Pickup unit, mounting device, and pickup method

Abstract

This pickup unit is used when picking up chip components that are stuck on the surface of a sheet from said sheet. The pickup unit comprises: a stage; a plurality of push-up portions that are configured so as to be able to move up and down independently of each other, and that push up the chip components with the rear surface of the sheet that is held by the stage interposed therebetween; a plurality of lift drive units that respectively raise and lower the plurality of push-up portions; and a drive control unit that controls the operation of the plurality of lift drive units. The drive control unit executes a first operation process of raising the plurality of push-up portions to a push-up position, a second operation process of sequentially lowering the plurality of push-up portions after the first operation process, and a third operation process of operating the push-up portions that are lowered in the second operation process so as to move up and down in accordance with the pickup operation.

Description

Pickup unit, mounting device, and pickup method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a pickup unit, a mounting device, and a pickup method.

[0002] A pickup unit may be used to pick up chip components attached to the front surface of a sheet. The pickup unit holds the sheet by suction on a stage, raises multiple push-up members to push up the chip components through the rear surface of the sheet, and then suctions and holds the chip components. The multiple push-up members are then lowered to pick up the chip components. A pickup device described in Patent Document 1, for example, is known as a technology related to such a pickup unit.

[0003] In the pickup device described in Patent Document 1, multiple push-up sections (moving elements) are arranged inside the opening of the stage, and when picking up chip components (semiconductor dies), the opening pressure is switched multiple times between a first pressure close to vacuum and a second pressure close to atmospheric pressure before the multiple push-up sections are lowered, thereby easily peeling the chip components from the surface of the sheet.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-179813

[0005] In recent years, as chip components have become thinner and thinner in response to demands for higher integration, the techniques described above may not be able to properly peel the chip components from the surface of the sheet, which may result in errors.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a pickup unit, a mounting device, and a pickup method that can reliably peel chip components from the surface of a sheet.

[0007] A pickup unit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a pickup unit used when picking up chip components attached to the surface of a sheet from the sheet, and includes a stage that adsorbs and holds the sheet, a plurality of push-up sections that are each configured to be able to rise and fall independently and that push up the chip components through the back surface of the sheet held by the stage, a plurality of lifting drive sections that raise and lower each of the plurality of push-up sections, and a drive control section that controls the operation of the plurality of lifting drive sections, and the drive control section performs a first operation process that raises the plurality of push-up sections to push-up positions where they push up the chip components, a second operation process that sequentially lowers the plurality of push-up sections after the first operation process, and a third operation process that operates the push-up sections that are lowered in the second operation process so that they move up and down in conjunction with the pickup operation.

[0008] In this pickup unit, when chip components attached to the front surface of a sheet are picked up from the sheet (hereinafter simply referred to as "picking up chip components"), multiple push-up sections are raised to a push-up position, push up the chip components through the back surface of the sheet, and then the multiple push-up sections are sequentially lowered. Here, the lowered push-up sections are operated so as to move up and down in conjunction with the pickup operation. This up and down movement of the push-up sections can promote the separation of the chip components from the front surface of the sheet, making it possible to reliably separate the chip components from the front surface of the sheet. As a result, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of errors due to incorrect separation of chip components.

[0009] In the pickup unit, the plurality of push-up portions may be arranged concentrically in a plan view, and the plurality of push-up portions may be sequentially lowered in the second operation process from the outermost push-up portion to the innermost push-up portion. By sequentially lowering the plurality of push-up portions in this manner from the outermost push-up portion to the innermost push-up portion in the second operation process, it is possible to more reliably peel the chip components from the surface of the sheet.

[0010] In the above pickup unit, in the third operation process, at least one or more of the push-up parts that are lowered first in the second operation process may be operated to move up and down. When multiple push-up parts are lowered, it is often the case that the first push-up part does not successfully peel the chip components from the sheet. Therefore, by moving at least the first push-up part that is lowered up and down, the chip components can be reliably and effectively peeled from the sheet.

[0011] In the pickup unit, in the third operation process, one or more of the push-up parts lowered in the second operation process may be operated to move up and down before the second operation, simultaneously with the second operation, or after a preliminary lowering that is smaller than the first operation. Such up and down movement of the push-up parts can effectively promote peeling of the chip components from the surface of the sheet.

[0012] In the pickup unit described above, the stage includes a mounting surface on which the sheet is placed and an opening that opens onto the mounting surface, and the plurality of push-up units are disposed within the opening and further include a suction unit that sucks air from within the opening, and the suction unit does not need to start or stop suction during execution of the third operation process. In this case, the suction of the suction unit can be used to peel the chip components from the surface of the sheet. Furthermore, because the suction of the suction unit is not started or stopped during execution of the third operation process, it is possible to suppress the adverse effects of starting and stopping the suction on the up and down movement of the push-up units compared to when the suction of the suction unit is started and stopped during execution of the third operation process.

[0013] In the above pickup unit, the multiple push-up portions include a first block, a second block arranged to surround the outside of the first block in a planar view, a third block arranged to surround the outside of the second block in a planar view, and a fourth block arranged to surround the outside of the third block in a planar view, and in the second operation process, the descent of the fourth block, the descent of the third block, the descent of the second block, and the descent of the first block are started in this order, and in the third operation process, the fourth block is operated to move up and down before the descent of the fourth block starts, the third block is operated to move up and down after the descent of the fourth block starts and before the descent of the third block starts, the second block is operated to move up and down after the descent of the third block starts and before the descent of the second block starts, and the first block is operated to move up and down after the descent of the second block starts and before the descent of the first block starts. As a result, when picking up the chip components, the first to fourth blocks which have pushed up the chip components through the back surface of the sheet are lowered in order from the outside to the inside and are moved up and down before each lowering, thereby enabling the chip components to be more reliably peeled off from the surface of the sheet.

