Device sealing method, device sealing apparatus, and manufacturing method of semiconductor product

Abstract

To provide a device sealing method facilitating a dealing of a workpiece and a sealing material in a sealing step while sealing a device with high accuracy, a device sealing apparatus, and a manufacturing method of a semiconductor product.SOLUTION: A device sealing method comprises: a first sealing step of housing a substrate 10 on which an LED 11 is mounted and a sealing sheet S in a chamber 29, and coating the LED 11 with the sealing sheet S by bringing the sealing sheet S into contact with a face on which the LED 11 of the substrate 10 is mounted in a state where a pressure in an inner space of the chamber 29 is reduced; and a second sealing step of sealing the LED 11 with the sealing sheet S by increasing a pressure in the inner space of the chamber 29 after the first sealing step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device encapsulation method and device encapsulation apparatus for encapsulating a device, for example a semiconductor chip or an electronic component, mounted on a workpiece, for example a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter referred to as "wafer") or a substrate, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor product. [Background technology]

[0002] In the manufacturing process of electronic products, for example, a BGA (Ball Grid Array) package, a process is carried out in which a device, for example, a semiconductor chip mounted on the surface of a work, for example, a wafer or substrate, is sealed and packaged with a sealing material such as a resin composition. An example of a conventional sealing method is a method in which a liquid resin is poured into a mold in which a work on which a device is mounted is placed, and then the resin is thermally cured to seal the device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-087551 A DISCLOSURE OF THEINVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-mentioned conventional device has the following problems.

[0005] In the conventional sealing method using liquid resin, when sealing is completed, the resin sealing the periphery of the device has low flatness. This low flatness causes a problem of reducing the precision of the electronic product. In order to avoid the reduction in precision of the electronic product, a process of molding the surface of the packaged electronic product is required, which reduces the manufacturing efficiency of the electronic product. In addition, there is a concern that the liquid resin is more difficult to handle in each process than the solid resin.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has as its main object to provide a device encapsulation method, a device encapsulation apparatus, and a method for manufacturing semiconductor products that encapsulate devices with high precision and facilitate the handling of the workpiece and encapsulation material during the encapsulation process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, the device sealing method according to the present invention includes a first sealing step of housing a workpiece on which a device is mounted and a sheet-shaped sealing material in a chamber, and covering the device with the sheet-shaped sealing material by bringing the sheet-shaped sealing material into contact with a device mounting surface of the workpiece while the internal space of the chamber is depressurized, and a second sealing step of sealing the device with the sheet-shaped sealing material by increasing the pressure in the internal space of the chamber after the first sealing step. In the second sealing process, a pressure in the internal space of the chamber is increased in a state where the entire surface of the workpiece opposite to the device mounting surface is in contact with the space, thereby applying a first pressing force from the sheet-like sealing material toward the workpiece and a second pressing force from the workpiece toward the sheet-like sealing material to the workpiece with which the sheet-like sealing material is in contact. The present invention is characterized in that:

[0008] (Function and Effect) According to this configuration, the device is sealed using a sheet-like sealing material that is in a flat sheet shape in advance. Therefore, when the sealing of the device is completed, the flatness of the sheet-like sealing material that has sealed the device can be improved.

[0009] In addition, in the first sealing process, the inside of the lower space in the chamber where the workpiece is placed is depressurized. In other words, the space around the device mounted on the workpiece is degassed by depressurization, so that when the sheet-shaped sealing material covers the device, it is possible to prevent gas from being trapped between the sheet-shaped sealing material and the device. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a decrease in adhesion caused by gas being trapped.

[0010] Furthermore, in the second sealing step, the pressure in the internal space of the chamber is increased to seal the device with the sheet-shaped sealing material. In this case, the pressurization of the internal space allows the pressing force to be applied uniformly over the entire sheet-shaped sealing material. This reliably prevents the occurrence of unevenness on the surface of the sheet-shaped sealing material due to unevenness in the force acting on the sheet-shaped sealing material, thereby more reliably improving the flatness of the sheet-shaped sealing material in the state where the device is sealed.

[0011] In the second sealing step, the air pressure in the internal space can be adjusted as desired by appropriately pressurizing the internal space. This allows a sufficiently large pressing force to be applied to the sheet-shaped sealing material, so that the sheet-shaped sealing material can be reliably filled into the gaps between the devices. This allows the devices to be sealed with higher accuracy.

[0012] In addition, in the above-mentioned invention, in the first sealing process, it is preferable that the sheet-shaped sealing material is brought into contact with the device mounting surface of the workpiece by deforming the sheet-shaped sealing material into a convex shape toward the device mounting surface of the workpiece.

[0013] (Function and Effect) According to this configuration, the sheet-shaped sealing material is deformed into a convex shape toward the device mounting surface of the work, so that the sheet-shaped sealing material can be brought into contact with the device mounting surface of the work so as to spread radially from one point. Therefore, it is possible to prevent air bubbles from being entrapped when the sheet-shaped sealing material is brought into contact with the device.

[0014] In the above-mentioned invention, it is preferable that the pressure in the internal space of the chamber is increased to a pressure equal to or higher than atmospheric pressure in the second sealing step, so that a relatively large pressing force can be applied between the sheet-shaped sealing material and the device, thereby enabling the device to be sealed more precisely with the sheet-shaped sealing material.

[0015] In addition, in the above-mentioned invention, it is preferable that the sheet-shaped sealing material is held on a long conveying sheet, the chamber includes an upper housing and a lower housing, and the first sealing process includes an upper and lower space forming process for dividing the internal space of the chamber into a lower space in which the workpiece is placed with its device mounting surface facing upward and an upper space facing the lower space via the sheet-shaped sealing material held on the conveying sheet by sandwiching the conveying sheet between the upper housing and the lower housing, an upper and lower space depressurizing process for depressurizing the upper space and the lower space, and a contacting process for, after the upper and lower space depressurizing process, making the pressure in the upper space higher than the pressure in the lower space, so that the pressure difference generated between the upper space and the lower space causes the sheet-shaped sealing material to deform into a convex shape toward the device mounting surface, and bringing the sheet-shaped sealing material into contact with the device mounting surface of the workpiece.

[0016] (Actions and Effects) According to this configuration, the upper and lower spaces are depressurized in the first sealing process, and the sheet-shaped sealing material is brought into contact with the device mounting surface of the workpiece using the differential pressure generated by making the pressure in the upper space higher than that in the lower space. That is, since the sheet-shaped sealing material comes into contact with the device in a state in which the lower space has been evacuated by depressurization, it is possible to more reliably prevent air bubbles from being trapped between the sheet-shaped sealing material and the device during sealing. In addition, since the differential pressure acts uniformly over the entire sheet-shaped sealing material, it is possible to avoid a situation in which damage to the workpiece or device occurs due to an uneven force acting thereon.

[0017] In addition, in the above-mentioned invention, it is preferable that the sheet-like sealing material is held on a long conveying sheet, the chamber includes an upper housing and a lower housing, and the first sealing process includes a top and bottom space forming process in which the conveying sheet is sandwiched between the upper housing and the lower housing to divide the internal space of the chamber into a lower space in which the workpiece is placed with its device mounting surface facing upward, and an upper space facing the lower space via the sheet-like sealing material held on the conveying sheet, and a decompression contact process in which only the lower space of the upper space and the lower space is decompressed to generate a pressure difference between the upper space and the lower space, thereby deforming the sheet-like sealing material into a convex shape toward the device mounting surface, and bringing the sheet-like sealing material into contact with the device mounting surface of the workpiece while the lower space is decompressed.

[0018] (Actions and Effects) According to this configuration, only the lower space is depressurized in the first sealing process, and the sheet-shaped sealing material is brought into contact with the device mounting surface of the workpiece using the generated differential pressure. That is, since the sheet-shaped sealing material comes into contact with the device in a state in which the lower space has been degassed by depressurization, it is possible to more reliably prevent air bubbles from being trapped between the sheet-shaped sealing material and the device during sealing. In addition, since the differential pressure acts uniformly over the entire sheet-shaped sealing material, it is possible to avoid a situation in which damage to the workpiece or the device occurs due to a bias in the applied force. In addition, since it is sufficient to depressurize only the lower space, a configuration for depressurizing the upper space is not required. This makes it possible to avoid the device becoming complicated and expensive.

