Die feed device

Abstract

The present invention provides a die feed device that can reduce a load on management of a nozzle for replacement in a die feed device in which a suction nozzle of a flip head and a suction nozzle of a feed head are replaced.　This die feed device comprises: the flip head which is provided with a first nozzle mounting unit capable of mounting and dismounting a first suction nozzle and uses the first suction nozzle to suction a die from a die body obtained by dicing a wafer; a flip mechanism that flips the flip head to flip the front side and the back side of the die suctioned by the first suction nozzle; a feed head which is provided with a second nozzle mounting unit capable of mounting and dismounting a second suction nozzle and uses the second suction nozzle to suction the die flipped by the flip head and feed the die suctioned by the second suction nozzle; and a nozzle station that accommodates both of the first suction nozzle for replacement and the second suction nozzle for replacement.

Description

Die Feeder

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a die supply device that supplies dies from a die assembly obtained by dicing a wafer.

[0002] Conventionally, technology has been proposed relating to a die supply device that removes and supplies dies from a die assembly. This type of die supply device supplies dies, such as semiconductor chips, from a die assembly formed by dicing a wafer with a dicing sheet attached thereto. Patent Document 1 listed below describes a die supply device equipped with a removal head that removes dies from the die assembly. The removal head uses a nozzle to remove the die attached to the dicing sheet, turns it over, and hands it over to a mounting head.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-123638

[0004] In the die supply device described above, when supplying power semiconductors such as IGBTs, the nozzle of the take-out head must be changed depending on the size of the power semiconductor to be supplied. Furthermore, the mounting head that receives the power semiconductor from the take-out head also needs to change the nozzle depending on the die size. Therefore, a technology that can properly manage replacement nozzles for the two heads is required.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and aims to provide a die supply device that can reduce the burden of managing replacement nozzles in a die supply device that replaces the suction nozzles of a flip head and the suction nozzles of a supply head.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, this specification discloses a die supply device comprising: a flip head having a first nozzle mounting section to which a first suction nozzle can be attached and detached, and which uses the first suction nozzle to pick up a die from a die assembly obtained by dicing a wafer; an inversion mechanism that inverts the flip head and switches the front and back of the die picked up by the first suction nozzle; a supply head having a second nozzle mounting section to which a second suction nozzle can be attached and detached, which uses the second suction nozzle to pick up the die picked up by the flip head and supplies the die picked up by the second suction nozzle; and a nozzle station that accommodates both the replacement first suction nozzle and the replacement second suction nozzle.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the nozzle station accommodates both the first and second replacement suction nozzles. For example, in a configuration in which the suction nozzle of one of two heads (a flip head and a supply head) is replaced manually and the suction nozzle of the other head is replaced automatically, the replacement of the suction nozzles is performed using different methods, which can complicate management of the first and second suction nozzles. Furthermore, for example, if the first and second suction nozzles are replaced at different nozzle stations, the two heads must be moved to different locations for replacement, complicating the mechanism for moving the heads and the control of the heads. Furthermore, it is necessary to secure space for installing each nozzle station. In contrast, the die supply device of the present disclosure can manage both the first replacement suction nozzle attached to the flip head and the second replacement suction nozzle attached to the supply head at a single nozzle station. This allows the replacement suction nozzles of the two heads to be managed collectively at a single nozzle station and replaced at a single location. Furthermore, by controlling each head, both the first and second suction nozzles can be automatically replaced. In addition, the workload of managing replacement suction nozzles, such as replacing replacement suction nozzles in the nozzle station and checking the suction nozzles stored in the nozzle station, can be reduced.

[0008] 1 is a perspective view of a die supply device of an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a die supply device; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a flip mechanism, a transfer mechanism, and a nozzle station mechanism; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a flip mechanism; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a transfer mechanism, a shuttle mechanism, and a nozzle station mechanism; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a transfer mechanism seen from below; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a shuttle mechanism seen from above; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a nozzle station; FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a first nozzle mounting portion and a first suction nozzle; FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a mounting surface side where the first suction nozzle is mounted to the first nozzle mounting portion; FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state where the first suction nozzle is accommodated in the nozzle station; FIG. 12 is a view showing a first suction nozzle and a first nozzle mounting portion of another example;

[0009] An embodiment of the die supply apparatus of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the die supply apparatus 10 of this embodiment. FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the die supply apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the die supply apparatus 10 includes an apparatus main body 11 and a wafer supply unit 12. Note that in FIG. 1, the apparatus cover of the apparatus main body 11 is illustrated with a dashed line, and the apparatus cover of the wafer supply unit 12 is not illustrated. In the following description, the front-rear direction (or Y-axis direction), left-right direction (or X-axis direction), and up-down direction (or Z-axis direction) are referred to based on the user's viewpoint when looking at the die supply apparatus 10 from the front, as shown in FIG. 1. The front-rear direction and left-right direction are directions parallel to the plane of a substrate transported by a substrate transport unit 14, which will be described later.

[0010] The wafer supply unit 12 is detachably attached to the front end of the device body 11. When attached to the device body 11, the wafer supply unit 12 supplies dies (wafer components) 22 from a die assembly 21 under the control of a control device 19 (see FIG. 2 ) of the device body 11. The wafer supply unit 12 supplies dies 22 to the flip mechanism 15 and the transfer mechanism 16 of the device body 11 and includes a magazine 24 capable of storing multiple wafer frames 23. The wafer frame 23 is, for example, a member for fixing a dicing sheet to which a die assembly 21 is attached in a flat plate shape, and multiple wafer frames 23 are stored in the magazine 24. The die assembly 21 is formed, for example, by dicing a wafer to which a dicing sheet is attached. The manufacturing process for the die assembly 21 is not limited to the above-described method. For example, a dicing sheet may be attached to a wafer that has been diced (half-cut) in the thickness direction, and the back surface may be polished, after which the dicing sheet is removed and the die assembly 21 is separated using a laser or the like. That is, the die assembly 21 may be an assembly of dies 22 obtained by dicing a wafer, and the manufacturing process and supply method thereof are not limited. Also, the die assembly 21 may be peeled off from the dicing sheet when stored in the magazine 24, with multiple dies 22 arranged side by side.

[0011] The wafer supply unit 12 includes a wafer frame drawer mechanism 31 (see FIG. 2 ) that unloads a desired wafer frame 23 from the magazine 24. The wafer frame drawer mechanism 31 has, for example, an electromagnetic motor 31A (see FIG. 2 ) as a drive source. The electromagnetic motor 31A is driven under the control of the control device 19 to unload a desired wafer frame 23 from among the multiple wafer frames 23 stored in the magazine 24. The wafer frame drawer mechanism 31 moves the desired wafer frame 23 in the forward and backward directions, moving the wafer frame 23 between the storage position P1 and the die supply position P2. The drive source of the wafer frame drawer mechanism 31 is not limited to the electromagnetic motor 31A, but may be another motor such as a linear motor. Alternatively, the drive source may be a fluid pressure cylinder such as an air cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder. Therefore, the drive source is not limited to a motor. The same applies to the drive sources of other devices and mechanisms.

[0012] The storage position P1 is a position (position within the magazine 24) where the wafer frame 23 (die assembly 21) is stored in the magazine 24. The die supply position P2 is a position where the die 22 is sucked from the die assembly 21 by the first suction nozzle 43 (see FIG. 4 ) of the flip mechanism 15. The wafer frame pull-out mechanism 31 moves the wafer frame 23 placed at the die supply position P2 in the left-right direction to replace the die 22 placed below the first suction nozzle 43 of the flip mechanism 15. The wafer frame pull-out mechanism 31 also includes, for example, a push-up mechanism (not shown) that drives pins that push up from below the attached portion of the die 22 sucked by the first suction nozzle 43 of the die assembly 21, and a pot (not shown) that sucks the dicing sheet during the push-up, and peels the desired die 22 from the dicing sheet and supplies it to the first suction nozzle 43.

