Compression molding apparatus and compression molding method

Abstract

To provide a compression molding apparatus and a compression molding method that enable a compact compression molding apparatus, improve the ease of maintenance of a sealing mold, reduce machine time, and improve productivity.SOLUTION: A compression molding apparatus 1 uses a sealing mold 202 having an upper mold 204 with a cavity 208 and a lower mold 206 having a workpiece holding portion 205 to seal a workpiece W with a sealing resin R and process it into a molded product Wp, and is equipped with a transport device 302 that transports the workpiece W and the sealing resin R into the sealing mold 202, and the transport device 302 is equipped with a workpiece hand 312 that holds the workpiece W and a resin hand 322 that holds the sealing resin R, and the workpiece hand 312 is configured to hold the workpiece W at a position directly below the sealing resin R held by the resin hand 322.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a compression molding apparatus and a compression molding method. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art As an example of a resin sealing apparatus and a resin sealing method for sealing a workpiece having electronic components mounted on a substrate with a sealing resin and processing it into a molded product, a method using a compression molding method is known.

[0003] The compression molding method is a technology in which a predetermined amount of sealing resin is supplied to a sealing area (cavity) provided in a sealing mold comprising an upper and lower molds, a workpiece is placed in the sealing area, and the workpiece is sealed with resin by clamping it between the upper and lower molds (see Patent Document 1: JP 2013-42017 A, and Patent Document 2: JP 2019-145550 A). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-42017 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-145550 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the case of the compression molding method, sealing resin is supplied into the cavity of the sealing die, and the cavity moves in the thickness direction, causing the sealing resin to harden and seal the workpiece. Therefore, when the die is opened, the workpiece and the sealing resin must overlap even if there is a space between them in the vertical direction.

[0006] As an example, Patent Document 1 describes a method for transporting a workpiece and sealing resin into a sealing die of a compression molding die having a cavity in the upper die and a movable upper die cavity, which generally involves placing the sealing resin on top of the workpiece and transporting and setting the workpiece together into the compression molding die.

[0007] As another example, Patent Document 2 describes a method for transporting a workpiece and sealing resin into a sealing die of a compression molding die having a cavity in the lower die and a movable lower die cavity, in which, for a type that mainly uses granular resin, the workpiece before molding is transported from the left side of the sealing die and the workpiece after molding is removed, and the sealing resin is supplied from the right side of the sealing die, with the aim of reducing molding defects due to dust generated from the granular resin. In this case, Patent Document 2 describes a method for transporting the workpiece before molding and the workpiece after molding by arranging a first hand (a hand for transporting the workpiece before molding) and a second hand (a hand for transporting the workpiece after molding) in front and behind at two locations at the front end of one loader in order to transport and remove the workpiece before molding and the workpiece after molding quickly. However, in this supply method, since the first hand and the second hand are arranged side by side in the front-back direction, there is a problem that the transport device becomes large in the front-back direction. In addition, there is a problem that a space needs to be provided for the transport device to enter the front side of the device with respect to the sealing die, and the entire compression molding device becomes large. In addition, there is a problem that the distance from the front of the compression molding device to the sealing die becomes long, and the maintenance of the sealing die is poor. In addition, the travel distance of the transport device increases, which causes an issue of extended machine time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a compression molding apparatus and a compression molding method that enable the compression molding apparatus to be made more compact, improve the maintainability of the sealing mold, and reduce machine time and improve productivity.

[0009] The present invention solves the above problems by the solution means described below as one embodiment.

[0010] A compression molding apparatus according to one embodiment is a compression molding apparatus that uses a sealing mold having an upper mold with a cavity and a lower mold having a work holding portion to seal a work with sealing resin and process it into a molded product, and is provided with a transport device that transports the work and the sealing resin into the sealing mold, the transport device including a work hand that holds the work and a resin hand that holds the sealing resin, and the work hand is configured to hold the work at a position directly below the sealing resin held by the resin hand.

[0011] According to the above embodiment, the workpieces and sealing resin are held in a vertically hierarchical manner in the conveying device, so that the front-rear dimension of the conveying device can be reduced. Therefore, the compression molding device can be made compact. In addition, the distance from the front of the compression molding device to the sealing mold is shortened, so that the maintainability of the sealing mold can be improved. In addition, after the workpieces are placed on the workpiece holding section, sealing resin can be continuously placed on the workpieces without moving the conveying device, so that machine time can be shortened and productivity can be improved.

[0012] It is also preferable that the workpiece used has a configuration in which electronic components are mounted on a substrate, and that the sealing resin used is a plate- or block-shaped solid resin formed into a predetermined shape whose overall shape corresponds to the shape of the workpiece.

[0013] It is also preferable that the work hand has a first holding portion that holds the work by gripping the bottom or side surface of the work or by adsorbing the top surface, and the resin hand has a second holding portion that holds the work by gripping the bottom or side surface of the sealing resin or by adsorbing the top surface.