[0019] In the above-mentioned invention, it is preferable that the sheet-shaped sealing material has a predetermined shape corresponding to a device mounting surface of the workpiece and is held by the long conveying sheet.

[0020] (Function and Effect) According to this configuration, the sheet-shaped sealing material has a predetermined shape corresponding to the device mounting surface of the workpiece in advance. Therefore, the sheet-shaped sealing material can properly seal the device according to the position and shape of the device mounting surface of the workpiece. In addition, since a process such as cutting the sheet-shaped sealing material into an appropriate predetermined shape is not required, the process of sealing the device can be shortened.

[0021] In the above-mentioned invention, the sheet-like elastic body is preferably disposed inside the upper housing, and the sheet-like elastic body is disposed so that the sheet-like elastic body abuts against the surface of the conveying sheet that does not hold the sheet-like sealing material by sandwiching the conveying sheet between the upper housing and the lower housing during the vertical space forming process. In this case, the sheet-like elastic body is deformed into a convex shape with a more uniform curvature rate over the entire surface due to the pressure difference. Therefore, the sheet-like sealing material is easily deformed according to the shape of the device mounting surface of the workpiece, so that the filling ability of the sheet-like sealing material in the gap between the devices can be improved. Therefore, the sealing of the devices by the sheet-like sealing material can be performed more accurately.

[0022] In addition, in the above-mentioned invention, it is preferable that the method further includes a heating process for heating the sheet-shaped sealing material by heating at least one of the lower space and the upper space, and the first sealing process includes contacting the sheet-shaped sealing material in a state heated by the heating process with the device mounting surface of the workpiece.

[0023] (Function and Effect) According to this configuration, the sheet-shaped sealing material becomes softer by heating the sheet-shaped sealing material in the heating process. In other words, the sheet-shaped sealing material becomes more easily deformed according to the shape of the device mounting surface of the workpiece, so that the filling ability of the sheet-shaped sealing material in the gaps between devices can be improved.

[0024] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned invention, it is preferable that the workpiece has one or more convex members on a surface opposite to the device mounting surface, and further includes a holding process for holding the workpiece with a holding member having a recess in its center, with the convex members positioned inside the recess, and that the first sealing process is carried out after the workpiece is held by the holding member.

[0025] (Action and Effect) According to this configuration, the holding member has a recess in the center. The holding member holds the workpiece with the convex member provided on the non-device mounting surface of the workpiece disposed inside the recess. In this case, the presence of the recess can prevent the convex member from interfering with the surface of the holding member and being damaged. In other words, even if the workpiece has a convex member, the device can be suitably sealed without damaging the workpiece.

[0026] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention may have the following configuration. That is, the device sealing apparatus according to the present invention includes a first sealing mechanism that houses a workpiece on which a device is mounted and a sheet-shaped sealing material in a chamber, and covers the device with the sheet-shaped sealing material by contacting the sheet-shaped sealing material with a device mounting surface of the workpiece while reducing the pressure inside the chamber; The first The device is covered with the sheet-like sealing material by the sealing mechanism. a second sealing mechanism for subsequently sealing the device with the sheet-like sealing material by increasing the pressure in the internal space of the chamber; Equipped with 、 The second sealing mechanism is By increasing the pressure in the internal space of the chamber in a state where the entire surface of the workpiece opposite to the device mounting surface is in contact with the space, a first pressing force from the sheet-like sealing material toward the workpiece and a second pressing force from the workpiece toward the sheet-like sealing material are applied to the workpiece with which the sheet-like sealing material is in contact. It is characterized by the above.

[0027] (Function and Effect) According to this configuration, the device is sealed using a sheet-like sealing material that is in a flat sheet shape in advance. Therefore, when the sealing of the device is completed, the flatness of the sheet-like sealing material that has sealed the device can be improved.

[0028] In addition, the first sealing mechanism reduces the pressure inside the lower space in the chamber where the workpiece is placed. In other words, the space around the device mounted on the workpiece is evacuated by reducing the pressure, so that when the sheet-shaped sealing material covers the device, it is possible to prevent gas from being trapped between the sheet-shaped sealing material and the device. This makes it possible to avoid a decrease in adhesion caused by gas being trapped.

[0029] Furthermore, the second sealing mechanism seals the device with the sheet-shaped sealing material by increasing the pressure in the internal space of the chamber. In this case, the pressing force can be applied uniformly over the entire sheet-shaped sealing material by pressurizing the internal space. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of unevenness on the surface of the sheet-shaped sealing material due to bias in the force acting on the sheet-shaped sealing material, and therefore it is possible to more reliably improve the flatness of the sheet-shaped sealing material in the state where the device is sealed.

[0030] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention may have the following configuration. That is, the manufacturing method of a semiconductor product according to the present invention is a manufacturing method of a semiconductor product in which a device mounted on a work is sealed with a sheet-like sealing material, a first sealing step of housing a workpiece on which a device is mounted and a sheet-like sealing material in a chamber, and covering the device with the sheet-like sealing material by contacting the sheet-like sealing material with a device mounting surface of the workpiece while reducing the pressure in the internal space of the chamber; a second sealing step of sealing the device with the sheet-shaped sealing material by increasing the pressure in the internal space of the chamber after the first sealing step; Equipped with 、 The second sealing step includes: By increasing the pressure in the internal space of the chamber in a state where the entire surface of the workpiece opposite to the device mounting surface is in contact with the space, a first pressing force from the sheet-like sealing material toward the workpiece and a second pressing force from the workpiece toward the sheet-like sealing material are applied to the workpiece with which the sheet-like sealing material is in contact. It is characterized by the above.

[0031] (Actions and Effects) According to this configuration, a semiconductor product in which devices mounted on a workpiece are sealed with a sheet-shaped sealing material can be suitably manufactured. That is, since the devices are sealed with a sheet-shaped sealing material that is in a flat sheet shape beforehand, the flatness of the sheet-shaped sealing material that seals the devices in the semiconductor product can be improved. In addition, since the inside of the chamber is degassed by reducing the pressure in the first sealing process, it is possible to prevent gas from being trapped between the devices and the sheet-shaped sealing material. Then, since the devices are sealed by increasing the pressure in the internal space of the chamber in the second sealing process, the sheet-shaped sealing material can be reliably filled into the gaps between the devices due to the high pressure. Thus, a semiconductor product in which devices are sealed with higher accuracy can be manufactured. Effect of the Invention

[0032] According to the device encapsulation method, device encapsulation apparatus, and semiconductor product manufacturing method of the present invention, devices are encapsulated using a sheet-like encapsulant that is in a flat sheet shape in advance, and therefore, when the encapsulation of the devices is completed, the flatness of the sheet-like encapsulant that encapsulates the devices can be improved.

[0033] In addition, in the first sealing process, the inside of the lower space in the chamber where the workpiece is placed is depressurized. In other words, the space around the device mounted on the workpiece is degassed by depressurization, so that when the sheet-shaped sealing material covers the device, it is possible to prevent gas from being trapped between the sheet-shaped sealing material and the device. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a decrease in adhesion caused by gas being trapped.