[0013] The die supply device 10 also includes a parts camera 29 that captures images of the dies 22 arranged in the die assembly 21 from above. The parts camera 29 outputs captured image data to the control device 19 (see FIG. 2). Based on the image data from the parts camera 29, the control device 19 confirms the positions of the dies 22 that are sucked by the flip mechanism 15 and the transfer mechanism 16, and corrects any positional errors.

[0014] The device main body 11 is also equipped with a substrate transport unit 14, a flip mechanism 15, a transfer mechanism 16, a shuttle mechanism 17, and a nozzle station mechanism 18. The substrate transport unit 14 is a device that transports a substrate (not shown) on which a die 22 is mounted. The substrate transport unit 14 has, for example, two lanes aligned in the front-to-rear direction, and transports substrates on each lane. The die supply device 10 is connected to an upstream device and a downstream device in the substrate production line, and can connect the lanes of the substrate transport unit 14. The substrate transport unit 14 transports substrates transported from the upstream device to the downstream device on each lane.

[0015] Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the flip mechanism 15, the transfer mechanism 16, and the nozzle station mechanism 18. Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of the flip mechanism 15. Fig. 3 and Fig. 5, which will be described later, show a state in which the wafer frame 23 has been removed from the wafer frame pull-out mechanism 31. Fig. 4 also shows a schematic diagram of the die 22 of the die assembly 21.

[0016] (Regarding the Flip Mechanism 15) As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the flip mechanism 15 is disposed above the die assembly 21 disposed at the die supply position P2 and the nozzle station mechanism 18. The flip mechanism 15 includes a Y-axis slide mechanism 33, a Z-axis slide mechanism 34, and a flip head 35. The Y-axis slide mechanism 33 includes a Y-axis slide rail 33A and a Y-axis slider 33B. The Y-axis slide rail 33A is provided on the left side of the Y-axis slide mechanism 33 and is a rail extending parallel to the front-rear direction. The Y-axis slider 33B is held by the Y-axis slide rail 33A so as to be slidable in the Y-axis direction (front-rear direction). The Y-axis slide mechanism 33 includes an electromagnetic motor 33C (see FIG. 2) and drives the electromagnetic motor 33C under the control of the control device 19 to move the Y-axis slider 33B to any position in the front-rear direction.

[0017] The Z-axis slide mechanism 34 has a Z-axis slide rail 34A and a Z-axis slider 34B. The Z-axis slide rail 34A is a rail provided on the left side surface of the Y-axis slider 33B and extends in a direction parallel to the vertical direction. The Z-axis slider 34B is held by the Z-axis slide rail 34A so that it can slide in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction). The Z-axis slide mechanism 34 has an electromagnetic motor 34C (see FIG. 2 ) and drives the electromagnetic motor 33C under the control of the control device 19 to move the Z-axis slider 34B to any position in the vertical direction.

[0018] A swing motor 38 that swings the flip head 35 is attached to the left side surface of the Z-axis slider 34B. The swing motor 38 is, for example, an electromagnetic motor, and is driven under the control of the control device 19 to rotate an output shaft 38A. The flip head 35 is attached to the tip of the output shaft 38A and rotates based on the drive of the swing motor 38. The swing motor 38 swings the flip head 35, for example, around an axis that is parallel to the front-to-rear direction (Y-axis direction) as its rotation axis.

[0019] The flip head 35 is provided with a pair of first nozzle mounting portions 41. One first suction nozzle 43 can be mounted to each of the pair of first nozzle mounting portions 41. Therefore, two first suction nozzles 43 can be mounted to the flip head 35. The number of first nozzle mounting portions 41 provided to the flip head 35 and the number of first suction nozzles 43 mountable to the flip head 35 are not limited to two, and may be one, three, or more. Furthermore, a configuration in which multiple first suction nozzles 43 can be mounted to one first nozzle mounting portion 41 is also possible. Furthermore, as will be described later, the first suction nozzle 43 is replaceable with a replacement first suction nozzle 43 stored in a nozzle station 61 of the nozzle station mechanism 18. For this reason, in the following description, when distinguishing between the first suction nozzles 43, the first suction nozzle 43 attached to the first nozzle attachment portion 41 will be referred to as the first suction nozzle 43A, and the replacement first suction nozzle 43 housed in the nozzle station 61 will be referred to as the first suction nozzle 43B. Furthermore, when referring to the two first suction nozzles 43A, 43B collectively, they will be referred to as the first suction nozzle 43. The same applies to the second suction nozzle 56 of the transfer head 54, which will be described later.

[0020] The die supply device 10 includes a pressure supply device 27 (see FIG. 2 ) that supplies air at a predetermined pressure to each device. Each of the pair of first nozzle mounting portions 41 is connected to the pressure supply device 27. The first suction nozzle 43, for example, receives negative pressure from the pressure supply device 27 via the first nozzle mounting portion 41 to suction the die 22, and receives positive pressure from the pressure supply device 27 to release the suctioned die 22. As described above, the flip head 35 is attached to the Z-axis slider 34B via the rotation motor 38. Therefore, the flip head 35 can be moved to any position in the front-to-back and up-to-down directions based on the drive of the Y-axis slide mechanism 33 and the Z-axis slide mechanism 34. Furthermore, as described above, the wafer frame pull-out mechanism 31 can move the wafer frame 23 positioned at the die supply position P2 in the left-to-right direction. This allows the flip head 35 to suction a desired die 22 from the die assembly 21 using the first suction nozzle 43.

[0021] The first nozzle mounting portion 41 extends radially outward from the center of rotation of the flip head 35, and a first suction nozzle 43 is mounted at its tip. Of the pair of first nozzle mounting portions 41, one first nozzle mounting portion 41 is, for example, point-symmetrical to the other first nozzle mounting portion 41 with respect to the center of rotation of the flip head 35. Therefore, the pair of first nozzle mounting portions 41 are provided at rotational positions offset by 180 degrees in the rotational direction (circumferential direction) of the flip head 35. When one of the pair of first nozzle mounting portions 41 faces upward, the other first nozzle mounting portion 41 faces downward. The first nozzle mounting portion 41 suctions the die 22 from the die assembly 21 with its tip facing downward. The die 22 suctioned to the first nozzle mounting portion 41 can be reversed (flipped) by, for example, rotating the flip head 35 180 degrees, so that the non-mounting surface faces upward. The transfer mechanism 16 acquires the die 22 from the first nozzle mounting portion 41 facing upward.

[0022] (Regarding the Transfer Mechanism 16) Next, the transfer mechanism 16 will be described. Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the transfer mechanism 16, the shuttle mechanism 17, and the nozzle station mechanism 18. Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of the transfer mechanism 16 as seen from below. As shown in Figs. 3, 5, and 6, the transfer mechanism 16 is disposed behind the flip mechanism 15. The transfer mechanism 16 includes an X-axis slide mechanism 51, a Y-axis slide mechanism 52, a Z-axis slide mechanism 53, and a transfer head 54.

[0023] The Y-axis slide mechanism 52 includes a pair of Y-axis slide rails 52A and a Y-axis slider 52B. The pair of Y-axis slide rails 52A are respectively provided at the upper part of the device main body 11 in the left-right direction. The pair of Y-axis slide rails 52A are arranged parallel to each other with a predetermined gap between them in the left-right direction, and each extends in a direction parallel to the front-rear direction. The Y-axis slider 52B extends in the left-right direction, straddling both of the pair of Y-axis slide rails 52A. Each of the left-right ends of the Y-axis slider 52B is held by the pair of Y-axis slide rails 52A. Therefore, the Y-axis slider 52B is held by the pair of Y-axis slide rails 52A so that it can slide in the front-rear direction. The Y-axis slide mechanism 52 includes an electromagnetic motor 52C (see FIG. 2 ). The electromagnetic motor 52C is driven under the control of the control device 19 to move the Y-axis slider 52B to any position in the front-rear direction.

