool and the supplementary tool; (b) rotating the rotating tool without a first interface so that a no-longer-needed gripper of the rotating tool without a first interface is located at the common transfer position; (c) rotating the supplementary tool so that a free gripper mounting position of the supplementary tool is located at the common transfer position; (d) transferring the no-longer-needed gripper to the supplementary tool; (e) rotating the supplementary tool so that a new gripper is located in the common transfer position; and (f) transferring the new gripper to the rotating tool without a first interface.

[0066] The described method is based on the understanding that the aforementioned supplementary tool can be used as a storage unit for (interchangeable) grippers, which can be used as needed by the rotating tool that is not coupled to the supplementary tool via the two interfaces. An automatic replacement of an old or previously used gripper can be carried out, for example, when it is worn out and needs to be replaced by a new or at least a newer gripper. Furthermore, replacing a gripper may also be advisable if a different type of gripper is required for handling different chips or is beneficial for ensuring high operational reliability.

[0067] The described method allows for the efficient provision of suitable grippers for a wide range of different chips. Depending on the chip being transferred, the most appropriate gripper is automatically selected for the temporary handling of the respective chip. Changing the grippers used can be accomplished during the operation of the chip transfer device or the downstream placement machine within a minimal changeover time. Furthermore, suitable gripper changes can be performed programmatically and without manual operator intervention.

[0068] The described positioning is relative positioning. This means that at least one of the picking tool and the turning tool (in a space-fixed coordinate system) is moved along at least one of three translational degrees of freedom, such that the common transfer position is reached by the rotatable tools involved in the transfer, i.e., the supplementary tool and the rotatable tool not coupled to the supplementary tool. This positioning specifically includes moving the picking tool along the first axis of rotation and / or moving the turning tool along the second axis of rotation, such that the further plane (of the further grippers) coincides with the first plane (of the first grippers in the case of a gripper transfer between the picking tool and the supplementary tool) or the second plane (of the second grippers in the case of a gripper transfer between the turning tool and the supplementary tool).

[0069] The described gripper change can be requested and, if necessary, controlled by a control unit of the chip transfer device, the chip transfer system, or a placement machine. Preferably, the gripper change is only initiated when there are no longer any chips on either of the rotating tools.

[0070] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the supplementary tool is attached to the turning tool. This advantageously enables at least a semi-automatic and preferably a fully automatic change of a gripper of the removal tool.

[0071] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the supplementary tool is attached to the removal tool. This advantageously enables at least a semi-automatic and preferably a fully automatic change of a gripper of the turning tool.

[0072] It should be noted that changing a gripper is also possible for grippers attached to the rotating tool with the first interface. In this case, the gripper change can be performed indirectly via the other rotating tool without the first interface. Specifically, this means that the new gripper is first transferred to a free or cleared position on the other rotating tool. Then, the new gripper is transferred to the previously cleared position on the rotating tool with the first interface, the position previously occupied by the gripper that has been replaced by the new gripper.

[0073] According to a further embodiment of the invention, transferring the no-longer-needed gripper to the supplementary tool and / or transferring the new gripper to the rotatable tool without a first interface involves actuating a radial drive of the rotatable tool. This has the advantage that a smooth transfer, particularly of a changeable gripper (as well as a gripper to be replaced), can be carried out gently and with high process reliability. A further advantage of this embodiment is that the number of radial drives required for the chip transfer system can be kept small, thus simplifying the apparatus design and keeping the costs of the chip transfer system relatively low.Given that typical placement heads have a z-drive for their grippers, this design means that in practice, no limitations in functionality or process reliability need to be accepted. This advantage has already been explained in detail above.

[0074] It should be noted that embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to different subject matter. In particular, some embodiments of the invention are described by means of apparatus claims and other embodiments of the invention by means of method claims. However, it will be immediately clear to the person skilled in the art upon reading this application that, unless explicitly stated otherwise, in addition to a combination of features belonging to one type of subject matter, any combination of features belonging to different types of subject matter is also possible.

[0075] Before exemplary embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the drawing, some technical considerations related to the invention will be presented below.

[0076] The aim of the present invention is to provide a chip feeding device, referred to in this document as a chip transfer system, which can be reconfigured for handling wafer-shaped components or chips of varying designs during operation and without operator intervention. To achieve the compact dimensions of an entire placement machine required by many users, the devices for changing suction grippers must occupy only minimal installation space within the feeding device. Therefore, for changing suction grippers, only actuated degrees of freedom of the feeding device or the placement machine that are already required for the implementation of the removal, handling, and placement process should be used, as far as necessary. Furthermore, actuated degrees of freedom provided for tolerance compensation between individual functional elements of the feeding device can be used.

[0077] A particularly relevant part of the feeding device for the invention consists of a removal tool and a turning tool. Furthermore, the placement machine, into which the feeding device is integrated, has a placement head with several suction grippers for picking up, transporting, and placing components or chips during a placement process. The removal tool picks chips from the substrate of a wafer and presents them to the placement head in FCOB orientation. For COB applications, the components are transferred from the removal tool to the turning tool and presented to the placement head. The turning tool can also be used for temporary storage of chips.

[0078] Compared to a known system, in particular the chip extraction system described in EP 1 470 747 B1, the chip transfer system described in this document has the following advantages in particular: (a) The functionality of the turning tool in particular is extended so that, by changing suction grippers, it is possible to automatically convert the chip transfer system to feed chips of different properties. (b) The turning tool can be equipped with the functionality of a storage unit for chips and / or suction grippers required for the chip transfer system and / or the downstream placement machine. In particular, interchangeable suction grippers for the removal tool can be stored and used for automatic suction gripper changes. (c) With a suitable configuration of the chip transfer system, not only the suction grippers of the turning tool but also the suction grippers of the removal tool can be changed (automatically).