[0034] Furthermore, in the second sealing step, the pressure in the internal space of the chamber is increased to seal the device with the sheet-shaped sealing material. In this case, the pressurization of the internal space allows the pressing force to be applied uniformly over the entire sheet-shaped sealing material. This reliably prevents the occurrence of unevenness on the surface of the sheet-shaped sealing material due to unevenness in the force acting on the sheet-shaped sealing material, thereby more reliably improving the flatness of the sheet-shaped sealing material in the state where the device is sealed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0035] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a sealing member according to an embodiment, in which (a) is a perspective view of the back surface side of the sealing member, and (b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the sealing member. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a substrate and a ring frame in the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device sealing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view of the device sealing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a front view of the sealing unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a chamber according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the device sealing apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining step S2 according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining step S2 according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining step S3 according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining step S3 according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining step S4 according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining step S4 according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining step S5 according to the embodiment. [Figure 15] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of a configuration for heating a sealing member. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining step S6 according to the embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining step S6 according to the embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining step S7 according to the embodiment. [Figure 19]1A is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration in which a gap is formed when sealing is performed by reducing the pressure inside the chamber, and FIG. 1B is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the gap is filled by sealing the chamber by increasing the pressure inside the chamber. [Figure 20] 1A is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a substrate according to a modified example, and FIG. 1B is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a holding table according to a modified example. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the process of step S3 according to a modified example. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the process of step S4 according to a modified example. [Figure 23] 1A is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of a sealing member according to a modified example, FIG. 1B is a diagram explaining problems that may occur in a sealing member according to a comparative example having no elastic body, and FIG. 1C is a diagram explaining advantages of the comparative example having an elastic body. [Figure 24] 1A is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a sealing member according to a modified example, FIG. 1B is a view showing a state in step S4 according to the modified example, and FIG. 1C is a view showing a state in step S5 according to the modified example. [Diagram 25] 1A is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of a sealing member according to a modified example, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a sheet cutting device provided in the modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0036] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1(a) is a perspective view showing the back side of a sealing member P, and Fig. 1(b) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the sealing member P. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a substrate 10 to be sealed by the sealing member P, and a ring frame f.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 1(a), the sealing member P according to this embodiment includes a sealing sheet S and a conveying sheet T. The sealing sheet S is cut in advance into a predetermined shape according to the shape of the substrate 10. In this embodiment, the sealing sheet S is cut in advance into a substantially rectangular shape. Here, the substantially rectangular shape means a shape in which each corner of the rectangle is rounded, as shown in Fig. 1(a). In this embodiment, the size of the sealing sheet S is set to be larger than the substrate 10 and smaller than the inner diameter of a lower housing 29A described later.

[0038] The conveying sheet T has a long shape, and the sealing sheets S are attached and held at a predetermined pitch on the conveying sheet T. The sealing sheet S corresponds to the sheet-like sealing material in the present invention.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 1(b), the conveying sheet T has a structure in which a non-adhesive base material Ta and an adhesive material Tb having adhesiveness are laminated together. Examples of materials constituting the base material Ta include polyolefin and polyethylene. Examples of materials constituting the adhesive material Tb include acrylic ester copolymers.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 1(b), the sealing sheet S has a structure in which a non-adhesive base material Sa and an adhesive sealing material Sb are laminated. The base material Sa is attached to the adhesive material Tb of the conveying sheet T, so that the conveying sheet T holds the sealing sheet S. Examples of materials constituting the base material Sa include polyolefin and polyethylene. In this embodiment, the shape of the sealing sheet S is approximately rectangular, but can be appropriately changed according to the shape of the substrate 10.

[0041] A separator S (not shown) is attached to the sealing material Sb, and the adhesive surface of the sealing material Sb is exposed by peeling off the separator S. In this embodiment, OCA (Optical Clear Adhesive), which is an optically transparent adhesive, is used as a material constituting the sealing material Sb.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of LEDs 11 and TFTs (not shown) are mounted in parallel in a two-dimensional matrix in the center of the surface of the substrate 10. That is, the LEDs 11 form unevenness on the surface of the substrate 10. The LEDs 11 are connected to the substrate 10 via TFTs or bumps (not shown). Examples of the substrate 10 include a glass substrate, an organic substrate, a circuit substrate, and a silicon wafer. In this embodiment, the substrate 10 is substantially rectangular, but the shape of the substrate 10 may be changed to any shape, such as a rectangular shape, a circular shape, or a polygonal shape. The substrate 10 corresponds to the workpiece in the present invention. The LEDs 11 correspond to the device in the present invention.

[0043] The ring frame f has a size and shape to surround the substrate 10. The device sealing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment seals the LEDs 11 mounted on the substrate 10 with a sealing sheet S, thereby creating a sealed body MF in which the substrate 10 and the ring frame f are integrated with a sealing member P.

[0044] <Overall configuration> Here, the overall configuration of the device sealing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the basic configuration of the device sealing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment. The device sealing apparatus 1 is configured to include a horizontally long rectangular portion 1a and a protruding portion 1b. The protruding portion 1b is configured to be connected to the center of the rectangular portion 1a and protrude upward. In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the rectangular portion 1a will be referred to as the left-right direction (x direction), and the horizontal direction (y direction) perpendicular to this will be referred to as the front-rear direction.

[0045] A substrate transport mechanism 3 is provided on the right side of the rectangular portion 1a. Two containers 5 containing substrates 10 are placed in parallel at a position on the lower right side of the rectangular portion 1a. A sealed body recovery unit 6 that recovers sealed bodies MF, which will be described later, is provided at the left end of the rectangular portion 1a.

[0046] Arranged from the right on the upper side of the rectangular portion 1a are an aligner 7, a holding table 9, and a frame supply unit 12, in that order. Arranged on the protruding portion 1b is a sealing unit 13 that seals each of the LEDs 11 mounted on the substrate 10 with a sealing sheet S.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 4, the substrate transport mechanism 3 is provided with a substrate transport device 16 supported on the right side of a guide rail 15 horizontally installed on the upper part of the rectangular section 2a so as to be movable back and forth in the left and right directions. Also, a frame transport device 17 is provided on the left side of the guide rail 15 so as to be movable in the left and right directions.

[0048] The substrate transport device 16 is configured to transport the substrate 10 taken out from either one of the containers 5 in a left-right and front-back direction. The substrate transport device 16 is equipped with a left-right movable base 18 and a front-back movable base 19.

[0049] The left-right movable base 18 is configured to be reciprocally movable in the left-right direction along the guide rail 15. The front-rear movable base 19 is configured to be reciprocally movable in the front-rear direction along a guide rail 20 provided on the left-right movable base 18.

[0050] Furthermore, a holding unit 21 that holds the substrate 10 is provided below the forward / backward movable platform 19. The holding unit 21 is configured to be capable of reciprocating in the up and down direction (z direction) along a vertically extending lift rail 22. The holding unit 21 is also capable of rotating around an axis in the z direction by a rotation shaft (not shown).

[0051] A horseshoe-shaped holding arm 23 is provided on the lower part of the holding unit 21. A plurality of slightly protruding suction pads are provided on the holding surface of the holding arm 23, and the substrate 10 is sucked and held via the suction pads. The holding arm 23 is also connected to a compressed air device via a flow path formed therein and a connecting flow path connected to the base end side of the flow path.

[0052] By utilizing the above-described movable structure, the wafer W held by suction can be moved back and forth, left and right, and rotated about the z-axis by the holding arm 23.

[0053] The frame transport device 17 includes a left-right movable base 24, a front-back movable base 25, an articulating link mechanism 26 connected to the lower portion of the left-right movable base 24, and a suction plate 27 attached to the lower end of the articulating link mechanism 26. The suction plate 27 suctions and holds the wafer W. A plurality of suction pads 28 for suction-holding the ring frame f are provided around the suction plate 27. Thus, the frame transport device 21 can suction-hold the ring frame f or the sealing body MF placed and held on the holding table 9, and transport it up and down and back and forth and left and right. The suction pad 28 can be adjusted to slide horizontally according to the size of the ring frame f.

[0054] 5 and 6, the holding table 9 is a metallic chuck table having a shape and size equal to or larger than that of the substrate 10, and is connected in communication with a vacuum device 31 and a pressure device 32 which are provided externally. The operations of the vacuum device 31 and the pressure device 32 are controlled by a control unit 33.

[0055] 5, the holding table 9 is housed in a lower housing 29A that constitutes the chamber 29, and is connected to one end of a rod 35 that penetrates the lower housing 29A. The other end of the rod 35 is drivingly connected to an actuator 37 that includes a motor or the like. Therefore, the holding table 9 can move up and down inside the chamber 29.

[0056] The lower housing 29A includes a frame holding portion 38 that surrounds the lower housing 29A. The frame holding portion 38 is configured so that when the ring frame f is placed on the frame holding portion 38, the upper surface of the ring frame f and the cylindrical top of the lower housing 29A are flush with each other. In addition, it is preferable that the cylindrical top of the lower housing 29A is subjected to a release treatment.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 3, the holding table 9 is configured to be able to move back and forth between an initial position and a sealing position along rails 40 provided in the front-rear direction. The initial position is inside the rectangular portion 1a, and is the position where the holding table 9 is indicated by a solid line in Fig. 3. At the set position, the substrate 10 and the ring frame f are placed on the holding table 9.

