JP2011155122A - Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus that performs suitable processing by precisely measuring a surface height of a substrate inexpensively without declining productivity. <P>SOLUTION: The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes: a gripper 20 which holds the substrate S in a thickness direction; a transfer device 10 which moves the gripper between processing devices of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus; a distance sensor 71 which measures a height of an upper gripping position of the gripper 20 when the substrate S is held; an arithmetic part 75 which calculates an access distance by which an access member of a processing device should approaches in the substrate thickness direction based upon a substrate surface height of the processing device obtained from the measured value of the distance sensor; and control parts ps and qs which make the access member of the processing device come close to and separate from the substrate S in the thickness direction based upon the arithmetic result of the arithmetic part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus including a control device for moving a processing apparatus toward and away from a substrate.

  A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes various processing apparatuses for bonding a semiconductor chip to a substrate such as a lead frame. Examples of the processing apparatus include a dispensing apparatus (for example, Patent Document 1) that supplies an adhesive to a substrate and a bonding apparatus (for example, Patent Document 2) that bonds a semiconductor chip to the substrate. In these apparatuses, a functional part described below is used as an access member to approach or contact the substrate.

  In the dispensing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 11, the syringe 111 containing the adhesive is lowered toward the substrate S, and the adhesive A is discharged from the nozzle 112 at a position close to the distance t <b> 2, onto the substrate S. Supply.

  In the bonding apparatus, as shown in FIG. 12, the semiconductor chip T held on the collet 115 is lowered toward the substrate S and held at a position close to the distance t3, and the bump is melted and solidified or adhesive based on heating. Is bonded to the substrate S through the bonding material B. In these cases, the syringe 111 and the collet 115 function as access members. In each processing apparatus, it is necessary to bring these access members close to the substrate S at an accurate distance.

  However, the thickness of the substrate varies from substrate to substrate due to processing accuracy errors, etc., and especially the multilayer substrate has a large variation, for example, a large difference of 80 μm may occur.

  Therefore, it is necessary to measure the thickness of the substrate before processing in the processing apparatus, and to determine the distance that an access member such as a dispensing apparatus or a bonding apparatus approaches the substrate based on the result. As shown in FIG. 10, the measurement is often performed by a non-contact length measurement sensor 110 using an ultrasonic wave, a laser, or the like in order to avoid damage to the substrate surface.

JP 2009-82876 A JP 2008-124382 A

  However, the above measurement has the following problems. That is, the substrate must be stopped for measurement while it is being transported to the processing apparatus, and the time required for the substrate decreases productivity. Alternatively, in order to eliminate the influence of the warping of the substrate, the measurement may be performed in a state where the substrate is attracted or clamped at a processing position such as dispensing or bonding and planarized, and the time required for the measurement decreases productivity. Further, even with this planarization, the partial warp cannot be eliminated, and an error occurs if measurement is performed at that portion. On the other hand, an apparatus using an ultrasonic wave or a laser for non-contact measurement is expensive. In addition, if measurement is performed without contact, vibration of the apparatus may cause a measurement error.

  The present invention solves these problems of the prior art and provides a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus capable of performing appropriate processing by accurately measuring the surface height of a substrate at low cost without reducing productivity. The purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a gripper for gripping a substrate in the thickness direction, a transfer device for moving the gripper between processing apparatuses in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and an upper side of the gripper when the substrate is gripped. Based on the distance sensor that measures the height measurement of the gripping position and the substrate surface height in the processing apparatus obtained from the measurement value of the distance sensor, the access distance that the access member in the processing apparatus should approach in the substrate thickness direction is determined. Provided is a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising: a calculation unit that calculates; and a control unit that moves an access member in the processing apparatus closer to and away from a substrate in a thickness direction based on a calculation result of the calculation unit It is.

  A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention includes a gripper that grips a substrate in a thickness direction, a transfer device that moves the gripper between processing apparatuses in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and an upper gripping position in the gripper when the substrate is gripped. And a distance sensor for measuring the height of the head, it is possible to measure the height necessary for the subsequent control while carrying the gripper.

  Furthermore, based on the substrate surface height in the processing apparatus obtained from the measurement value of the distance sensor, a calculation unit that calculates the distance that the access member in the processing apparatus should approach in the substrate thickness direction, and the calculation result of the calculation unit And a controller that moves the access member in the processing apparatus toward and away from the substrate in the thickness direction. Therefore, the computing unit calculates the access distance based on the measurement value that differs for each substrate, and based on this access distance, the access member is moved closer to and away from the substrate, so that accurate access according to the substrate thickness can be performed. Appropriate processing based on this becomes possible.