[0079] Further advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following exemplary description of currently preferred embodiments. The individual figures in the drawings of this document are to be regarded merely as schematic and not to scale. Brief description of the drawing Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic top view of a placement system with a chip transfer system according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. Figure 2 shows a side view of a chip transfer device (without an attached supplementary tool) for providing (i) COB chips and (ii) FCOB chips. Fig. Figure 3 shows an enlarged and schematic representation of a chip transfer system with an additional tool attached to the turning tool, which has two levels of suction grippers. Fig. Figure 4 shows a perspective view of part of a chip transfer system according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. Figure 5 shows a pneumatic system with a pneumatic diverter element. Detailed description

[0080] It should be noted that in the following detailed description, features or components of different embodiments that are identical or at least functionally equivalent to the corresponding features or components of another embodiment are designated with the same reference numerals or with reference numerals whose last two digits are identical to the reference numerals of corresponding identical or at least functionally equivalent features or components. To avoid unnecessary repetition, features or components already explained with reference to a previously described embodiment will not be explained in detail again later.

[0081] Furthermore, it should be noted that the embodiments described below represent only a limited selection of possible embodiments of the invention. In particular, it is possible to combine the features of individual embodiments in a suitable manner, so that a multitude of different embodiments are to be considered obviously disclosed to the person skilled in the art with the embodiments explicitly presented here.

[0082] Furthermore, it should be noted that spatial terms, such as "front" and "back," "top" and "bottom," "left" and "right," etc., are used to describe the relationship of one element to another, as illustrated in the figures. Accordingly, these spatial terms may apply to orientations that differ from those depicted in the figures. However, it goes without saying that, for the sake of simplicity, all such spatial terms refer to the orientations shown in the drawings and are not necessarily restrictive, since the device, component, etc., depicted, when in use, may assume orientations that differ from those shown in the drawing.

[0083] Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a placement system 100 with a chip transfer system 140 and a placement machine 110. The placement machine 100 corresponds in its essential features, particularly its design, to a conventional placement machine. Therefore, the basic function of the placement machine 110 and various components not shown are not explained in detail below.

[0084] The placement machine 110 has a chassis 112, which is in Fig. 1 is schematically represented by a solid line. This chassis 112 provides a frame structure to which the individual components of the placement machine 110 are attached directly or indirectly.

[0085] A portal system 120 is attached to the chassis 112, which, in a known manner, comprises two guide elements that form a portal root. According to the embodiment shown here, this portal root is formed by a first guide element 122a and by a further first guide element 122b. Both first guide elements 122a and 122b each have an elongated support rail that extends along a first direction. Fig. 1. This first direction is referred to as a y-direction.

[0086] The portal system 120 further comprises two carriages 124a and 124b. Carriage 124a is slidably mounted on the guide element 122a, so that it can be moved or positioned along the y-direction by means of a drive (not shown). Carriage 124b is similarly slidably mounted on the guide element 122b. A drive (also not shown) ensures that both carriages 124a and 124b are moved in the same manner, i.e., synchronously, along the y-direction. Bearing elements 125 ensure that both carriages 124a and 124b are moved reliably along a precisely defined track along the y-direction.

[0087] Between the two slides 124a and 124b extends a second guide element 132, designed as a movable crossbeam, which has a longitudinal extension along a second direction. This second direction is in Fig. 1 and also hereinafter referred to as the x-direction. A second slide 134 is attached to or guided on the crossbeam 132, which can be moved or positioned along the x-direction by means of a drive (not shown). This second slide 134 represents a mechanical platform to which a placement head 136 is attached. According to the embodiment shown here, the placement head 136 is a so-called multi-placement head, which has several chip holding devices 138 designed as suction pipettes or suction grippers, each of which is used in a known manner for the temporary pickup of an electronic component.

[0088] To place components onto a component carrier 190, the placement head 136 is moved in a known manner by suitable control of the portal system 120, first into a component pick-up area (not shown), in which unpackaged wafer-shaped components or chips 192 are provided by the chip transfer system 140. There, the provided chips 192 are picked up by the placement head 136 and transferred again by suitable control of the portal system 120 into a placement area in which the chips 192 are placed onto the component carrier 190.

[0089] A data processing unit 114 ensures coordinated control of the drives for the two carriages 124a, 124b, for the placement head 136, and for other components of the placement machine 110 known to those skilled in the art. One such component is, for example, a transport system designed to insert the component carrier 190 into the placement machine 110 before it is placed and to remove it from the placement machine 110 after at least partial placement. According to the embodiment shown here, the data processing unit 114 is coupled to a data processing unit 144, which controls a chip transfer system 140 such that its operation is synchronized with the operation of the placement machine 110. For the sake of clarity, the communication link between the two data processing units 114 and 144 is shown in the diagram. Fig. Figure 1 is not shown. Of course, the two data processing units 114 and 144 can also be implemented using a single, shared data processing unit. This can be achieved, in particular, by implementing the functionality of data processing unit 144 into data processing unit 114 of the placement machine 110.

[0090] The chip transfer system 140 comprises a chip transfer device 142 and an auxiliary tool 170. The chip transfer device 142 includes a rotatable removal tool 150 and a rotatable turning tool 160. According to the embodiment shown here, the auxiliary tool 170 is attached to the turning tool 160. The removal tool 150 interacts with the turning tool 160 or with the auxiliary tool 170 at a point in Fig. 1. The common transfer position (not shown) relates to the transfer of chips 192 and / or the transfer of (interchangeable) suction grippers together. The axes of rotation of the two tools 150 and 170 are parallel to the one shown in Fig. The y-direction is indicated in the upper left. A temporary pickup of chips 192 from a wafer 195 by the removal tool 150 is carried out by means of suction grippers, which are not marked with a reference numeral and are distributed along an outer circumference of the removal tool 150 and project radially outwards from the axis of rotation of the removal tool 150. Similarly, a temporary pickup of chips 192 provided by the removal tool 150 can be carried out by the turning tool 160 or the supplementary tool 170 by means of suction grippers, which are also not marked with a reference numeral and are distributed along an outer circumference of the turning tool 160 or the supplementary tool 170, respectively, and project radially outwards from the axis of rotation of the turning tool 160.