[0058] The sealing position is inside the protruding portion 1b, and is the position where the holding table 9 is indicated by a dotted line in Fig. 3. By moving the holding table 9 to the sealing position, it becomes possible to perform a sealing process using a sealing member P on the substrate 10 placed on the holding table 9.

[0059] The frame supply unit 12 stores a drawer-type cassette in which a predetermined number of ring frames f are stacked and stored.

[0060] 5, the sealing unit 13 is composed of a sheet supply unit 71, a separator recovery unit 72, a device sealing unit 73, and a sheet recovery unit 74. The sheet supply unit 71 is configured to peel off the separator S by a separator peeling roller 75 in the process of supplying the sealing member P to the sealing position from a supply bobbin on which a raw roll around which the separator-attached sealing member PS (sealing member P to which a separator S is affixed) is wound is loaded.

[0061] The separator recovery section 72 is provided with a recovery bobbin that winds up the separator S peeled off from the sealing member P. This recovery bobbin is controlled to rotate forward and backward by a motor.

[0062] The device sealing section 73 is composed of a chamber 29, a device sealing mechanism 81, a sheet cutting mechanism 82, and the like.

[0063] The chamber 29 is composed of a lower housing 29A and an upper housing 29B. The lower housing 29A is disposed so as to surround the holding table 9, and reciprocates in the front-rear direction between an initial position and a sealing position together with the holding table 9. The upper housing 29B is disposed on the protruding portion 1b, and is configured to be movable up and down.

[0064] 6, the lower housing 29A and the upper housing 29B are connected in communication with the vacuum device 31 and the pressurizing device 32 via a flow path 101. The flow path 101 on the upper housing 11B side is equipped with an electromagnetic valve 103. In addition, a flow path 109 equipped with electromagnetic valves 105 and 107 for opening to the atmosphere is connected in communication with both housings 11A and 11B, respectively.

[0065] Furthermore, a flow path 111 equipped with an electromagnetic valve 110 that adjusts the temporarily reduced internal pressure by leakage is connected to the upper housing 29B. Note that opening and closing of these electromagnetic valves 103, 105, 107, and 110, operation of the vacuum device 31, and operation of the pressurizing device 32 are performed by a control unit 33.

[0066] That is, the vacuum device 31 is configured to be able to independently adjust the pressure reduction in the space on the lower housing 29 side and the space on the upper housing side, while the pressurizing device 32 is configured to independently adjust the pressure increase in the space on the lower housing 29 side and the space on the upper housing side.

[0067] The device sealing mechanism 81 includes a movable base 84, a joining roller 85, and a nip roller 86. The movable base 84 moves horizontally left and right along a guide rail 88 installed in the left and right direction. The joining roller 85 is journaled on a bracket connected to the tip of a cylinder provided on the movable base 84. The nip roller 86 is provided on the support tape recovery section 74 side, and includes a feed roller 89 driven by a motor and a pinch roller 90 that is raised and lowered by a cylinder.

[0068] The sheet cutting mechanism 82 is provided on an elevation drive table 91 that raises and lowers the upper housing 29B, and includes a support shaft 92 extending in the z direction and a boss portion 93 that rotates around the support shaft 92. The boss portion 93 includes a plurality of support arms 94 extending in the radial direction. A disk-shaped cutter 95 that cuts the conveying sheet T of the sealing member P along the ring frame f is provided at the tip of at least one of the support arms 94 so as to be movable up and down. A pressure roller 96 is provided at the tip of the other support arms 94 so as to be movable up and down.

[0069] The sheet recovery section 74 is provided with a recovery bobbin that winds up the unnecessary conveying sheet T that has been cut and then peeled off. This recovery bobbin is controlled to rotate forward and backward by a motor (not shown).

[0070] 4, the sealed body recovery section 6 is equipped with a cassette 41 for loading and recovering the sealed bodies MF. This cassette 41 is equipped with a vertical rail 45 fixedly connected to an apparatus frame 43, and a lifting platform 49 which is raised and lowered by a motor 47 along the vertical rail 45. Therefore, the sealed body recovery section 6 is configured to place the sealed bodies MF on the lifting platform 49 and lower it at a pitch feed.

[0071] As shown in Fig. 6 etc., the device sealing mechanism 81 has a heating mechanism 120 inside the upper housing 29B. The heating mechanism 120 includes a cylinder 121 and a heating member 123. The cylinder 121 is connected to the upper part of the heating member 123, and the heating member 123 can be raised and lowered inside the chamber 29 by the operation of the cylinder 121. Note that the heating member 123 does not need to be configured to be able to be raised and lowered as long as it is capable of heating the sealing member P.

[0072] The heating member 123 has a disk shape as a whole, and is slightly larger than the sealing sheet S. A heater 125 for heating the conveying sheet T and the sealing sheet S is embedded inside the heating member 123. The heating temperature by the heater 125 is adjusted to a temperature at which the conveying sheet T and the sealing sheet S become soft. An example of the heating temperature is about 50°C to 70°C.

[0073] <Basic operation overview> Here, a basic operation of the device sealing apparatus according to the embodiment will be described. Fig. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a series of steps for sealing the LEDs 11 mounted on the substrate 10 with the encapsulating sheet S using the device sealing apparatus 1.

[0074] Step S1 (supply of workpiece) When a sealing command is issued, the ring frame f is transferred from the frame supply unit 12 to the frame holding unit 38 of the lower housing 29A, and the substrate 10 is transferred from the container 5 to the holding table 9.

[0075] That is, the frame transport device 17 adsorbs the ring frame f from the frame supply unit 12 and transfers it to the frame holding unit 38. When the frame transport device 17 releases the adsorption of the ring frame f and rises, it aligns the position of the ring frame f. As one example, this alignment is performed by synchronously moving a plurality of support pins erected so as to surround the frame holding unit 38 toward the center. The ring frame f waits in a state set in the frame holding unit 38 until the substrate 10 is transported thereto.

[0076] While the frame transport device 17 transports the ring frame f, the substrate transport device 16 inserts the holding arm 23 between the substrates 10 stored in multiple stages. The holding arm 23 suction-holds the portion of the surface of the substrate 10 on which the LEDs 11 are not mounted (the portion on the peripheral edge), carries it out, and transports it to the aligner 7. The aligner 7 suctions the center of the back surface of the substrate 10 with a suction pad protruding from the center. At the same time, the substrate transport device 16 releases the suction of the substrate 10 and retreats upward. The aligner 7 holds the substrate 10 with the suction pad and rotates it, aligning it based on the notch, etc.

[0077] When the alignment is complete, the suction pad that has adsorbed the substrate 10 is caused to protrude from the surface of the aligner 7. The substrate transport device 16 moves to that position and adsorbs and holds the substrate 10 from the front surface side. The suction pad releases suction and descends.

[0078] The substrate transport device 16 moves above the holding table 9, and places the substrate 10 on the holding table 9 with the surface side on which the LEDs 11 are mounted facing upward. When the holding table 9 adsorbs and holds the substrate 10 and the frame holding section 38 adsorbs and holds the ring frame f, the lower housing 29A moves from the initial position along the rails 40 to the sealing position on the device sealing mechanism 81 side. The state in which the substrate 10 has been supplied to the holding table 9 and moved to the sealing position is shown in FIG.

[0079] Step S2 (supply of sealing sheet) When the workpiece is supplied by the substrate conveying device 16 or the like, the sealing unit 13 supplies the sealing sheet S. That is, a predetermined amount of the sealing member P is fed from the sheet supplying section 71 while the separator S is peeled off. The sealing member P, which is long overall, is guided above the sealing position along a predetermined conveying path. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the sealing sheet S held by the conveying sheet T is positioned so as to be located above the substrate 10 placed on the holding table 9.

[0080] Step S3 (Formation of chamber) When the workpiece and the sealing sheet S are supplied, the joining roller 85 descends as shown in Fig. 10. Then, as shown in Fig. 11, the joining roller 85 rolls on the conveying sheet T to join the conveying sheet T to the ring frame f and the top of the lower housing 29A. In conjunction with the movement of the joining roller 85, a predetermined amount of sealing material P is fed from the sheet supply unit 71 while the separator S is peeled off.