[0024] The X-axis slide mechanism 51 is attached to the Y-axis slider 52B and has an X-axis slide rail 51A and an X-axis slider 51B. The X-axis slide rail 51A is a rail provided on the front surface of the Y-axis slider 52B and extends in a direction parallel to the left-right direction. The X-axis slider 51B is held by the X-axis slide rail 51A so that it can slide in the X-axis direction (left-right direction). The X-axis slide mechanism 51 has an electromagnetic motor 51C (see FIG. 2 ) and drives the electromagnetic motor 51C under the control of the control device 19 to move the X-axis slider 51B to any position in the left-right direction.

[0025] Similarly, the Z-axis slide mechanism 53 has a Z-axis slide rail 53A and a Z-axis slider 53B. The Z-axis slide rail 53A is a rail provided on the front surface of the X-axis slider 51B and extends in a direction parallel to the vertical direction. The Z-axis slider 53B is held by the Z-axis slide rail 53A so as to be slidable in the Z-axis direction, and can be moved to any position in the vertical direction based on the drive of an electromagnetic motor 53C (see FIG. 2).

[0026] A transfer head 54 is attached to the front surface of the Z-axis slider 53B. Therefore, the transfer head 54 can be moved to any position in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions based on the driving of the X-axis slide mechanism 51, the Y-axis slide mechanism 52, and the Z-axis slide mechanism 53. The transfer head 54 is provided with multiple second nozzle mounting portions 55. In this embodiment, the transfer head 54 is provided with eight second nozzle mounting portions 55. The eight second nozzle mounting portions 55 are, for example, arranged in two rows of four second nozzle mounting portions 55 aligned in the left-right direction at a predetermined pitch. A second suction nozzle 56 is detachably attached to each of the eight second nozzle mounting portions 55. The transfer head 54 uses the eight second suction nozzles 56 to suction the die 22 inverted by the flip head 35 from the first suction nozzle 43. Alternatively, for dies 22 that are not flipped, the transfer and placement head 54 directly picks up the dies 22 from the die assembly 21 using the second suction nozzles 56. The transfer and placement head 54 supplies the dies 22 picked up by the second suction nozzles 56 to the shuttle mechanism 17. Note that the number of second nozzle mounting units 55 provided on the transfer and placement head 54, the arrangement of the second nozzle mounting units 55, and the number of second suction nozzles 56 that can be mounted on the transfer and placement head 54 are merely examples. For example, the transfer and placement head 54 may be provided with only one second nozzle mounting unit 55.

[0027] Each of the multiple second nozzle mounting units 55 is connected to the pressure supply device 27 (see FIG. 2). Like the first suction nozzle 43, the second suction nozzle 56 suctions the die 22 when negative pressure is supplied through the second nozzle mounting unit 55, and releases the adsorbed die 22 when positive pressure is supplied. The transfer head 54 is also provided with a nozzle switching mechanism 57 (see FIG. 2) that individually raises and lowers the multiple second nozzle mounting units 55. The nozzle switching mechanism 57 includes, for example, a ball screw mechanism, and individually changes the vertical positions of the multiple second nozzle mounting units 55. This allows the vertical position of any second suction nozzle 56 to be changed, and the second suction nozzle 56 to be suctioned or released can be switched.

[0028] (Regarding the Shuttle Mechanism 17) As shown in Fig. 5, the shuttle mechanism 17 is disposed above the wafer frame pull-out mechanism 31 and below the transfer mechanism 16 in the vertical direction. As shown in Fig. 7, the shuttle mechanism 17 has an X-axis slide rail 17A and an X-axis slider 17B. The X-axis slide rail 17A is a rail that extends parallel to the left-right direction. The X-axis slider 17B is held by the X-axis slide rail 17A so that it can slide in the left-right direction. The shuttle mechanism 17 moves the X-axis slider 17B, for example, in the left-right direction based on the drive of an electromagnetic motor 17C, between a receiving position P5 and a delivery position P6.

[0029] The receiving position P5 is the left end of the X-axis slide rail 17A and is the position where the die 22 is received from the second suction nozzle 56 of the transfer head 54. The transfer position P6 is the right end of the X-axis slide rail 17A. As shown in FIG. 1 , the right end of the X-axis slide rail 17A protrudes rightward from an opening formed on the right side of the device main body 11 and is located outside the device main body 11. For example, a component mounting device (not shown) is located on the right side of the die supply device 10. This component mounting device loads a substrate from the substrate transport unit 14 of the die supply device 10, receives a die 22 supplied from the shuttle mechanism 17 of the die supply device 10 at the transfer position P6, and mounts the die 22 on the loaded substrate.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 7 , a shuttle 17D is attached to the upper surface of the X-axis slider 17B. The shuttle 17D is, for example, a metal plate, and is attached to the X-axis slider 17B with its flat surface facing upward. A plurality of intake ports 17E are formed in the shuttle 17D. The intake ports 17E are formed at positions corresponding to the positions of the eight second suction nozzles 56 of the transfer head 54, for a total of eight intake ports 17E. The eight intake ports 17E are arranged in two rows in the front-to-rear direction, with four intake ports 17E aligned in the left-to-right direction to match the positions of the eight second suction nozzles 56. Each of the eight intake ports 17E is connected to the pressure supply device 27 (see FIG. 2 ). When receiving a die 22 from the second suction nozzle 56, negative pressure is supplied from the pressure supply device 27 to suck the die 22.

[0031] (Regarding the Nozzle Station Mechanism 18) Next, the nozzle station mechanism 18 will be described. As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the nozzle station mechanism 18 has a nozzle station 61 attached to the upper end of a main body 18A. The main body 18A is provided with an elevator 18B (see Figure 2). The elevator 18B includes, for example, an electromagnetic motor or a ball screw mechanism, and, under the control of the control device 19, slides the nozzle station 61 in a direction parallel to the up-down direction to change the height of the nozzle station 61.

[0032] Figure 8 shows an enlarged view of the nozzle station 61. As shown in Figure 8, the nozzle station 61 includes a storage box 62 and a shutter 63. The storage box 62 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape that has a predetermined thickness in the up-down direction and is long in the left-right and front-to-rear directions. A plurality of nozzle storage sections 64 are formed in the storage box 62. In this embodiment, 20 nozzle storage sections 64 are formed in the storage box 62. Each of the 20 nozzle storage sections 64 is capable of storing a first and second suction nozzle 43, 56.

[0033] In this embodiment, the first nozzle mounting portion 41 and the second nozzle mounting portion 55 have a common structure for mounting the suction nozzle. Therefore, the second suction nozzle 56 is interchangeable with the first suction nozzle 43. The first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 are replaced with other suction nozzles having different diameters of the air intake holes and different sizes of the portions that come into contact with the die 22 depending on the size of the die 22 to be sucked. However, the same first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 can be used for the same type of die 22, and are also interchangeable.

[0034] 9 shows an exploded perspective view of the first nozzle mounting portion 41 and the first suction nozzle 43A. As described above, the structure of the portion of the second nozzle mounting portion 55 where the second suction nozzle 56 is mounted is the same as the structure of the portion of the first nozzle mounting portion 41 where the first suction nozzle 43 is mounted. Therefore, a description of the portion of the second nozzle mounting portion 55 where the second suction nozzle 56 is mounted and a detailed description of the second suction nozzle 56 will be omitted. Furthermore, the structure of the mounting portion of the first nozzle mounting portion 41 may be different from the structure of the mounting portion of the second nozzle mounting portion 55. Therefore, the first suction nozzle 43 may have a different mounting method than the second suction nozzle 56 (see, for example, FIG. 12 ).