  Therefore, it is not necessary to stop the conveyance for measuring the thickness or height of the substrate, or to perform measurement after flattening at the processing position, and it does not take extra time for measurement. Does not decrease. Further, since the measurement is performed by gripping the substrate in the thickness direction by the gripper, the accuracy is high, the structure is simple, and the cost is low. In addition, even if there is a partial warp, there is an advantage that the measurement value is not affected and the measurement can be performed without planarizing the substrate, and an advantage that a measurement error hardly occurs even if the apparatus vibrates. .

  Based on these, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus capable of performing appropriate processing by accurately measuring the surface height of a substrate at a low cost without reducing productivity.

It is a front view of the principal part of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view shown by the surface which passes along the gripper vicinity about the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view shown in the other surface which passes along the gripper vicinity about the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 on a lower surface than FIG. 2. It is a figure which shows the cam block used for the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the clamper unit in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the state which the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus hold | gripped the board | substrate on the same surface as FIG. It is explanatory drawing regarding the principle of the board | substrate thickness measurement in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows centering on the measurement apparatus part of the board | substrate thickness in the conventional semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the dispensing apparatus of the adhesive agent in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the bonding apparatus in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same or similar parts in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is partially omitted.

  FIG. 1 shows a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view, FIG. 2 is a plan view, FIG. 3 is a side view showing a surface passing through the vicinity of the gripper, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a side view showing, and FIG.

  Shown is a part of a lead frame transport mechanism in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and a processing apparatus is arranged in the transport path. In the drawing, these processing apparatuses are indicated by symbols as their silver paste supply position P and pellet mounting position Q.

  This semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes rails 11a and 11b extending in a direction (work transfer direction) for transferring a lead frame to a plurality of processing devices, a gripper 20 movable in the work transfer direction, an opening / closing mechanism 60 for the gripper, And a transfer device 10 for moving the gripper in the workpiece transfer direction. The rail 11a and the rail 11b are arranged at an interval close to the width of the lead frame 12, and the transport device 10 is provided adjacent to one rail 11b. One side of the lead frame 12 is placed on the rail 11a, and the other side is held by the transfer device 10 and transferred to the processing device. In the range of the conveying apparatus 10 shown in the figure, the grippers 20 including the upper gripping portion 36 and the lower gripping portion 37 are provided at three locations, and are attached to the slide base 21 (FIG. 6).

  The transport device 10 is configured to drive a slide base 21 mounted on a linear way 42 (FIGS. 3 and 4) supported by a fixed base 13 so as to be movable in a work transport direction by a stepping motor 49. is there. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, a timing belt 47 is wound around pulleys 44 and 45 rotatably supported on the fixed base 13, and the shaft of the pulley 45 is wound around the shaft of the stepping motor 49. It is driven via the rotated timing belt 48. The slide base 21 is provided with a projecting portion 43 projecting perpendicularly to the moving direction, and its tip is fixed to the timing belt 47.

  The opening / closing mechanism 60 of the gripper 20 includes a drive cylinder 14 and a link mechanism 15 attached to the fixed base 13. The link mechanism 15 includes a long link lever 16 extending in the transport direction. The link lever 16 is connected to the tip of a link arm 17 that rotates about a fulcrum a (FIG. 1) on the fixed base 13. One end thereof is connected to a cylinder head 18 of the drive cylinder 14 via a bearing 19.

  The opening / closing mechanism 60 further includes a unit base 22 fixed to the slide base 21 and the following mechanism attached thereto. An L-shaped arm 23 is pivotally supported at the fulcrum b on the unit base 22, and a roller 24 attached to one end of the unit base 22 is fitted into the long hole 25 of the link lever 16. A cam block 28 is mounted on the unit base 22 via a linear way 27 so as to be horizontally movable. A roller 26 attached to the other end of the L-shaped arm 23 is a long hole 29 of the cam block 28. (FIG. 6).

  A cam 31 for opening and closing the gripper is attached to the tip of the cam block 28. Upper and lower gripper blocks 32 and 33 are mounted on the unit base 22 through linear ways 34 and 35 so as to be independently movable up and down. An upper grip portion 36 and a lower grip portion 37 that grip the lead frame 12 from above and below are attached to the lower end portions of the upper and lower gripper blocks 32 and 33. Cam followers 38 and 39 that follow the cam 31 are pivotally supported at the upper end portions of the upper and lower gripper blocks 32 and 33, respectively, and springs 40 and 60 stretched between the upper and lower gripper blocks 32 and 33 and the unit base 22, respectively. The cam followers 38 and 39 are in contact with the cam surface 30 of the cam 31 by the elastic force of 41.

  The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus further includes a clamper unit 50 for positioning the lead frame 12 at the silver paste supply position P and the pellet mount position Q (FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 7, the clamper unit 50 has a clamper block 53 mounted on a unit base 51 erected on the fixed base 13 via a linear way 52 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The clamper 54 is integrally attached. A roller 55 is rotatably supported on the upper end portion of the clamper block 53, and the clamper block 53 is urged downward by the elastic force of a spring 56 stretched between the clamper block 53 and the unit base 51. 55 is always in contact with the link lever 16 of the link mechanism 15.