[0081] When the conveying sheet T is attached to the ring frame f, the joining roller 85 is returned to its initial position and the upper housing 29B is lowered. As the upper housing 29B is lowered, the portion of the conveying sheet T attached to the top of the lower housing 29A is sandwiched between the upper housing 29B and the lower housing 29A, as shown in FIG.

[0082] At this time, the conveying sheet T of the sealing member P functions as a sealant, and the chamber 29 is divided into two spaces by the conveying sheet T. That is, the chamber 29 is divided into a lower space H1 on the lower housing 29A side and an upper space H2 on the upper housing 29B side, with the conveying sheet T in between. The substrate 10 and the LEDs 11 located in the lower housing 29A face each other closely to the sealing sheet S with a predetermined clearance therebetween.

[0083] Step S4 (first sealing process) After the chamber 29 is formed, the first sealing process is started. First, the control unit 33 operates the vacuum device 31 with the electromagnetic valves 105, 107, and 110 shown in Fig. 6 closed to reduce the air pressure in the lower space H1 and the upper space H2 to a predetermined value. An example of the predetermined value is 10 Pa to 100 Pa. At this time, the opening of the electromagnetic valve 103 is adjusted so that the lower space H1 and the upper space H2 are reduced in pressure at the same speed.

[0084] When the air pressures in the lower space H1 and the upper space H2 are reduced to a predetermined value, the control unit 33 closes the electromagnetic valve 103 and stops the operation of the vacuum device 31. The control unit 33 then adjusts the opening of each of the electromagnetic valves 103, 105, 107, and 110 to allow leakage so that the air pressure in the upper space H2 is higher than the air pressure in the lower space H1. As the air pressure in the upper space H2 becomes higher than the air pressure in the lower space H1, a pressure difference Fa is generated between the two spaces, as shown in Fig. 12. As a result of the generation of the pressure difference Fa, the adhesive material P is pulled from the center portion toward the lower housing 29A, and is deformed into a convex shape.

[0085] In this embodiment, the electromagnetic valves 103 and 107 connected to the lower space H1 are kept closed, and the opening of the electromagnetic valve 110 connected to the upper space H2 is adjusted to allow leakage, and finally controlled to be fully open. Through this adjustment, the air pressure in the lower space H1 is maintained at a predetermined reduced pressure, while the air pressure in the upper space H2 gradually increases from the predetermined value and returns to atmospheric pressure, generating a pressure difference Fa.

[0086] After the differential pressure Fa is generated, the actuator 37 is driven to raise the holding table 9 as shown in Fig. 13. Due to the deformation of the adhesive member P caused by the differential pressure Fa and the rise of the holding table 9, the sealing sheet S comes into contact with the surface of the substrate 10 radially from the center toward the outer periphery inside the evacuated lower space H1. Due to this contact, each of the LEDs 11 mounted on the substrate 10 is covered with the sealing sheet S.

[0087] When the LED 11 is covered with the sealing sheet S, the control unit 33 fully opens the electromagnetic valves 103, 105, 107, and 110 to open the upper space H2 and the lower space H1 to the atmosphere. This opening to the atmosphere completes the first sealing process. In this manner, in the first sealing process, the sealing sheet S is brought into contact with the surface of the substrate 10 while the internal space of the chamber 29 is depressurized, thereby covering the LED 11 with the sealing sheet S.

[0088] It is preferable to heat the upper space H2 in advance using the heating mechanism 120 before starting step S4. That is, the control unit 33 operates the heater 125 to heat the heating device 123 to a predetermined temperature. By heating the heating device 123, the upper space H2 is heated by the thermal conduction effect, and the conveying sheet T and the sealing sheet S are further heated.

[0089] The conveying sheet T and the sealing sheet S become soft by being heated, and thus the deformability due to the differential pressure Fa is improved. That is, when the sealing sheet S covers the LEDs 11, the ability of the sealing member P to conform to the upper surfaces of the substrate 10 and the LEDs 11 can be further improved. Note that, as shown in FIG. 15, the heating member 123 may be lowered so as to contact the conveying sheet T, and the sealing member P may be directly heated by the heating member 123.

[0090] Step S5 (second sealing process) After the chamber 29 is formed, the second sealing process is started. First, the control unit 33 controls the actuator 37 to lower the holding table 9 to the initial position. Next, the control unit 33 operates the pressurizing device 32 with the electromagnetic valves 105, 107, and 110 shown in FIG. 6 closed to supply gas to the lower space H1 and the upper space H2, thereby pressurizing the lower space H1 and the upper space H2 to a specific value. An example of the specific value is 0.3 MPa to 0.5 MPa. As a result of the pressurizing operation by the pressurizing device 32, the air pressure in the lower space H1 and the air pressure in the upper space H2 become higher than atmospheric pressure.

[0091] By pressurizing the upper space H2, as shown in FIG. 14, a pressing force V1 acts from the upper space H2 toward the sealing sheet S. Since the entire upper space H2 is pressurized, the pressing force V1 acts uniformly over the entire sealing sheet S. Furthermore, by pressurizing the entire lower space H1, the pressing force V2 acts uniformly from the lower space H1 toward the rear surface of the substrate 10. That is, the sealing material Sb of the sealing sheet S is filled into the gaps between the LEDs 11 by the action of the pressing forces V1 and V2. As a result, the substrate 10 and the sealing sheet S are more closely attached to each other, and the LEDs 11 are sealed by the sealing sheet S.

[0092] With the lower space H1 and the upper space H2 pressurized to a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, a pressing force is applied between the sealing sheet S and the LEDs 11 for a predetermined time, and then the control unit 33 stops the pressurizing device 32. Then, the control unit 33 fully opens the electromagnetic valves 103, 105, 107, and 110 to open the lower space H1 and the upper space H2 to the atmosphere. The control unit 33 raises the upper housing 29B to open the chamber 29, and raises the holding table 9 to bring the back surface of the substrate 10 into contact with the substrate holding surface of the holding table 9.

[0093] Step S6 (Cutting the sheet) During the processes relating to steps S4 and S5 in the chamber 29, the sheet cutting mechanism 82 is operated to cut the sealing member P. At this time, as shown in Fig. 16, the cutter 95 cuts the sealing member P (specifically, the conveying sheet T) attached to the ring frame f into the shape of the ring frame f, and the pressing roller 96 follows the cutter 95 to press the cut portion of the sheet on the ring frame f while rolling.

[0094] Since the sealing of the LEDs 11 with the sealing sheet S and the cutting of the sealing member P are completed at the point when the upper housing 29B is raised, the pinch roller 90 is raised to release the nip of the conveying sheet T. Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 17, the nip roller 86 is moved to wind up and collect the unnecessary conveying sheet T after the cut toward the sheet collection unit 74, and a predetermined amount of sealing member P is paid out from the sheet supply unit 71. Through the steps up to step S6, a sealing body MF is formed in which the ring frame f and the substrate 10 are integrated via the sealing member P.

[0095] When the unnecessary conveying sheet T is wound and collected, the nip roller 86 and the laminating roller 85 return to their initial positions. Then, the holding table 9, while holding the sealing body MF, moves from the sealing position to the initial position.

[0096] Step S7 (collection of sealed body) When the holding table 9 returns to the initial position, as shown in Fig. 18, the suction pads 28 provided on the frame conveying device 17 suction-hold the sealed body MF and remove the sealed body MF from the lower housing 29A. The frame conveying device 17 that has suction-held the sealed body MF conveys the sealed body MF to the sealed body recovery section 6. The conveyed sealed body MF is loaded and stored in a cassette 41.

[0097] This completes one cycle of sealing the LEDs 11 mounted on the substrate 10 with the sealing sheet S. Thereafter, the above process is repeated until a predetermined number of sealing bodies MF are produced. In this manner, the sealing body MF in which the sealing sheet S tightly seals the LEDs 11 is manufactured by the device sealing apparatus 1. The sealing body MF in which the sealing sheet S tightly seals the LEDs 11 by the second sealing process corresponds to the semiconductor device of the present invention.

