Chip transfer device and pickup method

Abstract

To provide a chip transfer device that can select a desired chip from other chips. [Solution] The chip transfer device 1 comprises a first tray placement section 31 on which a storage tray 300 containing a plurality of chips is placed, a second tray placement section 32 on which a discharge tray 400-2 is placed, a discrimination unit 80 that distinguishes the plurality of chips contained in the storage tray 300 into a first group and a second group, and a transfer unit 50 that transfers the chips of the first group, distinguished by the discrimination unit 80, from the storage tray 300 to the discharge tray 400-2.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a chip transfer device and a pickup method.

Background Art

[0002] Semiconductor chips are manufactured by individually dividing devices formed on a substrate such as a wafer. The divided chips are accommodated in a storage tray and transported (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The above-described chips include various varieties, as well as good products and defective products. Therefore, in the semiconductor chip manufacturing line, it is required that the desired chips are accommodated in the storage tray.

[0005]

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a chip transfer device capable of selecting a desired chip from other chips.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the chip transfer device of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a first tray placement section on which a first tray containing a plurality of chips is placed; a second tray placement section on which a second tray is placed; a discrimination unit that distinguishes the plurality of chips contained in the first tray into a first group and a second group; and a transfer unit that transfers the chips of the first group, distinguished by the discrimination unit, from the first tray to the second tray.

[0008] The chip transfer device may further include a third tray placement section on which a third tray is placed, and the transfer unit may transfer the second group of chips identified by the discrimination unit from the first tray to the third tray.

[0009] In the chip transfer apparatus described above, the discrimination unit may have a camera that images the bottom surface and side surface of the chip and distinguish the chip into a first group and a second group.

[0010] In the chip transfer device described above, the transfer unit includes a suction shaft for suction and holding the chips in a chip holder attached to its lower end, and a rotation drive unit for rotating the suction shaft around its axis. The transfer unit may also include a calculation unit for calculating the distance and relative direction between the chips before and after rotating the suction shaft, which holds the chips in the chip holder, by a predetermined angle around its axis.

[0011] The present invention provides a pickup method for picking up chips stored in a storage tray by suction and holding them in a chip holder attached to the lower end of a suction shaft that rotates around its axis, characterized in that the distance and relative direction between the chips are calculated before and after rotating the suction shaft, which holds the chips in the chip holder, by a predetermined angle around its axis, and the position of the suction shaft is adjusted based on the calculated distance and relative direction to suction and hold the center of the chips stored in the storage tray, thereby picking up the chips stored in the storage tray by suction and holding them in the chip holder. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] This invention has the effect of allowing a desired chip to be selected from other chips. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a chip transfer device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the chip to be transferred in the chip transfer device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of the configuration of the chip transfer device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the transfer unit of the chip transfer device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the storage tray has been loaded into the tray loading section of the chip transfer device shown in Figure 3. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a schematic plan view showing the storage tray shown in Figure 5 placed on the first tray mounting section. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a schematic plan view showing how the chips contained in the storage tray shown in Figure 6 are divided into a first group and a second group. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the first tray placement section, on which the storage tray containing the chips shown in Figure 7 is placed, approaches the tray discharge section. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the storage trays shown in Figure 8 are transported to the tray discharge section. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a schematic plan view showing the process of transporting the discharge tray from the second tray placement section to the second tray installation section of the chip transfer device shown in Figure 3, and removing the discharge tray from the fourth tray installation section to the fourth tray placement section. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a schematic plan view showing the second tray placement section and the fourth tray placement section, as shown in Figure 10, positioned closer to the tray discharge section. [Figure 12]FIG. 12 is a plan view schematically showing a state in which a carry-out tray is conveyed from the fourth tray placement section shown in FIG. 11 to the second tray placement section. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a plan view schematically showing a state in which a storage tray is taken out from the first tray installation section to the first tray placement section of the chip transfer device shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a plan view schematically showing a state after all the chips have been carried out from the storage tray placed on the first tray placement section shown in FIG. 13. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically showing a chip imaged when the chip transfer device shown in FIG. 3 adjusts the positional deviation between the suction shaft of the transfer unit and the chip.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0014] Embodiments (embodiments) for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by the content described in the following embodiments. In addition, the constituent elements described below include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described below can be combined as appropriate. Also, various omissions, substitutions, or changes in the configuration can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0015] 〔Embodiment 1〕 A chip transfer device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration example of the chip transfer device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a chip to be transferred by the chip transfer device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the chip transfer device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing the transfer unit of the chip transfer device shown in FIG. 1.

[0016] The chip transfer apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1 is a device for transferring the chip 200 shown in Figure 2. The chip 200 to be transferred by the chip transfer apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1 is manufactured by dividing a package substrate, in which a device chip 211 arranged on a lead frame 210 is sealed with sealing resin 212, into individual device chips 211. In Embodiment 1, the package substrate is a QFN package (Quad For Non-lead package) substrate.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, the chip 200 comprises a lead frame 210 exposed on the surface 201 (corresponding to the top surface), a device chip 211 disposed on the lead frame 210 (the bottom surface of the lead frame 210 in Figure 2), and a sealing resin 212 that encloses the device chip 211. The device chip 211 is, for example, an integrated circuit such as an IC (Integrated Circuit) or LSI (Large Scale Integration), an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), an optical element such as an LED (Light-Emitting Diode), or a memory (semiconductor memory device).