[0014] In the pickup unit, the up-and-down movement in the third operation process may include multiple up-and-down movements over a distance that is 0.1 to 0.25 times the distance that the multiple push-up parts are lowered in the second operation process. Such up-and-down movements of the push-up parts can effectively promote the separation of chip components from the surface of the sheet.

[0015] The pickup unit may further include a chip holding section that sucks and holds the chip component and picks up the chip component from the sheet, and the drive control section may further control the operation of the chip holding section to execute a fourth operation process before the second and third operation processes, in which the chip component pushed up in the first operation process is sucked up by the chip holding section. In this case, the chip component can be picked up using the chip holding section.

[0016] A mounting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes any one of the pickup units described above and a bonding unit that bonds the chip component picked up by the pickup unit to a substrate. Because the mounting apparatus includes any one of the pickup units described above, the mounting apparatus exhibits the above-described advantageous effect of being able to reliably peel the chip component from the surface of the sheet.

[0017] A pickup method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a pickup method performed when picking up chip components attached to the surface of a sheet from the sheet, the pickup method comprising: a first step of raising a plurality of push-up portions and using the plurality of push-up portions to push up the chip components through the back surface of a sheet held by suction on a stage; a second step of sequentially lowering the plurality of push-up portions after the first step; and a third step of operating the push-up portions lowered in the second step so that they move up and down in conjunction with the pickup operation. In this pickup method, when picking up chip components, the plurality of push-up portions are raised above the mounting surface, and then sequentially lowered. The lowered push-up portions are operated so that they move up and down in conjunction with the pickup operation. The up and down movement of the push-up portions promotes the separation of the chip components from the surface of the sheet, enabling the chip components to be reliably separated from the surface of the sheet. As a result, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of errors due to incorrect chip component separation.

[0018] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a pickup unit, a mounting device, and a pickup method that can reliably peel chip components from the surface of a sheet.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a mounting apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the pickup unit of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the stage and push-up mechanism of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the pickup unit for explaining a pickup method according to an embodiment. FIG. 5(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a continuation of FIG. 4. FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a continuation of FIG. 5(a). FIG. 6(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a continuation of FIG. 5(b). FIG. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a continuation of FIG. 6(a). FIG. 7(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a continuation of FIG. 6(b). FIG. 7(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a continuation of FIG. 7(a). FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a push-up mechanism according to a modified example.

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, identical or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted. In each drawing, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is shown as necessary. In the following description, the X direction corresponds to one horizontal direction, the Y direction corresponds to another horizontal direction perpendicular to the X direction, and the Z direction corresponds to the vertical direction. Furthermore, the terms "upper" and "lower" correspond to the upper and lower positions in the vertical direction, respectively.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the mounting apparatus 1 is an apparatus that removes semiconductor chips 101, which are an example of chip components, from a semiconductor wafer and mounts them on a substrate. The semiconductor wafer is configured to include a plurality of diced semiconductor chips 101. The plurality of semiconductor chips 101 are attached to a surface 120a of a dicing sheet 120, which is an example of a sheet. Here, the plurality of semiconductor chips 101 are attached to the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120 via a viscoelastic film 102 (see FIG. 4). The thickness of each semiconductor chip 101 is, for example, approximately 20 μm. The thickness of the dicing sheet 120 is, for example, approximately 100 μm.

[0022] The mounting apparatus 1 includes a pickup unit 30, a bonding unit 50, and a controller unit 20. The pickup unit 30 is a unit used when picking up the semiconductor chip 101 from the dicing sheet 120. The pickup unit 30 peels the semiconductor chip 101 attached to the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120 together with the viscoelastic film 102 from the dicing sheet 120 and picks it up (hereinafter also simply referred to as "pickup").

[0023] 1 and 2, the pickup unit 30 has a wafer holder 34, a stage 35, a push-up mechanism 36, a plurality of lifting and lowering drive devices (lifting and lowering drive sections) 37, a pickup head (chip holding section) 38, and a pickup controller (drive control section) 70. Details of each component of the pickup unit 30 will be described later. The pickup unit 30 picks up a semiconductor chip 101, transports the picked-up semiconductor chip 101 toward an intermediate stage 60, and temporarily places the semiconductor chip 101 on the intermediate stage 60. The cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 shows a cross section along the XZ plane of a portion of the stage 35 and the push-up mechanism 36.

[0024] The intermediate stage 60 is disposed, for example, between the bonding unit 50 and the pickup unit 30. The intermediate stage 60 may be part of a rotary head collet configured to be movable in the X and Y directions by a driving mechanism such as a linear motor. The pickup unit 30 may be configured to deliver the semiconductor chip 101 to the bonding unit 50 by a so-called flip-chip operation.

[0025] The bonding unit 50 is a unit that holds the semiconductor chip 101 (here, the semiconductor chip 101 on the intermediate stage 60) picked up by the pickup unit 30 and bonds the held semiconductor chip 101 onto the substrate 110. The bonding unit 50 includes a bonding stage 12 and a bonding head 13.

[0026] The bonding stage 12 is a stage on which the substrate 110 is placed. The bonding stage 12 has, for example, suction holes and sucks and holds the substrate 110 from below. The bonding head 13 sucks and holds the semiconductor chip 101 on the intermediate stage 60. The bonding head 13 transfers the held semiconductor chip 101 toward a predetermined position on the substrate 110 and bonds the semiconductor chip to the predetermined position on the substrate 110. The bonding head 13 may have a heater or the like and be able to provide heat to the semiconductor chip 101.

