Applicator head and applicator device

Abstract

An applicator head (12) for applying paste to an electronic component comprises: a nozzle (40) for discharging paste (110) to a substrate (100); a dispenser (30) for supplying the paste (110) to the nozzle (40); and a rotation mechanism (64) for rotating the nozzle (40) relative to the dispenser (30) about an axis.

Description

Coating head and coating device

[0001] The present specification discloses a dispensing head for applying paste to electronic components, and a dispensing device having the dispensing head.

[0002] In the process of manufacturing electronic components, a paste may be applied to the electronic components in a predetermined shape. For example, in the process of manufacturing semiconductor devices, a paste serving as a sintering agent or a bonding material may be applied to a substrate in a predetermined shape. Techniques for applying such pastes to electronic components have been proposed.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a discharge device that discharges colored liquids onto a substrate to manufacture color filters for displays. This discharge device has a nozzle head, which further has three nozzle groups that discharge colored liquids corresponding to R, G, and B. Each nozzle group has a nozzle row in which nine nozzles are aligned in a straight line. The discharge device of Patent Document 1 is further equipped with a head rotation mechanism for switching the arrangement direction of the nozzles formed in the nozzle head.

[0004] According to Patent Document 1, the entire nozzle head, and in turn the nozzle arrangement direction, can be rotated depending on the shape of the drawing pattern to be formed, which allows the drawing pattern to be formed relatively efficiently.

[0005] JP 2009-181093 A

[0006] However, in the case of the technology of Patent Document 1, not only the nozzles but also the entire nozzle head including the mechanism for supplying liquid to the nozzles is rotated, which tends to result in a large rotation mechanism and therefore a large discharge device itself.

[0007] Therefore, this specification discloses a coating head and a coating device that are smaller in size and yet allow the orientation of the nozzle to be changed.

[0008] The application head disclosed in this specification is an application head that applies paste to an electronic component, and includes a nozzle that ejects paste onto the electronic component, a dispenser that supplies paste to the nozzle, and a rotation mechanism that rotates the nozzle around an axis relative to the dispenser.

[0009] In this case, the dispenser may have a transport unit that transports the paste from a supply tube that stores the paste, and a cylindrical connecting member that is interposed between the transport unit and the nozzle.

[0010] The rotation mechanism may also have a motor and a rotating body that rotates together with the nozzle by the driving force of the motor, and the rotating body may be provided with a accommodating hole that connects the connecting member so that it can rotate relatively, and the nozzle may be attached to the accommodating hole.

[0011] Furthermore, the end of the connecting member may be inserted into the upper end opening of the nozzle, and the space between the connecting member and the upper end opening may be sealed with a rotary seal.

[0012] The rotation mechanism may also include a motor, a rotating body to which the nozzle is attached and which rotates together with the nozzle, a housing hole that passes through the rotating body, and a sprocket or gear that transmits the power of the motor to the rotating body, and the connecting member may be inserted into the housing hole and rotatably attached to the rotating body via a bearing.

[0013] The coating device disclosed in this specification is a coating device comprising the above-mentioned coating head, a controller, and a moving mechanism for moving the coating head, wherein the nozzle outlet is linear and wide in one direction, the coating head applies the paste in a band-like shape by discharging paste from the outlet while moving in the direction of travel relative to the electronic component, and the controller changes the rotation angle of the nozzle in conjunction with a change in the direction of travel of the coating head so that the width direction of the nozzle is at a predetermined angle with respect to the direction of travel.

[0014] In this case, a camera may be provided that captures an image of the nozzle from below, and the controller may check the angle of the nozzle based on the image captured by the camera.

[0015] According to the technology disclosed in this specification, the nozzle is rotated relative to the dispenser, so the orientation of the nozzle can be changed while the rotation mechanism, and therefore the application head, is made smaller.

[0016] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a coating device; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a coating head; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a nozzle; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which paste is applied using a nozzle as viewed from directly above; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which paste is applied using a nozzle of a comparative example as viewed from directly above; and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which paste is applied by a nozzle.