[0018] Furthermore, the chip 200 has electrodes 213 formed on at least one of its front surface 201 and its back surface 202 (corresponding to the bottom surface) on the back of the front surface 201. In Embodiment 1, the electrodes 213 are exposed on the front surface 201 and on a plurality of (four in Embodiment 1) side surfaces 203 connected to both the front surface 201 and the back surface 202. The size of the side surfaces 203 and other parts of the chip 200 is predetermined. In Embodiment 1, the back surface 202 of the chip 200 has letters or numbers indicating an identification number such as a manufacturing number indicating the product type printed on it.

[0019] There are various types of chip 200. Different types of chip 200 differ in the number of electrodes 213, external dimensions (length, width, and thickness), and identification number printed on the back surface 202.

[0020] Furthermore, there are good and defective chips 200. Defective chips 200 are those whose external dimensions (length, width, and thickness) are outside the acceptable range, whose number of electrodes 213 differs from that of good chips, have chips (also called chipping) of an unacceptable size, scratches or dirt, or have a bad mark (a mark placed on chips that have been judged to be defective in characteristic tests, for example, an ink dot).

[0021] The chips 200 are placed in a storage tray 300 (shown in Figure 3, corresponding to the first tray) and transported to the chip transfer device 1. The storage tray 300 is, for example, a flat tray as described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-43914. The storage tray 300 has a frame around its outer edge and stores the chips 200 by attaching the back surface 202 of the chips 200 to its flat and tacky bottom surface.

[0022] In this invention, the chip 200 may be manufactured by dividing a wafer, such as a disc-shaped semiconductor wafer or optical device wafer, which is based on a substrate of silicon, sapphire, SiC, etc.

[0023] The chip transfer device 1 shown in Figures 1 and 3 according to Embodiment 1 is a device that sorts incoming chips 200 into good chips 200 of a predetermined desired type (hereinafter referred to as Group 1) and defective chips 200 of other types or of a desired type (hereinafter referred to as Group 2). As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the chip transfer device 1 comprises a device body 2, a tray installation section 10, a tray loading section 20, a tray unloading section 25, a tray placement section 30, a tray handler 40, a transfer unit 50, an imaging unit 60, a transport unit 70 (shown only in Figure 1), and a control unit 100.

[0024] The tray mounting section 10 is provided at one end of the main body of the device 2 in the longitudinal direction (hereinafter referred to as the X-axis direction). The X-axis direction is parallel to the horizontal direction. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the tray mounting section 10 comprises a first tray mounting section 11, a second tray mounting section 12, a third tray mounting section 13, a fourth tray mounting section 14, and a lower tray stocker 15 (shown only in Figure 1).

[0025] These tray mounting sections 11, 12, 13, and 14 are provided on the upper surface 3 of the device body 2 and are spaced apart in the width direction of the device body 2 (hereinafter referred to as the Y-axis direction). The Y-axis direction is parallel to the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the X-axis direction. The first tray mounting section 11 is capable of holding multiple storage trays 300 in stacks. The first tray mounting section 11 holds the storage trays 300 with their longitudinal direction parallel to the X-axis direction. Furthermore, the first tray mounting section 11 allows the storage trays 300 to be attached and detached from both above and below.

[0026] The second tray mounting section 12, the third tray mounting section 13, and the fourth tray mounting section 14 are capable of stacking and holding the discharge tray 400 (shown in Figure 3). The discharge tray 400 has multiple partition walls, and the chips 200 are stored between the partition walls. In Embodiment 1, the discharge tray 400 stores 14 chips 200 arranged in the width direction.

[0027] The tray mounting sections 12, 13, and 14 hold the discharge tray 400 with its longitudinal direction parallel to the X-axis direction. Furthermore, the tray mounting sections 12, 13, and 14 allow the discharge tray 400 to be attached and detached from both above and below.

[0028] The lower tray stocker 15 is installed below the upper surface 3 of the main body 2 of the device. In Embodiment 1, the lower tray stocker 15 is positioned below the first tray installation section 11 in the Z-axis direction parallel to the vertical direction. The lower tray stocker 15 can accommodate the storage tray 300 from which the chips 200 have been discharged.

[0029] The tray loading section 20 is provided at the other end of the device body 2 in the X-axis direction. In Embodiment 1, the tray loading section 20 is positioned on the upper surface 3 of the device body 2 and aligned with the first tray installation section 11 in the X-axis direction. The tray loading section 20 receives the storage trays 300 containing the chips 200 from the conveyor 110 that transports the storage trays 300.

[0030] The tray discharge unit 25 is provided at the other end of the device body 2 in the X-axis direction. In Embodiment 1, the tray discharge unit 25 is positioned on the upper surface 3 of the device body 2 and aligned with the second tray installation unit 12 in the X-axis direction. The tray discharge unit 25 discharges the storage trays 300, from which the chips 200 have been discharged, to the conveyor 110 that transports the storage trays 300.

[0031] The conveyor 110 comprises an endlessly moving belt, an unloading unit for unloading the storage trays 300, and an in-loading unit for loading the storage trays 300. The conveyor 110 transports the storage trays 300 by placing them on the belt. The unloading unit unloads the storage trays 300 containing the chips 200 from the belt to the tray loading section 20. The unloading unit loads the storage trays 300 from which the chips 200 have been unloaded onto the belt from the tray unloading section 25.

[0032] The tray mounting section 30 is located in the center of the device body 2 in the X-axis direction. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the tray mounting section 30 comprises a first tray mounting section 31, a second tray mounting section 32, a third tray mounting section 33, and a fourth tray mounting section 34. These tray mounting sections 31, 32, 33, and 34 are spaced apart in the Y-axis direction.