[0027] The controller unit 20 is a unit that controls the operations of the pickup unit 30 and the bonding unit 50. The controller unit 20 is a computer that includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage unit such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input / output unit, and a driver. The controller unit 20 operates the input / output unit under the control of the CPU, and also reads and writes data from and to the storage unit.

[0028] The controller unit 20 generates control signals for operating the pickup unit 30 and the bonding unit 50, and outputs the control signals to the pickup unit 30 and the bonding unit 50. At least a part of the functions of the pickup controller 70 may be installed in an external server. The pickup controller 70 may be configured by a single electronic unit, or may be configured by multiple electronic units that can communicate with each other.

[0029] Next, the pickup unit 30 will be described in detail.

[0030] As described above, the pickup unit 30 includes the wafer holder 34, the stage 35, the push-up mechanism 36, the multiple lifting and lowering drive devices 37, the pickup head 38, and the pickup controller 70. The wafer holder 34 holds the dicing sheet 120. When the wafer holder 34 holds the dicing sheet 120, tension acts from the center of the dicing sheet 120 toward the periphery. This tension stretches the dicing sheet 120.

[0031] The stage 35 adjusts the relative positions of the wafer holder 34 and the push-up mechanism 36. The stage 35, for example, translates the wafer holder 34 in the X direction. The stage 35 may also rotate the wafer holder 34 around the Z axis. By this operation, the stage 35 moves the semiconductor chip 101 to be picked up to directly above the push-up mechanism 36.

[0032] As shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, the stage 35 has, for example, a cylindrical outer shape with its axis in the Z direction. The upper end surface of the stage 35 forms a mounting surface 35a on which the dicing sheet 120 is placed. The mounting surface 35a is a flat surface along the XY plane and abuts against the back surface 120b of the dicing sheet 120. The stage 35 has an opening 35b, which is an internal space that opens to the center of the mounting surface 35a. The upper edge (opening edge) of the opening 35b has a rectangular shape that is slightly larger than the semiconductor chip 101. A push-up mechanism 36 is disposed inside the opening 35b. Note that, for convenience, the pickup head 38 is not shown in cross section in the cross-sectional view of Figure 4 (the same applies to other cross-sectional views).

[0033] A gap is formed between the inner surface of the opening 35b and the outer surface of the push-up mechanism 36. Around the opening 35b on the mounting surface 35a, suction grooves 35c are formed to suction the back surface 120b of the dicing sheet 120. The suction grooves 35c are provided, for example, so as to surround the opening 35b. Suction holes connected to a vacuum pump P via a three-way valve 11 are formed on the inner surface of the suction grooves 35c. For example, by switching the three-way valve 11 using the pickup controller 70 to connect the vacuum pump P to the suction holes, air inside the suction grooves 35c is sucked through the suction holes. As a result, the back surface 120b of the dicing sheet 120 around the semiconductor chip 101 is sucked and held by the suction grooves 35c.

[0034] The interior of the opening 35b is connected to a vacuum pump P via a three-way valve 15. For example, by switching the three-way valve 15 using the pickup controller 70 to connect the vacuum pump P to the interior of the opening 35b, air is sucked into the interior of the opening 35b, reducing the pressure. As a result, air is sucked from the outside into the interior of the opening 35b through a gap between the inner surface of the opening 35b and the outer surface of the push-up mechanism 36. The vacuum pump P and the three-way valve 15 constitute a suction unit.

[0035] The push-up mechanism 36 protrudes upward from the mounting surface 35a and pushes up the back surface 120b of the dicing sheet 120. The push-up mechanism 36 includes multiple blocks (push-up units) 40. The multiple blocks 40 are configured to be independently movable up and down (i.e., each block 40 is independently movable back and forth along the Z direction). The multiple blocks 40 are arranged concentrically in a plan view. The multiple blocks 40 include a first block 41, a second block 42, a third block 43, and a fourth block 44. The first block 41, the second block 42, the third block 43, and the fourth block 44 are arranged in this order from the inside to the outside.

[0036] In the illustrated example, the first block 41 is formed into a rectangular pillar shape with its axis aligned in the Z direction. The cross-sectional shape of the first block 41 is rectangular (here, square). The second block 42 is arranged to surround the outside of the first block 41 in a plan view and is formed into a stepped rectangular cylinder coaxial with the first block 41. The cross-sectional shape of the second block 42 is rectangular frame-shaped (here, square frame-shaped). The third block 43 is arranged to surround the outside of the second block 42 in a plan view and is formed into a stepped rectangular cylinder coaxial with the first block 41. The cross-sectional shape of the third block 43 is rectangular frame-shaped (here, square frame-shaped). The fourth block 44 is arranged to surround the outside of the third block 43 in a plan view and is formed into a stepped rectangular cylinder coaxial with the first block 41. The cross-sectional shape of the fourth block 44 is rectangular frame-shaped (here, square frame-shaped).

[0037] The multiple lifting drive devices 37 are devices that lift and lower each of the multiple blocks 40. The number of the multiple lifting drive devices 37 is the same as the number of the multiple blocks 40, and in this example, four lifting drive devices 37 are provided. Each lifting drive device 37 independently lifts and lowers each of the blocks 40. In the example shown, each lifting drive device 37 includes a motor 37a and a ball screw 37b coupled to the output shaft of the motor 37a. For example, when the motor 37a rotates in one direction (or the other direction), the nut portion of the ball screw 37b rises (or lowers), and accordingly, the block 40 connected to the nut portion via a connecting member such as a pin rises (or lowers).

