Semiconductor Pick and Place Apparatus with Flipping Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor processing apparatuses lack precision and efficiency in handling small objects like integrated circuit chips, particularly in flipping and picking/placing operations, which are critical for multi-step manufacturing processes.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus comprises a combination of Pick & Place (PNP) units, a transporting system with gantries, and a vision inspection system, allowing for precise and sequential handling of chips, including flipping mechanisms, to manage the loading, transportation, and placement of semiconductor dies in various forms (singulated wafer, strip, or magazine) with user-controlled maneuverable arms and linear motors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single PNP unit is used for picking and placing chips, then the device complexity is low, but the productivity is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the chip processing task into multiple independent PNP units (first PNP unit and second PNP unit), each capable of picking and placing chips independently. This segmentation allows parallel processing of multiple chips simultaneously, thereby increasing overall productivity while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple PNP units are merged into a single integrated system that shares common components such as the transporting system, input unit, and output unit. This combining approach enables parallel chip processing to boost productivity while avoiding the full complexity of completely separate systems
2Manufacturing precision
If manual handling of chips is used, then the ease of operation is high, but the manufacturing precision is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical handling with automated PNP units that use precision mechanisms (such as suction cups, robotic arms, or pick-and-place heads) to pick and place chips. This substitution dramatically improves chip placement accuracy while the automated control systems maintain ease of operation through programmatic control
Solution Approach 2:
The PNP units are designed to autonomously perform the complete pick-and-place operation without human intervention. The units self-regulate their movements, positioning, and placement actions, ensuring consistent high precision while reducing operational complexity to simple loading and unloading tasks
3Productivity
If sequential processing of chips is used, then the device complexity is low, but the productivity is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from sequential single-line processing to a multi-dimensional parallel processing architecture. Multiple PNP units operate on different spatial paths or levels, enabled by a sophisticated transporting system that coordinates movements in multiple dimensions, thereby increasing throughput while managing complexity through spatial organization
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides apparatuses for processing an object just as semiconductor chips and dies. The first embodiment comprises two or more pick and place heads (FIG. 1) which operate sequentially (ie leap frog) to pick components from a first location to a second. The second embodiment (FIG. 8) comprises a flipping head combined with a pick and place heads where an object is picked up by the flipping head, turned over and then presented to a pick and place head for relocation to an output.