[0033] The first tray mounting section 31 is positioned in the X-axis direction, aligned with the first tray installation section 11 and the tray loading section 20. The second tray mounting section 32 is positioned in the X-axis direction, aligned with the second tray installation section 12 and the tray unloading section 25. The third tray mounting section 33 is positioned in the X-axis direction, aligned with the third tray installation section 13. The fourth tray mounting section 34 is positioned in the X-axis direction, aligned with the fourth tray installation section 14.

[0034] The first tray placement section 31 is where the storage tray 300 containing the chips 200 is placed. The tray placement sections 32, 33, and 34 are where the discharge trays 400 are placed. The discharge tray 400 placed on the second tray placement section 32 corresponds to the second tray, and the discharge tray 400 placed on the third tray placement section 33 corresponds to the third tray.

[0035] Furthermore, the tray mounting sections 31, 32, 33, and 34 are provided to be movable in the X-axis direction by a moving unit composed of a motor (not shown) and are also provided to be able to move up and down in the Z-axis direction. In Embodiment 1, when the tray mounting sections 31, 32, 33, and 34 are positioned above the upper surface 3 of the main body of the device 2, they are moved in the X-axis direction by the moving unit between the tray installation sections 11, 12, 13, and 14 and the tray loading section 20 and tray unloading section 25. When the tray mounting sections 31, 32, 33, and 34 are positioned below the upper surface 3 of the main body of the device 2, they are moved in the X-axis direction by the moving unit between below the tray installation sections 11, 12, 13, and 14 and the tray loading section 20 and tray unloading section 25.

[0036] The tray handler 40 transports the storage tray 300 or the unloading tray 400. The tray handler 40 is supported by a second support frame 42, which is supported by a support frame 41 that is provided in the center of the device body 2 in the X-axis direction and is provided in a gate-like manner on the upper surface 3 of the device body 2, spanning the tray mounting sections 31, 32, 33, and 34. The second support frame 42 extends along the X-axis direction from the support frame 41 toward the tray loading section 20 and the tray unloading section 25. The second support frame 42 is provided on the support frame 41 so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction by a moving unit (not shown).

[0037] The tray handler 40 is mounted on the second support frame 42 by a movable unit (not shown) so as to be movable in the X-axis direction and so as to be able to move up and down in the Z-axis direction. The tray handler 40 can grip the storage tray 300 or the unloading tray 400 by clamping the outer edge of the storage tray 300 or the unloading tray 400.

[0038] The tray handler 40 moves in the Y-axis, X-axis, and Z-axis directions to transport the storage trays 300 loaded into the tray loading section 20 to the first tray loading section 31. The tray handler 40 moves in the Y-axis, X-axis, and Z-axis directions to transport the storage trays 300 loaded into the first tray loading section 31 to the tray unloading section 25. The tray handler 40 moves in the Y-axis, X-axis, and Z-axis directions to transport the unloading trays 400 loaded into the fourth tray loading section 34 to the second tray loading section 32. The tray handler 40 moves in the Y-axis, X-axis, and Z-axis directions to transport the unloading trays 400 loaded into the fourth tray loading section 34 to the third tray loading section 33.

[0039] The transfer unit 50 transfers the chips 200 contained in the storage tray 300 placed on the first tray mounting section 31 to the discharge tray 400 placed on the second tray mounting section 32 or the discharge tray 400 placed on the third tray mounting section 33. The transfer unit 50 is supported by a third support frame 51 which is located in the center of the device body 2 in the X-axis direction and is provided in a gate-like manner on the upper surface 3 of the device body 2, spanning the tray mounting sections 31, 32, 33, and 34.

[0040] The third support frame 51 is positioned near one end of the device body 2 of the support frame 41 in the X-axis direction. The transfer unit 50 is mounted on the third support frame 51 by a moving unit (not shown) so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction and so as to be able to move up and down in the Z-axis direction.

[0041] As shown in Figure 4, the transfer unit 50 comprises a unit body 52, a suction shaft 53, a rotary drive unit 54, and a lifting mechanism 55. The unit body 52 is mounted on the third support frame 51 by a moving unit (not shown) so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction and so as to be able to move up and down in the Z-axis direction.

[0042] The suction shaft 53 is formed in a columnar shape extending linearly parallel to the Z-axis direction, and is mounted on the unit body 52 so as to be able to move up and down in the Z-axis direction and is supported so as to be able to rotate around an axis parallel to the Z-axis direction. A tip holder 531 that sucks and holds the surface 201 of the tip 200 is detachably attached to the lower end of the suction shaft 53. A suction source 533 is connected to the upper end of the suction shaft 53 via a pipe 532. An on-off valve 534 is provided in the pipe 532. When the on-off valve 534 opens, the lower surface of the tip holder 531 is sucked by the suction source 533. When the on-off valve 534 opens and the lower surface of the tip holder 531 is sucked by the suction source 533, the surface 201 of the tip 200 is sucked and held on the lower surface of the tip holder 531. The tip holder 531 is changed according to the type of tip 200 to be sucked and held.

[0043] The rotary drive unit 54 includes driven pulleys 541 attached to each suction shaft 53, a driving pulley (not shown) rotated around its axis by a motor, and an endless belt wound around the driven pulleys 541 and the driving pulley. The rotary drive unit 54 rotates the suction shafts 53 around their axis when the driving pulleys are rotated around their axis by the motor.