[0038] The pickup head 38 sucks and holds the semiconductor chip 101, and picks up the semiconductor chip 101. The pickup head 38 includes a collet 39. The collet 39 sucks and holds the chip main surface 101a of the semiconductor chip 101, for example, by vacuum suction. The collet 39 moves between the area where picking is performed and the intermediate stage 60. The collet 39 moves up and down in the Z direction, for example, by a die motor or the like.

[0039] The pickup controller 70 controls various operations of the pickup unit 30. The pickup controller 70 is, for example, a computer including a CPU, a storage unit such as ROM or RAM, an input / output unit, and a driver. The pickup controller 70 operates the input / output unit under the control of the CPU, and reads and writes data from and to the storage unit. Note that at least some of the functions of the pickup controller 70 may be installed in an external server. The pickup controller 70 may be configured by a single electronic unit, or may be configured by multiple electronic units that can communicate with each other.

[0040] The pickup controller 70 controls the relative positional relationship between the wafer holder 34 and the push-up mechanism 36 by the stage 35, and moves the semiconductor chip 101 to be picked up to directly above the push-up mechanism 36. The pickup controller 70 controls the operations of the multiple lifting drive devices 37, and executes an upward operation process (first process), a downward operation process (second process), and a vertical operation process (third process) that move each block 40 along the Z direction.

[0041] The lifting operation process lifts the multiple blocks 40 to a lifting position where they will lift the semiconductor chip 101. Specifically, in the lifting operation process, the multiple blocks 40 are lifted simultaneously so that their upper ends are positioned above the mounting surface 35a. This causes the semiconductor chip 101 to be lifted via the back surface 120b of the dicing sheet 120 (see FIG. 5A). When the semiconductor chip 101 is lifted, the upper end surfaces of the multiple blocks 40 are positioned on the same plane.

[0042] In the lowering operation process, the plurality of blocks 40 are sequentially lowered after the raising operation process. Specifically, in the lowering operation process, the plurality of blocks 40 are sequentially lowered from the outer block 40 to the inner block 40. More specifically, in the lowering operation process, the descent of the fourth block 44, the descent of the third block 43, the descent of the second block 42, and the descent of the first block 41 are started in this order (see FIGS. 6( a) to 7( b)). In the lowering operation process, the plurality of blocks 40 are sequentially lowered to a standby position where the upper ends of the plurality of blocks 40 are positioned below the placement surface 35 a.

[0043] In the up-down operation process, the blocks 40 lowered in the lowering operation process are moved up and down in conjunction with the pick-up operation. The pick-up operation is an operation for picking up the semiconductor chips 101 attached to the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120 from the dicing sheet 120 (details will be described later). In the up-down operation process of this embodiment, at least one or more blocks 40 to be lowered first among the multiple blocks 40 lowered in the lowering operation process are moved up and down before or simultaneously with the lowering. Specifically, in the up-and-down movement processing, before the fourth block 44 starts to descend, the fourth block 44 is moved up and down; after the fourth block 44 starts to descend and before the third block 43 starts to descend, the third block 43 is moved up and down; after the third block 43 starts to descend and before the second block 43 starts to descend, the second block 42 is moved up and down; and after the second block 42 starts to descend and before the first block 41 starts to descend, the first block 41 is moved up and down (see Figures 5(b) to 7(b)).

[0044] The up and down movement of the block 40 performed in the up and down movement process (hereinafter simply referred to as "up and down movement of the block 40") is a repeated small upward and downward movement. The up and down movement of the block 40 is a small back and forth movement in the Z direction. For example, the up and down movement of the block 40 includes multiple upward and downward movements of a movement distance that is 0.1 to 0.25 times the stroke, which is the distance by which the multiple blocks 40 are lowered in the lowering movement process. As an example, the stroke of the block 40 in the lowering movement process is 2 mm, and the up and down movement of the block 40 includes upward and downward movements of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm.

[0045] The speed of the up and down movement of the block 40 (e.g., representative speed, average speed, maximum speed) is not particularly limited, and may be the same as the speed of the upward movement process or downward movement process, or may be faster than the speed of the upward movement process or downward movement process, or may be slower than the speed of the upward movement process or downward movement process. The movement pattern of the up and down movement of the block 40 is not particularly limited, and may be a pattern in which upward movements and downward movements are repeated, a pattern including continuous upward movements, a pattern including continuous downward movements, or a combination of these patterns. The manner of the up and down movement is not particularly limited, and various movement modes are possible.

[0046] The pickup controller 70 controls the operation of the collet 39 in the pickup head 38 and executes a chip suction process (fourth process). In the chip suction process, the semiconductor chip 101 pushed up in the lifting operation process is sucked onto the collet 39 (see FIG. 5A). The pickup controller 70 controls the movement of the collet 39 in the pickup head 38 and transfers and places the picked-up semiconductor chip 101 on the intermediate stage 60.

[0047] The pickup controller 70 controls the operation of the vacuum pump P and the opening and closing of the three-way valve 11, and causes the back surface 120b of the dicing sheet 120 to be sucked by the suction grooves 35c of the stage 35. The pickup controller 70 controls the operation of the vacuum pump P and the opening and closing of the three-way valve 15, and controls the suction of air through the gap between the inner surface of the opening 35b of the stage 35 and the push-up mechanism 36. The pickup controller 70 does not start or stop the suction while the up-and-down operation is being performed. For example, the pickup controller 70 starts the suction when the up-and-down operation starts, and stops the suction after the down-and-down operation ends.

[0048] Next, a description will be given of the operation of picking up the semiconductor chip 101. In addition, a description will be given of a pick-up method according to this embodiment.