[0014] It is also preferable that the conveying device has a moving device that moves the holding position of the sealing resin in the second holding portion of the resin hand upward and downward relative to the holding position of the work in the first holding portion of the work hand.

[0015] Moreover, a compression molding method according to one embodiment is a compression molding method in which a sealing mold including an upper mold having a cavity and a lower mold having a work holding portion is used to seal a work with sealing resin and process it into a molded product, and the method includes a resin holding step of holding the sealing resin with a resin hand, a work holding step of holding the work with a work hand at a position directly below the sealing resin after the resin holding step, a work loading step of loading the work on the work holding portion provided on the lower mold after the work holding step, and a resin loading step of loading the sealing resin on the work after the work loading step. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to make the compression molding device more compact, improve the maintainability of the sealing mold, reduce the machine time, and improve the productivity. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a compression molding device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating an example of a press device of the compression molding apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view showing an example of a sealing mold of a compression molding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a compression molding method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. 12. [Figure 14] Fig. 14A is an enlarged view of part XIV in Fig. 13. Fig. 14B is an explanatory view following Fig. 14A. [Figure 15] FIG. 14B is an explanatory diagram following FIG. 14B. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram following FIG. [Figure 17] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a sealing resin used in a compression molding apparatus and a compression molding method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another example of a sealing resin used in the compression molding apparatus and the compression molding method according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another example of a sealing resin used in the compression molding apparatus and the compression molding method according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another example of a sealing resin used in the compression molding apparatus and the compression molding method according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an example of a compression molding device according to a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view (schematic view) showing an example of a compression molding apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. For convenience of explanation, arrows in the drawing indicate the left-right direction (X direction), the front-back direction (Y direction), and the up-down direction (Z direction) in the compression molding apparatus 1. In addition, in all the drawings for explaining each embodiment, members having the same function are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations thereof may be omitted.

[0019] The compression molding apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is an apparatus for resin sealing (compression molding) a workpiece (molded article) W, using a sealing die 202 including an upper die 204 and a lower die 206. The lower die 206 is provided with one or more workpiece holding portions 205 for holding the workpiece W. The upper die 204 is provided with one or more cavities 208 depending on the shape and number of the workpieces W. A release film (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "film") F is adsorbed and held within this cavity 208. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

[0020] First, the workpiece W to be sealed has a configuration in which electronic components Wb are mounted on a substrate Wa. More specifically, examples of the substrate Wa include plate-shaped members such as a resin substrate, a ceramic substrate, a metal substrate, a carrier plate, a lead frame, and a wafer. Examples of the electronic components Wb include a semiconductor chip, a MEMS chip, a passive element, a heat sink, a conductive member, and a spacer. The shape of the substrate Wa is a rectangular shape (striped shape), a square shape, a circular shape, and the like. The number of electronic components Wb mounted on one substrate Wa is set to one or more (for example, in a matrix shape, etc.).

[0021] Examples of methods for mounting the electronic components Wb on the substrate Wa include wire bonding mounting, flip chip mounting, etc. Alternatively, in the case of a configuration in which the substrate (glass or metal carrier plate) Wa is peeled off from the molded product Wp after resin sealing, there is also a method in which the electronic components Wb are attached using a thermally peelable adhesive tape or an ultraviolet-curable resin that is cured by exposure to ultraviolet light.

[0022] In this embodiment, the sealing resin R is a solid resin that is a thermosetting resin (for example, but not limited to, an epoxy resin containing a filler) and has a predetermined overall shape (details will be described later) that corresponds to the shape of the workpiece W. Usually, one piece constitutes the "whole" amount of sealing required (one application per workpiece W), but it may be configured so that several pieces (for example, about two or three pieces) are divided to constitute the "whole" amount of sealing required.

[0023] As examples of film F, film materials having excellent heat resistance, ease of peeling, flexibility, and extensibility, such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), ETFE (polytetrafluoroethylene polymer), PET, FEP, fluorine-impregnated glass cloth, polypropylene, and polyvinylidine chloride, are preferably used.

[0024] Next, an overview of the compression molding apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the compression molding apparatus 1 mainly comprises a work supply unit 100A for supplying the work W, a resin supply unit 100B for transporting the sealing resin R, a press unit 100C for sealing the work W with resin and processing it into a molded product Wp, and a storage unit 100D for storing the molded product Wp. As an example, the work supply unit 100A, the resin supply unit 100B, the press unit 100C, the press unit 100C, and the storage unit 100D are arranged in this order along the X direction in FIG. 1. However, the above configuration is not limited to this, and the equipment configuration within the unit, the number of units (particularly the number of press units), the arrangement order of the units, and the like can be changed. In addition, the compression molding apparatus 1 can also be configured to include units other than those described above (all not shown).

[0025] In addition, in the compression molding apparatus 1, a control unit 150 that controls the operation of each mechanism in each unit is disposed in the workpiece supplying unit 100A (it may be configured to be disposed in another unit).