[0044] The lifting mechanism 55 is equipped with a cylinder connecting member 552 that is vertically movable in the Z-axis direction by a cylinder (not shown) and through which the suction shaft 53 passes through a through hole 551. The lifting mechanism 55 moves the suction shaft 53 up and down in the Z-axis direction by the cylinder connecting member 552 being raised and lowered by the cylinder (not shown) in the Z-axis direction.

[0045] Furthermore, a spring 553 is provided between the cylinder connecting member 552 and the large-diameter portion 535 of the suction shaft 53, which is located on the tip holder 531 side of the cylinder connecting member 552. The spring 553 absorbs the impact when the tip holder 531 comes into contact with the tip 200.

[0046] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the transfer unit 50 is provided with multiple suction shafts 53 (seven in Embodiment 1). In Embodiment 1, the distance between the centers of adjacent suction shafts 53 in the transfer unit 50 is equal to the distance between the centers of every other chip 200 contained in the discharge tray 400.

[0047] The imaging unit 60 images the chips 200 housed in the storage tray 300 placed on the first tray mounting section 31. The imaging unit 60 includes a top camera 61, a side camera 62, and a bottom camera 63.

[0048] The top camera 61 is supported by a fourth support frame 64, which is located in the center of the device body 2 in the X-axis direction and is provided in a gate-like manner on the top surface 3 of the device body 2, spanning the tray mounting sections 31, 32, 33, and 34. The fourth support frame 64 is positioned between the third support frame 51 and the tray mounting section 10. The top camera 61 is mounted on the fourth support frame 64 so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction by a moving unit (not shown).

[0049] In Embodiment 1, the top camera 61 is equipped with an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor or a CMOS (Complementary MOS) image sensor that images the surface 201 of the chip 200 housed in the storage tray 300 placed on the first tray mounting section 31. The top camera 61 acquires the image captured by the image sensor and outputs the acquired image to the control unit 100. In Embodiment 1, the top camera 61 also images the surface 201 of the chip 200 housed in the storage tray 300 placed on the first tray mounting section 31 and acquires an image for performing alignment, which involves aligning the chip 200 housed in the storage tray 300 placed on the first tray mounting section 31 with the suction shaft 53 of the transfer unit 50.

[0050] The side camera 62 and the bottom camera 63 are positioned between the support frames 51 and 64 and closer to the Y-axis end of the device body 2 than the first tray mounting section 31. The side camera 62 and the bottom camera 63 are fixed to the upper surface 3 of the device body 2. The side camera 62 is equipped with an image sensor such as a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor that images the side surface 203 of a chip 200 that is held by suction from a chip holder 531 attached to the lower end of the suction shaft 53 of the transfer unit 50. The side camera 62 acquires the image captured by the image sensor and outputs the acquired image to the control unit 100.

[0051] In Embodiment 1, the bottom camera 63 is equipped with an image sensor such as a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor that images the back surface 202 of the chip 200 which is held by a chip holder 531 attached to the lower end of the suction shaft 53 of the transfer unit 50. The bottom camera 63 acquires the image captured by the image sensor and outputs the acquired image to the control unit 100. In this invention, if the chip 200 is housed in the storage tray 300 with its surface 201 attached, the top camera 61 may image the back surface 202 of the chip 200 and the bottom camera 63 may image the front surface 201 of the chip 200.

[0052] The transport unit 70 is positioned below the upper surface 3 of the main body 2 and transports the storage tray 300 from which the chips 200 have been unloaded from the first tray placement section 31 to the lower tray stocker 15.

[0053] The control unit 100 controls each of the above-mentioned components of the chip transfer device 1 to cause the chip transfer device 1 to perform the chip transfer operation of the chip 200. The control unit 100 is a computer having an arithmetic processing unit with a microprocessor such as a CPU (central processing unit), a storage device with memory such as ROM (read-only memory) or RAM (random access memory), and an input / output interface device.

[0054] The arithmetic processing unit of the control unit 100 performs calculations according to the computer program stored in the memory device and outputs control signals for controlling the chip transfer device 1 to the aforementioned units of the chip transfer device 1 via the input / output interface device.

[0055] Furthermore, the control unit 100 includes an operation control unit 101, a calculation unit 102, a discrimination unit 103, and a storage unit 104. The operation control unit 101 controls each of the above-mentioned components of the chip transfer device 1 to cause the chip transfer device 1 to perform the chip transfer operation of the chip 200. The calculation unit 102 images the chip 200 held on the lower surface of the suction shaft 53 with one of the cameras 61 and 63, and then images the chip 200 after the suction shaft 53 has been rotated by a predetermined angle around its axis with one of the cameras 61 and 63, and calculates the positional displacement between the suction shaft 53 and the chip 200 on the storage tray 300 placed on the first tray placement unit 31 based on the distance between the imaged chips 200.

[0056] The discrimination unit 103 distinguishes the chips 200 into a first group of chips 200 and a second group of chips 200 based on the images of the chips 200 captured by the cameras 61, 62, and 63 of the imaging unit 60. In this way, the imaging unit 60 and the discrimination unit 103 of the control unit 100 constitute a discrimination unit 80 that distinguishes the multiple chips 200 housed in the storage tray 300, which corresponds to the first tray, into a first group and a second group.

[0057] The memory unit 104 stores pickup conditions and place conditions. Pickup conditions include an identification number indicating the type of good chips of the desired type, i.e., the type of chips 200 of the first group; an acceptable range for the external dimensions (length, width, and thickness) of the good chips of the desired type, i.e., the chips 200 of the first group; images of the electrodes 213 on each side 203 of the good chips of the desired type, i.e., the chips 200 of the first group; and an acceptable range for chips, scratches, and dirt on the good chips of the desired type, i.e., the chips 200 of the first group. Place conditions include the number of chips 200 to be accommodated in each length and width of the discharge tray 400 corresponding to the second tray placed on the second tray placement unit 32 and the discharge tray 400 corresponding to the third tray placed on the third tray placement unit 33, and the spacing between the chips 200.

