Epoxy dispensing device and method for mounting electronic components on a substrate using the same

Abstract

An epoxy dispensing device is disclosed. The epoxy dispensing device comprises: a cylinder for receiving epoxy; a lower cover sealing the lower part of the cylinder; and a pin disposed on the lower part of the lower cover. The pin pushes up the lower cover to apply the epoxy to the lower surface of an electronic component seated in a discharge port formed on the upper part of the cylinder.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an epoxy dispensing device, and more specifically, to an epoxy dispensing device for dispensing epoxy onto the lower part of an electronic component during an electronic component mounting process for an optical transceiver for optical communication. Background Technology

[0003] The mounting process for electronic components in conventional optical transceivers for optical communication proceeds by dispensing epoxy onto the surface of a substrate to be mounted using a top-down nozzle, placing the electronic components in the dispensed epoxy, and then fixing the electronic components to the substrate surface through an epoxy curing process.

[0004] Figures 1 to 4 are drawings intended to explain the problems of the conventional electronic device mounting process.

[0005] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, as the optical transceiver becomes smaller and more highly integrated, the gap between the electronic components (21 and 22) mounted on the substrate (10) is gradually narrowed. Accordingly, when another electronic component is mounted at a mounting location (A) between the electronic components (21 and 22) forming a narrow gap, physical contact may occur between the discharge port of the nozzle (30) and the electronic components (21 and 22), potentially damaging the electronic components (21 and 22). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the height of the discharge port of the nozzle (30) must be raised so that the epoxy (31) is applied to the mounting location (A) at that raised height. In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the higher the height of the discharge port of the nozzle (30), the more the epoxy (31) is raised, the more unevenly the epoxy (31) may be applied to the surface of the substrate (10) corresponding to the mounting location. As shown in FIG. 4, when an electronic element (40) is placed on an unevenly applied epoxy (31) and then the epoxy (31) is cured, the electronic element (40) may become slightly distorted due to uneven epoxy shrinkage. This causes the optical transceiver to malfunction and leads to a decrease in yield during the mass production process of the optical transceiver. The problem to be solved

[0007] The present invention, aimed at solving the aforementioned problems, provides an epoxy dispensing device and a method for mounting an electronic device on a substrate using the same, wherein in a process of mounting an electronic device including an optical lens on a substrate, epoxy is precisely applied to the lower surface of the electronic device, and then the epoxy-coated electronic device is mounted on the substrate, thereby reducing errors occurring in the mounting process of a miniaturized electronic device and shortening the process time. means of solving the problem

[0009] An epoxy dispensing device according to one aspect of the present invention for solving the aforementioned problem comprises: a cylinder for receiving epoxy; a lower cover for sealing the lower part of the cylinder; and a pin disposed at the lower part of the lower cover, wherein the pin pushes up the lower cover to apply the epoxy to the lower surface of an electronic component seated in a discharge port formed at the upper part of the cylinder.

[0010] In the embodiment, the lower cover is made of an elastic material.

[0011] In the embodiment, the width of the discharge port is larger than the width of the internal space of the cylinder.

[0012] In an embodiment, the amount of epoxy applied to the lower surface of the electronic device is determined according to the rising distance of the pin.

[0013] In an embodiment, the epoxy dispensing device further includes a driving device that controls the upward movement of the pin.

[0014] A method for mounting an electronic element on a substrate using an epoxy dispensing device according to another aspect of the present invention comprises: a step of mounting the electronic element on a discharge port formed at the upper part of an epoxy dispensing cylinder; a step of pushing up a lower cover formed at the lower part of the epoxy dispensing cylinder with a pin to discharge the epoxy through the discharge port; a step of applying the epoxy to the lower surface of the electronic element mounted on the discharge port by the discharged epoxy; and a step of moving the electronic element coated with the epoxy to a mounting position on the substrate using a pickup device, and then curing the epoxy applied to the lower surface of the electronic element using ultraviolet light to fix it to the substrate.

[0015] In an embodiment, the step of dispensing the epoxy includes the step of the pin pushing up the lower cover made of an elastic material.