[0026] In addition, the compression molding apparatus 1 has a guide rail 300 linearly provided between each unit, and a transport device (first loader) 302 for transporting the work W and the sealing resin R, and a transport device (second loader) 304 for transporting the molded product Wp are provided so as to be movable between predetermined units along the guide rail 300. However, the configuration is not limited to the above, and a configuration including a common (single) transport device (loader) for transporting the work W, the sealing resin R, and the molded product Wp may be used (not shown). In this embodiment, two workpieces W are arranged in the X direction and transported into the sealing mold 202, but for the sake of simplicity of the drawings, the following description will be given for one workpiece. The number of workpieces is not limited to two.

[0027] Here, the inventors of the present application have devised a compression molding apparatus 400 according to a comparative example (see FIG. 21) in order to study a transport device for transporting the workpiece W and the sealing resin R. Specifically, the compression molding apparatus 400 is configured to transport the workpiece W and the sealing resin R into a sealing die 401 by a transport device 402 in which a first hand (a workpiece hand for transporting the workpiece W) 412 and a second hand (a resin hand for transporting the sealing resin R) 422 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction.

[0028] However, in the compression molding apparatus 400 according to the comparative example, the first hand and the second hand are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction, as in the conventional compression molding apparatus described in Patent Document 2, so that the conveying device becomes large in the front-rear direction. In addition, it is necessary to provide a space in front of the apparatus for the conveying device to enter the front side of the compression molding apparatus with respect to the sealing mold, so that the entire compression molding apparatus becomes large. In addition, the distance from the front of the compression molding apparatus to the sealing mold becomes long, so that the maintenance of the sealing mold becomes difficult.

[0029] In order to solve the above problems, the conveying device (first loader) 302 according to this embodiment has the following configuration. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the first loader 302 has a loader body 302A that can move in the X direction in the compression molding device 1, and a loader head 302B that is attached to the loader body 302A and can move in the Y and Z directions in the compression molding device 1. The loader head 302B has a work hand 312 that holds the work W and a resin hand 322 that holds the sealing resin R, and the work hand 312 and the resin hand 322 are attached to the loader head 302B (specifically, the support part 310). In this embodiment, the work hand 312 is disposed so as to hold the work W at a position directly below the sealing resin R held by the resin hand 322.

[0030] As a result, the compression molding apparatus 1 according to this embodiment can solve the above problems. Specifically, the compression molding apparatus 1 according to this embodiment can hold the workpiece W and the sealing resin R in a vertically hierarchical manner in the loader head 302B. With this configuration, the dimension of the transport device (first loader) 302 in the front-rear direction can be reduced. Therefore, the compression molding apparatus 1 can be made compact. In addition, since the distance from the front surface of the compression molding apparatus 1 to the sealing die 202 is shortened, the maintainability of the sealing die 202 can be improved.

[0031] In this embodiment, the work hand 312 has a first holding portion (for example, a chuck having holding claws at its tip) 314 that holds the work W, and a first moving device 316 that drives the chuck 314 to open and close in the X direction (see FIG. 4). The first moving device 316 is provided on a chuck support portion 318 that supports the chuck 314. With this configuration, the work hand 312 can hold the work W by gripping the bottom surface or side surface of the work W. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the chuck 314 may be configured to include a rotation axis that rotates the chuck 314, or may be configured to move the chuck 314 by combining horizontal movement and rotational movement (neither of which are shown).

[0032] The resin hand 322 also has a second holding section (suction mechanism (configuration for suction with suction holes communicating with a suction device)) 324 that holds the sealing resin R by suctioning the upper surface of the sealing resin R, and a second moving device 326 that drives the suction mechanism 324 to move up and down (Z direction). The second moving device 326 is configured with a cylinder mechanism, and is connected to the suction mechanism 324 via an arm support section 327 attached to the tip of a rod and an arm 328 supported by the arm support section 327. With this configuration, the resin hand 322 can move the holding position of the sealing resin R in the suction mechanism 324 upward and downward relative to the holding position of the workpiece W in the chuck 314 of the workpiece hand 312. With this, the sealing resin R held by the suction mechanism 324 can be placed in a state of contact with the workpiece W (substrate Wa) placed on the workpiece holding section 205, so that the positional deviation of the sealing resin R can be prevented. However, the second moving device 326 is not limited to this configuration, and may be configured to move the suction mechanism 324 up and down using a combination of a servo motor and a linear guide, etc. (not shown).

[0033] The first holding part of the work hand 312 may be a suction mechanism, and the second holding part of the resin hand 322 may be a chuck. Both may be chucks or suction mechanisms. In this embodiment, the second holding part 324 of the resin hand 322 is arranged on the outside of the first holding part 314 by using the arm 328, and is further moved up and down by the second moving device 326. However, a through hole may be provided in the center of the chuck support part 318, and the second moving device 326 may be provided directly on the second holding part 324. Other known holding mechanisms may also be adopted (not shown).

