Solder Ball Feed Plate and Reservoir Gap for Clog-Free Bonding
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Solder ball bonding tools used in hard-disk drive manufacturing often clog due to solder balls being captured between the reservoir and feed plate, leading to deformation and malfunction of the bonding process.
Innovation Solution
A solder ball bonding tool with a translatable solder ball reservoir and a rotatable feed plate, featuring a variable gap between the reservoir and feed plate that exceeds the nominal size of solder balls, and a pressurized gas-driven feed mechanism to prevent clogging by adjusting the gap size during the solder ball transfer process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed gap between the reservoir and feed plate is used, then the structure is simple, but solder balls get lodged between the components causing clogging
Solution Approach 1:
The feed plate is made rotatable rather than fixed, allowing it to change position dynamically. The gap between the reservoir and feed plate varies as the feed plate rotates, preventing solder balls from being trapped in a fixed space while maintaining structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The system proactively prevents clogging by designing the gap to exceed the nominal solder ball size, ensuring solder balls cannot be captured between the reservoir and feed plate before a problem can occur
2Reliability
If the gap between reservoir and feed plate is larger than solder ball size, then clogging is prevented, but the precision of solder ball positioning may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable feed plate dynamically adjusts the effective gap size during operation. When positioning solder balls, the feed plate rotates to bring precise positioning features into alignment, maintaining precision despite the overall larger gap design
Solution Approach 2:
The feed plate acts as an intermediary between the reservoir and the bonding location. It receives solder balls from the reservoir through the larger gap, then precisely positions them for bonding through rotation, mediating between the conflicting requirements of gap size and positioning precision
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively inhibits clogging by ensuring the solder balls are not lodged between the reservoir and feed plate, thereby preventing deformation and ensuring a reliable bonding process.
Implementation Method 1
a feed mechanism coupled with the reservoir, where the feed mechanism is driven by a pressurized gas to translate the reservoir upward in preparation for movement of a solder ball to the feed plate and downward in preparation for rotation of the feed plate after a solder ball is moved to the feed plate
Implementation Method 2
a rotatable feed plate for transporting solder balls from a translatable solder ball reservoir to a nozzle unit, which is in a position at which a laser light source can irradiate and thus melt the solder balls
Data Source
AI summary
A solder ball bonding (SBB) tool includes a rotatable feed plate for transporting solder balls from a translatable solder ball reservoir to a nozzle unit, which is a position at which a laser light source can irradiate and thus melt the solder balls. The SBB tool includes a gap between the reservoir and the feed plate positioned over the reservoir, and a feed mechanism coupled with the reservoir, where the feed mechanism is driven by a pressurized gas to translate the reservoir upward across at least a portion of the gap in preparation for movement of a solder ball to the feed plate and downward in preparation for rotation of the feed plate after a solder ball is moved to the feed plate. The gap may have a maximum size that exceeds a nominal size of the solder balls contained in the reservoir.