[0098] In the embodiment, the case where the ring frame f is used is illustrated, but the manufacturing process of the sealing body MF which is a semiconductor device is not limited to the case where the ring frame f is used. That is, by performing each process related to steps S1 to S7, the sealing sheet S is tightly sealed to the LEDs 11 mounted on the substrate 10, and the sealing body MF in which the sealing sheet S and the substrate 10 are integrated is manufactured.

[0099] <Effects of the configuration of the embodiment> According to the device of the above embodiment, the LEDs 11 mounted on the substrate 10 are sealed with the sealing sheet S by adjusting the air pressure inside the chamber 29. In the conventional sealing method in which a liquid sealing material is filled around the device and then cured, the flatness of the surface of the sealing material decreases due to factors such as air bubbles being mixed into the uncured resin.

[0100] On the other hand, in the configuration of the present invention, each of the base material Sa and the sealing material Sb included in the sealing sheet S is in advance in a flat sheet shape. Therefore, when sealing by the sealing sheet S is completed, the flatness of the surface of the sealing sheet S can be improved. In addition, since sealing is performed by adjusting the air pressure inside the chamber 29 with the substrate 10 and the sealing sheet S disposed inside the chamber 29, the differential pressure Fa or the pressing forces V1 and V2 act uniformly over the entire sealing sheet S. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of unevenness on the surface of the sealing sheet S due to bias in the force acting on the sealing sheet S, and therefore the flatness of the sealing sheet S can be more reliably improved.

[0101] In the first sealing step according to the present invention, the inside of the lower space H1 in which the substrate 10 is disposed is depressurized inside the chamber 29. That is, the space around the LED 11 mounted on the substrate 10 is degassed by depressurization, so that when the sealing sheet S comes into contact with the LED 11 to cover the LED 11, it is possible to prevent gas from being trapped between the sealing sheet S and the LED 11. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a decrease in adhesion caused by the gas being trapped.

[0102] In the second sealing step according to the present invention, the air pressure in the lower space H1 and the upper space H2 is increased to a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, whereby the sealing material Sb of the sealing sheet S is filled into the gaps between the LEDs 11 with high precision.

[0103] When the differential pressure Fa is generated by reducing the pressure inside the chamber using a vacuum device, the magnitude of the differential pressure Fa generated by reducing the pressure from the atmospheric pressure state is equal to or less than the atmospheric pressure. That is, when the sealing sheet S is pressed against the LEDs 11 using the differential pressure Fa, there is an upper limit to the magnitude of the force that presses the sealing sheet S against the LEDs 11. Therefore, in a state in which the sealing material Sb of the sealing sheet S covers the LEDs 11 due to the differential pressure Fa caused by the reduction in pressure, the sealing material Sb may not completely fill the periodic space of the LEDs 11, as shown in FIG. 19(a), and a gap J may be generated.

[0104] In contrast, in the present invention, the pressure device 32 is used to pressurize the upper space H1 and the lower space H2 in the chamber 29 to a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. That is, in the second sealing process, pressing forces V1 and V2 higher than the differential pressure Fa can be applied to the sealing sheet S and the LED 11. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 19(b), the uncured sealing material Sb is further pressed and deformed by the action of the pressing forces V1 and V2, and the gap J is reliably filled. Therefore, by performing the second sealing process, the LED 11 can be sealed with higher accuracy.

[0105] In addition, in the second sealing process, the magnitudes of the pressing forces V1 and V2 can be adjusted to any value by appropriately controlling the pressurizing device 32. Therefore, even if sealing conditions such as the constituent material of the sealing material Sb or the size and structure of the LED 11 are changed, the LED 11 can be reliably sealed by appropriately adjusting the magnitudes of the pressing forces V1 and V2. Furthermore, since pressing forces V1 and V2 of appropriate magnitude are applied uniformly over the entire sealing sheet S, damage to the substrate 10 or the LED 11 caused by the application of excessive pressing forces or biased pressing forces can be avoided.

[0106] Furthermore, in conventional device sealing methods that use a mold and liquid sealing material, it is necessary to prepare different molds depending on the size or material of the workpiece and device, and therefore the effort and cost required for manufacturing a device sealing apparatus is great.

[0107] On the other hand, in the device sealing method according to the present invention, since the device can be sealed without using a mold, the time and cost required for manufacturing the device sealing apparatus 1 can be significantly reduced. Even if various conditions of the workpiece or device are changed, the change in the workpiece, etc. can be accommodated by changing the shape, etc., of the sealing sheet S. Therefore, the device sealing apparatus can be quickly and easily set up according to various conditions.

[0108] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the description of the above embodiments, and includes all modifications (variations) within the meaning and scope of the claims. For example, the present invention can be modified as follows.

[0109] (1) As the workpiece according to the embodiment, the substrate 10 having the LED 11 mounted on the front side and the flat back side has been described, but the back side of the workpiece is not limited to being flat. That is, as shown in FIG. 20(a), a substrate 131 having a convex member 130 on the back side may be used as the workpiece. The convex member 130 may be an electronic component such as an LED, or may be a constituent material of the substrate 131. That is, the substrate 131 having irregularities on the back side also includes a configuration in which irregularities are formed on the back side of the substrate 131 itself.

[0110] When sealing an LED 11 mounted on the front side of a substrate 131 having a convex member 130 on the back side with a sealing sheet S, the device sealing apparatus 1 is provided with a holding table 135 as shown in Figure 20(b) instead of the holding table 9.

[0111] Holding table 135 has an annular protrusion 137 on its outer periphery and a recess 139 in its center. That is, holding table 135 is hollow as a whole. In plan view, recess 139 is formed at a position that encompasses the area of ​​substrate 131 where convex member 130 is arranged. Protrusion 137 supports the portion of the back surface of substrate 131 where convex member 130 is not arranged, so that holding table 135 can hold substrate 131 without coming into contact with convex member 130.

[0112] 21 shows a state in which the lower housing 29A includes the holding table 135 and the holding table 135 supports the substrate 131. This state corresponds to the process of forming the chamber 29 in step S3. In the configuration including the holding table 135, each process of sealing the LEDs 11 on the substrate 10 with the sealing sheet S is similar to the embodiment already described, and therefore detailed description will be omitted.

[0113] (2) In step S4 according to the embodiment, the pressure difference Fa is generated by reducing the pressure in the lower space H1 and the upper space H2 to a predetermined value and then returning the pressure in the upper space H2 to atmospheric pressure, but the adjustment of the pressure in step S4 is not limited to this. That is, after the pressure in the lower space H1 and the upper space H2 is reduced to a predetermined value, the opening of the electromagnetic valve 105 may be appropriately adjusted to leak while maintaining the pressure in the lower space H1 at the predetermined value.

[0114] In this case, the air pressure in the upper space H2 is controlled to rise from a predetermined value to a specific value lower than atmospheric pressure, and the differential pressure Fa is generated by this control. After the LEDs 11 are covered with the sealing sheet S by the differential pressure Fa, the control unit 33 fully opens the electromagnetic valves 103, 105, 107, and 110 to open the upper space H2 and the lower space H1 to the atmosphere. This opening to the atmosphere completes the first sealing process.

[0115] In the configuration in which the pressure difference Fa is generated by returning the air pressure in the upper space H2 to atmospheric pressure as in the embodiment, the pressure difference Fa can be made larger, and therefore the process of deforming the sealing member P to cover the LEDs 11 with the sealing sheet S can be completed more quickly. On the other hand, in the configuration in which the pressure difference Fa is generated by adjusting the air pressure in the upper space H2 to a specific value higher than the air pressure in the lower space H1 and lower than atmospheric pressure as in the modified example related to (2), the deformation speed of the sealing member P is kept low. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the sealing sheet S prematurely covers the LEDs 11 before the lower space H1 is completely evacuated, and therefore it is possible to prevent voids from being generated between the sealing sheet S and the LEDs 11.

[0116] (3) In step S5 according to the embodiment, the pressurizing device 32 pressurizes both the inside of the lower space H1 and the inside of the upper space H2, but this is not limited to the above. That is, the pressurizing device 32 may pressurize only the upper space H2 to a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, and the LED 11 may be sealed more accurately by the pressing force V1.