[0034] In addition, the compression molding apparatus 1 has been given as an example in which the loader head 302B moves up and down (Z direction) to transport the workpiece W and the sealing resin R, but the apparatus may also be configured to move the chuck 314 up and down (Z direction) to transport the workpiece W and the sealing resin R, or may be configured to have both.

[0035] (Work supply unit) Next, the workpiece supply unit 100A provided in the compression molding apparatus 1 will be described in detail.

[0036] The work supply unit 100A includes a work supply magazine 102 that stores a plurality of workpieces W. Here, a known stack magazine, slit magazine, or the like is used as the work supply magazine 102. The work supply unit 100A also includes a work table 103 that delivers the workpiece W from the work supply magazine 102 to the first loader 302.

[0037] The work supply unit 100A may be configured to include a work stage or the like (not shown) on which the work W taken out from the work supply magazine 102 is placed.

[0038] The workpiece W is held in advance by the workpiece hand 312 of the first loader 302 in a resin supply unit 100B (described later) with the sealing resin R held by the resin hand 322, and is transported to the press unit 100C and set at a predetermined position in the sealing mold 202. In this embodiment, the workpiece W is placed on the workpiece holding portion 205 of the lower mold 206, and the sealing resin R is placed on the workpiece W placed on the workpiece holding portion 205 (the process will be described later in detail).

[0039] (Resin supply unit) Next, the resin supplying unit 100B provided in the compression molding apparatus 1 will be described in detail.

[0040] The resin supply unit 100B includes a resin supply magazine 120 that supplies the sealing resin R. Here, a known stack magazine, a slit magazine, or the like is used as the resin supply magazine 120. The resin supply unit 100B also includes a resin table 121 that delivers the sealing resin R from the resin supply magazine 120 to the first loader 302.

[0041] The resin supplying unit 100B may be configured to include a resin stage (not shown) on which the sealing resin R taken out from the resin supplying magazine 120 is placed.

[0042] The sealing resin R is held by the resin hand 322 of the first loader 302 and is transported to the press unit 100C via the work supply unit 100A. In this embodiment, the work supply unit 100A and the resin supply unit 100B are arranged in this order from the left end, but they do not necessarily have to be arranged in this order, and the resin supply unit 100B and the work supply unit 100A may be arranged in this order from the left end.

[0043] (Press unit) Next, the press unit 100C included in the compression molding apparatus 1 will be described in detail.

[0044] The press unit 100C is provided with a sealing die 202 having a pair of dies (for example, a combination of a plurality of die blocks, die plates, die pillars, etc., made of alloy tool steel, and other members) that can be opened and closed. The press unit 100C is also provided with a press device 250 that opens and closes the sealing die 202 to resin seal the workpiece W. As an example, the press unit 100C is configured to include one press device 250, but may include multiple press devices (not shown). A side view (schematic view) of the press device 250 provided in the press unit 100C is shown in FIG. 2, and a front cross-sectional view (schematic view) of the sealing die 202 is shown in FIG. 3.

[0045] Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the press machine 250 is configured to include a pair of platens 254, 256, a plurality of tie bars 252 on which the pair of platens 254, 256 are supported, and a drive device for moving (raising and lowering) the platen 256. Specifically, the drive device is configured to include a drive source (e.g., an electric motor) 260 and a drive transmission mechanism (e.g., a ball screw or a toggle link mechanism) 262 (however, the present invention is not limited to this). In this embodiment, the platen 254 on the upper side in the vertical direction is set as a fixed platen (a platen fixed to the tie bars 252), and the platen 256 on the lower side is set as a movable platen (a platen slidably held by the tie bars 252 and raised and lowered). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the platens may be set upside down, that is, the upper side may be set as a movable platen and the lower side as a fixed platen, or both the upper side and the lower side may be set as movable platens (neither is shown).

[0046] 3, the sealing mold 202 includes an upper mold 204 on the upper side in the vertical direction and a lower mold 206 on the lower side as a pair of molds disposed between the pair of platens 254, 256 in the press device 250. That is, the upper mold 204 is assembled to the upper platen (in this embodiment, the fixed platen 254), and the lower mold 206 is assembled to the lower platen (in this embodiment, the movable platen 256). The upper mold 204 and the lower mold 206 move toward and away from each other to close and open the mold (the vertical direction (up and down direction) is the mold opening and closing direction).

[0047] In the present embodiment, as an example, a film supply mechanism 211 is provided that transports (supplies) a roll-shaped film F to the inside of the sealing die 202. Depending on the configuration of the workpiece W, the film F may be in a strip shape instead of a roll shape.