[0017] The configuration of the coating apparatus 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the coating apparatus 10. In this specification, the coating apparatus 10 is described as an example, in which a bonding material paste 110 is applied to a substrate 100. In this case, the paste 110 is a fluid that mechanically bonds the substrate 100 and a semiconductor chip. After a semiconductor chip (not shown) is placed on the paste 110 applied to the substrate 100, heat is applied to the paste 110, bonding the semiconductor chip and the substrate 100 to each other. This results in a semiconductor device having the substrate 100 and the semiconductor chip. In this case, the paste 110 includes, for example, at least sinterable particles containing a conductive metal and a binder component. The sinterable particles are particles that contain a conductive metal element and are sinterable. The sinterable particles are, for example, gold, silver, copper, palladium, tin, nickel, or an alloy of two or more metals selected from these groups. The paste 110 has fluidity before drying and solidifies upon drying.

[0018] In this manner, electronic components such as semiconductor chips are configured to be mounted on the substrate 100. More specifically, examples of the substrate 100 include plate-like members such as resin substrates, ceramic substrates, metal substrates, carrier plates, lead frames, and wafers. Examples of electronic components include semiconductor chips, MEMS chips, passive elements, heat sinks, conductive members, spacers, and the like. The shape of the substrate may be rectangular (strip-like), square, circular, or the like. The number of electronic components mounted on one substrate may be one or multiple (for example, in a matrix).

[0019] The coating device 10 includes a coating head 12, a movement mechanism, a stage 16, and a controller 22. The coating head 12 is a unit having a nozzle 40, and ejects a paste 110 from the nozzle 40 onto a substrate 100. The movement mechanism moves the coating head 12 in the horizontal and vertical directions. In this example, the movement mechanism includes a Y-movement mechanism 18 and a Z-movement mechanism 20. The Z-movement mechanism 20 moves the coating head 12 in the Z-axis direction (i.e., the vertical direction). The Z-movement mechanism 20 includes, for example, a motor as a power source and a transmission mechanism that transmits the motor's power to the coating head 12 as linear motion. The transmission mechanism includes, for example, a ball screw or a guide rail. The Y-movement mechanism 18 moves the coating head 12 together with the Z-movement mechanism 20 in the Y-axis direction (i.e., the horizontal direction). Like the Z-movement mechanism 20, the Y-movement mechanism 18 also includes a motor as a power source and a transmission mechanism.

[0020] The stage 16 supports the substrate 100. The stage 16 is disposed below the coating head 12. In this example, the stage 16 is movable in the X-axis direction, which is perpendicular to the Z-axis and Y-axis. This allows the coating head 12 to move relatively to the substrate 100 in three directions: X, Y, and Z. In this example, the coating head 12 moves in the Y and Z directions, and the stage 16 moves in the X direction, but the combination of these movement directions may be changed as appropriate. For example, the coating head 12 may be fixed, and the stage 16 may be moved in the X, Y, and Z directions. The configuration of the movement mechanism may also be changed as appropriate.

[0021] The controller 22 controls the operation of the coating device 10. The controller 22 is physically a computer having a processor 24 and a memory 26. The controller 22 drives the movement mechanism, the coating head 12, and the stage 16 based on a program stored in the memory 26 and detection results detected by various sensors (not shown).

[0022] Here, the coating head 12 of this example can rotate the nozzle 40 in a horizontal plane. The detailed configuration of the coating head 12 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the coating head 12. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the nozzle 40.

[0023] First, the configuration of the nozzle 40 will be described. The nozzle 40 of this example ejects paste 110 from an ejection port 58 provided at its end. As shown in FIG. 3 , this ejection port 58 is a substantially linear opening that is elongated in one direction. In other words, the ejection port 58 is non-circular. When applying the paste 110 to the substrate 100, the application head 12 is moved in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the ejection port 58 (i.e., the direction of arrow Dp in FIG. 3 ) while ejecting the paste 110 from this ejection port 58. This causes the paste 110 to be applied in a strip shape to the substrate 100.

[0024] The nozzle 40 of this example has a first nozzle piece 42 and a second nozzle piece 44. The first nozzle piece 42 is broadly divided into a substantially disk-shaped flange 46 and a first plate portion 48. The flange 46 is a portion connected to a rotor 66 (described below). The first plate portion 48 is a flat portion hanging downward from the flange 46. The second nozzle piece 44 is a flat member stacked in the thickness direction with the first plate portion 48. Recesses are formed on the opposing surfaces of the first plate portion 48 and the second nozzle piece 44. As a result, when the first plate portion 48 and the second nozzle piece 44 are stacked, a thin relay gap 56 is formed between them. The end of this relay gap 56 becomes the discharge port 58.