[0049] The pickup operation and method for the semiconductor chip 101 are performed when the semiconductor chip 101 is picked up from the dicing sheet 120 using the pickup unit 30. First, the pickup controller 70 controls the relative position of the push-up mechanism 36 with respect to the wafer holder 34, and the semiconductor chip 101 to be picked up is positioned directly above the push-up mechanism 36.

[0050] 4, the back surface 120b of the dicing sheet 120 is placed on the mounting surface 35a of the stage 35. The pickup controller 70 controls the operation of the vacuum pump P and the opening and closing of the three-way valve 11 to start suction of air through the suction grooves 35c of the stage 35, and starts suction of the back surface 120b of the dicing sheet 120. At this time, in the illustrated example, the back surface 120b of the dicing sheet 120 is placed in contact with the upper end surface of each block 40.

[0051] 5A, the pickup controller 70 executes an ascent operation process, raising the plurality of blocks 40 to a push-up position, and the plurality of blocks 40 push up the semiconductor chip 101 via the back surface 120b of the dicing sheet 120. As a result, tension in the tensile direction is applied to the dicing sheet 120 to which the semiconductor chip 101 is attached. The pickup controller 70 controls the operation of the vacuum pump P and the opening and closing of the three-way valve 15, and begins suction of air through the gap between the inner surface of the opening 35b and the push-up mechanism 36. The pickup controller 70 executes a chip suction process, and the semiconductor chip 101 pushed up in the ascent operation process is sucked onto the collet 39 of the pickup head 38.

[0052] Next, as shown in Fig. 5(b), the pickup controller 70 executes a vertical movement process for the fourth block 44, causing the fourth block 44 to move up and down. As shown in Fig. 6(a), the pickup controller 70 executes a lowering process for the fourth block 44, causing the fourth block 44 to start to lower. As the fourth block 44 lowers, the semiconductor chip 101 is peeled off together with the viscoelastic film 102 from the portion of the dicing sheet 120 that was pushed up by the fourth block 44. Thereafter, the pickup controller 70 executes a vertical movement process for the third block 43, causing the third block 43 to move up and down.

[0053] 6(b), the pickup controller 70 executes a process for lowering the third block 43, thereby starting the lowering of the third block 43. As the third block 43 descends, the semiconductor chip 101 is peeled off together with the viscoelastic film 102 from the portion of the dicing sheet 120 that was pushed up by the third block 43. Thereafter, the pickup controller 70 executes a process for moving the second block 42 up and down, thereby moving the second block 42 up and down.

[0054] 7A, the pickup controller 70 executes a process for lowering the second block 42, thereby starting the lowering of the second block 42. As the second block 42 descends, the semiconductor chip 101 is peeled off together with the viscoelastic film 102 from the portion of the dicing sheet 120 that was pushed up by the second block 42. Thereafter, the pickup controller 70 executes a process for moving the first block 41 up and down, thereby moving the first block 41 up and down.

[0055] 7B, the pickup controller 70 executes a process for lowering the first block 41, thereby lowering the first block 41. As the first block 41 descends, the semiconductor chip 101 is peeled off together with the viscoelastic film 102 from the portion of the dicing sheet 120 that was pushed up by the first block 41. The pickup controller 70 then controls the operation of the vacuum pump P and the opening and closing of the three-way valve 15, thereby stopping the suction of air through the gap between the inner surface of the opening 35b and the push-up mechanism 36.

[0056] By the above operations, the semiconductor chip 101 is peeled off from the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120, and the operation and method for picking up the semiconductor chip 101 by the pickup head 38 is completed. In the above, the process of lifting the plurality of blocks 40 by the lifting operation process to push up the semiconductor chip 101 corresponds to the first process, the process of sequentially lowering the plurality of blocks 40 corresponds to the second process, and the process of moving the lowered block 40 up and down before the lowering corresponds to the third process.

[0057] As described above, in the pickup unit 30 and pickup method of this embodiment, when picking up a semiconductor chip 101, multiple blocks 40 are raised and push up the semiconductor chip 101 through the back surface 120b of the dicing sheet 120, and then the multiple blocks 40 are sequentially lowered. Here, by moving the lowered blocks 40 up and down in conjunction with the pickup operation, it is possible to promote peeling of the semiconductor chip 101 from the front surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120 and ensure that the semiconductor chip 101 is peeled from the front surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120. As a result, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of errors due to incorrect peeling of the semiconductor chip 101. Furthermore, the effect of this embodiment is also effective against peeling errors caused by deterioration (effect) of the viscoelastic film 102 between the semiconductor chip 101 and the dicing sheet 120 over time.

[0058] When multiple blocks 40 push up the semiconductor chip 101 through the dicing sheet 120, the dicing sheet 120 is likely to be significantly stretched by the blocks 40 arranged on the outside. The tension exerted by the blocks 40 arranged on the outside of the dicing sheet 120 is greater than the tension exerted by the blocks 40 arranged on the inside. In this regard, in the lowering operation process of the pickup unit 30 of this embodiment, the multiple blocks 40 are sequentially lowered, starting from the outermost block 40 and ending with the innermost block 40. In this case, the tensions acting on the dicing sheet 120 due to the pushing up of the multiple blocks 40 can be gradually released, from the strongest to the weakest. This makes it possible to more reliably peel the semiconductor chip 101 from the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120.

[0059] In the pickup unit 30, an opening 35b that opens to the mounting surface 35a is formed in the stage 35, and multiple blocks 40 are disposed inside the opening 35b. Air inside the opening 35b is sucked by a vacuum pump P via a three-way valve 15, and the suction is not started or stopped during the up-and-down movement process. In this case, the suction of the vacuum pump P can be used to peel the semiconductor chips 101 from the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120. Furthermore, because the suction of the vacuum pump P is not started or stopped during the up-and-down movement process, the adverse effects of the start and stop of the suction on the up-and-down movement of the blocks 40 can be suppressed compared to when the suction of the vacuum pump P is started and stopped during the up-and-down movement process.