[0048] Next, the upper mold 204 of the sealing mold 202 will be described in detail. As shown in Fig. 3, the upper mold 204 includes an upper mold chase 210, a cavity piece 226 held thereby, a clamper 228, etc. The upper mold chase 210 is fixed to the lower surface of a support plate 214 via a support pillar 212. A cavity 208 is provided on the lower surface of the upper mold 204 (the surface on the lower mold 206 side).

[0049] The clamper 228 is configured in an annular shape so as to surround the cavity piece 226, and is assembled to be movable up and down while being spaced (floating) from the lower surface of the support plate 214 via a push pin 222 and a clamper spring (a biasing member exemplified by a coil spring, for example) 224 (however, the assembly structure is not limited to this). The cavity piece 226 constitutes the inner part (bottom part) of the cavity 208, and the clamper 228 constitutes the side part of the cavity 208. The shape and number of cavities 208 provided in one upper mold 204 are appropriately set according to the shape and number of workpieces W (one or multiple).

[0050] In addition, suction paths (holes, grooves, etc.) (not shown) communicating with a suction device are provided on the lower surface of the clamper 228 and at the boundary between the clamper 228 and the cavity piece 226. This allows the film F supplied from the film supply mechanism 211 to be adsorbed and held on the mold surface 204a including the inner surface of the cavity 208. In addition, the cavity 208 can be degassed when the mold is closed and resin sealing is performed.

[0051] In this embodiment, an upper die heating mechanism (not shown) is provided to heat the upper die 204 to a predetermined temperature. This upper die heating mechanism includes a heater (e.g., an electric wire heater), a temperature sensor, a power source, etc., and heating is controlled by the control unit 150. As an example, the heater is built into the upper die chase 210 and configured to apply heat to the entire upper die 204 and the sealing resin R contained in the cavity 208. The heater heats the upper die 204 to a predetermined temperature (e.g., 100°C to 300°C).

[0052] Next, a detailed description will be given of the lower mold 206 of the sealing mold 202. As shown in Fig. 3, the lower mold 206 includes a lower mold chase 240, a lower plate 242 held thereby, and the like.

[0053] In this embodiment, a workpiece holding section 205 is provided to hold the workpiece W at a predetermined position on the upper surface of the lower plate 242. As an example, the workpiece holding section 205 has a workpiece guide pin (not shown) and a suction passage (hole, groove, etc.) that is arranged penetrating the lower plate 242 and communicates with a suction device (not shown). Specifically, one end of the suction passage is connected to the die surface 206a of the lower die 206, and the other end is connected to a suction device arranged outside the lower die 206. This makes it possible to suck the workpiece W from the suction passage by driving the suction device, and to hold the workpiece W by suction on the die surface 206a (here, the upper surface of the lower plate 242). Instead of the above-mentioned suction holding mechanism, or together with the suction holding mechanism, a configuration may be provided with holding claws that clamp the outer periphery of the workpiece W (not shown). The shape and number of the workpiece holding sections 205 provided on one lower die 206 are appropriately set according to the shape and number of the workpieces W (one or multiple).

[0054] In this embodiment, a lower die heating mechanism (not shown) is provided to heat the lower die 206 to a predetermined temperature. This lower die heating mechanism includes a heater (e.g., an electric wire heater), a temperature sensor, a power source, etc., and heating is controlled by the control unit 150. As an example, the heater is built into the lower die chase 240 and is configured to apply heat to the entire lower die 206 and the workpiece W held by the workpiece holding unit 205. The heater heats the lower die 206 to a predetermined temperature (e.g., 100°C to 300°C).

[0055] (Storage unit) Next, the storage unit 100D included in the compression molding apparatus 1 will be described in detail.

[0056] The molded product Wp is held by the second loader 304, removed from the sealing mold 202, and transported to the storage unit 100D. Note that the second loader 304 uses a known holding mechanism for the molded product Wp (for example, a clamping mechanism with holding claws, a suction hole communicating with a suction device for suction, etc.) (not shown).

[0057] As a modified example of the above-described conveying device, instead of the second loader 304 moving in the X and Y directions, a conveying device (loader) that moves in the X direction to convey between units and a conveying device (loader) that moves in the Y direction to unload from the sealing mold 202 may be separately provided (not shown).

[0058] The storage unit 100D includes a storage magazine 104 in which a plurality of molded products Wp are stored. A known stack magazine, slit magazine, or the like is used as the storage magazine 104. Although a molded product table 105 (alignment unit) on which the molded products Wp transported by the second loader 304 are temporarily placed is provided, this may be omitted.

[0059] The storage unit 100D may be configured to include a molded product stage (not shown) on which the molded product Wp transferred from the press unit 100C is placed.

[0060] (Resin sealing operation) Next, there will be described steps of the compression molding method according to this embodiment, which is carried out using the compression molding apparatus 1. Here, Fig. 4 to Fig. 16 are explanatory views of each step, and are illustrated as front sectional views taken in the same direction as Fig. 3.