[0058] Furthermore, the control unit 100 is connected to a display unit 120 equipped with a display screen for displaying various information, and an input unit 121. The display unit 120 displays captured images taken by the top camera 61, side camera 62, and bottom camera 63, as well as input information. The input unit 121 is used when an operator inputs transfer conditions (including the pickup conditions and place conditions mentioned above) to the control unit 100 of the chip transfer device 1. The input unit 121 consists of a touch panel superimposed on the display screen of the display unit 120.

[0059] The functions of the operation control unit 101, the calculation unit 102, and the discrimination unit 103 are realized by the aforementioned arithmetic processing unit performing calculations according to the computer program stored in the memory device. The function of the storage unit 104 is realized by the memory device.

[0060] (Transfer operation) Next, we will explain the operation of the chip transfer device 1 with the configuration described above, specifically the operation of dividing the chips 200 contained in the storage tray 300, which is brought in from the conveyor 110, into a first group and a second group. Figure 5 is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the storage tray has been brought into the tray loading section of the chip transfer device shown in Figure 3. Figure 6 is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the storage tray shown in Figure 5 has been placed on the first tray placement section. Figure 7 is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the chips contained in the storage tray shown in Figure 6 have been divided into a first group and a second group. Figure 8 is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the first tray placement section, on which the storage tray from which the contained chips shown in Figure 7 has been discharged has approached the tray discharge section. Figure 9 is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the storage tray shown in Figure 8 has been transported to the tray discharge section. Note that the tray handler 40 is omitted in Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

[0061] First, the chip transfer device 1 has tray placement sections 31, 32, 33, and 34 positioned closer to the tray loading section 20. The transfer conditions (including the aforementioned pickup and place conditions) entered by the operator using the input unit 121 are stored in the storage unit 104. Multiple unloaded trays 400 containing chips 200 are placed in the fourth tray placement section 14. From the fourth tray placement section 14, the unloaded trays 400 containing chips 200 are placed in the second tray placement section 32 and the third tray placement section 33 by the tray handler 40. In the state described above, as shown in Figure 5, the chip transfer device 1 receives a storage tray 300 containing chips 200 from the conveyor 110 into the tray loading section 20. As shown in Figure 6, the chip transfer device 1 uses an operation control unit 101 that controls the tray handler 40 to place the storage tray 300 from the tray loading unit 20 onto the first tray placement unit 31.

[0062] As shown in Figure 7, the chip transfer device 1 is controlled by the operation control unit 101 of the control unit 100, which controls the moving unit to position the tray mounting section 31 below the top camera 61. The top camera 61 then images the surface 201 of the chips 200 contained in the storage tray 300 placed on the first tray mounting section 31, extracts the chips 200 on the storage tray 300, and detects the position coordinates of the chips 200 on the storage tray 300. Based on the position coordinates detected by the operation control unit 101 of the control unit 100, the chip transfer device 1 controls the transfer unit 50 to suck and hold the chips 200 from the storage tray 300 placed on the first tray mounting section 31 using a chip holder 531 attached to the lower end of the suction shaft 53 of the transfer unit 50.

[0063] The chip transfer device 1 controls the transfer unit 50, bottom camera 63, and side camera 62, etc., via the operation control unit 101 of the control unit 100. The bottom camera 63 captures the back surface 202 of the chip 200 held by suction in the chip holder 531 attached to the lower end of the suction shaft 53 of the transfer unit 50, and the side camera 62 captures each side surface 203 by intermittently rotating the suction shaft 53 by 90 degrees. Based on the images captured by the cameras 62 and 63, the discriminant unit 103 of the control unit 100 distinguishes the chips 200 held by suction in the chip holders 531 attached to the lower end of each suction shaft 53 of the transfer unit 50 into a first group and a second group.

[0064] When making a determination, the chip transfer device 1 uses the determination unit 103 of the control unit 100 to determine whether the identification number of the chip 200 read from the image captured by the bottom camera 63 matches an identification number previously stored in the storage unit 104 of the control unit 100, whether the chips, dirt, or scratches detected from the image captured by the bottom camera 63 are within the acceptable range previously stored in the storage unit 104 of the control unit 100, and whether the external dimensions of the chip 200 detected from the image captured by the bottom camera 63 are within the acceptable range previously stored in the storage unit 104 of the control unit 100.