[0060] In the pickup unit 30, the multiple blocks 40 include a first block 41, a second block 42, a third block 43, and a fourth block 44. In the lowering operation process, the lowering of the fourth block 44, the lowering of the third block 43, the lowering of the second block 42, and the lowering of the first block 41 are started in this order. In the up-down operation process, the fourth block 44 is operated to move up and down before the lowering of the fourth block 44 starts, the third block 43 is operated to move up and down after the lowering of the fourth block 44 starts and before the lowering of the third block 43 starts, the second block 42 is operated to move up and down after the lowering of the third block 43 starts and before the lowering of the second block 42 starts, and the first block 41 is operated to move up and down after the lowering of the second block 42 starts and before the lowering of the first block 41 starts. As a result, when picking up the semiconductor chip 101, the first to fourth blocks 41 to 44 that have pushed up the semiconductor chip 101 through the back surface 120b of the dicing sheet 120 are lowered in order from the outside to the inside, and are moved up and down before each lowering, thereby making it possible to more reliably peel the semiconductor chip 101 from the front surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120.

[0061] In the pickup unit 30, the up and down movement of the blocks 40 in the up and down operation process includes multiple lifting and lowering operations over a movement distance that is 0.1 to 0.25 times the distance by which the multiple blocks 40 are lowered in the lowering operation process. Such up and down movement of the blocks 40 can effectively promote the peeling of the semiconductor chips 101 from the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120.

[0062] The pickup unit 30 further includes a pickup head 38. Before the lowering operation process and the up-and-down operation process, the pickup controller 70 executes a chip suction process for suctioning the semiconductor chip 101 pushed up by the lifting operation process onto the collet 39 of the pickup head 38. In this case, the semiconductor chip 101 can be picked up using the pickup head 38.

[0063] The mounting apparatus 1 includes a pickup unit 30 and a bonding unit 50. Because the mounting apparatus 1 includes the pickup unit 30, it has the above-described advantageous effect of being able to reliably peel the semiconductor chip 101 from the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120.

[0064] As described above, one aspect of the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0065] Although the above embodiment includes the push-up mechanism 36 including the first block 41, the second block 42, the third block 43, and the fourth block 44, this is not limiting. For example, instead of the push-up mechanism 36, a push-up mechanism 136 shown in Fig. 8 may be provided. The push-up mechanism 136 includes a first block 141, a second block 142, a third block 143, and a fourth block 144. The first block 141, the second block 142, the third block 143, and the fourth block 144 are arranged in this order from the inside to the outside.

[0066] The first block 141 is formed in the shape of a rectangular pillar with its axis aligned in the Z direction. The cross-sectional shape of the first block 141 is an elongated rectangle with its longitudinal direction aligned in the Y direction. The second block 142 is arranged to surround the outside of the first block 141 in a plan view. The cross-sectional shape of the second block 142 is an elongated rectangular frame with its longitudinal direction aligned in the Y direction. The third block 143 is arranged to surround the outside of the second block 142 in a plan view. The cross-sectional shape of the third block 143 is an elongated rectangular frame with its longitudinal direction aligned in the Y direction. The fourth block 144 is arranged to surround the outside of the third block 143 in a plan view. The cross-sectional shape of the fourth block 144 is an elongated rectangular frame with its longitudinal direction aligned in the Y direction.

[0067] A notch K1 is formed in each of a pair of outer surfaces extending along the longitudinal direction of the first block 141. The notch K1 is formed at the upper end of the outer surface and forms a recess that is recessed inward in a mountain-like shape in plan view. A notch K2 is formed in each of a pair of outer surfaces extending along the longitudinal direction and a pair of outer surfaces perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the second block 142. The notch K2 is formed at the upper end of the outer surface and forms a recess that is recessed inward in a mountain-like shape in plan view. A notch K3 is formed in each of a pair of outer surfaces extending along the longitudinal direction and a pair of outer surfaces perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the third block 143. The notch K3 is formed at the upper end of the outer surface and forms a recess that is recessed inward in a mountain-like shape in plan view. A notch K4 is formed in each of a pair of outer surfaces extending along the longitudinal direction and a pair of outer surfaces perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fourth block 144. The notch K4 is formed at the upper end of the outer surface and forms a recess that is recessed inward in a mountain shape in plan view.

[0068] Even in the modified example provided with such a push-up mechanism 136, the above-described effect of reliably peeling the semiconductor chip 101 from the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120 is achieved. Furthermore, in the modified example, when the first block 141, the second block 142, the third block 143, and the fourth block 144 are raised and lowered to peel the semiconductor chip 101 from the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120, starting points for peeling are also likely to be formed near the notches K1, K2, K3, and K4, making the above-described effect more pronounced.

[0069] In the above embodiment and modified example, the chip component is a semiconductor chip 101, but the chip component is not particularly limited and may be other chip-shaped components. In the above embodiment and modified example, the semiconductor chip 101 is attached to the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120 via the viscoelastic film 102, but other films, sheets, and layers may be interposed between the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120 and the semiconductor chip 101, or the semiconductor chip 101 may be attached directly to the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120. In the above embodiment, the mounting method of the semiconductor chip 101 in the mounting device 1 is not particularly limited, and the mounting device 1 may be, for example, a die bonder or a flip-chip bonder.