[0061] First, as a preparation step, a heating step (upper die heating step) is performed in which the upper die 204 is adjusted to a predetermined temperature (e.g., 100°C to 300°C) and heated by the upper die heating mechanism (upper die heating step). In addition, a heating step (lower die heating step) is performed in which the lower die 206 is adjusted to a predetermined temperature (e.g., 100°C to 300°C) and heated by the lower die heating mechanism (lower die heating step). In addition, a film supplying step (upper die film supplying step) is performed in which the film supplying mechanism 211 is operated to supply new film F and adsorb it to cover a predetermined area of ​​the die surface 204a including the inner surface of the cavity 208 in the upper die 204.

[0062] Next, a resin holding step is performed in which the sealing resin R is held by the resin hand 322 of the first loader 302. Specifically, the first loader 302 is moved to the resin supply unit 100B, and the loader head 302B is moved above the resin table 121 on which the sealing resin R supplied from the resin supply magazine 120 is placed (see FIG. 4). Next, the loader head 302B is lowered, and the second moving device 326 is operated (moved downward) to lower the suction mechanism 324 until it abuts against the upper surface of the sealing resin R, and holds (adsorbs) the sealing resin R (see FIG. 5). Next, the second moving device 326 is operated (moved upward) to raise the suction mechanism 324, and the loader head 302B is raised (see FIG. 6).

[0063] After the resin holding step, a workpiece holding step is performed in which the workpiece W is held by the workpiece hand 312 of the first loader 302. Specifically, the first loader 302, with the sealing resin R held by the resin hand 322, is moved to the workpiece supply unit 100A, and the loader head 302B is moved above the worktable 103 on which the workpiece W supplied from the workpiece supply magazine 102 is placed (see FIG. 7). Next, the loader head 302B is lowered, and the first moving device 316 is operated to bring the chuck 314 close to the workpiece W, and the workpiece W is held (gripped) at a position directly below the sealing resin R (see FIG. 8). Next, the loader head 302B is raised (see FIG. 9).

[0064] After the work holding step, a work placing step is performed in which the work W is placed on the work holding portion 205 of the lower die 206. Specifically, the first loader 302 holding the work W and the sealing resin R is moved to the press unit 100C, and the loader head 302B is moved above the work holding portion 205 of the lower die 206 (see FIG. 10). Next, the loader head 302B is lowered, and the first moving device 316 is operated to move the chuck 314 away from the work W, and the work W is placed (held) on the work holding portion 205 (see FIG. 11).

[0065] After the workpiece placing step, a resin placing step is performed in which the sealing resin R is placed on the workpiece W placed on the workpiece holding part 205. Specifically, the second moving device 326 is operated to lower the suction mechanism 324, the suction of the sealing resin R is released, and the sealing resin R is placed on the workpiece W placed on the workpiece holding part 205 (see FIG. 12). Next, the second moving device 326 is operated to raise the suction mechanism 324, raise the loader head 302B, and then move the loader head 302B to the outside of the sealing mold 202 (see FIG. 13).

[0066] As described above, in the conventional compression molding method, the first hand and the second hand are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction, and therefore, in the process of placing the workpiece, it is necessary to advance the conveying device to the front side of the device with respect to the sealing mold. In contrast, in the present embodiment, it is sufficient to advance the loader head 302B to the workpiece holding portion 205 in the workpiece placing process, and the moving distance of the loader head 302B can be shortened. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the machine time and improve the productivity.

[0067] After the resin placing step, a resin sealing step is performed in which the workpiece W is sealed with sealing resin R and processed into a molded product Wp. Specifically, the sealing mold 202 is closed, and the cavity piece 226 is lowered relatively within the cavity 208 to perform the mold closing step in which the sealing resin R is heated and pressurized against the workpiece W. This thermally hardens the sealing resin R, completing the resin sealing (compression molding) (see FIG. 15).

[0068] Here, for example, in a conventional compression molding apparatus in which a cavity is provided in the upper mold for a workpiece W equipped with a strip-type wire-connected electronic component (semiconductor chip) Wb, when the mold closing process is performed, the wire portion of the workpiece held in the lower mold comes into contact with the sealing resin previously transported to the cavity or the sealing resin transported onto the workpiece and becomes deformed, making resin sealing difficult.

[0069] In response to the above-mentioned problems, the compression molding apparatus 1 of this embodiment makes it possible to solve the problems by adopting a configuration that uses a solid resin formed into a predetermined shape corresponding to the shape of the workpiece W as the sealing resin R.