[0091] According to the embodiment shown here, the chip transfer system 140 is fixedly mounted on the placement machine 110. This means that when removing different chips 192 from the wafer 195, the wafer 195 must be moved by means of a suitable xy-surface positioning system (not shown) to allow the removal tool 150 access to different positions or different chips 192 on the wafer 195.

[0092] Fig. Figure 2 shows a side view of a chip transfer device 142 (without an attached auxiliary tool) for providing (i) COB chips 292a and (ii) FCOB chips 292b. The COB chips 292a are provided at a first pick-up position 256 to a placement head (not shown) for pick-up and subsequent placement on a component carrier. The FCOB chips 292b are provided at a second pick-up position 266 to the placement head or another placement head (also not shown).

[0093] According to the embodiment shown here, the removal tool 150 has four first suction grippers 252. The turning tool 160 has a total of 16 second suction grippers 262. The removal tool 150 is rotatable about a first axis of rotation 251, and the turning tool 160 rotates about a second axis of rotation 261 during operation.

[0094] The removal tool 150 and the turning tool 160 work together at a common transfer position 246 with respect to the transfer of chips 192, i.e., FCOB chips 292a and / or COB chips 292b. According to the embodiment shown here, this common transfer position 246 corresponds to a so-called "9 o'clock position" for the rotatable removal tool 150 and to the "3 o'clock position" for the rotatable turning tool 160. Chips are removed from the wafer 195 at the "6 o'clock position" of the removal tool 150. The first pick-up position 256 is located at the "12 o'clock position" of the removal tool 150, and the second pick-up position 266 is located at the "12 o'clock position" of the turning tool 160.

[0095] For reliable handling of chips 192, 292a, 292b, it is necessary that the first suction gripper 252, which removes a chip 192 from the wafer 195, is displaceable in the radial direction (relative to the first axis of rotation 251). Such radial displacement during chip removal 192 is required in Fig. Figure 2 is illustrated with a double arrow 260a. Furthermore, it is necessary that at least one of a first suction gripper 252 and a second suction gripper 262, both of which are involved in the transfer of a chip 192 between the removal tool 150 and the turning tool 160, is radially displaceable. Preferably, such radial displacement in the area of ​​the transfer position 246 is achieved by a radial displacement of the respective first suction gripper 252. This allows the turning tool 160 to be implemented as a largely passive tool with respect to the second suction grippers 262, and thus in a structurally simple and also economically attractive manner. The same applies to the [unclear - possibly referring to a specific component or element] in [unclear - possibly referring to a specific component or element]. Fig. 2 supplementary tools not shown. A radial displacement during the transfer of chips 192 is illustrated with a double arrow 260b.

[0096] The radial displacements 260a, 260b of the first suction grippers 252 are effected by means of radial drives 282. According to the embodiment shown here, each first suction gripper 252 is assigned its own radial drive 282.

[0097] Each suction gripper is located at a gripper mounting position 245. This includes, in a known manner, a so-called quill (not shown) onto which the respective suction gripper can be attached. The suction gripper is supplied with negative pressure via a central bore in the quill.

[0098] A radial displacement of a first suction gripper 160 at the first pick-up position 256 and a radial displacement of a second suction gripper 180 at the second pick-up position 266 is typically not required because the chip holding devices 138 of the placement head 136 are usually movable along a z-direction and can be gently moved to the respective pick-up position 256, 266 when picking up a chip 292a or a chip 292b.

[0099] Instead of the individual radial drives 282 described above (each first suction gripper 252 is assigned a radial drive 282), the radial displacement can also be achieved by at least one shared radial drive. With shared radial drives, mechanical engagement between a radial drive permanently assigned to the working position and the first suction gripper 252 that is currently in that position only occurs in the respective working position, i.e., in the "6 o'clock position" for picking up chips 192 and in the "9 o'clock position" for transferring chips 192.

[0100] Fig. Figure 3 shows an enlarged and schematic representation of a chip transfer system 140 with a removal tool 150 and an additional tool 170 attached to the turning tool 160, which has two levels of suction grippers.

[0101] The removal tool 150 has a chassis 354 which can be rotated about the first axis of rotation 261 by means of a rotary drive 380. The first suction grippers 252 are each mounted on a gripper mounting position 245 and are supplied with negative pressure via a hollow quill in a known manner. The first suction grippers 252 are arranged radially extending from the first axis of rotation 261 in a first plane 352a, which is oriented perpendicular to the first axis of rotation 261. Similarly, the removal tool 160 has a second plane 362a, which is oriented perpendicular to the second axis of rotation 261 and in which the second suction grippers 262 are arranged. The turning tool 160 also has a chassis 364 on which the second suction grippers 262 are attached at gripper mounting positions 245. The chassis 364 is rotated around the second axis of rotation 261 by a rotary drive 381 together with the second suction grippers 262.

[0102] The turning tool 160 further comprises a first interface 368 to which a supplementary tool 170 can be detachably and non-rotatably attached concentrically to the second axis of rotation 261. The supplementary tool 170 has a central axis 371 which, when attached, coincides with the second axis of rotation 261.