[0016] In an embodiment, the step of dispensing the epoxy includes the step of the driving device raising the pin.

[0017] In the embodiment, the amount of epoxy applied to the lower surface of the electronic element is determined according to the rising distance of the pin.

[0018] In an embodiment, the step of the electronic element being seated in a discharge port formed on the upper part of an epoxy discharge cylinder is a step in which the electronic element is seated in a discharge port having a width greater than the width of the internal space of the epoxy discharge cylinder.

[0019] A method for mounting an electronic element on a substrate using an epoxy dispensing device according to another aspect of the present invention comprises the steps of: a pin pushing up a lower cover formed at the bottom of an epoxy dispensing cylinder to discharge the epoxy through the dispensing port; a step of a electronic element being seated in the dispensing port; a step of applying the epoxy to the lower surface of the electronic element seated in the dispensing port; and a step of a pickup device moving the electronic element coated with the epoxy to a mounting position on the substrate, and then using ultraviolet light to cure the epoxy applied to the lower surface of the electronic element and fix it to the substrate. Effects of the invention

[0021] According to the present invention, by precisely applying epoxy to the bottom of an electronic device during the mounting process of an electronic device, it is possible to expect increased productivity by improving the yield and simultaneously reducing the time required for epoxy ejection. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0023] Figures 1 to 4 are drawings intended to explain the problems of the conventional electronic device mounting process. FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining an epoxy dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 6 to 11 are drawings for explaining the operation process of the epoxy dispensing device of FIG. 5. FIG. 12 is a drawing for explaining an epoxy dispensing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 13 to 15 are drawings for explaining the operation process of an epoxy dispensing device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0024] The terms used in this specification are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, terms such as “comprising” or “having” are intended to indicate the presence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining an epoxy dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 5, an epoxy dispensing device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an epoxy injector (110), a cylinder (120, hereinafter referred to as a ‘second cylinder’ or ‘epoxy dispensing cylinder’), and a pin (130).

[0027] The epoxy injector (110) injects epoxy (31) into the second cylinder (120) through the valve (115). To do this, the epoxy injector (110) includes, for example, a cylinder (101, hereinafter referred to as the 'first cylinder'), a driving device (103, hereinafter referred to as the 'first driving device'), a rod (105), and a piston (107).

[0028] The first cylinder (101) has an internal space for receiving epoxy (31) to be injected into the second cylinder (120). The epoxy (31) contained in the internal space of the first cylinder (101) is injected into the second cylinder (120) through the valve (115) by the upward movement of the piston (107) placed in the internal space of the first cylinder (101). The piston (107) rises by the upward movement of the rod (105). The rod (105) rises by a driving device (103, hereinafter referred to as the 'first driving device'). The first driving device (103) may be, for example, an electric motor. Although not illustrated, the electric motor and the rod (105) may further include a gear that converts the rotational motion of the electric motor's rotation axis into linear reciprocating motion, and the rod (105) may perform upward and downward movements by the linear reciprocating motion of this gear.

[0029] The second cylinder (120) has an internal space for receiving epoxy (31) injected from the epoxy injector (110). The second cylinder (120) has an open top and bottom. The bottom of the second cylinder (120) is sealed by a bottom cover (124). Here, the bottom cover (124) is made of an elastic material such as rubber.

[0030] The open upper portion of the second cylinder (120) serves as an outlet (122) for discharging epoxy and also serves as a mounting point for an electronic component (40) to be mounted on a substrate. In order to uniformly apply the epoxy (31) discharged through the outlet (122) to the lower surface of the electronic component (40), the width (W1) of the outlet (122) is formed to be larger than the width (W2) of the internal space of the second cylinder (120).

[0031] The inner surface of the discharge port (122) can be formed according to the shape of the lower surface of the electronic element (40) so that an electronic element (40) having various shapes can be stably seated. For example, in FIG. 5, the inner surface of the discharge port (122) is shown as a right-angled shape, but if the electronic element (40) is an optical lens, the inner surface of the discharge port (122) may be formed in a round shape. The electronic element (40) includes all kinds of circuit elements having various shapes used in various electronic devices as well as optical transceivers.