[0035] As shown in FIG. 9 , the first nozzle mounting portion 41 includes a shaft portion 41A and a mounting portion 41B. The shaft portion 41A is, for example, a substantially cylindrical member and rotates when driven by the rotation motor 38 (see FIG. 2 ). The mounting portion 41B is provided at the tip of the shaft portion 41A and rotates together with the shaft portion 41A. The mounting portion 41B is substantially plate-shaped with a thin thickness (width) in the axial direction (vertical direction in FIG. 9 ) of the shaft portion 41A. The shape of the mounting portion 41B as viewed from one side in the axial direction is substantially octagonal. The tip of the shaft portion 41A is attached to the inner surface of the mounting portion 41B in the axial direction. The outer peripheral surface, which is the outer surface of the mounting portion 41B in the axial direction, serves as a mounting surface 41C on which the first suction nozzle 43A is mounted. The mounting portion 41B is provided with multiple (two in this embodiment) magnets 41D and multiple (two in this embodiment) protrusions 41E. The magnet 41D is, for example, disk-shaped and is attached to the attachment portion 41B with its magnetic pole surface exposed from the attachment surface 41C. The protrusion 41E is attached to the attachment portion 41B so as to protrude outward in the axial direction from the attachment surface 41C, and is tapered from the base end to the tip end.

[0036] FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of the first suction nozzle 43 as seen from the mounting surface 66 side where the mounting portion 41B is attached. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , the first suction nozzle 43 includes a mounting portion 67 and a suction portion 68. The mounting portion 67 is thin and plate-shaped. The mounting portion 67 has a generally octagonal outer shape that is the same size as the mounting portion 41B of the first nozzle mounting portion 41. The suction portion 68 is provided on the surface at the tip end of the mounting portion 67. The suction portion 68 is, for example, shaped like a thin, square member with a generally disk-shaped member attached to the tip end (outside). The shapes of the mounting portion 67 and the suction portion 68 are changed depending on the size and shape of the die 22 to be suctioned.

[0037] An air intake port 69 for suction is formed in the center of the mounting portion 67 and the suction portion 68. The air intake port 69 is a hole with a circular cross section that penetrates the mounting portion 67 and the suction portion 68 in the thickness direction. The mounting portion 67 also has a plurality of insertion holes 71 (two in this embodiment) that penetrate the mounting portion 67 in the thickness direction. The insertion holes 71 are, for example, holes with a circular cross section and are formed to match the positions of the protrusions 41E provided on the mounting portion 41B. When the first suction nozzle 43 is attached to the first nozzle mounting portion 41, the protrusions 41E are inserted into each of the two insertion holes 71. In other words, inserting the protrusions 41E into the insertion holes 71 suppresses misalignment of the first suction nozzle 43 with respect to the first nozzle mounting portion 41.

[0038] Additionally, multiple (two in this embodiment) magnetic members 73 are attached to the mounting surface 66 of the mounting portion 67. The two magnetic members 73 are, for example, cylindrical or disc-shaped metal members, and are fixed so as to be embedded in the mounting portion 67 with their end faces exposed from the mounting surface 66. The two magnetic members 73 are aligned with the positions of the magnets 41D of the first nozzle mounting portion 41. When attaching the first suction nozzle 43 to the first nozzle mounting portion 41, the protrusions 41E are inserted into the insertion holes 71, thereby aligning the magnetic members 73 with the magnets 41D. The two magnets 41D then magnetically attract the two magnetic members 73, respectively, thereby attracting and holding the first suction nozzle 43 to the mounting portion 41B.

[0039] The above-described configuration of the magnet 41D and the magnetic member 73 is merely an example. By providing the magnet 41D on the first nozzle mounting portion 41 and the magnetic member 73 on the first suction nozzle 43, the number of magnets required can be reduced compared to a configuration in which a magnet is provided on the first suction nozzle 43, thereby reducing costs when adding replacement first suction nozzles 43. However, a configuration in which a magnetic member is provided on the first nozzle mounting portion 41 and a magnet is provided on the first suction nozzle 43 may also be adopted. Alternatively, magnets may be provided on both the first nozzle mounting portion 41 and the first suction nozzle 43, and the magnets may be magnetically attracted to each other. Furthermore, the method of holding the first suction nozzle 43 on the first nozzle mounting portion 41 is not limited to a method using magnetic force (see FIG. 12 ).

[0040] As shown in FIG. 8 , the 20 nozzle housing sections 64 are arranged in four rows in the front-to-rear direction, with five in the left-to-right direction. Each nozzle housing section 64 is shaped to hold the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 with the suction section 68 facing downward. The nozzle housing section 64 is a hole with an open top, and steps 64A are formed on both left and right sides for placing the mounting section 67. Each of the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 is stored with the suction section 68 inserted into the central recess and the left and right ends of the mounting section 67 resting on the pair of steps 64A. In the state shown in FIG. 8 , the front ten nozzle housing sections 64 house replacement first and second suction nozzles 43B, 56B, respectively. The first and second suction nozzles 43B, 56B are stored in the nozzle housing sections 64 with the mounting surfaces 66, to which the magnetic members 73 are attached, facing upward. The ten replacement first and second suction nozzles 43B, 56B are, for example, of the same type and are used for the same type of die 22.

[0041] The shutter 63 is formed in a generally L-shape by bending a thin metal plate 90 degrees. It has a top surface 63A that covers the top surface of the storage box 62 and a side surface 63B that covers the left side surface of the storage box 62. The top surface 63A is a generally rectangular plate that is long in the left-right direction. The top surface 63A of the shutter 63 has multiple elongated holes 63C that receive screws 75 that are threaded into the storage box 62 and protrusions 62A that protrude upward from the storage box 62. The shutter 63 is held by the storage box 62 so that it can slide forward and backward. A shutter driver 65 is provided at the upper end of the main body 18A. The shutter driver 65 includes, for example, an air cylinder 65A and a link member 65B connected to the output rod of the air cylinder 65A. The shutter driver 65 drives the air cylinder 65A under the control of the control device 19, moving the shutter 63 forward and backward via the link member 65B.

[0042] The upper surface 63A is formed with a plurality of openings 63D and a plurality of engaging portions 63E. The plurality of openings 63D are holes that penetrate the upper surface 63A, and 20 of them are formed to match the positions of the 20 nozzle accommodating portions 64. The openings 63D are formed to match the sizes of the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56, and when the sliding position in the front-rear direction is aligned with the nozzle accommodating portions 64, the openings of the nozzle accommodating portions 64 are exposed upward. When aligned in this position, the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 can be inserted into and removed from the nozzle accommodating portions 64 through the openings 63D.

[0043] Two adjacent openings 63D in the front-rear direction are connected to each other. Two engagement portions 63E are formed on the front side of each opening 63D. The pair of engagement portions 63E protrude inward from both left and right sides. As shown in FIG. 9 , a pair of recesses 41F are formed in the mounting portion 41B. The pair of recesses 41F are formed by recessing the mounting surface 41C from the outside toward the inside in the axial direction, and are grooves that do not have outer surfaces in the left-right direction and a front surface (the surface on the near side in FIG. 9 ). The depth of the recesses 41F is formed to allow the engagement portions 63E to be inserted when the first suction nozzle 43 is attached to the mounting surface 41C.

[0044] For example, when the shutter 63 is moved to the front end by the shutter drive unit 65, the shutter 63 is positioned with the opening 63D above the nozzle accommodating unit 64. When the shutter 63 is moved to the rear end by the shutter drive unit 65, the shutter 63 is positioned with the pair of engagement portions 63E above the nozzle accommodating unit 64. When the first nozzle mounting unit 41 accommodates, for example, the first suction nozzle 43A, the first suction nozzle 43A is inserted into the nozzle accommodating unit 64 through the opening 63D. Next, when the shutter drive unit 65 is driven and the shutter 63 is slid to the rear end, the pair of engagement portions 63E are inserted into the pair of recesses 41F. When the flip head 35 is raised in this state, the pair of engagement portions 63E engage with the first suction nozzle 43A, and the first suction nozzle 43A is detached from the first nozzle mounting unit 41. The separated first suction nozzle 43A is accommodated in the nozzle accommodating portion 64.