[0070] Specifically, the above-mentioned "predetermined shape" is a shape that does not come into contact with the electronic component Wb (including the wire in the case of the electronic component Wb having a wire) when placed on the base material Wa of the work W. As an example, as shown in FIG. 14, a sealing resin R having a shape in which a plate-shaped or block-shaped main body Ra and legs Rb erected intermittently (or continuously) on one surface of the main body Ra (the surface facing the electronic component Wb of the work W) are provided is preferable (however, the shape is not limited to this). The main body Ra is a size that fits into the cavity 208 in a plan view, and considering the resin flow, a size that is slightly smaller than the shape of the cavity 208 (particularly the cavity piece 226) is preferable. In addition, the legs Rb need to have a height H (see FIG. 14A) that does not come into contact with the electronic component Wb, but this does not exclude contact to the extent that the wire does not undergo plastic deformation. The legs Rb are arranged at a position where they do not contact the electronic components Wb in a plan view of the main body Ra, and where the main body Ra will not tilt when placed on the base material Wa of the work W. Furthermore, it is preferable that the legs Rb are arranged between the electronic components Wb or at the outer periphery of the electronic components Wb so as not to damage the wiring (particularly the wires) of the work W even a little during molding. The total amount of resin in the plate-shaped or block-shaped main body Ra and the legs Rb may be just the right amount or may be a large amount of resin as long as it is sufficient for one compression molding. Details of specific configuration examples of the sealing resin R (FIGS. 17 to 20) will be described later.

[0071] According to the above configuration, during the mold closing process, the softening and melting of the sealing resin R progresses as shown in FIG. 14A to FIG. 14B (note that FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B are shown as enlarged views of part XIV in FIG. 13). At this time, the resin (specifically, the main body part Ra) comes into uniform contact with all the wires (see FIG. 14B). As a result, the effect of suppressing wire sweep is obtained.

[0072] The inventors of the present application actually conducted experiments using the compression molding apparatus 1 of this embodiment and confirmed that wire flow was suppressed and molding quality was improved compared to conventional compression molding apparatuses in which a workpiece is held in the upper mold, a cavity is provided in the lower mold, and sealing resin (specifically, granular resin) is supplied to the cavity.

[0073] Furthermore, by using a solid resin as the sealing resin R, it is possible to solve the problems of uneven winding, residual gas, and dust generation during molding, which are caused by granular resins, as well as the problems of difficult handling. Also, even when forming a thick molded product with a thickness exceeding 1 mm, it is possible to prevent the film F from getting caught in the molded product Wp.

[0074] The steps following the mold closing step are the same as those in the conventional compression molding method. In summary, the mold opening step is performed by opening the sealing mold 202 and separating the molded product Wp from the used film F (see FIG. 16). Next, the molded product carrying-out step is performed by carrying out the molded product Wp from the sealing mold 202 by the second loader 304 and carrying it out to the storage unit 100D. Furthermore, after or in parallel with the molded product carrying-out step, the film supply mechanism 211 is operated to send out the used film F from the sealing mold 202 and to carry and set a new film F into the sealing mold 202.

[0075] The above are the main steps of the compression molding method performed using the compression molding apparatus 1. However, the above order of steps is only an example, and the order of steps can be changed or steps can be performed in parallel as long as no problems occur.

[0076] (Sealing resin) Next, specific configuration examples of the sealing resin R used in the compression molding method by the above-mentioned compression molding apparatus 1 are shown in Figs. 17 to 20, and the features of each will be described.

[0077] 17 to 20, the main body Ra is formed in a plate shape (it may be formed in a shape other than a plate shape, for example, a block shape having a concave portion or a convex portion). The legs Rb are erected on the main body Ra so that they are not in contact with the electronic components Wb of the work W when the sealing resin R is placed in a predetermined position (a position set in design) on the base material Wa of the work W, and are formed at a height H (see FIG. 14A) that ensures a distance at which the main body Ra does not come in contact with the electronic components Wb.

[0078] In the example of the sealing resin R shown in Fig. 17, the leg Rb is formed as a tapered convex body Rb1 in which all (or a part) is arranged in a dot shape. As an example of the convex body Rb1, it is arranged at a plurality of positions and formed in a shape in which the ratio t of the length L1 to the width W1 in a plan view is, for example, 0.5≦t≦2. According to this, the configuration in which the leg Rb is a columnar shape arranged in a dot shape can suppress the sealing resin R placed on the work W from flowing during compression molding. Therefore, wire sweep and the like can be prevented, and molding quality can be improved.

[0079] In the example of the encapsulating resin R shown in FIG. 18, the leg portion Rb is formed as a convex body Rb2, a part of which (or all of it may be) is arranged linearly. As an example of the convex body Rb2, it is arranged at one position (or may be at a plurality of positions), and in a plan view, the ratio t of the length L2 to the width W2 is formed in a shape such that, as an example, t < 0.5 or 2 < t. According to this, resin flow is intentionally generated from the leg portion Rb (in this case, the convex body Rb2) having a dike-like configuration of a predetermined length, and filling of the encapsulating resin R into a narrow portion (for example, between the substrate Wa connected by flip chip and the electronic component Wb) in the workpiece W can be promoted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent gas from remaining in the molded product Wp and improve the molding quality.