[0032] Meanwhile, the epoxy (31) contained in the second cylinder (120) can be discharged through the discharge port (122) by the upward movement of the lower cover (124) made of an elastic material. That is, by the lower cover (124) pushing the epoxy (31) contained in the second cylinder (120) upward through elastic action, the epoxy (31) is discharged through the discharge port (122), and accordingly, the epoxy (31) is applied to the lower surface of the electronic element (40) placed in the discharge port (122).

[0033] The elastic action of the lower cover (124) is generated by the upward movement of the pin (130), and the upward movement of the pin (130) is controlled by a driving device (140, hereinafter referred to as the 'second driving device'). The second driving device (140) may be, for example, an electric motor. Between the electric motor and the pin (130), a gear is further included that converts the rotational motion of the electric motor's rotation axis into linear reciprocating motion, and the pin (130) can perform upward and downward movements by the linear reciprocating motion of this gear.

[0034] When epoxy is applied to the lower surface of the electronic element (40), the pin (130) is lowered by the second driving device (140) and moved to its original position, and accordingly, the lower cover (124) made of elastic material is restored to its original shape.

[0035] The amount of epoxy discharged through the discharge port (122), that is, the amount of epoxy applied to the lower surface of the electronic element (40), is determined by the pin lift distance of the pin (130). Accordingly, the amount of epoxy applied to the lower surface of the electronic element (40) can be finely adjusted according to the pin lift distance of the pin (130).

[0036] Although not illustrated in FIG. 5, the epoxy dispensing device (100) may be configured to further include a controller that controls the driving devices (103 and 140) or a computing device including such a controller. The controller includes at least one CPU and at least one memory. The memory stores program instructions for controlling the raising and lowering movements of the load (105) and pin (130), and the CPU executes program instructions input from the memory.

[0038] FIGS. 6 to 11 are drawings for explaining the operation process of an epoxy dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 6, first, the epoxy injector (110) injects epoxy (31) into the internal space of the second cylinder (120) through the valve (115), and then the electronic element (40) is placed in the discharge port (122) of the second cylinder (120). At this time, the electronic element (40) can be placed in the discharge port (122) of the second cylinder (120) by the pickup device (150) described later.

[0040] Next, referring to FIG. 7, a pin (130) located at the bottom of the second cylinder (120) pushes up the lower cover (124) made of elastic material and discharges the epoxy (31) upward through the discharge port (122).

[0041] Next, referring to FIG. 8, as the epoxy (31) is discharged upward through the discharge port (122), the epoxy (31) is applied to the lower surface of the electronic component (40) placed in the discharge port (122), and the pickup device (150) moves to the electronic component. Here, the pickup device (150) may be a robot arm having a gripper capable of gripping the electronic component (40).

[0042] Referring to FIG. 9, the pickup device (150) picks up the electronic component (40) coated with epoxy (31). Then, the pin (130) descends and moves back to its original position.

[0043] Next, referring to FIG. 10, a pickup device (150) moves an electronic component (40) coated with epoxy (31) to a mounting position on a substrate (10).

[0044] Next, referring to FIG. 11, the epoxy applied to the lower surface of the electronic element (40) that has been moved to the mounting position is cured using ultraviolet rays from an ultraviolet lamp (160) to fix the electronic element (40) to the mounting position. The pickup device (150) is separated from the electronic element (40) fixed to the mounting position.

[0046] FIG. 12 is a drawing for explaining an epoxy dispensing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 12, an epoxy dispensing device according to another embodiment of the present invention may be designed to apply epoxy to the lower surface of each of a plurality of electronic elements. To this end, the second cylinder (120) shown in FIG. 5 may be formed as a plate member (200) as shown in FIG. 12.