[0065] The chip transfer device 1's discrimination unit 103 reads the identification number of the chip 200 with the bottom camera 63 and compares it with the identification number previously stored in the storage unit 104 of the control unit 100. If they match, it is classified as Group 1; otherwise, it is classified as Group 2. The chip transfer device 1's discrimination unit 103 also uses the side camera 62 to image the electrodes 213 on the side 203 of the chip 200. It performs pattern matching with the image of the electrodes 213 previously stored in the storage unit 104 of the control unit 100. If the image exceeds a threshold compared to the image previously stored in the storage unit 104 of the control unit 100, it is classified as Group 1; otherwise, it is classified as Group 2. The chip transfer device 1's discrimination unit 103 also uses the side camera 62 to image the electrodes 213 on the side 203 of the chip 200. It performs pattern matching with the image of the electrodes 213 previously stored in the storage unit 104 of the control unit 100. If the image exceeds a threshold compared to the image previously stored in the storage unit 104 of the control unit 100, it is classified as Group 1; otherwise, it is classified as Group 2. The chip transfer device 1's control unit 100's discrimination unit 103 determines, based on the image captured by the bottom camera 63, that the chips 200 are within an acceptable size range and are classified as a first group, or outside the acceptable size range and classified as a second group. In this way, the imaging unit 60 classifies the multiple chips 200 housed in the storage tray 300 placed on the first tray placement unit 31 into a first group and a second group, and also has cameras 61, 62, and 63 to image the back surface 202 and each side surface 203 of the chips 200 to classify them. Furthermore, in this invention, in addition to classifying the chips 200 into a first group and a second group by pattern matching the images of the electrodes 213 captured by the bottom camera 63 and the side camera 62 with images of the electrodes 213 previously stored in the storage unit 104, the chips 200 may also be classified into a first group and a second group by detecting the number of electrodes 213, the number of chips 200, and the presence or absence of defects, scratches, dirt, etc., based on the captured images.

[0066] The chip transfer device 1 controls the transfer unit 50, etc., via the operation control unit 101 of the control unit 100. When it determines that the chips 200 held by the chip holder 531 attached to the lower end of the suction shaft 53 belong to the first group, it transports the determined chips 200 to the discharge tray 400 (hereinafter referred to as reference numeral 400-2) placed on the second tray placement section 32. When it determines that the chips 200 held by the chip holder 531 attached to the lower end of the suction shaft 53 belong to the second group, it transports the determined chips 200 to the discharge tray 400 (hereinafter referred to as reference numeral 400-3) placed on the third tray placement section 33. The chip transfer device 1 uses the operation control unit 101 of the control unit 100 to distinguish all the chips 200 in the storage tray 300 placed on the first tray placement section 31 into a first group and a second group, and then transports them to the discharge trays 400-2 and 400-3.

[0067] As shown in Figure 8, when the chip transfer device 1 has transported all the chips 200 from the storage tray 300 placed on the first tray placement section 31, the operation control unit 101 of the control unit 100 controls the moving unit to position the tray placement sections 31, 32, and 33 closer to the tray loading section 20. As shown in Figure 9, the operation control unit 101 of the chip transfer device 1 controls the tray handler 40 to transport the storage tray 300, from which all the chips 200 have been unloaded from the first tray placement section 31, to the tray unloading section 25. The chip transfer device 1 then unloads the storage tray 300 from the tray unloading section 25 onto the conveyor 110.

[0068] After the chip transfer device 1 has filled the discharge trays 400-2 and 400-3 with chips 200, the operation control unit 101 controls the tray handler 40 to transport the discharge trays 400-2 and 400-3, which are now full of chips 200, from the tray placement sections 32 and 33 to the tray discharge section 25, and from the tray discharge section 25 the discharge trays 400-2 and 400-3 are discharged onto the conveyor 110.

[0069] Furthermore, in the present invention, after the chip transfer device 1 has filled the discharge trays 400-2 and 400-3 with chips 200, it may transport the discharge trays 400-2 and 400-3 to the tray installation sections 12 and 13 as follows. Below, an example in which discharge tray 400-2 of the discharge trays 400-2 and 400-3 is transported to the tray installation section 12 will be described as representative. Figure 10 is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the discharge tray is transported from the second tray placement section to the second tray placement section of the chip transfer device shown in Figure 3, and the discharge tray is taken out from the fourth tray placement section to the fourth tray placement section. Figure 11 is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the second tray placement section and the fourth tray placement section shown in Figure 10 are positioned closer to the tray discharge section. Figure 12 is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the unloading tray is transported from the fourth tray loading section shown in Figure 11 to the second tray loading section. Note that the tray handler 40 is omitted in Figures 10, 11, and 12.

[0070] First, as shown in Figure 10, the operation control unit 101 of the control unit 100 controls the moving unit of the chip transfer device 1 to position the second tray placement section 32 below the second tray installation section 12, and transport the unloading tray 400-2, which is full of chips 200, from the second tray placement section 32 to the second tray installation section 12. At the same time, the operation control unit 101 of the control unit 100 controls the moving unit of the chip transfer device 1 to position the tray placement sections 32 and 33 closer to the tray loading section 20. As shown in Figure 12, the chip transfer device 1 controls the tray handler 40 via the operation control unit 101 of the control unit 100 to transport the empty unloading tray 400-2 containing the chips 200 from the fourth tray placement section 34 to the second tray placement section 32.

[0071] Furthermore, in this invention, after the discharge trays 400-2 and 400-3 are full of chips 200, the chip transfer device 1 may discharge the discharge tray 400-2 containing the first group of chips 200 via the conveyor 110, and transport the discharge tray 400-3 containing the second group of chips 200 to the tray installation section 13. Also, in this invention, if the chip transfer device 1 loads and unloads the storage tray 300 and the discharge tray 400 via the conveyor 110, it is not necessary to have tray installation sections 11, 12, 13, and 14. Furthermore, in this invention, even if the storage tray 300 containing chips 200 is loaded via the conveyor 110, the chip transfer device 1 may transport the storage tray 300 from which all chips 200 have been discharged from the first tray installation section 31 to the lower tray stocker 15 via the transport unit 70.

[0072] Next, we will explain the operation of distinguishing between a first group and a second group of chips 200 contained in a storage tray 300 installed in the first tray installation section 11 without using the conveyor 110. Figure 13 is a schematic plan view showing the state in which the storage tray is removed from the first tray installation section to the first tray placement section of the chip transfer device shown in Figure 3. Figure 14 is a schematic plan view showing the state after all chips have been removed from the storage tray placed in the first tray placement section shown in Figure 13. Note that the tray handler 40 is omitted in Figures 13 and 14.