[0045] (Configuration of the control device 19 and the supply operation of the die 22) FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the control device 19. The control device 19 is a processing device mainly composed of a computer and includes a CPU 81 and a storage device 82. The storage device 82 is configured, for example, by combining RAM, ROM, a hard disk, and the like. A control program 83 for controlling the die supply device 10 is stored in the storage device 82. The control device 19 is connected to each device, such as the wafer supply unit 12, the flip mechanism 15, the transfer mechanism 16, the shuttle mechanism 17, the nozzle station mechanism 18, the substrate transport unit 14, the pressure supply device 27, and the parts camera 29, via multiple drive circuits 84. The control device 19 executes the control program 83 using the CPU 81 and controls the above-mentioned devices via the drive circuits 84, thereby controlling the operation of the die supply device 10. The drive circuits 84 include, for example, a motor driver circuit for driving a motor and an external interface for connecting external devices.

[0046] The control device 19 controls each device to supply the dies 22. In the following description, the devices controlled by the control device 19 may be simply described by their device names. For example, the description "the wafer frame drawer mechanism 31 unloads the desired wafer frame 23 from the magazine 24 to the die supply position P2" means that the control device 19 executes the control program 83 with the CPU 81, controls the wafer frame drawer mechanism 31 via the drive circuit 84, and unloads the desired wafer frame 23 from the magazine 24 to the die supply position P2."

[0047] First, before starting the supply of dies 22, the control device 19 controls the wafer supply unit 12 to place a wafer frame 23 corresponding to the type of die 22 to be supplied at the die supply position P2. The wafer frame drawer mechanism 31, under the control of the control device 19, transports the desired wafer frame 23 from the magazine 24 to the die supply position P2. The flip mechanism 15 drives the Y-axis slide mechanism 33 to move above the die assembly 21 at the die supply position P2 and drives the Z-axis slide mechanism 34 to lower the first suction nozzle 43 to pick up the die 22. The control device 19 drives the wafer frame drawer mechanism 31 and the Y-axis slide mechanism 33 to move the flip head 35 above the next die 22 to be picked up. The flip mechanism 15 drives the rotation motor 38 to swap the positions of the pair of first suction nozzles 43, and the remaining first suction nozzle 43 picks up the die 22.

[0048] When the flip mechanism 15 has sucked the die 22 with both of the pair of first suction nozzles 43, it moves the flip head 35 to a position where it will hand over the die 22 to the transfer head 54 of the transfer mechanism 16 (the position shown in FIG. 3 ). The transfer mechanism 16 then drives the nozzle switching mechanism 57 to lower the second suction nozzle 56 that will receive the die 22 from the flip head 35. The flip mechanism 15 then hands over the die 22 from the upward-facing first suction nozzle 43 to the second suction nozzle 56 of the transfer head 54. The flip mechanism 15 rotates the flip head 35 to swap the positions of the pair of first suction nozzles 43. The transfer mechanism 16 then drives the X-axis slide mechanism 51 and the Y-axis slide mechanism 52 to change the second suction nozzle 56 positioned above the first suction nozzle 43, and drives the nozzle switching mechanism 57 to lower the receiving second suction nozzle 56. The flip mechanism 15 transfers the die 22 from the remaining first suction nozzle 43 to another second suction nozzle 56. The flip mechanism 15 and the transfer mechanism 16 repeatedly perform the above-described operations, causing all eight second suction nozzles 56 to suction the die 22.

[0049] Once the eight dies 22 have been adsorbed, the transfer mechanism 16 drives the X-axis slide mechanism 51 and the Y-axis slide mechanism 52 to move the transfer head 54 above the receiving position P5 of the shuttle mechanism 17. Meanwhile, the shuttle mechanism 17 drives the electromagnetic motor 17C to position the X-axis slider 17B at the receiving position P5. The transfer mechanism 16 drives the Z-axis slide mechanism 53 to lower the transfer head 54, and collectively places all eight dies 22 adsorbed by the second suction nozzles 56 onto the shuttle 17D. The shuttle mechanism 17 draws air through the air intake 17E to adsorb the dies 22 onto the shuttle 17D. With the dies 22 adsorbed onto the shuttle 17D, the shuttle mechanism 17 drives the electromagnetic motor 17C to move the X-axis slider 17B from the receiving position P5 to the transfer position P6. The component mounting device disposed on the right side of the die supply device 10 uses a mounting head (not shown) to pick up the die 22 from the shuttle 17D disposed at the transfer position P6 and mount it on the board.

[0050] (Replacing the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56) The control device 19 replaces the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 depending on the type of die 22. For example, the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 are replaced in accordance with a so-called changeover, in which the type of substrate to be produced and transported by the substrate transport unit 14 is changed. First, for example, the control device 19 controls the flip mechanism 15 to move the flip head 35 to the retracted position, and controls the transfer mechanism 16 to move the transfer head 54 to the retracted position.

[0051] FIG. 11 shows a state in which the first suction nozzle 43A is accommodated in the nozzle station 61. The wafer frame pull-out mechanism 31 moves the wafer frame 23 from the die supply position P2 to the accommodation position P1 and accommodates the wafer frame 23 in the magazine 24. As shown in FIG. 11 , the wafer frame 23 is no longer positioned between the flip mechanism 15 and the nozzle station mechanism 18 in the vertical direction. The flip mechanism 15 drives the Y-axis slide mechanism 33 to move the first suction nozzle 43A to a position above the nozzle station 61 in the front-rear direction. The nozzle station mechanism 18 drives the lifting unit 18B to raise the nozzle station 61 to a position where the first suction nozzle 43 is replaced (the position shown in FIG. 11 ).

[0052] In the nozzle station 61 of this embodiment, the nozzle housing sections 64 for housing the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 are predetermined, and the nozzle housing sections 64 are set to use separate nozzle housing sections 64. This reduces the number of movement axes of the flip mechanism 15. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8 , 20 nozzle housing sections 64 are provided, 10 on the front side and 10 on the rear side. For example, the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 housed in the 10 front nozzles are used for a first type of die 22, and the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 housed in the 10 rear nozzles are used for a second type of die 22 that is different from the first type. Furthermore, of the 10 first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 of the first type, the left eight nozzles are used as second suction nozzles 56, and the right two nozzles are used as first suction nozzles 43. Similarly, of the ten first and second suction nozzles 43 and 56 of the second type, the eight on the left side are used as second suction nozzles 56 and the two on the right side are used as first suction nozzles 43 .

[0053] By configuring the nozzle accommodating sections 64 in this manner, of the 20 nozzle accommodating sections 64, the four nozzle accommodating sections 64 arranged in the rightmost column in the front-to-rear direction are used as nozzle accommodating sections 64 for accommodating the first suction nozzles 43. In other words, the flip mechanism 15 using the first suction nozzles 43 can be replaced as long as the first suction nozzles 43 can be positioned at the positions of the four nozzle accommodating sections 64 arranged in the front-to-rear direction, eliminating the need for left-to-right movement during the replacement process. In this embodiment, the flip mechanism 15 does not include a slide mechanism for movement in the left-to-right direction (X-axis direction), and its position in the left-to-right direction is fixed. Furthermore, the nozzle station mechanism 18 does not include a mechanism for movement in the left-to-right direction or the front-to-rear direction, and the position of the nozzle station 61 (nozzle accommodating section 64) in the left-to-right direction and the front-to-rear direction is fixed. This reduces the number of movement axes required for the flip mechanism 15 and the nozzle station mechanism 18, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and downsizing the device.