[0103] To reliably attach the supplementary tool 170 to the first interface 368, the supplementary tool 170 has a second interface 378. The two interfaces 368 and 378 are in Fig. 3 schematically depicted and, in addition to a reliable mechanical fastening, also enable the transfer of a vacuum, which is provided to the turning tool 160 (for the purpose of temporarily holding chips on the second suction grippers 262), to the supplementary tool 170 (also for temporarily holding chips).

[0104] According to the embodiment shown here, the storage tool 170 has two levels of suction grippers, each of which is detachably attached to the supplementary tool 170 via a gripper mounting position 245 on a chassis 374 of the supplementary tool 170, projecting radially from the central axis 371. The additional suction grippers 372 assigned to a first star level of the supplementary tool 170 are arranged in a plane referred to in this document as additional level 372a. Similarly, in a second star level of the supplementary tool 170, additional suction grippers 373 are arranged in a plane referred to as additional level 373a.

[0105] In this context, the term "star plane" refers to the plane defined by the centers of the tips of the suction cups in a star-shaped array. A star plane can be determined either from the ideal or the actual positions of the suction cup tips, as determined by measurement.

[0106] The functional coupling or interaction of the removal tool 150 with a star plane of the turning tool 160 or the supplementary tool 170 takes place, as already explained above, at a common transfer position 246. By means of a displacement drive 365, a selected of the three star planes or a selected plane (the second plane 362a, the further plane 372a or the additional plane 373a) can be moved along the second axis of rotation 261 or the central axis 371 and aligned with the first plane 352a of the removal tool 150, so that the common transfer position is reached by the desired suction grippers 262, 372 or 373.

[0107] Fig. Figure 4 shows a perspective view of part of a chip transfer system 140 according to an embodiment of the invention. The turning tool 160 is visible, which comprises a star plane with second suction grippers 262. An additional tool 170 is attached to the turning tool 160 via interfaces not shown. According to the embodiment shown here, this additional tool has two star planes, each with a plurality of suction grippers 372, 473, which serve the following different purposes: (A) The additional suction grippers 372, like the second suction grippers 262, serve to temporarily hold chips that have been picked up by the removal tool (not shown). The second suction grippers 262 and the additional suction grippers 372 can be configured differently, so that, for example, the second suction grippers 262 can reliably pick up one type of chip and the additional suction grippers 372 can reliably pick up a second, different type of chip.

[0108] The additional suction grippers 473 are so-called interchangeable suction grippers. As shown in the diagram... Fig. As can be seen in Figure 4, these are attached to the supplementary tool 170 in a reversed orientation. This means that the tips of the suction grippers 473, each holding a component, point inwards, i.e., towards the central axis 371. If a suction gripper of the removal tool (not shown) is worn or needs to be replaced for other reasons, a replacement suction gripper 473 can be transferred to the removal tool at the common transfer position when the removal tool and supplementary tool 170 are at a suitable angle. The replacement suction gripper 473 is transferred to a gripper receiving position after the suction gripper to be replaced has been removed in a suitable manner.

[0109] To fix the supplementary tool 170 to the turning tool 160, a fixing element 475 designed as a rotary handle is provided according to the embodiment shown here. A linear guide 465a ensures that when the displacement drive 365 is activated, the arrangement consisting of the turning tool 160 and the supplementary tool 170 is precisely moved along the second axis of rotation 261 or the central axis 371, and that the transfer position is reached exactly from the relevant star plane.

[0110] The in Fig. The rotary drive 381, shown only schematically, is attached to the chassis 364. Both the turning tool 160 and the supplementary tool 170 are supplied with vacuum via a pneumatic interface 487.

[0111] To ensure a smooth transfer (without significant force) of interchangeable suction grippers 473 to the removal tool, the interchangeable suction grippers 473 are simply inserted into corresponding receiving openings of the auxiliary tool 170. To prevent the interchangeable suction grippers 473 from falling out when the auxiliary tool 170 is rotated, they are held in their respective receiving openings by a suitable locking mechanism (not shown in detail). According to the embodiment shown here, this locking mechanism includes a strike plate. To transfer an interchangeable suction gripper 473, it is released by a release element 487 actuated by a release actuator 486. To ensure high operational reliability, the position of the release element 487 is monitored by a sensor 488.

[0112] Fig. Figure 5 shows a pneumatic system with a pneumatic diverter element 501, which is located in the chassis of the turning tool and is designed to supply each (active) star plane of the turning tool and the supplementary tool with negative pressure.

[0113] The pneumatic system includes a vacuum generator 507, which supplies a pneumatic inlet 505 of the switch element 501 with negative pressure. The pneumatic switch element 501 also has two pneumatic outlets: a first pneumatic outlet 506a and a second pneumatic outlet 506b. The pneumatic outlet 506a is assigned to a first star plane of second suction grippers, each of which is located at a gripper mounting position 245 (in Fig. 5 (represented by a filled circle) are attached. Similarly, the pneumatic output 506b is assigned to a second star plane of further suction grippers, each of which is located at a gripper mounting position 245 (in Fig. 5 (represented by an open circle) are attached.

[0114] It should be noted that the number of pneumatic outlets is not limited to two. In particular, when using multiple star levels, a corresponding number of pneumatic outlets allow all star levels to be selectively pressurized.

[0115] According to the embodiment shown here, the pneumatic diverter element is implemented by means of a piston slide valve 501, which has a sleeve 502 and a piston 503 that is axially displaceable therein. An air channel 503a is formed in the piston 503, which pneumatically couples the pneumatic inlet 505 to one of the two pneumatic outlets 506a or 506b, depending on the axial position of the piston 503.

[0116] According to the embodiment shown here, the axial displacement of the piston 503 is effected by means of a drive element 504, which is connected to the displacement drive (not shown) (see reference numeral 365 in Fig. 4) is coupled.