[0073] First, the chip transfer device 1 has multiple storage trays 300 containing chips 200 installed in the first tray installation section 11. As shown in Figure 13, the operation control unit 101 of the control unit 100 controls the moving unit to position the first tray placement section 31 below the first tray installation section 11, and removes the storage trays 300 containing chips 200 from the first tray installation section 11 to the first tray placement section 31. The chip transfer device 1, similar to the storage trays 300 transported from the conveyor 110, distinguishes the chips 200 contained in the storage trays 300 placed in the first tray placement section 31 into a first group and a second group and transports them to the discharge trays 400-2 and 400-3.

[0074] When the chip transfer device 1 has removed all the chips 200 from the storage tray 300 placed on the first tray placement section 31, the operation control unit 101 of the control unit 100 controls the moving unit to position the tray placement sections 31, 32, and 33 closer to the tray loading section 20, as shown in Figure 14. The operation control unit 101 of the chip transfer device 1 controls the transport unit 70, which then transports the storage tray 300 from which all the chips 200 have been removed from the first tray placement section 31 to the lower tray stocker 15. The lower tray stocker 15 stacks multiple storage trays 300 from which all the chips 200 have been removed.

[0075] Furthermore, after the chip transfer device 1 has filled the discharge trays 400-2 and 400-3 with chips 200, it transports the discharge trays 400-2 and 400-3 to the tray installation sections 12 and 13, as described above, and stacks the discharge trays 400-2 and 400-3 on the tray installation sections 12 and 13.

[0076] Next, we will explain the operation of adjusting the misalignment between the position where the suction shaft 53 attempts to pick up the chip 200 on the first tray mounting section 31 (the center position of the imaging range of the top camera 61) and the position where the chip 200 is actually picked up (the center position of the suction shaft 53), such as after replacing the tip holder 531 of the suction shaft 53 of the transfer unit 50. Figure 15 is a schematic diagram showing the chips imaged when the chip transfer device shown in Figure 3 adjusts the misalignment between the suction shaft of the transfer unit and the chips.

[0077] When adjusting the aforementioned misalignment, the chip transfer device 1 uses the calculation unit 102 of the control unit 100 to image any chip 200 housed in the storage tray 300 with the top camera 61 and detect the XY coordinate position of the chip 200's center position 200-1 (shown in Figure 15). The calculation unit 102 of the control unit 100 then uses suction to hold the chip 200 whose center position 200-1 has been detected by the chip holder 531 attached to the lower end of the suction shaft 53, lifts the chip 200, and rotates the suction shaft 53 around its axis by a predetermined angle (180 degrees in Embodiment 1).

[0078] The calculation unit 102 of the control unit 100 places the rotated chip 200 onto the storage tray 300, and the placed chip 200 is imaged by the top camera 61 to detect the XY coordinate position of the chip 200's center position 200-2 (shown in Figure 15). The calculation unit 102 of the control unit 100 calculates the difference between the position where the chip holder 531 actually picked up the chip 200 and the position where the chip holder 531 should pick up the chip 200 from the difference between the XY coordinate positions of the chip 200's center positions 200-1 and 200-2 (calculating the distance between center positions 200-1 and 200-2 and the relative direction between center positions 200-1 and 200-2). The control unit 100 stores the calculated difference and positions the chip holder 531 at the corrected coordinate position when picking up the chip 200.

[0079] Furthermore, when the chip transfer device 1 adjusts for the aforementioned misalignment by imaging the chip 200 with the lower camera 63, the calculation unit 102 of the control unit 100 images any chip 200 housed in the storage tray 300 with the upper camera 61. The calculation unit 102 of the control unit 100 suction-holds the chip 200 with a chip holder 531 attached to the lower end of the suction shaft 53, lifts the chip 200, images the chip 200 with the lower camera 63, and detects the XY coordinate position of the center position 200-2 (shown in Figure 15) of the chip 200.

[0080] The calculation unit 102 of the control unit 100 rotates the suction shaft 53 around its axis by a predetermined angle (180 degrees in Embodiment 1) and images the chip 200 held by the chip holder 531 with the bottom camera 63 to detect the XY coordinate position of the chip 200's center position 200-2 (shown in Figure 15). The calculation unit 102 of the control unit 100 calculates the difference between the position where the chip holder 531 actually picked up the chip 200 and the position where the chip holder 531 should pick up the chip 200 from the difference between the XY coordinate positions of the chip 200's center positions 200-1 and 200-2 (calculating the distance between center positions 200-1 and 200-2 and the relative direction between center positions 200-1 and 200-2). The control unit 100 stores the calculated difference and positions the chip holder 531 at the corrected coordinate position when picking up the chip 200 with the chip holder 531.

[0081] Thus, in Embodiment 1, the chip transfer device 1 uses cameras 61 and 63 to image the front surface 201 or back surface 202 of the chip 200 before and after the calculation unit 102 of the control unit 100 rotates the suction shaft 53, which holds the chip 200 by suction to the chip holder 531, by a predetermined angle around its axis. The calculation unit 102 calculates the distance and relative direction between the center positions 200-1 and 200-2 of the captured chip 200, and corrects the position of the suction shaft 53 in the X-axis and Y-axis directions when holding the chip 200 by suction based on the calculated distance and relative direction between the center positions 200-1 and 200-2 of the chip 200.