[0070] In the above embodiment and modified example, the block 40 is moved up and down before being lowered. However, the block 40 may be moved up and down simultaneously with the lowering of the block 40 (i.e., while the block 40 is being lowered). Such up and down movement of the block 40 can effectively promote the peeling of the semiconductor chip 101 from the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120. In this case, the takt time can also be shortened. In the above embodiment and modified example, the lifting drive device 37 includes a motor 37a and a ball screw 37b. However, the lifting drive device 37 is not particularly limited, and various known drive devices may be used.

[0071] In the above embodiment and modified example, all of the blocks 40 are moved up and down, but at least the first block 40 to be lowered may be moved up and down. When multiple blocks 40 are lowered, the first block 40 to be lowered often does not successfully peel the semiconductor chip 101 from the dicing sheet 120. Therefore, by moving at least the first block 40 to be lowered up and down, the semiconductor chip 101 can be reliably and effectively peeled from the dicing sheet 120.

[0072] In the above embodiment and modified example, when the semiconductor chip 101 is picked up, air is sucked through the gap between the inner surface of the opening 35b and the outer surface of the push-up mechanism 36, but such suction may not be performed in some cases. The above embodiment and modified example are provided with the pick-up head 38 as the chip holding unit, but various other mechanisms and devices may be provided instead of the pick-up head 38 as long as they are mechanisms and devices that suck and hold the chip component and pick it up.

[0073] In the above embodiment and modified example, four blocks 40 are provided as the multiple push-up portions, but the number of push-up portions is not particularly limited and two, three, five or more push-up portions may be provided. In the above embodiment and modified example, the shapes of the push-up portions are rectangular tube-shaped and rectangular column-shaped, but the shapes of the push-up portions are not particularly limited and may be other shapes. In the above embodiment and modified example, other members such as pin members may be provided as push-up portions instead of the blocks 40.

[0074] In the above embodiment and modified example, at least the first block 40 to descend is moved up and down, but this is not limited thereto, and for example, at least the second or third block 40 to descend may be moved up and down. In the above embodiment and modified example, the first block 40 to descend does not have to be moved up and down.

[0075] The above embodiment and the above modified examples may include a peeling detection unit that detects whether or not the semiconductor chip 101 has peeled off from the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120. In this case, when one or more blocks 40 are being lowered, if the peeling detection unit detects that the semiconductor chip 101 has not peeled off from the portion of the dicing sheet 120 that was pushed up by the block 40, the block 40 may be moved up and down.

[0076] In the above embodiment and modified example, one or more blocks 40 to be lowered are moved up and down before or simultaneously with the actual lowering. However, this is not limited thereto. The blocks 40 may be moved up and down after a preliminary lowering, which is a smaller amount of lowering than the actual lowering. For example, the blocks 40 may be first lowered by a preliminary lowering to apply tension to the dicing sheet 120, and then the blocks 40 may be moved up and down. Such up and down movement of the blocks 40 can effectively promote peeling of the semiconductor chips 101 from the surface 120a of the dicing sheet 120. That is, in the above embodiment and modified example, the up and down movement process and the up and down movement step may be performed by moving the blocks 40 lowered in the lowering process up and down in conjunction with the pick-up operation. For example, any block 40 may be moved up and down in various ways between the start and end of the pick-up operation.

[0077] The components in the above-described embodiment and modified examples are not limited to the materials and shapes described above, and various materials and shapes can be applied. Furthermore, the components in the above-described embodiment and modified examples can be arbitrarily applied to the components in other embodiments or modified examples.

[0078] The present disclosure includes the following configurations.

[0079] The present disclosure is [1] "A pickup unit used when picking up chip components attached to the surface of a sheet from the sheet, comprising: a stage that adsorbs and holds the sheet; a plurality of push-up sections that are each configured to be able to rise and fall independently and push up the chip components via the back surface of the sheet held by the stage; a plurality of lifting drive sections that raise and lower each of the plurality of push-up sections; and a drive control section that controls the operation of the plurality of lifting drive sections, wherein the drive control section executes a first operation process that raises the plurality of push-up sections to push up positions where they push up the chip components; a second operation process that, after the first operation process, sequentially lowers the plurality of push-up sections; and a third operation process that operates the push-up sections that are lowered in the second operation process so that they move up and down in conjunction with the pickup operation."

[0080] The present disclosure is [2] "A pickup unit described in [1] above, wherein the plurality of push-up portions are arranged concentrically in a planar view, and in the second operation process, the plurality of push-up portions are sequentially lowered in the order of the outer push-up portion to the inner push-up portion."

[0081] The present disclosure is [3] "A pickup unit as described in [1] or [2] above, wherein in the third operation process, at least one or more of the push-up portions that are lowered first in the second operation process are operated to move up and down."

[0082] The present disclosure is [4] "A pickup unit described in any of [1] to [4] above, wherein in the third operation process, one or more of the push-up portions that are lowered in the second operation process are operated to move up and down before the descent, or simultaneously with the descent, or after a preliminary descent that is before the descent and has a smaller amount of descent than the descent itself."

[0083] The present disclosure is [5] "A pickup unit described in any of [1] to [4] above, wherein the stage includes a loading surface on which the sheet is placed and an opening that opens into the loading surface, the plurality of push-up portions are arranged inside the opening, and further includes a suction portion that sucks air inside the opening, and the suction portion does not start or stop suction while the third operation process is being executed."