[0117] The following section explains, with reference to all figures, some further, partly optional, constructive aspects and other features and advantages of exemplary embodiments of the placement system 100 and its chip transfer system 140 described in this document: The turning tool 160 comprises several axially offset star planes, which are referred to above as second plane 362a, further plane 372a, and additional plane 373a, respectively. Chips can be temporarily stored on each star plane and / or transferred to a placement head in COB orientation. Preferably, only the star row whose star plane at least substantially coincides with the star plane of the removal tool is active (i.e., in use). More preferably, the star planes are equipped with different types of suction grippers, so that the turning tool can handle different chips efficiently and reliably without having to change suction grippers.

[0118] Multiple star rows can have the same or a different number of suction cups. With the same number of suction cups, the star planes of the turning tool are advantageously offset from each other by half an angular star division. This allows the pipettes to be arranged very compactly, resulting in the following technical advantages: (i) minimized axial installation space of the turning tool (ii) reduced travel distances of the linear displacement drive (iii) simplified pneumatic supply of the suction grippers of different star levels by passing the pneumatic supply lines of a second star level through the spaces between the suction grippers of a first star level without deflections.

[0119] At least one star plane of the supplementary tool can optionally be removed from the turning tool. This allows an operator to remove the supplementary tool from the chip transfer system or the placement machine for the purpose of setting up suction grippers. As is known from conventional magazines with (interchangeable) suction grippers for placement machines, this work can thus be advantageously carried out outside the chip transfer system or the placement machine. The supplementary tool can preferably be fixed by a holding device that aligns and fixes the supplementary tool in a unique position with repeatable accuracy. A releasable fixation can be performed with a tool or without tools with repeatable accuracy. Alternatively, the holding device can be actuated automatically by a control unit of the chip transfer system or the placement machine.Automatic actuation can be achieved, for example, by a pneumatic or electric drive. Alternatively, or in combination, the negative pressure controlled by the pneumatic soft element described above can be used to release the fixation.

[0120] After the supplementary tool is attached to the turning tool, automatic identification can be performed by a control unit of the chip transfer system or the placement machine. This allows parameters required for controlling the chip transfer system to be automatically adjusted (e.g., the configuration of the supplementary tool, calibration factors, etc.). For this purpose, the supplementary tool can have a suitable machine-readable encoding or marking, such as an optical (barcode, QR code, etc.) or electromagnetic (RFID) encoding. A corresponding reading device is integrated into the turning tool. Alternatively, the optical encoding of the supplementary tool can also be detected by existing camera systems of the placement machine (e.g., a so-called printed circuit board camera) and evaluated by a downstream evaluation unit.

[0121] The displacement drive, by means of which the turning tool and the attached supplementary tool are linearly displaced, can have the following features and advantages in particular: (i) The displacement drive moves the turning tool and / or the supplementary tool parallel to the axis of rotation of the turning tool or the central axis of the supplementary tool. (ii) The selection of an active star plane is achieved by moving the linear axis associated with the displacement drive to discrete positions, each corresponding to a star plane. This can also be described as a “switching movement” to activate different star planes. In this context, a star plane is considered active when it at least approximately coincides with the star plane of the removal tool. (iii) Linear displacement can also be used to compensate for positional tolerances between the removal tool and the turning tool. (iv) If the relative position of the tips of all suction grippers of the removal tool and the turning tool is known (e.g., by prior optical measurement), then the suction grippers of the removal tool and / or turning tool can be aligned in the common transfer position by a suitable compensating movement of the linear displacement drive. Such a compensating movement can be superimposed on the movement during “switching” between different star planes.

[0122] The pneumatic system, which generates the negative pressure required to hold chips and transmits it to the individual active star levels, can have the following features in particular: (i) To minimize the air consumption associated with generating the vacuum, it is advantageous to pneumatically couple only the active star plane (i.e., the one opposite the extraction tool) to the vacuum supply. The supply lines, which are exclusively assigned to the other star planes, are unpressurized or essentially at ambient pressure. (ii) The switching of the vacuum or the corresponding holding circuit between the different star planes is preferably effected by a piston slide valve arranged concentrically to the axis of rotation of the supplementary tool. The piston slide valve has a sleeve and a piston or control slide axially displaceable therein. Preferably, it does not have its own actuator, but is positively actuated by a linear axis of the displacement drive for the turning tool (and the supplementary tool) and a drive element when a change between the star planes occurs. The drive element can be mounted on the base plate of the chip transfer system and determine the axial position of the control slide in the sleeve.

[0123] When a suction gripper of the removal tool is in the common transfer position, the transfer of a chip to the turning tool or the supplementary tool can be supported by a so-called blow pulse and / or by a separate vacuum supply for the suction gripper that is to pick up the chip. This separate vacuum supply can only be active in the common transfer position. Such a separate vacuum supply can be implemented, among other things, by means of a ground glass disc that supplies all star levels. The ground glass disc is preferably designed such that no crosstalk between the supply lines of two suction grippers is possible when the turning tool and / or the supplementary tool rotates.

[0124] Optionally, one or more star levels of the turning tool can be configured as magazines with multiple devices for holding auxiliary tools required within the chip transfer system or the placement machine. These auxiliary tools can include, for example, suction grippers or pipettes for the placement head, or ejector tools for removing or ejecting a chip from the wafer stack. In particular, such a magazine can provide additional (interchangeable) suction grippers for the removal tool. This enables the handling of different chips with the removal tool by automatically changing the suction grippers without interrupting the chip transfer system or the placement machine.