[0054] The flip mechanism 15 accommodates the two first suction nozzles 43A attached to the flip head 35 in the free nozzle accommodating section 64 of the four nozzle accommodating sections 64 on the right side described above, and attaches replacement first suction nozzles 43B to the remaining two nozzle accommodating sections 64. More specifically, the nozzle station mechanism 18 slides the shutter 63 to the front end in accordance with the replacement operation of the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56, and aligns the opening 63D of the shutter 63 with a position above the nozzle accommodating section 64. Note that the position of the shutter 63 while the replacement operation of the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 is not being performed is not particularly limited. For example, the nozzle station mechanism 18 may position the shutter 63 at the front end position and position the opening 63D above the nozzle accommodating portion 64 while the replacement work of the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 is not being performed, thereby making it easy for an operator to replace the first and second suction nozzles 43B, 56B of the nozzle station 61 with other replacement nozzles. Alternatively, the nozzle station mechanism 18 may position the shutter 63 at the rear end position and position the pair of engaging portions 63E above the nozzle accommodating portion 64 while the replacement work of the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 is not being performed, making it difficult to remove the first and second suction nozzles 43B, 56B. The nozzle station mechanism 18 may then move the shutter 63 in response to an operation command from the operator.

[0055] When the first suction nozzle 43A is inserted into the nozzle accommodating portion 64, the nozzle station mechanism 18 drives the shutter driving unit 65 to move the shutter 63 to the rear end, and inserts the engaging portion 63E (see FIG. 8) into the recess 41F (see FIG. 9) of the first nozzle mounting portion 41 being inserted. After the engaging portion 63E is inserted, the flip mechanism 15 drives the Z-axis slide mechanism 34 to lift the first nozzle mounting portion 41. As a result, the first suction nozzle 43A is separated from the first nozzle mounting portion 41 by the engaging portion 63E from the state where it is attracted by the magnetic member 73, and is accommodated in the nozzle accommodating portion 64. The flip mechanism 15 rotates the flip head 35 to accommodate the first suction nozzles 43A of the remaining first nozzle mounting portions 41 into the other nozzle accommodating portions 64.

[0056] Next, when a replacement first suction nozzle 43B is to be attached to the first nozzle mounting portion 41, the nozzle station mechanism 18 drives the shutter drive unit 65 to move the shutter 63 to its front end, thereby positioning the opening 63D above the nozzle accommodating portion 64. The flip mechanism 15 drives the Y-axis slide mechanism 33 to align the position of the first nozzle mounting portion 41 with the position of the nozzle accommodating portion 64 in which the first suction nozzle 43B is accommodated. The flip mechanism 15 drives the Z-axis slide mechanism 34 to lower the first nozzle mounting portion 41. The first suction nozzle 43B accommodated in the nozzle accommodating portion 64 is attached to the first nozzle mounting portion 41 by the magnetic member 73 (see FIG. 10) attracted by the magnet 41D (see FIG. 9) of the first nozzle mounting portion 41. At this time, the protrusion 41E is inserted into the insertion hole 71, thereby aligning the mounting portion 67 with the mounting portion 41B. That is, the first suction nozzle 43B is mounted in the correct position by correcting the positional deviation with respect to the first nozzle mounting portion 41. The flip mechanism 15 rotates the flip head 35 to mount the first suction nozzle 43B on the remaining first nozzle mounting portions 41.

[0057] Next, the transfer mechanism 16 replaces the second suction nozzle 56A of the transfer head 54. In the following description of the replacement operation of the second suction nozzle 56, the same content as that of the first suction nozzle 43 will not be described. After completing replacement of the first suction nozzle 43, the flip mechanism 15 moves, for example, to the frontmost retracted position within its movable range in the front-to-rear direction. The transfer mechanism 16 drives the X-axis slide mechanism 51 and the Y-axis slide mechanism 52 to move the transfer head 54 to a position above the nozzle station 61.

[0058] As described above, when replacing the second suction nozzles 56, the left eight of the ten nozzle housing portions 64 on the front side of the nozzle station 61 and the left eight of the ten nozzle housing portions 64 on the rear side are used. These two sets of eight nozzle housing portions 64 are provided at positions that match the positions of the eight second nozzle mounting portions 55 of the transfer head 54. Therefore, by matching the position of one of the eight second nozzle mounting portions 55 to the position of any one of the eight nozzle housing portions 64, the positions of all of the second nozzle mounting portions 55 will match the positions of the eight nozzle housing portions 64.

[0059] Specifically, the transfer head 54 of this embodiment is provided with four second nozzle mounting sections 55 arranged in two rows in the front-rear direction, with the four second nozzle mounting sections 55 lined up in the left-right direction at a predetermined pitch, as shown in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 8, eight nozzle housing sections 64 for the second suction nozzles 56 are provided in the same positions and at the same pitch as the second nozzle mounting sections 55, and four nozzle housing sections 64 lined up in the left-right direction are provided in two rows in the front-rear direction.

[0060] The transfer head 54 moves above, for example, eight vacant nozzle housing sections 64 (e.g., the rear nozzle housing sections 64 in FIG. 8 ) and aligns the positions of the eight second nozzle mounting sections 55 with the positions of the eight nozzle housing sections 64. The transfer head 54 drives the Z-axis slide mechanism 53 to lower all eight second nozzle mounting sections 55 at once and insert all second suction nozzles 56A into the nozzle housing sections 64. The nozzle station mechanism 18 drives the shutter drive section 65 to insert multiple (16 in total) engaging sections 63E into the recesses (which have the same structure as the recesses 41F in FIG. 9 ) of each second nozzle mounting section 55. The transfer head 54 drives the Z-axis slide mechanism 53 to raise the second nozzle mounting sections 55, thereby removing the second suction nozzles 56 from all second nozzle mounting sections 55.

[0061] Next, the transfer head 54 moves above eight nozzle housing sections 64 (for example, the nozzle housing sections 64 on the front side in FIG. 8 ) that house replacement second suction nozzles 56B, and aligns the positions of the eight second nozzle mounting sections 55 with the positions of the eight second suction nozzles 56B (nozzle housing sections 64). The nozzle station mechanism 18 drives the shutter drive section 65 to align the position of the opening 63D with the position of the nozzle housing section 64. The transfer head 54 drives the Z-axis slide mechanism 53 to lower all eight second nozzle mounting sections 55 at once, and mounts the second suction nozzles 56B on all of the second nozzle mounting sections 55. The transfer head 54 then raises the second nozzle mounting sections 55 and moves them to a predetermined initial position, etc. This completes the replacement of the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56.

[0062] The control device 19 drives the lifting section 18B of the nozzle station mechanism 18 to lower the nozzle station 61, and drives the wafer supply unit 12 to carry out the wafer frame 23 to be used in the next production from the magazine 24 to the die supply position P2. The control device 19 then drives the flip mechanism 15, the transfer mechanism 16, the wafer frame pull-out mechanism 31, the shuttle mechanism 17, etc., to start supplying the die 22 using the replaced first and second suction nozzles 43B, 56B.

[0063] The order and content of the operations for supplying the die 22 and replacing the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 described above are merely examples. For example, the replacement of the second suction nozzle 56 may be performed first, followed by the replacement of the first suction nozzle 43. Furthermore, the replacement of the second suction nozzles 56 may be performed one by one rather than all at once. Furthermore, the positions of the nozzle accommodating sections 64 for accommodating the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 do not need to be predetermined. For example, two nozzle accommodating sections 64 for the first suction nozzles 43 may be set between the nozzle accommodating sections 64 for four second suction nozzles 56 and the nozzle accommodating sections 64 for the remaining four second suction nozzles 56 in the left-right direction. Furthermore, since the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 have the same structure as described above, the nozzle accommodating sections 64 for the first and second nozzle mounting sections 41, 55 may not be set, and the removal or mounting positions may be changed depending on the conditions. For example, replacement may be performed on the nozzle housing portion 64 that is close to the nozzle housing portion 64 .