[0117] As a further modified example of the configuration in which only the upper space H2 is pressurized, the LED 11 may be sealed by pressurizing the inside of the upper space H2 to a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure while maintaining the inside of the lower space H1 in a reduced pressure state lower than the atmospheric pressure. In this configuration, after the first sealing process using the differential pressure Fa is performed in step S4, the electromagnetic valve 105 connected to the upper space H2 is opened to open only the upper space H2 to the atmosphere while maintaining the state in which the air pressure in the lower space H1 is reduced to a predetermined value. Then, in step S5, the pressurizing device 32 is operated to pressurize the inside of the upper space H2 to a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure.

[0118] In this modified example, in step S5, the holding table 9 is raised to bring the holding table 9 into contact with the back surface of the substrate 10, and the inside of the upper space H2 is pressurized. By pressurizing the upper space H2 to generate the pressing force V1 while the substrate 10 is held by the holding table 9, the pressing force V1 can be applied evenly over the entire surfaces of the sealing sheet S and the substrate 10 even in a state in which the pressure in the lower space H1 is reduced below atmospheric pressure.

[0119] (4) In step S4 according to the embodiment, the vacuum device 31 is used to generate a differential pressure Fa inside the chamber 29, thereby deforming the sealing sheet P into a convex shape and bringing it into contact with the LEDs 11, but the method of deforming the sealing sheet P into a convex shape is not limited to the configuration of generating a differential pressure Fa. That is, as shown in Fig. 22, a configuration in which a pressing member 141 is provided inside the upper housing 29B may be used.

[0120] The pressing member 141 has a convex bottom surface (semispherical, for example) and is disposed so as to be located above the encapsulating sheet S. Therefore, by lowering the pressing member 141, the convex bottom surface of the pressing member 141 presses the encapsulating sheet S, and the encapsulating sheet S is deformed into a convex shape and can contact the LED. In this case, a configuration such as the vacuum device 31 required for generating the differential pressure Fa can be omitted. Another configuration for deforming the encapsulating sheet P into a convex shape includes a configuration in which the encapsulating sheet P is pressed from above using a roller or the like.

[0121] (5) In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 23(a), the chamber 29 may include a sheet-like elastic body Ds. The elastic body Ds is disposed inside the upper housing 29B and is configured to be in contact with the inner diameter of the upper housing 29B. In addition, the lower surface of the elastic body Ds and the cylindrical bottom of the upper housing 29B are configured to be flush with each other. Therefore, when the lower housing 29A and the upper housing 29B sandwich the conveying sheet T to form the chamber 29, the elastic body Ds abuts against the conveying sheet T. Specifically, the elastic body Ds abuts against the side of the conveying sheet T opposite to the surface that holds the sealing sheet S (the upper surface side in the figure). By disposing the elastic body Ds in contact with the inner diameter of the lower housing 29A, the elastic body Ds is not sandwiched when the chamber 29 is formed, so that the sealing property of the chamber 29 can be prevented from being reduced by the elastic body Ds. Examples of materials constituting the elastic body Ds include rubber, elastomer, and gel-like polymer materials.

[0122] By providing the sealing member P with the elastic body Ds, the bending rate of the sealing member P can be made more uniform when the sealing member P is deformed into a convex shape in step S4. As an example, when the sealing sheet S is made of a relatively hard material, the bending rate of the sealing member P becomes non-uniform as shown in FIG. 23(b).

[0123] That is, in the region P1 of the sealing member P where the sealing sheet S is held by the conveying sheet T, the hard sealing sheet S is present, and therefore the bending rate of the sealing member P due to the differential pressure Fa is small. On the other hand, in the region P2 of the sealing member P where the sealing sheet S is not held by the conveying sheet T, the bending rate of the sealing member P due to the differential pressure Fa is relatively large. That is, the region P2 is more easily deformed by the differential pressure Fa, and therefore the bending rate of the sealing member P in the region P1 is further reduced. As a result, the sealing sheet S becomes less likely to deform, and the filling ability of the sealing material Sb in the uneven parts of the substrate 10 (the mounting region of the LEDs 11) is reduced.

[0124] On the other hand, when the elastic body Ds is provided, the entire elastic body Ds is uniformly deformed into a convex shape by the differential pressure Fa, as shown in Fig. 23(c). Therefore, the bending rate of the sealing member P in the region P1 is improved. That is, the sealing sheet S becomes easily deformed according to the shape of the upper surface of the LED 11 mounting region of the substrate 10, so that the filling property of the sealing material Sb in the uneven parts of the substrate 10 can be improved. Therefore, the LED 11 can be sealed by the sealing sheet S with higher accuracy.

[0125] (6) In the embodiment, the heating mechanism 120 is disposed on the side of the upper space H2 in the chamber 29 and is configured to heat the upper space H2, but this is not limited thereto. That is, the heating mechanism 120 may be configured to heat the lower space H1. As an example, a heater 125 is disposed inside the holding table 9, and the heater 125 heats the lower space H1 to heat the conveying sheet T and the sealing sheet S. Also, the heating mechanism 120 may be configured to heat both the upper space H1 and the lower space H2.

[0126] (7) In the embodiment, the LED 11 has been described as an example of a device to be encapsulated by the encapsulating sheet S, but the device is not limited to this. Other examples of the device include optical elements such as the LED 11, as well as semiconductor elements and electronic components.

[0127] (8) In the embodiment, after the LED 11 is encapsulated by the encapsulating sheet S, a process of curing the encapsulating material Sb of the encapsulating sheet S may be performed. The process of curing the encapsulating material Sb may be appropriately changed depending on the material of the encapsulating material Sb, and examples thereof include curing by heat treatment, curing by ultraviolet light treatment, etc.

[0128] (9) In the embodiment, OCA is used as the sealing material Sb, but this is not limited to this. In other words, the sealing material Sb may be an optically transparent material, an optically opaque material, or a colorless or colored material.

[0129] (10) In the embodiment, the sealing member P is described as including a long sheet for conveying T and a sealing sheet S having a predetermined shape, but the sealing member P is not limited to including a sheet for conveying T. As an example, the sealing member P may be formed of a long sealing sheet S as shown in FIG. 24(a). FIG. 24(b) shows the configuration of step S3 in the case where the long sealing sheet S is used to seal the LEDs 11. That is, the lower housing 29A and the upper housing 29B form the chamber 29 by sandwiching the sealing sheet S therebetween.

[0130] Then, in step S4, the long encapsulating sheet S is deformed into a convex shape, so that the encapsulating sheet S covers the LEDs 11 as shown in Fig. 24(b). Furthermore, in step S5, the air pressure in at least the upper space H2 is increased to atmospheric pressure or higher, so that the encapsulating sheet S encapsulates the LEDs 11 as shown in Fig. 24(c).

[0131] (11) In the embodiment, the holding table 9 is raised and lowered at a predetermined timing to seal the LEDs 11, but the raising and lowering of the holding table 9 may be changed as appropriate. As an example, the pressurization process in step S5 is not limited to being performed after the holding table 9 is lowered, and may be performed while the holding table 9 is maintained in an elevated state.

[0132] (12) In the embodiment, the frame holding portion 38 is disposed outside the lower housing 29A, but the frame holding portion 38 may be provided inside the lower housing 29A. In this case, the process from step S4 onwards is performed in a state in which the ring frame f and the substrate 10 are each housed inside the chamber 29.

[0133] (13) In the embodiment, the encapsulating sheet S of the encapsulating member P is preliminarily formed to have a predetermined shape corresponding to the shape of the LED 11 mounting surface of the substrate 10, but is not limited thereto. That is, the sheet supply unit 71 may load the encapsulating member P in which a long encapsulating sheet S is loaded onto a long conveying sheet T. The configuration of the encapsulating member P in which a long encapsulating sheet S is affixed to a long conveying sheet T is as shown in FIG. 25(a). In this case, the device sealing apparatus 1 includes a sheet cutting device 201 upstream of the chamber 29, and the sheet cutting device 201 forms the long encapsulating sheet S into a predetermined shape.