[0025] An inlet 50 into which a connecting member 36 (described later) is inserted is formed on the upper surface of the flange 46. The first nozzle piece 42 further has a guide hole 52 that connects the inlet 50 to a relay gap 56. The paste 110 supplied from the connecting member 36 passes through the inlet 50, the guide hole 52, and the relay gap 56, and is discharged from a discharge port 58.

[0026] The nozzle 40 is detachably attached to the application head 12. In addition to the nozzle 40, the application head 12 further includes a dispenser 30, a rotation mechanism 64, and a base plate 82. The dispenser 30 supplies paste 110 to the nozzle 40. The dispenser 30 includes a main body 32 and a connecting member 36. The main body 32 stores the paste 110 supplied from a supply source (not shown) and extrudes a specified amount of paste 110 toward the connecting member 36 in accordance with instructions from the controller 22. An electric pump (e.g., a syringe pump, etc.) is built into the main body 32 to extrude the paste 110. A supply tube 34 (see FIG. 1) that is electrically connected to the supply source is connected to the main body 32.

[0027] The connecting member 36 is a cylindrical member attached to the end of the main body 32. This connecting member 36 connects the main body 32 and the nozzle 40. A through-hole 38 that passes through the connecting member 36 from top to bottom is formed in the center of the connecting member 36. The paste 110 is supplied from the main body 32 to the nozzle 40 through this through-hole 38. The end of the connecting member 36 is inserted into the receiving port 50, which is the upper opening of the nozzle 40. The gap between the outer peripheral surface of the connecting member 36 and the inner peripheral surface of the receiving port 50 is sealed by a sealing member 39. The sealing member 39 is a rotation seal that allows rotation of the nozzle 40 relative to the connecting member 36 while liquid-tightly sealing the gap between the connecting member 36 and the receiving port 50. The sealing member 39 is made of a low-friction material, such as a fluororesin (e.g., PTFE) or nitrile rubber. Furthermore, since the main body 32 conveys the paste 110 to the nozzle 40 via the connecting member 36, the main body 32 is an example of a conveying section that conveys the paste.

[0028] The rotation mechanism 64 rotates the nozzle 40 relative to the dispenser 30. The rotation mechanism 64 has a rotating body 66, a rotation motor 80, and a transmission mechanism. The rotating body 66 is a member that rotates together with the nozzle 40. The nozzle 40 is fastened to the bottom surface of the rotating body 66 by a fastening member such as a bolt. The rotating body 66 is also provided with an accommodation hole 68 that is a hole that penetrates the rotating body 66, and the accommodation hole 68 accommodates the connecting member 36. The connecting member 36 is fixed inside the accommodation hole 68 via a bearing 70. Therefore, the nozzle 40 and the rotating body 66 can rotate around an axis relative to the dispenser 30 including the connecting member 36. Note that axis Ac in FIG. 2 is the central axis of rotation of the nozzle 40.

[0029] The rotary motor 80 is driven in response to commands from the controller 22. The transmission mechanism is a sprocket having a first pulley 72, a second pulley 74, and a transmission belt 76. The first pulley 72 is fixed to the output shaft of the rotary motor 80 and rotates as the rotary motor 80 is driven. The second pulley 74 is fixed to the outer periphery of the rotating body 66. The rotation of the first pulley 72 is transmitted to the second pulley 74 via the transmission belt 76. Therefore, as the rotary motor 80 is driven, the rotating body 66 and the nozzle 40 can rotate. The power of the rotary motor 80 is transmitted to the rotating body 66 at a reduction ratio corresponding to the ratio between the diameters of the first pulley 72 and the second pulley 74. Therefore, the diameters of the first pulley 72 and the second pulley 74 may be set according to the required torque and rotational resolution. The rotation mechanism allows the nozzle 40 and the rotating body 66 to rotate 360 ​​degrees. Furthermore, they can rotate in either the left or right direction. The range of rotation angles can also be appropriately limited by control. For example, it can be set so that rotation angles are limited to within a range of 90 degrees. The range of rotation angles can also be physically limited. For example, a locking portion that prevents rotation can be provided at a predetermined location so that a rotating member such as the bearing 70 cannot rotate beyond a predetermined angle. The direction of rotation can also be appropriately limited by control. For example, it can be controlled so that rotation is limited to only counterclockwise or clockwise.