[0084] The present disclosure is [6] "A pickup unit according to any of [1] to [5] above, wherein the plurality of push-up portions include a first block, a second block arranged to surround the outside of the first block in a planar view, a third block arranged to surround the outside of the second block in a planar view, and a fourth block arranged to surround the outside of the third block in a planar view; in the second operation process, the descent of the fourth block, the descent of the third block, the descent of the second block, and the descent of the first block are started in this order; in the third operation process, before the descent of the fourth block starts, the fourth block is operated to move up and down; after the descent of the fourth block starts and before the descent of the third block starts, the third block is operated to move up and down; after the descent of the third block starts and before the descent of the second block starts, the second block is operated to move up and down; and after the descent of the second block starts and before the descent of the first block starts, the first block is operated to move up and down."

[0085] The present disclosure is [7] "A pickup unit described in any of [1] to [6] above, wherein the up and down movement of the third operation process includes multiple upward and downward movements of a movement distance of 0.1 to 0.25 times the distance by which the multiple push-up portions are lowered in the second operation process."

[0086] The present disclosure is [8] "a pickup unit described in any of [1] to [7] above, further comprising a chip holding section that adsorbs and holds the chip component and picks up the chip component from the sheet, wherein the drive control section further controls the operation of the chip holding section and executes a fourth operation process that adsorbs the chip component pushed up in the first operation process onto the chip holding section before the second and third operation processes."

[0087] The present disclosure is [9] "A mounting device comprising a pickup unit described in any one of [1] to [8] above, and a bonding unit that bonds the chip component picked up by the pickup unit to a substrate."

[0088] The present disclosure is

[10] "A pickup method carried out when picking up chip components attached to the surface of a sheet from the sheet, the pickup method comprising: a first step of raising a plurality of push-up portions and causing the plurality of push-up portions to push up the chip components through the back surface of the sheet that is held by suction on a stage; a second step of sequentially lowering the plurality of push-up portions after the first step; and a third step of operating the push-up portions lowered in the second step so that they move up and down in conjunction with the pickup operation."

[0089] 1...mounting device, 15...three-way valve (suction part), 30...pickup unit, 35...stage, 35a...mounting surface, 35b...opening, 37...lifting drive device (lifting drive part), 38...pickup head (chip holding part), 40...block (push-up part), 41, 141...first block, 42, 142...second block, 43, 143...third block, 44, 144...fourth block, 50...bonding unit, 70...pickup controller (drive control part), 101...semiconductor chip (chip component), 120...dicing sheet (sheet), 120a...front surface, 120b...back surface, P...vacuum pump (suction part).

Claims

1. A pickup unit used when picking up chip components attached to the surface of a sheet from the sheet, comprising: a stage that adsorbs and holds the sheet; a plurality of push-up sections that are each configured to be able to rise and fall independently and that push up the chip components via the back surface of the sheet held by the stage; a plurality of lifting drive sections that raise and lower each of the plurality of push-up sections; and a drive control section that controls the operation of the plurality of lifting drive sections, wherein the drive control section performs a first operation process that raises the plurality of push-up sections to push-up positions where they will push up the chip components; a second operation process that, after the first operation process, lowers the plurality of push-up sections in sequence; and a third operation process that causes the push-up sections that were lowered in the second operation process to move up and down in conjunction with the pickup operation.

2. A pickup unit as described in claim 1, wherein the plurality of push-up portions are arranged concentrically in a plan view, and in the second operation process, the plurality of push-up portions are sequentially lowered in the order of the outer push-up portion to the inner push-up portion.

3. A pickup unit as described in claim 1, wherein in the third operation process, at least one or more of the push-up portions that are lowered first in the second operation process are operated to move up and down.

4. A pickup unit as described in claim 1, wherein in the third operation process, one or more of the push-up portions that are lowered in the second operation process are operated to move up and down before the descent, or simultaneously with the descent, or after a preliminary descent before the descent but with a smaller amount of descent than the descent itself.

5. A pickup unit as described in claim 1, wherein the stage includes a loading surface on which the sheet is placed and an opening that opens into the loading surface, the plurality of push-up portions are arranged inside the opening, and the pickup unit further includes a suction portion that sucks air inside the opening, and the suction portion does not start or stop suction while the third operation process is being performed.

6. A pickup unit as described in claim 1, wherein the plurality of push-up portions include a first block, a second block arranged to surround the outside of the first block in a planar view, a third block arranged to surround the outside of the second block in a planar view, and a fourth block arranged to surround the outside of the third block in a planar view, and wherein the second operation process starts the descent of the fourth block, the descent of the third block, the descent of the second block, and the descent of the first block in this order, and wherein the third operation process moves the fourth block up and down before the descent of the fourth block begins, moves the third block up and down after the descent of the fourth block begins and before the descent of the third block begins, moves the second block up and down, and moves the first block up and down after the descent of the third block begins and before the descent of the second block begins.

7. The pickup unit of claim 1, wherein the up and down movement of the third operation process includes multiple upward and downward movements of a movement distance that is 0.1 to 0.25 times the distance by which the multiple thrust portions are lowered in the second operation process.

8. A pickup unit as described in claim 1, further comprising a chip holding section that adsorbs and holds the chip component and picks up the chip component from the sheet, wherein the drive control section further controls the operation of the chip holding section and executes a fourth operation process, before the second and third operation processes, in which the chip component pushed up in the first operation process is adsorbed by the chip holding section.

9. A mounting device comprising: a pickup unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8; and a bonding unit that bonds the chip component picked up by the pickup unit to a substrate.

10. A pick-up method carried out when picking up chip components attached to the surface of a sheet from the sheet, comprising: a first step of raising a plurality of push-up parts and causing the plurality of push-up parts to push up the chip components through the back surface of the sheet that is held by suction on a stage; a second step of sequentially lowering the plurality of push-up parts after the first step; and a third step of operating the push-up parts lowered in the second step so that they move up and down in conjunction with the pick-up operation.

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