[0134] The configuration of the sheet cutting device 201 is as shown in Fig. 25(b). The sheet cutting device 201 includes a support table 203, a cutter 205, and a sealing sheet recovery unit 207. The support table 203 is disposed so as to horizontally receive the long sealing material P fed from the sheet supply unit 71 along the direction L. The cutter 205 is disposed above the support table 203, and can be moved up and down by a movable platform (not shown). As an example of the cutter 205, a substantially rectangular Thomson blade is used.

[0135] As the cutter 205 descends, the layer of the sealing sheet S of the sealing member P is cut out in a substantially rectangular shape. The configuration in which the cutter 205 cuts the sealing sheet S is not limited to this, and another example includes a configuration in which the knife-shaped cutter 205 moves along a substantially rectangular track to cut out the sealing sheet S in a substantially rectangular shape.

[0136] The sealing sheet recovery unit 207 recovers unnecessary sealing sheets Sn remaining around the sealing sheet S cut into a substantially rectangular shape. The unnecessary sealing sheet Sn is peeled off from the conveying sheet T immediately after the feed roller 208. The peeled sealing sheet Sn is guided to a recovery bobbin 210 by a guide roller 209. The recovery bobbin 201 winds up and recovers the sealing sheet Sn peeled off from the conveying sheet T. Therefore, the sealing member P is in a state where the sealing sheet S formed into a substantially rectangular shape by the cutter 205 remains on the conveying sheet T by the sheet cutting device 201. The sealing sheet S cut into a substantially rectangular shape is guided to the chamber 29 together with the conveying sheet T. [Explanation of symbols]

[0137] 1. Device sealing equipment 3... Substrate transport mechanism 5 … Container 6 ... Sealing body recovery section 7 ... Alaina 8 … Holding table 9 … Frame supply section 10 ... Substrate (work) 11 ... LED (device) 13 ... Sealing unit 16 ... Substrate transport device 17 ... Frame transport device 23 ... Holding arm 27 ... Suction plate 28 ... Suction pad 31 … Vacuum equipment 32 ... Pressurizing device 33 ... Control section 38 … Frame holder 71 … Sheet supply section 72 … Separator recovery section 73 ... Device sealing part 74 … Sheet collection section 81 ... Device sealing mechanism 82 ... Sheet cutting mechanism 85 ... Laminating roller 86 ... Nip roller 95 … cutter f … Ring frame T ... Transport sheet S: Encapsulating sheet P… Sealing member MF: Encapsulation Ta...Base material Tb … Adhesive material Sa...Base material Sb … Sealing material

Claims

1. a first sealing process in which a workpiece on which a device is mounted and a sheet-like sealing material are housed in a chamber, and the sheet-like sealing material is brought into contact with a device mounting surface of the workpiece while the internal space of the chamber is depressurized, thereby covering the device with the sheet-like sealing material; a second sealing step of sealing the device with the sheet-like sealing material by increasing the pressure in the internal space of the chamber after the first sealing step; Equipped with The second sealing step includes: By increasing the pressure in the internal space of the chamber while the entire surface of the workpiece opposite to the device mounting surface is in contact with the space, a first pressing force from the sheet-like sealing material toward the workpiece and a second pressing force from the workpiece toward the sheet-like sealing material are applied to the workpiece with which the sheet-like sealing material is in contact. A device sealing method comprising the steps of:

2. 2. The device sealing method according to claim 1, In the first sealing step, the sheet-shaped sealing material is deformed into a convex shape toward the device mounting surface of the workpiece, thereby bringing the sheet-shaped sealing material into contact with the device mounting surface of the workpiece. A device sealing method comprising the steps of:

3. 2. The device sealing method according to claim 1, In the second sealing step, the pressure in the inner space of the chamber is increased to a pressure equal to or higher than atmospheric pressure. A device sealing method comprising the steps of:

4. The device sealing method according to claim 2, The sheet-like sealing material is held on a long conveying sheet, The chamber comprises an upper housing and a lower housing; The first sealing step includes: a step of forming upper and lower spaces by sandwiching the conveying sheet between the upper housing and the lower housing to partition the internal space of the chamber into a lower space in which the workpiece is placed with the device mounting surface facing upward, and an upper space facing the lower space via the sheet-like sealing material held by the conveying sheet; an upper and lower space decompression process for decompressing the upper space and the lower space; a contacting process for contacting the sheet-shaped sealing material with the device mounting surface of the workpiece by making the pressure of the upper space higher than the pressure of the lower space after the upper and lower space depressurizing process, and deforming the sheet-shaped sealing material into a convex shape toward the device mounting surface by a pressure difference generated between the upper space and the lower space. A device sealing method comprising the steps of:

5. The device sealing method according to claim 2, The sheet-like sealing material is held on a long conveying sheet, The chamber comprises an upper housing and a lower housing; The first sealing step includes: a step of forming upper and lower spaces by sandwiching the conveying sheet between the upper housing and the lower housing to partition the internal space of the chamber into a lower space in which the workpiece is placed with the device mounting surface facing upward, and an upper space facing the lower space via the sheet-like sealing material held by the conveying sheet; a decompression contact process in which the sheet-shaped sealing material is deformed into a convex shape toward the device mounting surface by a pressure difference generated between the upper space and the lower space by decompressing only the lower space out of the upper space and the lower space, and the sheet-shaped sealing material is brought into contact with the device mounting surface of the workpiece while the lower space is decompressed. A device sealing method comprising the steps of:

6. The device sealing method according to claim 4 or 5, The sheet-shaped sealing material has a predetermined shape corresponding to the device mounting surface of the workpiece and is held by the long conveying sheet. A device sealing method comprising the steps of:

7. 7. The device sealing method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of: a sheet-like elastic body disposed inside the upper housing, In the process of forming the vertical space, the conveying sheet is sandwiched between the upper housing and the lower housing, and the sheet-like elastic body is disposed so that the sheet-like elastic body abuts against a surface of the conveying sheet that does not hold the sheet-like sealing material. A device sealing method comprising the steps of:

8. 8. The device sealing method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of: a heating step of heating the sheet-shaped sealing material by heating at least one of the lower space and the upper space, The first sealing step is to bring the sheet-like sealing material, which has been heated in the heating step, into contact with a device mounting surface of the work. A device sealing method comprising the steps of:

9. 9. The device sealing method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: the workpiece has one or more convex members on a surface opposite to the device mounting surface, The holding step further includes holding the workpiece with a holding member having a recess in the center, with the convex member disposed inside the recess, After the workpiece is held by the holding member, the first sealing step is performed. A device sealing method comprising the steps of:

10. a first sealing mechanism that contains a workpiece on which a device is mounted and a sheet-like sealing material in a chamber, and covers the device with the sheet-like sealing material by contacting the sheet-like sealing material with a device mounting surface of the workpiece while reducing the pressure in an internal space of the chamber; a second sealing mechanism for sealing the device with the sheet-shaped sealing material by increasing a pressure in an internal space of the chamber after the device is covered with the sheet-shaped sealing material by the first sealing mechanism; Equipped with The second sealing mechanism is By increasing the pressure in the internal space of the chamber while the entire surface of the workpiece opposite to the device mounting surface is in contact with the space, a first pressing force from the sheet-like sealing material toward the workpiece and a second pressing force from the workpiece toward the sheet-like sealing material are applied to the workpiece with which the sheet-like sealing material is in contact. A device sealing apparatus comprising:

11. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor product in which a semiconductor product is manufactured in a state in which a device mounted on a workpiece is sealed with a sheet-like sealing material, comprising the steps of: a first sealing process in which a workpiece on which a device is mounted and a sheet-like sealing material are housed in a chamber, and the sheet-like sealing material is brought into contact with a device mounting surface of the workpiece while the internal space of the chamber is depressurized, thereby covering the device with the sheet-like sealing material; a second sealing step of sealing the device with the sheet-like sealing material by increasing the pressure in the internal space of the chamber after the first sealing step; Equipped with The second sealing step includes: By increasing the pressure in the internal space of the chamber while the entire surface of the workpiece opposite to the device mounting surface is in contact with the space, a first pressing force from the sheet-like sealing material toward the workpiece and a second pressing force from the workpiece toward the sheet-like sealing material are applied to the workpiece with which the sheet-like sealing material is in contact.

2. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor product comprising the steps of:

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