[0080] In the example of the encapsulating resin R shown in FIG. 19, the leg portion Rb is formed as a convex body Rb3 that is arranged to intermittently (or may be continuously) surround the entire outer periphery (referring to the outer edge region) of the main body portion Ra. As an example of the convex body Rb3, convex bodies having the same configuration as the above Rb2 are formed continuously in a circumferential shape while providing a gap L3 at a predetermined interval. Generally, the outer peripheral position of the encapsulating resin R in the molded product Wp is the position where it is cut by a dicing machine or the like when it is separated into individual pieces, and since there is no electronic component Wb, a larger amount of resin for encapsulation is required compared to the central position. Therefore, by providing a leg portion Rb (in this case, the convex body Rb3) arranged to surround the entire outer periphery as in this configuration, it is possible to supply a large amount of resin to the outer peripheral position while suppressing resin flow during compression molding. Furthermore, the provision of the gap L3 promotes the discharge of gas components such as air from the inside (central portion) to the outside.

[0081] On the other hand, the example of the sealing resin R shown in FIG. 20 is a configuration example for the other surface of the main body portion Ra (the surface on which the leg portion Rb is not provided, i.e., the surface on the side that does not face the electronic component Wb of the workpiece W). Specifically, the other surface of the main body portion Ra has linear groove portions Rg formed at the positions where dicing for individualization is performed. This can reduce wear on the dicing blade and reduce dust generated during dicing. As an example, the groove portions Rg are provided in a lattice pattern to coincide with the dicing positions, but are not limited to this.

[0082] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to make the compression molding device more compact, to improve the maintainability of the sealing mold, and to reduce machine time and improve productivity.

[0083] In addition, since it is possible to perform compression molding using the sealing resin R having a shape with legs Rb as exemplified in Figs. 17 to 19, the following effects can be obtained. Specifically, it is possible to prevent molding defects caused by flow, uneven winding, and residual gas of the sealing resin. In addition, it is possible to facilitate handling of the sealing resin, and to prevent dust from being generated by the sealing resin during molding. In addition, it is possible to form not only thin molded products (thickness dimension less than 1 mm) but also thick molded products (thickness dimension 1 mm or more). Although the upper limit of the thickness dimension depends on various setting conditions, it is considered that it is possible to form a thickness of up to about 10 mm. In addition, by applying this to a configuration in which a cavity is provided in the upper mold, it is possible to solve the problem that when a workpiece is thin or large, it is difficult to hold it in the upper mold and it is easy to fall in a configuration in which a cavity is provided in the lower mold.

[0084] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1. Compression molding equipment 202 Sealing mold 204 Upper mold 205 Work holding part 206 Lower mold 208 Cavity 250 Press Equipment 302 Transport device (first loader) 302A Loader body 302B Loader Head 304 Transport device (second loader) 312 Work Hand 314 First holding part (chuck) 322 Resin Hand 324 Second holding part (adsorption mechanism) F Release Film R Sealing resin Double work Wa base material Wb electronic components Wp molded product

Claims

1. A compression molding apparatus that uses a sealing die having an upper die having a cavity and a lower die having a workpiece holding portion to seal a workpiece with a sealing resin and process the workpiece into a molded product, a conveying device that conveys the workpiece and the sealing resin into the sealing die; The conveying device includes a work hand that holds the workpiece and a resin hand that holds the sealing resin, The work hand is configured to hold the work at a position directly below the sealing resin held by the resin hand. A compression molding apparatus comprising:

2. As the workpiece, a workpiece having a configuration in which an electronic component is mounted on a substrate is used, The sealing resin is a plate- or block-shaped solid resin formed into a predetermined shape corresponding to the shape of the workpiece.

2. The compression molding apparatus according to claim 1,

3. The work hand has a first holding part that holds the work by gripping a lower surface or a side surface of the work or by suctioning an upper surface of the work, The resin hand has a second holding part that holds the workpiece by gripping the lower surface or side surface of the sealing resin or by suctioning the upper surface of the sealing resin.

3. The compression molding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

4. the conveying device has a moving device that moves a holding position of the sealing resin in the second holding portion of the resin hand upward and downward relative to a holding position of the work in the first holding portion of the work hand.

4. The compression molding apparatus according to claim 3,

5. A compression molding method for processing a molded product by sealing a workpiece with a sealing resin using a sealing die having an upper die having a cavity and a lower die having a workpiece holding portion, a resin holding step of holding the sealing resin with a resin hand; a work holding step of holding the work by a work hand at a position directly below the sealing resin after the resin holding step; a work placing step of placing the work on the work holding portion provided in the lower mold after the work holding step; a resin placing step of placing the sealing resin on the workpiece after the workpiece placing step; To be prepared A compression molding method comprising the steps of:

6. As the workpiece, a workpiece having a configuration in which an electronic component is mounted on a substrate is used, The sealing resin is a plate- or block-shaped solid resin formed into a predetermined shape corresponding to the shape of the workpiece. The compression molding method according to claim 5,

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