[0125] Regarding the number of magazine slots for each suction gripper, there are several preferred embodiments: (i) A star level contains at least the number of suction grippers of the removal tool plus ONE. This makes it possible to keep a complete second set of suction grippers ready. The free magazine space can be used to successively change the suction grippers of the removal tool according to the procedure described below. (ii) A star level contains at least an integer multiple (e.g., a multiple of 4) of the number of suction grippers of the removal tool plus ONE. This allows multiple sets of suction grippers to be stored in a single star level. (iii) The number of magazine slots can correspond to the number of suction grippers in the other star rows of the turning tool.

[0126] The above-described magazine for suction grippers, also referred to as a pipette magazine, can have the following features and advantages: (i) The pipette magazine is a passive storage device. The actuators and sensors required for operation can be integrated into the turning tool. This allows for a robust and economical design of the pipette magazines. (ii) The magazine slots are arranged radially so that the stroke of the radial drives of the removal tool required to remove or insert a suction gripper into a magazine slot is minimized. (iii) The pipettes can be positively locked in the magazine slots by locking plates. The locking plates are normally closed so that the suction grippers are held securely even during dynamic rotations of the supplementary tool. The locking plates are preferably actuated independently of each other, so that only one magazine slot is released at a time. The locking plates are engaged, for example, by a suitable arrangement of compression springs. (iv) In normal operation of the feeding device, the magazine slots' locking plates are actuated exclusively in the transfer position. For this purpose, the turning tool has a release actuator that axially displaces a locking plate (i.e., along the star axis of the turning tool) to such an extent that a magazine slot is released and a pipette can be removed or inserted. The release actuator is advantageously arranged on a linear slide of the turning tool. Pneumatic cylinders or solenoids, for example, are suitable for the release actuator. (v) To detect the condition of the strike plates, a suitable strike plate sensor (e.g., optical, magnetic, inductive, capacitive) is provided on the unlocking actuator. It detects the axial position of the strike plate that is currently in the transfer position. This allows, firstly, the opening of the strike plate by the unlocking actuator to be monitored and, based on this, a change of suction gripper to be initiated. Secondly, during rotation of the supplementary tool, the condition of all strike plates can be monitored and, in combination with the measured angular position of the supplementary tool, a defective strike plate can be detected (safety function).

[0127] The supplementary tool can be designed modularly. This means that different supplementary tools can be attached to the turning tool without having to modify the first interface of the turning tool. This allows for easy interchangeability of one supplementary tool for another. Depending on the application, the turning tool can therefore be equipped with different supplementary tools that have a different number of star levels and / or a different number of suction grippers per star level.

[0128] Furthermore, for the purpose of tolerance compensation, the removal tool can have an additional linear axis with a corresponding drive, which linear axis is aligned perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the turning tool.

[0129] The following describes a currently preferred method for changing or switching the active star level on the turning tool or the supplementary tool. This change is preferably initiated or requested by a control unit of the chip transfer system or the placement machine. Initiation occurs as soon as there are no more chips on the currently active star level. This means that the change takes place after all COB chips have been picked up by the placement head or all FCOB chips have been transferred to the removal tool. (1) The change of the star row is effected by activating the displacement drive of the reversing tool. This drive is moved in a position-controlled manner until the requested or desired star plane of the removal tool or the supplementary tool coincides at least approximately with the star plane of the removal tool. (2) If, optionally, the actual positions of the centers of the tips of the suction grippers are known (e.g. by suitable optical measurement), then a suitable offset correction can be made with the displacement drive to bring the suction grippers of the removal tool and the turning tool or supplementary tool, which are opposite each other in the common transfer position, into alignment.

[0130] The following describes a currently preferred method for changing the suction pipettes of the pick-and-place tool. This change of the suction pipettes of the pick-and-place tool is initiated or requested by a control unit of the chip transfer system or the placement machine. It is started after there are no more chips on the star levels of the turning tool and the pick-and-place tool. (1) Transition to the star plane with the magazined suction grippers or to the pipette magazine of the turning tool or the supplementary tool according to the procedure described above for changing or switching the active star plane. (2) Rotate the removal tool until the suction gripper to be replaced is in the common transfer position. (3) Rotate the turning tool until a free receptacle for a suction gripper is in the common transfer position. (4) Opening the pipette magazine by extending the unlocking actuator, preferably monitored by the strike plate sensor. (5) Inserting the suction gripper into the magazine slot by extending the radial drive located at the common transfer position (after the magazine slot has been released). (6) Closing the pipette magazine by retracting the unlocking actuator. (7) Removing the suction gripper from the removal tool by retracting the radial drive located in the common transfer position. (8) Rotate the turning tool until the holder with the suction gripper to be exchanged is in the common transfer position. (9) Picking up the suction gripper from the removal tool by extending the radial drive located at the common transfer position. (10) Opening the pipette magazine by actuating the unlocking actuator, preferably monitored by the strike plate sensor. (11) Removing the relevant suction gripper from the pipette magazine by retracting the radial drive located at the common transfer position (after releasing the magazine space).

[0131] It should be noted that the term "have" does not exclude other elements and that "a" does not exclude a plurality. Elements described in connection with different embodiments may also be combined. It should also be noted that reference numerals in the claims should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of protection of the claims. REFERENCE MARK: 100 placement system 110 Placement machine 112 chassis 114 Data processing unit 120 Portal System 122a first guide element / portal root 122b further first guide element / portal root 124a Sled 124b Sled 125 bearing elements 132 second guide element / movable crossbeam 134 second sled 136 Placement head 138 Chip holding devices / Component holding devices 140 chip transfer system 142 Chip transfer device 144 Data processing unit 150 extraction tools 160 reversible tools 170 Supplementary tools 190 component carriers / printed circuit board 192 chips / (unpackaged) components 195 wafers y first direction x second direction 245 Gripper mounting position 246 joint handover position 251 first axis of rotation 252 first grippers 256 first pickup position 260a radial displacement 260b radial displacement 261 second axis of rotation 262 second grippers 266 second pickup position 282 Radial drive 292a FCOB Chip 292b COB Chip 352a first level 354 Chassis 362a second level 364 Chassis 365 shift drive 368 first interface 371 Central axis 372 more grabbers 372a further level 373 additional grippers 373a additional level 374 chassis 378 second interface 380 Rotary drive (for removal tool / supplementary tool) 381 Rotary drive (for reversing tool / supplementary tool) 465a Linear guide 467 pneumatic interface 473 Interchangeable grippers 475 Fixing element / rotary handle 486 Unlocking actuator 487 Release element 488 Sensor (for locking mechanism / strike plate) 501 pneumatic diverter valve / piston slide valve 502 Sleeve 503 pistons 503a Air duct 504 Drive element 505 pneumatic inlet 506a pneumatic output 506b pneumatic output 507 Vacuum generators