[0082] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the chip transfer device 1 adjusts the position of the suction shaft 53 to suction and hold the center of the chip 200 housed in the storage tray 300 based on the distance between the center positions 200-1 and 200-2 of the chip 200 and their relative directions calculated by the calculation unit 102 of the control unit 100, corrects the X-axis and Y-axis positions of the suction shaft 53 when suctioning and holding the chip 200, and picks up the chip 200 housed in the storage tray 300 by suctioning and holding it in the chip holder 531. As described above, when the chip transfer device 1 according to Embodiment 1 performs a pickup method in which chips 200 stored in a storage tray 300 are picked up by being sucked and held by a chip holder 531 attached to the lower end of a suction shaft 53 that rotates around its axis, the position of the suction shaft 53 is adjusted to suck and hold the center of the chip 200 stored in the storage tray 300 based on the distance and relative direction between the center positions 200-1 and 200-2 of the chip 200 before and after rotating the suction shaft 53, which is sucked and held by the chip holder 531, around its axis by a predetermined angle, thereby picking up the chip 200 stored in the storage tray 300 by being sucked and held by the chip holder 531.

[0083] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, after replacing the chip holder 531 of the suction shaft 53, the chip transfer device 1 controls the transfer unit 50 to lower the suction shaft 53, which has sucked the lower surface of the chip holder 531, toward an empty space on the storage tray 300 where no chips 200 are placed (i.e., an empty space). The control unit 100 recognizes the position of the lower surface of the chip holder 531 of the suction shaft 53 in the Z-axis direction as the upper surface of the storage tray 300 when the negative pressure exceeds a threshold, and stores this position in the control unit 100. In Embodiment 1, when transferring chips 200, the chip transfer device 1 controls the position of the lower surface of the suction shaft 53 so that it is located at a position on the upper surface of the storage tray 300 that is obtained by adding the thickness of the chip 200, which has been input to the control unit 100 as a transfer condition in advance.

[0084] The chip transfer device 1 according to Embodiment 1 described above includes a discrimination unit 80 that distinguishes a plurality of chips 200 contained in a storage tray 300 placed on a first tray placement section 31 into a first group and a second group, and a transfer unit 50 that transfers the first group of chips 200 distinguished by the discrimination unit 80 from the storage tray 300 to a discharge tray 400-2 placed on a second tray placement section 32, and transfers the second group of chips 200 from the storage tray 300 to a discharge tray 400-3 placed on a third tray placement section 33.

[0085] As a result, the chip transfer device 1 according to Embodiment 1 has the effect of being able to separate a plurality of chips 200 contained in the storage tray 300 into a first group and a second group, and to separate the desired chip 200 from the other chips 200.

[0086] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. That is, it can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the core of the present invention. In Embodiment 1, the storage tray 300 placed on the first tray mounting section 31 has a flat bottom surface and tack force, but in the present invention, a flat unloading tray 400 based on the semiconductor technology standardization standards of the JEDEC Semiconductor Technology Association may be placed on the first tray mounting section 31, and the chips 200 contained in the unloading tray 400 placed on the first tray mounting section 31 may be classified into a first group and a second group.

[0087] Furthermore, in this invention, the chip transfer device 1 may sort 200 chips of a predetermined type into a first group and chips of other types into a second group; that is, the chips 200 may simply be sorted by type. Also, in this invention, the chip transfer device 1 may sort good chips 200 of the same type into a first group and defective chips 200 into a second group; that is, chips 200 of the same type may be sorted into good and defective products. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1. Chip transfer device 31 First tray mounting section 32 Second tray mounting section 33 Third tray mounting section 50 Transfer Units 53 Suction shaft 54 Rotary drive unit 60 imaging units 61 Top camera (camera) 62 Side camera (camera) 63. Bottom camera (camera) 80 discrimination units 102 Calculation Unit 103 Discrimination part 200 chips 201 Surface (Top surface) 202 Back side (bottom side) 300-unit storage tray (Tray 1) 400-2 Transport Tray (Second Tray) 400-3 Loading tray (Third tray) 531 Tip holder

Claims

1. A first tray mounting section on which a first tray containing multiple chips is placed, The second tray mounting section on which the second tray is placed, A discrimination unit that distinguishes a plurality of chips contained in the first tray into a first group and a second group, A chip transfer device comprising: a transfer unit that transfers the first group of chips identified by the discrimination unit from the first tray to the second tray.

2. The system further includes a third tray mounting section on which the third tray is placed. The chip transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer unit transfers the second group of chips identified by the discrimination unit from the first tray to the third tray.

3. The chip transfer apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the discrimination unit has a camera, and the camera images the bottom surface and side surface of the chip to distinguish the chip into a first group and a second group.

4. The transfer unit comprises a suction shaft that holds the chip by suction to a chip holder attached to its lower end, and a rotary drive unit that rotates the suction shaft around its axis. The chip transfer device according to claim 3, further comprising a calculation unit that calculates the distance and relative direction between the chips before and after rotating the suction shaft, which holds the chips by suction, by a predetermined angle around its axis.

5. A pickup method for picking up chips stored in a storage tray by suction and holding them with a chip holder attached to the lower end of a suction shaft that rotates around its axis, The distance and relative direction between the tips are calculated before and after rotating the suction shaft, which holds the tips in the tip holder, by a predetermined angle around its axis. A pickup method characterized by adjusting the position of the suction axis to suction and hold the center of the chip contained in the storage tray based on the calculated distance and relative direction, and then suctioning and holding the chip contained in the storage tray with the chip holder to pick it up.

Images