[0064] Therefore, in the above embodiment, the control device 19 controls the flip mechanism 15 to replace the first suction nozzles 43A and 43B, and controls the transfer mechanism 16 to replace the second suction nozzles 56A and 56B. In this configuration, the control device 19 can automatically replace the suction nozzles of two heads in one nozzle station 61.

[0065] Furthermore, the nozzle station 61 is positioned below the die assembly 21 when the die assembly 21 is positioned at the die supply position P2. Accordingly, when replacing the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56, the die assembly 21 can be retracted from the die supply position P2 to the storage position P1 to secure space for replacement. Therefore, the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 can be replaced at the same position as the die assembly 21 in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions. If the nozzle station 61 were positioned away from the die supply position P2, it would be necessary to extend the range of movement of the flip head 35 and the transfer head 54 in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions to allow them to operate up to the nozzle station 61. However, by positioning the nozzle station 61 below the die supply position P2, it is not necessary to extend the range of movement of the flip head 35 and the transfer head 54. Therefore, the flip mechanism 15 and the transfer mechanism 16 can be made smaller.

[0066] Furthermore, when replacing the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56, the control device 19 moves the die assembly 21 to the storage position P1, and then controls the lifting unit 18B to raise the nozzle station 61 to a position where the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 can be replaced. This reduces the amount of downward movement of the flip head 35 when replacing the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56. This narrows the range of movement of the flip head 35 in the up and down direction, allowing the Z-axis slide mechanism 34 to be made smaller.

[0067] Furthermore, when the flip head 35 is moved to a position where the first suction nozzle 43A attached to the first nozzle attachment portion 41 can suction the die 22 from the die assembly 21, the nozzle accommodating portion 64 for accommodating the replacement first suction nozzle 43B is positioned below the first nozzle attachment portion 41 of the flip head 35 (see FIG. 11 ). This eliminates the need to move the flip head 35 left and right when replacing the first suction nozzles 43A and 43B. This eliminates the number of movement axes required for the flip mechanism 15, specifically, the need for a mechanism for moving it left and right. This allows for the flip mechanism 15 to be made smaller and for its manufacturing costs to be reduced.

[0068] Furthermore, the flip mechanism 15 slides the flip head 35 in the front-to-rear direction to move the flip head 35 between a position where it picks up the die 22 and a position where it is retracted from the transfer head 54. The nozzle station 61 is fixed in its position in the front-to-rear and left-to-right directions. The flip head 35 is also fixed in its position in the left-to-right direction. This not only eliminates the need for a mechanism for moving the flip head 35 in the left-to-right direction, but also eliminates the need for a mechanism for moving the nozzle station 61 in the front-to-rear and left-to-right directions, making it possible to reduce the size of the device and manufacturing costs.

[0069] The first suction nozzle 43 is attached to the first nozzle attachment portion 41 by the magnetic force of the magnet 41D. The control device 19 controls the shutter drive unit 65 to move the shutter 63 so that the opening 63D is positioned at the opening of the nozzle accommodating portion 64. Next, the control device 19 moves the flip head 35 to insert the first suction nozzle 43A into the nozzle accommodating portion 64. Next, with the first suction nozzle 43A inserted in the nozzle accommodating portion 64, the control device 19 controls the shutter drive unit 65 to move the shutter 63 to a position where the pair of engaging portions 63E engage with the first suction nozzle 43A. Then, the control device 19 moves the flip head 35 to engage the engaging portions 63E with the first suction nozzle 43A, and removes the first suction nozzle 43A from the first nozzle attachment portion 41. This simplifies the structures of the first suction nozzle 43 and the first nozzle mounting portion 41 compared to a configuration in which an engaging portion 91 and a groove 93 are provided as shown in FIG. 12 (described later), thereby reducing manufacturing costs. Furthermore, in the configuration shown in FIG. 12 , the first suction nozzle 43 requires the first nozzle mounting portion 41 and other components to be rotated when attaching or detaching the first suction nozzle 43. Therefore, a motor for rotating the first nozzle mounting portion 41 must be provided on the flip head 35, complicating the structure of the flip head 35. In contrast, by using the magnet 41D for attachment and the engaging portion 63E of the shutter 63 for detachment, attachment and detachment can be achieved by moving the shutter 63 and moving the flip head 35 up and down. This simplifies the structure of the flip head 35. Furthermore, by providing the magnet 41D on the first nozzle mounting portion 41 side, it is not necessary to provide magnets for all of the first suction nozzles 43, thereby reducing costs.

[0070] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first suction nozzle 43 can be attached to the second nozzle attachment portion 55, and the second suction nozzle 56 can be attached to the first nozzle attachment portion 41. This ensures compatibility between the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56. When arranging replacement first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 in the nozzle station 61, the worker does not need to be aware of which is the first or second suction nozzle 43, 56, and the nozzles can be prepared in the nozzle station 61. This reduces the workload of arranging the first and second suction nozzles 43B, 56B in the nozzle station 61 and simplifies management of the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56. Furthermore, by standardizing the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing costs of the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 and the parts related to the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56.

[0071] Incidentally, in the above embodiment, the wafer frame pull-out mechanism 31 is an example of a die assembly moving mechanism. The turning motor 38 is an example of an inversion mechanism. The transfer head 54 is an example of a supply head. The Y-axis slide mechanism 33 and the Z-axis slide mechanism 34 are examples of flip head moving mechanisms. The X-axis slide mechanism 51, the Y-axis slide mechanism 52, and the Z-axis slide mechanism 53 are examples of supply head moving mechanisms. The front-to-back direction and the Y-axis direction are examples of slide directions in the present disclosure. The left-to-right direction and the X-axis direction are examples of orthogonal directions in the present disclosure.

[0072] As described above, the above embodiment provides the following advantages. The nozzle station 61 of one aspect of this embodiment houses both the first replacement suction nozzle 43B and the second replacement suction nozzle 56B. This allows a single nozzle station 61 to manage both the first replacement suction nozzle 43B attached to the flip head 35 and the second replacement suction nozzle 56B attached to the transfer head 54. This allows the replacement suction nozzles of the two heads to be managed collectively in a single nozzle station 61 and replaced in a single location. Furthermore, by controlling each head, both the first and second suction nozzles 43, 56 can be automatically replaced. This also reduces the workload of managing replacement suction nozzles, such as replacing the replacement suction nozzles in the nozzle station 61 and checking the suction nozzles housed in the nozzle station 61.

[0073] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be embodied in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the first nozzle mounting portion 41 and the second nozzle mounting portion 55 have the same structure, but they may have different structures. Also, in the above-described embodiments, the first suction nozzle 43 is mounted to the first nozzle mounting portion 41 and the second suction nozzle 56 is mounted to the second nozzle mounting portion 55 by magnetic force using the magnetic member 73 and the magnet 41D. However, this is not limited to this. FIG. 12 shows another example of a first suction nozzle 143 and a first nozzle mounting portion 141. As shown in FIG. 12, a pair of engaging portions 91 may be provided on the main body 90 of the first suction nozzle 143. A groove 93 that engages with the engaging portions 91 may be provided on the first nozzle mounting portion 141. For example, when attaching the first suction nozzle 143, the engaging portion 91 is inserted axially into the groove 93 of the first nozzle mounting portion 141, and the first nozzle mounting portion 141 is rotated to engage the engaging portion 91 with the groove 93, thereby attaching the first suction nozzle 143 to the first nozzle mounting portion 141. A spring 95 may be provided on the first suction nozzle 143 to bias the engaging portion 91 toward the first nozzle mounting portion 141, making it difficult for the first suction nozzle 143 to come out of the groove 93. When removing the first suction nozzle 143, the first nozzle mounting portion 141 is lowered to contract the spring 95, and then the first nozzle mounting portion 141 is rotated in the opposite direction to that used when the nozzle was attached, and then raised, thereby removing the first suction nozzle 143 from the first nozzle mounting portion 141. When the configuration of FIG. 12 is employed, a mechanism for rotating the suction nozzle around its axis may be provided in the transfer head 54, the flip head 35, or the nozzle station 61.