[0030] Furthermore, the configuration of the transmission mechanism described here is one example and may be modified as appropriate. For example, gears may be used instead of sprockets to transmit the power of the rotary motor 80. Furthermore, in the above description, the rotary motor 80 is used to rotate the nozzle 40. However, other power sources and transmission mechanisms may be used to rotate the nozzle 40. For example, the outer surface of the rotor 66 may be provided with protrusions that protrude in the radial direction, and the rotor 66, and therefore the nozzle 40, may be rotated by pushing and pulling the protrusions with an electromagnetic cylinder or the like.

[0031] The rotation angle of the nozzle 40 may be calculated from the amount of movement of the rotation motor 80. As another embodiment, a camera 81 may be provided to capture an image of the nozzle 40, and the rotation angle of the nozzle 40 may be detected based on an image acquired by the camera 81. The camera 81 may be installed, for example, near the stage 16 so as to capture an image of the nozzle 40 from below.

[0032] As is clear from the above description, the application head 12 has a rotation mechanism 64, which allows the nozzle 40 to rotate relative to the dispenser 30. This allows the application pattern of the paste 110 to be changed more flexibly. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which paste 110 is applied using a nozzle 40, as viewed from directly above. First, consider a case in which paste 110 is applied in the form of a long strip in the Y direction (i.e., the left-right direction on the paper). As shown in the upper parts of FIGS. 4 and 5, the width direction of the nozzle 40 is assumed to be parallel to the X direction. In this case, by discharging paste 110 from the discharge port 58 of the nozzle 40 while moving the application head 12 including the nozzle 40 in the Y direction, the paste 110 can be applied in the form of a long strip in the Y direction.

[0034] Next, consider the case where paste 110 is applied in the X direction (i.e., the vertical direction of the paper) in the form of a long strip. In this case, if there is no rotation mechanism 64 for changing the angle of the nozzle 40 relative to the dispenser 30, the application head 12 needs to be moved in a zigzag pattern relative to the substrate 100, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 5 . That is, if the nozzle 40 cannot be rotated, first, the application head 12 is moved relatively in the Y direction from position P1 to position P2 by the width of the strip while discharging the paste 110 from the nozzle 40. Then, with the discharge of the paste 110 temporarily stopped, the application head 12 is moved relatively in the X direction to position P3. Then, again, while discharging the paste 110, the application head 12 is moved relatively in the Y direction from position P3 by the width of the strip. If the nozzle 40 cannot be rotated, this zigzag relative movement needs to be repeated. In this case, it takes a long time to complete the application. In this case, there is also the problem that misalignment or overlap is likely to occur at the joint between the nth stage and the (n+1)th stage, which can easily cause a disturbance in the coating shape and coating thickness of the paste 110. Furthermore, in a configuration that does not have a rotation mechanism 64 that changes the angle of the nozzle 40 relative to the dispenser 30, the paste 110 can be coated in a strip shape that is long in the X direction by reattaching the nozzle 40 so that the outlet 58 of the nozzle 40 is long in the X direction. However, in a configuration that does not have a rotation mechanism 64, work time is required to reattach the nozzle, and it takes time to complete coating.

[0035] On the other hand, when a rotation mechanism 64 for changing the rotation angle of the nozzle 40 is provided as in this example, the orientation of the nozzle 40 can be changed in accordance with a change in the traveling direction of the coating head 12, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 4 . In the example of FIG. 4 , when the traveling direction of the coating head 12 turns 90 degrees, the controller 22 also rotates the nozzle 40 90 degrees. In this state, the controller 22 moves the coating head 12 relatively in a straight line in the X direction while coating the paste 110 from the nozzle 40. As a result, the paste 110 is coated in a long strip shape in the X direction. In other words, in this example, in order to maintain high coating quality of the paste 110, the controller 22 rotates the nozzle 40 in conjunction with a change in the traveling direction of the coating head 12 relative to the substrate 100 so that the width direction of the nozzle 40 is approximately perpendicular to the traveling direction. In this case, there is no need to move the coating head 12 in a zigzag manner, and there is no need to reattach the nozzle 40, so that the paste 110 can be coated in a shorter time. Furthermore, by rotating the nozzle 40, no joints are formed in the X direction, so that the quality of the application of the paste 110 can be maintained at a high level.