[0048] The plate member (200) includes internal spaces corresponding to the internal space of the second cylinder (120) shown in FIG. 5, and the internal spaces are arranged in a matrix form. An outlet (210) corresponding to the outlet (122) of the second cylinder (120) shown in FIG. 5 is formed at the top of each internal space, and a lower cover made of an elastic material corresponding to the lower cover made of an elastic material (124) shown in FIG. 5 is formed at the bottom of each internal space. Although not shown, a plurality of pins corresponding to the pins (130) of FIG. 5 arranged in a matrix form are located at the bottom of the plate member (200). Thus, the epoxy discharge device according to another embodiment of the present invention is configured to apply epoxy to the lower surface of a plurality of electronic elements, thereby allowing it to be used for mass production.

[0050] FIGS. 13 to 15 are drawings for explaining the operation process of an epoxy dispensing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] The operation process of the epoxy dispensing device according to another embodiment of the present invention differs from the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 11 in that an electronic element is placed in the dispensing port after the epoxy is discharged through the dispensing port.

[0052] First, referring to FIG. 13, a pin (130) located at the bottom of the second cylinder (120) pushes up the lower cover (124) made of elastic material to discharge the epoxy (31) upward through the discharge port (122).

[0053] Next, referring to FIG. 14, with the epoxy (31) discharged in the upward direction of the discharge port (122), the pickup device (150) places the electronic element (40) onto the discharge port (122). Then, the epoxy (31) is applied to the lower surface of the electronic element (40). Afterward, the pin (130) descends and moves to its original position.

[0054] Next, referring to FIG. 15, the pickup device (150) picks up the electronic element (40) coated with epoxy (31), and then cures the epoxy coated on the lower surface of the electronic element (40) in the same manner as described in FIG. 10 and 11, thereby fixing it to the substrate. Afterward, the pickup device (150) is separated from the electronic element (40).

[0056] The embodiments disclosed in this specification should be considered in an exemplary sense for the sake of illustration rather than in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is defined by the claims, not by the foregoing description, and all variations within the scope of the claims should be interpreted as being included in the invention.

Claims

Claim 1 An epoxy dispensing device comprising: a cylinder for receiving epoxy; a lower cover sealing the lower part of the cylinder; and a pin disposed on the lower part of the lower cover; wherein the pin pushes up the lower cover to apply the epoxy to the lower surface of an electronic component seated in a discharge port formed on the upper part of the cylinder, and the width of the discharge port is greater than the width of the internal space of the cylinder. Claim 2 An epoxy discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the lower cover is made of an elastic material. Claim 3 delete Claim 4 An epoxy dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the amount of epoxy applied to the lower surface of the electronic element is determined by the rising distance of the pin. Claim 5 An epoxy dispensing device according to claim 1, further comprising a driving device for controlling the upward movement of the pin. Claim 6 A method for mounting an electronic component on a substrate using an epoxy dispensing device, comprising: a step of mounting the electronic component onto a discharge port formed at the upper part of an epoxy dispensing cylinder; a step of a pin pushing up a lower cover formed at the lower part of the epoxy dispensing cylinder to discharge the epoxy through the discharge port; a step of applying the epoxy to the lower surface of the electronic component mounted on the discharge port by the discharged epoxy; and a step of a pickup device moving the electronic component coated with the epoxy to a mounting position on the substrate, and then using ultraviolet light to cure the epoxy applied to the lower surface of the electronic component to fix it to the substrate, wherein the step of mounting the electronic component onto the discharge port formed at the upper part of the epoxy dispensing cylinder is a step in which the electronic component is mounted onto the discharge port having a width greater than the width of the internal space of the epoxy dispensing cylinder. Claim 7 A method for mounting an electronic device on a substrate, wherein the step of dispensing the epoxy in claim 6 is the step of the pin pushing up the lower cover made of an elastic material. Claim 8 A method for mounting an electronic element on a substrate, wherein, in claim 6, the step of dispensing the epoxy includes the step of a driving device raising the pin. Claim 9 A method of mounting on a substrate in which, in claim 6, the amount of epoxy applied to the lower surface of the electronic element is determined according to the rising distance of the pin. Claim 10 delete Claim 11 delete

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