[0074] The flip mechanism 15 may also be equipped with an X-axis slide mechanism, allowing the flip head 35 to move left and right. In the above embodiment, the transfer head 54 that transfers the die 22 received from the flip mechanism 15 to the shuttle mechanism 17 is used as the supply head of the present disclosure, but this is not limited thereto. The supply head of the present disclosure may also be a mounting head that mounts the die 22 received from the flip mechanism 15 onto a substrate. Therefore, the die supply device of the present disclosure is not limited to a device that supplies the die 22 to the shuttle mechanism 17, but may also be a component mounting device that mounts the die 22 onto a substrate. In the above embodiment, the rotation motor 38 is used as the inversion mechanism of the present disclosure, but this is not limited thereto. For example, a mechanism that rotates the flip head 35 using an air cylinder may also be used as the inversion mechanism. The nozzle station 61 may be located at a position other than below the die supply position P2. In this case, the nozzle station mechanism 18 does not need to include the lifting unit 18B. The nozzle station mechanism 18 may also include a mechanism that moves the nozzle station 61 left and right or forward and backward.

[0075] The content of the present disclosure is not limited to the dependency relationships described in the claims. For example, this specification also discloses the technical idea of ​​changing "the die supply device according to claim 1" in claim 3 to "the die supply device according to claim 1 or claim 2." This specification also discloses the technical idea of ​​changing "the die supply device according to claim 2" in claim 5 to "the die supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 4." This specification also discloses the technical idea of ​​changing "the die supply device according to claim 2" in claim 7 to "the die supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 6." This specification also discloses the technical idea of ​​changing "the die supply device according to claim 1 or claim 2" in claim 8 to "the die supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 7." This specification also discloses the technical idea of ​​changing "the die supply device according to claim 1 or claim 2" in claim 9 to "the die supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 8."

[0076] 10 Die supply device, 17 Shuttle mechanism, 17D Shuttle, 18B Elevating section, 19 Control device, 21 Die assembly, 22 Die, 24 Magazine, 31 Wafer frame pull-out mechanism (die assembly moving mechanism), 33 Y-axis slide mechanism (flip head moving mechanism), 34 Z-axis slide mechanism (flip head moving mechanism), 35 Flip head, 38 Swivel motor (inversion mechanism), 41, 141 First nozzle mounting section, 41D Magnet, 43, 43A, 43B, 143 First suction nozzle, 51 X-axis slide mechanism (supply head moving mechanism), 52 Y-axis slide mechanism (supply head moving mechanism), 53 Z-axis slide mechanism (supply head moving mechanism), 54 Transfer head (supply head), 55 Second nozzle mounting section, 56, 56A, 56B Second suction nozzle, 61 Nozzle station, 63 Shutter, 63D Opening, 63E Engagement section, 64 Nozzle storage section, 65 shutter drive section, P1 storage position, P2 die supply position, P5 receiving position, P6 delivery position.

Claims

1. A die supply device comprising: a flip head having a first nozzle attachment section to which a first suction nozzle can be attached and detached, and which uses the first suction nozzle to pick up a die from a die collection obtained by dicing a wafer; an inversion mechanism which inverts the flip head and switches the front and back of the die picked up by the first suction nozzle; a supply head having a second nozzle attachment section to which a second suction nozzle can be attached and detached, which uses the second suction nozzle to pick up the die inverted by the flip head, and supplies the die picked up by the second suction nozzle; and a nozzle station which houses both the first suction nozzle for replacement and the second suction nozzle for replacement.

2. A die supply device as described in claim 1, comprising: a flip head moving mechanism for moving the flip head; a supply head moving mechanism for moving the supply head; and a control device for controlling the flip head moving mechanism and the supply head moving mechanism, wherein the control device controls the flip head moving mechanism to replace the first suction nozzle attached to the first nozzle mounting portion of the flip head with the replacement first suction nozzle housed in the nozzle station, and controls the supply head moving mechanism to replace the second suction nozzle attached to the second nozzle mounting portion of the supply head with the replacement second suction nozzle housed in the nozzle station.

3. A die supply device as described in claim 1, further comprising: a magazine that houses the die assembly; and a die assembly moving mechanism that moves the die assembly between a storage position and a die supply position, wherein the storage position is a position where the die assembly is stored in the magazine, the die supply position is a position where the die is sucked from the die assembly by the first suction nozzle, and the nozzle station is positioned at a position below the die assembly when the die assembly is positioned at the die supply position.

4. A die supply device as described in claim 3, further comprising: a lifting unit which moves the nozzle station in an up and down direction; and a control device which controls the lifting unit, wherein when performing replacement of the first suction nozzle with a replacement first suction nozzle, the control device controls the die assembly moving mechanism to move the die assembly to the storage position, and after moving the die assembly to the storage position, controls the lifting unit to raise the nozzle station to a position where the first suction nozzle can be replaced with the replacement first suction nozzle.

5. The die supply device of claim 2, wherein when the flip head moving mechanism moves the flip head to a position where the die can be adsorbed from the die assembly by the first suction nozzle attached to the first nozzle mounting portion, a nozzle accommodating portion for accommodating a replacement first suction nozzle in the nozzle station is positioned below the first nozzle mounting portion of the flip head.

6. A die supply device as described in claim 5, further comprising an elevator section which moves the nozzle station in an up-down direction, wherein the flip head moving mechanism slides the flip head in a sliding direction to change the position of the flip head in the sliding direction, and moves the flip head to a position where the die is adsorbed by the first suction nozzle and a position retracted from the supply head, wherein the sliding direction is a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, wherein the nozzle station has its position fixed in the sliding direction and the orthogonal direction when a direction orthogonal to both the up-down direction and the sliding direction is defined as an orthogonal direction, and wherein the flip head has its position fixed in the orthogonal direction.

7. A magnet is attached to at least one of the first suction nozzle and the first nozzle mounting portion, and the first suction nozzle is held in the first nozzle mounting portion by the magnetic force of the magnet, and the nozzle station further comprises: a nozzle accommodating portion for accommodating the first suction nozzle; a shutter having an opening for opening the nozzle accommodating portion and an engagement portion; and a shutter driving portion for moving the shutter, and the control device controls the shutter driving portion to move the shutter so that the opening is positioned at the opening of the nozzle accommodating portion; controls the flip head moving mechanism to move the flip head and inserts the first suction nozzle attached to the first nozzle mounting portion into the nozzle accommodating portion; and with the first suction nozzle inserted in the nozzle accommodating portion, controls the shutter driving portion to move the shutter to a position where the engagement portion engages with the first suction nozzle, 3. The die supplying device according to claim 2, further comprising: a flip head moving mechanism that moves the flip head, and engages the engaging portion with the first suction nozzle to remove the first suction nozzle from the first nozzle mounting portion.

8. A die supplying device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first suction nozzle is mountable to the second nozzle mounting portion, and the second suction nozzle is mountable to the first nozzle mounting portion.

9. A die supply device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a shuttle mechanism having a shuttle on which the die can be placed and which moves the shuttle between a receiving position and a transfer position, wherein the receiving position is a position at which the die is received by the shuttle from the second suction nozzle of the supply head, and the transfer position is a position at which the die is obtained from the shuttle by a mounting head of a component mounter.

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