Claims

[1] Chip transfer device (142) for transferring chips (192) from a wafer (195) to a placement head (136) of a placement machine (110), comprising the chip transfer device (142) a removal tool (150) rotatable about a first axis of rotation (251) (i) for removing individual chips (192) from the wafer (195), (ii) to turn the extracted chips (192) in order to make them available as FCOB chips (292a) at a first collection position (256), and (iii) for transferring, at a common transfer position (246), the extracted chips (192) to a turning tool (160) rotatable about a second axis of rotation (261); and the rotating turning tool (160) (i) to pick up chips (192) from the extraction tool (150), and (ii) to turn the received chips (192) over again in order to make them available as COB chips (292b) at a second pickup position (266); wherein the removal tool (150) has a plurality of first grippers (252) for temporarily picking up one chip (192) each, wherein the first grippers (252) are arranged radially outward from the first axis of rotation (261) in a first plane (352a), wherein the turning tool (160) has a plurality of second grippers (262) for temporarily picking up one chip (192) each, wherein the second grippers (262) are arranged radially outward from the second axis of rotation (261) in a second plane (362a), wherein at least one rotatable tool (160) has a first interface (368) between the removal tool (150) and the turning tool (160), to which a supplementary tool (170) having a plurality of further grippers (372) can be attached, which are arranged radially projecting from a central axis (371) of the supplementary tool (170) in a further plane (372a), and wherein the first interface (368) is designed such that when the supplementary tool (170) is attached, the central axis (371) coincides with the first axis of rotation or the second axis of rotation (261). [2] Chip transfer device (142) according to the preceding claim, wherein the rotatable tool (160) has the first interface (368) a chassis (364); and a displacement drive (365) attached to the chassis (364) for displacement along the axis of rotation (261) of the rotatable tool (160), from (i) the grippers (262) of the rotating tool (160) and (ii) the additional grippers (372) of the supplementary tool (170). [3] Chip transfer device (142) according to the preceding claim, further comprising a pneumatic interface (467) for controlled application of a vacuum to the grippers (262) of the rotatable tool (160) via the first interface (368). [4] Chip transfer device (142) according to the preceding claim, further comprising a pneumatic diverter element (501) which is downstream of the pneumatic interface (467) and which is configured, depending on its current position, to apply negative pressure only to those grippers which are assigned to a selected plane of grippers. [5] Chip transfer device (142) according to the preceding claim, wherein the pneumatic switch element (501) is coupled to the displacement drive (365) in such a way that those grippers which are assigned to the selected level of grippers are automatically subjected to negative pressure. [6] Chip transfer device (142) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a plurality of controllable radial drives (282), wherein in particular one radial drive (282) is assigned to each of the grippers (252, 262, 372, 373) of the removal tool (150), the turning tool (160) and the supplementary tool (170), so that the gripper in question can be moved in a radial direction with respect to the respective axis of rotation (251, 261). [7] Chip transfer device (142) according to the preceding claim, wherein only one rotatable tool (169) of the removal tool (150) and the turning tool (160) has the first interface (368) and the grippers of the rotatable tool (150) without the first interface (368) are each assigned a radial drive (282). [8] Chip transfer device (142) according to one of the two preceding claims, wherein the grippers (262) of the rotatable tool (160) with the first interface (368) and / or the grippers (372, 373) of the supplementary tool (170) are not assigned a radial drive (282). [9] Chip transfer device (142) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first grippers (252), the second grippers (262) and / or the further grippers (372) are spring-mounted at least in the radial direction. [10] Supplementary tool (170) for a chip transfer device (142), in particular for a chip transfer device (142) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 9, comprising the supplementary tool (170) a plurality of further grippers (372) which are arranged radially extending from a central axis (371) of the supplementary tool (170) in a further plane (372a); a second interface (378) by means of which the supplementary tool (170) can be attached to a first interface (368) of a rotatable tool (160) of the chip transfer device (142) such that the further plane (372a) is oriented parallel to a plane (362a) of the rotatable tool (160), within which a plurality of grippers (262) extend radially from a rotational axis (261), and that when the rotatable tool (160) is rotated, the attached removal tool (150) rotates together with the rotatable tool (160) about the same axis of rotation (261, 371); wherein the second interface (378) is configured such that the supplementary tool (170) can be fixed to the rotatable tool (160) with the first interface (368) by means of a vacuum. [11] Supplementary tool (170) according to the preceding claim 10, further comprising a plurality of additional grippers (373) projecting radially from the central axis (371) in an additional plane (373a); wherein the additional plane (373a) is offset in relation to the further plane (372) along the central axis (371) and the additional plane (373a) is oriented parallel to the further plane (372a). [12] Supplementary tool (170) according to any one of the preceding claims 10 to 11, wherein the supplementary tool (170) has a locking mechanism (486, 487) which in a first position fixes the further grippers (372) to a chassis (374) of the supplementary tool (170) and in a second position unlocks at least one of the further grippers (372) for the purpose of removing the gripper (372). [13] Chip transfer system (140) for transferring chips (192) from a wafer (195) to a placement head (136) of a placement machine (110), comprising the chip transfer system (140) a chip transfer device (142) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 9; and a supplementary tool (170) which features a plurality of further grippers (372) which are arranged radially projecting from a central axis (371) of the supplementary tool (170) in a further plane (372a); and a second interface (378) by means of which the supplementary tool (170) can be attached to the first interface (368) of a rotatable tool (160), selected from the rotatable removal tool (150) and from the rotatable turning tool (160), such that (i) the further plane (372a) is oriented parallel to the first plane (352a) and / or the second plane (362a), within which a plurality of grippers (262), selected from the plurality of first grippers (252) and from the plurality of second grippers (262), project radially, and that (ii) when the rotatable tool (160) is rotated, the attached supplementary tool (170) rotates together with the rotatable tool (160) about the same axis of rotation (261, 371); wherein the supplementary tool (170) with its second interface (378) is attached to the first interface (368) of the chip transfer device (142). [14] Chip transfer system (140) according to the preceding claim 13, wherein the first interface (368) and / or the second interface (378) is configured such that the supplementary tool (170) can be attached to the rotatable tool (160) with the first interface (368) in a repeatable manner at a unique angular position. [15] Chip transfer system (140) according to one of the preceding claims 13 to 14, wherein the first interface (368) and / or the second interface (378) is configured such that the supplementary tool (170) can be fixed to the rotatable tool (160) with the first interface (368) by means of a vacuum. [16] Chip transfer system (140) according to any one of the preceding claims 13 to 15, wherein the grippers which are assigned to a particular plane are of the same type. [17] Chip transfer system (140) according to any one of the preceding claims 13 to 16, wherein grippers assigned to different levels are different types of grippers. [18] Chip transfer system (140) according to any one of the preceding claims 13 to 17, wherein Different levels of grippers are assigned an equal number of grippers and / or Different levels of grippers are assigned an unequal number of grippers. [19] Chip transfer system (140) according to any one of the preceding claims 13 to 18, wherein two immediately adjacent levels (362a, 372a; 372a, 373a) of grippers have the same number of grippers and the grippers of one plane are arranged offset from the grippers of the other plane with respect to their angular position around the relevant axis of rotation, preferably offset by half an angular pitch. [20] Chip transfer system (140) according to any one of the preceding claims 13 to 19, wherein the supplementary tool (170) in addition to the further level (372a) with further grippers (372) has at least one additional level (373a) with a plurality of additional grippers (373, 473) and wherein the grippers (473) of at least one level are interchangeable grippers (473) which can replace a gripper (252) after wear and / or the grippers (372) of at least one other level (372a) are of a different type than the grippers (262) of the rotatable tool (160) with the first interface (368). [21] Chip transfer system (140) according to any one of the preceding claims 13 to 20, wherein for each first gripper (252), for each second gripper (262) and / or for each additional gripper (372) a gripper mounting position (245) is provided and wherein the number of gripper mounting positions (245), in particular the number of gripper mounting positions (245) per level (373a), of the supplementary tool (170), which gripper mounting positions (245) are each assigned to a changeable gripper (473), is greater than the number of gripper mounting positions (245), in particular the number of gripper mounting positions (245) per level (352a), of that rotatable tool (150) which interacts with the supplementary tool (170) via the common transfer position (246). [22] Chip transfer system (140) according to any one of the preceding claims 13 to 21, further comprising a reading device; and a code that is readable by the reading device; - wherein the reading device is assigned to the rotatable tool (160) with the first interface (368) and the encoding is assigned to the supplementary tool (170); or - wherein the encoding is assigned to the rotatable tool (160) with the first interface (368) and the reading device is assigned to the supplementary tool (170). [23] Placement system (100) for removing chips (192) from a wafer (195) and for placing chips (192, 292a, 292b) onto a component carrier (190), comprising the placement system (100) a chip transfer device (142) according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and / or a chip transfer system (140) according to any one of claims 13 to 22; and a placement machine (110) with a placement head (136) for picking up FCOB chips (292a) provided at the first pick-up position (256) and / or for picking up COB chips (292b) provided at the second pick-up position (266). [24] Method for changing a gripper for temporarily picking up a chip (192) in a chip transfer system (140) according to one of claims 13 to 22 for transferring chips (192) from a wafer (195) to a placement head (136) of a placement machine (110), comprising the method Positioning the turning tool (160) in relation to the removal tool (150) so that the attached supplementary tool (170) and the rotatable tool (150) reach a common transfer position (246) without a first interface (368), in which a gripper (252, 473) can be transferred between the rotatable tool (150) and the supplementary tool (170); Rotating the rotatable tool (150) without a first interface (368) so that a gripper (252) of the rotatable tool (150) that is no longer needed is located at the common transfer position (246) without a first interface (368); Rotating the supplementary tool (170) so that a free gripper mounting position (245) of the supplementary tool (170) is located at the common transfer position (246); Transferring the no longer needed gripper (252) to the supplementary tool (170); Rotating the supplementary tool (170) so that a new gripper (473) is in the common transfer position (246); and Transferring the new gripper (473) to the rotating tool (150) without a first interface (368). [25] Method according to the preceding claim 24, wherein the supplementary tool (170) is attached to the turning tool (160). [26] Method according to the preceding claim 24, wherein the supplementary tool is attached to the removal tool. [27] Method according to any one of the preceding claims 24 to 26, wherein transferring the no longer required gripper (252) to the supplementary tool (170) and / or transferring the new gripper (473) to the rotatable tool (150) without a first interface (368) comprises actuating a radial drive (282) of the rotatable tool (150).

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