[0036] In this example, the dispenser 30 is not rotated, and only the nozzle 40 is rotated. This configuration allows the rotation mechanism 64, and therefore the entire coating head 12, to be miniaturized. In other words, if a large portion of the coating head 12, including the dispenser 30, were to be rotated, a large motor and transmission mechanism would be required. Furthermore, the dispenser 30 is connected to a supply source (not shown). Therefore, if the dispenser 30 were also rotated, the piping connecting the dispenser 30 to the supply source would become complicated. On the other hand, in this example, the dispenser 30 is not rotated, and only the nozzle 40 is rotated, thereby reducing the mass to be rotated and enabling the motor and transmission mechanism to be kept small. Furthermore, since the nozzle 40 is concentrically disposed with the dispenser 30, the position of the supply passage for the paste 110 from the dispenser 30 to the nozzle 40 does not change even if only the nozzle 40 is rotated. As a result, no special measures are required for routing the supply passages, and the overall configuration of the application head 12 can be simplified.

[0037] Note that the configurations described above are merely examples, and other configurations may be modified as appropriate as long as the configuration of claim 1 is included. For example, in the above description, a paste 110 containing a sintering material is applied to a substrate 100 using a coating head 12. However, the type of paste 110 to be applied and the type of electronic component to be applied may be modified as appropriate. Also, in the above description, the angle of the width direction of the nozzle 40 relative to the traveling direction of the coating head 12 is set to 90 degrees. However, the angle of the width direction of the nozzle 40 relative to the traveling direction of the coating head 12 is not limited to 90 degrees and may be modified. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , the angle α of the width direction of the nozzle 40 relative to the traveling direction of the coating head 12 may be less than 90 degrees. This allows the width of the applied paste 110 to be smaller than the width of the discharge port 58 of the nozzle 40.

[0038] The configuration of the nozzle 40 may also be changed as appropriate. For example, the nozzle 40 may be configured as a single component or a combination of three or more components, rather than assembling the first nozzle piece 42 and the second nozzle piece 44. The shape of the outlet 58 of the nozzle 40 is not limited to being linear, and may be another shape, such as an ellipse or a triangle.

[0039] 10 Coating device, 12 Coating head, 16 Stage, 18 Y movement mechanism, 20 Z movement mechanism, 22 Controller, 24 Processor, 26 Memory, 30 Dispenser, 32 Main body, 34 Supply tube, 36 Connecting member, 38 Through hole, 39 Sealing member, 40 Nozzle, 42 First nozzle piece, 44 Second nozzle piece, 46 Flange, 48 First plate portion, 50 Receiving port, 52 Guide hole, 56 Relay gap, 58 Discharge port, 64 Rotation mechanism, 66 Rotating body, 68 Storage hole, 70 Bearing, 72 First pulley, 74 Second pulley, 76 Transmission belt, 80 Rotation motor, 81 Camera, 82 Base plate, 100 Substrate, 110 Paste.

Claims

1. A coating head for coating an electronic component with paste, comprising: a nozzle for discharging paste onto the electronic component; a dispenser for supplying paste to the nozzle; and a rotation mechanism for rotating the nozzle about an axis relative to the dispenser.

2. A coating head according to claim 1, characterized in that the dispenser has a transport section that transports the paste from a supply tube that stores the paste, and a cylindrical connecting member that is interposed between the transport section and the nozzle.

3. A coating head as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the rotation mechanism has a motor and a rotating body that rotates together with the nozzle by the driving force of the motor, the rotating body is provided with a receiving hole that connects the connecting member so that it can rotate relatively, and the nozzle is attached to the receiving hole.

4. A coating head according to claim 2, wherein the end of the connecting member is inserted into the upper end opening of the nozzle, and the space between the connecting member and the upper end opening is sealed with a rotary seal.

5. A coating head as claimed in claim 4, wherein the rotation mechanism comprises a motor, a rotating body to which the nozzle is attached and which rotates together with the nozzle, a housing hole which passes through the rotating body, and a sprocket or gear which transmits the power of the motor to the rotating body, and the connecting member is inserted into the housing hole and is rotatably attached to the rotating body via a bearing.

6. A coating device comprising: a coating head according to any one of claims 1 to 5; a controller; and a movement mechanism for moving the coating head, wherein the nozzle outlet is linear and wide in one direction; the coating head applies the paste in a band-like manner by discharging paste from the outlet while moving in the direction of travel relative to the electronic component; and the controller changes the rotation angle of the nozzle in conjunction with a change in the direction of travel of the coating head so that the width direction of the nozzle is at a predetermined angle relative to the direction of travel.

7. A coating device according to claim 6, further comprising a camera that captures an image of the nozzle from below, and wherein the controller checks the angle of the nozzle based on the image captured by the camera.

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