  Like the gripper 20, the clamper unit 50 operates via the link mechanism 15, that is, the clamper 54 descends when the link lever 16 descends and presses and positions the lead frame 12 by the elastic force of the spring 56. Conversely, when the link lever 16 is raised, the clamper 54 rises against the force of the spring 56 and moves away from the lead frame 12. The clamper 54 presses a part of the lead frame 12 located on the transport rail 11b.

  The clamping operation of the lead frame 12 by the clamper unit 50 is performed immediately after the gripper 20 opens the lead frame 12 at each processing position P and Q, and the gripping operation by the gripper 20 is performed immediately after the clamp is released. It is done synchronously.

  In this semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a mechanism for controlling the approach distance of the access member of the processing apparatus by measuring the surface height of the substrate is provided. That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the distance sensor 71 is attached to the distal end portion of the arm 72 extending from the unit base 22 and reaching the upper gripper block 32. The distance sensor 71 uses the surface of the upper gripper block 32 facing the distance sensor as a measurement surface, and measures the distance to the measurement surface. Subsequent control is performed based on the surface height of the substrate obtained from this measurement. As the distance sensor 71, a non-contact distance sensor using an ultrasonic wave, a laser, or the like, a contact sensor that measures a distance from the reference height to reach the measurement surface, or the like can be used. Since the measurement by the distance sensor 71 can be performed while the substrate is transported by the gripper 20, it is not necessary to make the substrate stationary for the measurement.

  The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus further includes a calculation unit 75 (FIG. 1) mounted on the fixed base 13, and the calculation unit 75 is the substrate surface height in the processing apparatus obtained from the measured value of the distance sensor 71. Based on the above, the access distance that the access member in the processing apparatus should approach in the substrate thickness direction is calculated. And each control part ps, qs provided in the processing apparatus of the silver paste supply position P and the pellet mounting position Q is based on the calculation result of the calculating part 75, and the access member (syringe, collet) in a processing apparatus approaches a board | substrate. To control the distance.

  Control by the control units ps and qs includes, for example, a measurement value by the distance sensor 71 when the substrate having the reference thickness is gripped by the gripper 20 and a measurement by the distance sensor 71 when the substrate to be processed is gripped by the gripper 20. The difference is calculated from the value, and the distance that the access member in each processing apparatus should approach in the substrate thickness direction can be calculated based on the calculated value. This difference can be a difference in the measurement value itself of the distance sensor 71, a difference in substrate surface height obtained from the measurement value, or a difference in function value derived from these values.

  The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus having the above configuration operates as follows. First, the gripping of the lead frame 12 by the gripper 20 will be described. By moving the cylinder head 18 of the cylinder 14 forward and backward, the link lever 16 of the link mechanism 15 connected to the cylinder head 18 moves up and down based on the rotation of the link arm 17 around the fulcrum a. The gripper 20 is operated by the vertical movement of the link lever 16. That is, the L-shaped arm 23 rotates around the fulcrum b through the roller 24 fitted in the long hole 25 of the link lever 16, and the roller 26 moves back and forth by this rotation. Since the roller 26 is fitted in the long hole 29 of the cam block 28, the cam block 28 moves back and forth along the linear way 27 with respect to the unit base 22. As the cam block 28 moves back and forth, the upper and lower grips 36 and 37 operate as described below.

  As the cam 31 moves back and forth, the upper and lower gripping portions 36 and 37 of the upper and lower gripper blocks 32 and 33 are moved up and down via the cam followers 38 and 39 contacting the cam surface 30, and the gripper 20 opens and closes as follows. The gripper 20 holds the lead frame 12 with the upper and lower holding portions 36 and 37 in the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 8. At this time, the cam follower 38 of the upper gripping portion 36 is at the lowermost position of the cam surface 30, and the upper gripping portion 36 presses the lead frame 12 from above by the elastic force of the spring 40. However, the cam follower 38 is slightly lifted from the cam surface 30 in order to apply the pressing force of the upper gripping portion 36 to the lead frame 12. On the other hand, the cam follower 39 of the lower gripping portion 37 is at the uppermost position of the cam surface 30, and the lower gripping portion 37 abuts against the lead frame 12 from below against the force of the spring 41 by the forcible force of the cam 31.

  When the cam 31 moves to the left in FIG. 1 from this state, the cam follower 38 rises along the cam surface 30, whereby the upper gripping portion 36 rises against the force of the spring 40 and opens the lead frame 12. . On the other hand, when the cam follower 39 descends along the cam surface 30, the lower gripping portion 37 is lowered by the elastic force of the spring 41 to open the lead frame 12. Note that the closing operation of the upper and lower grips 36 and 37 is performed by the reverse operation of each constituent member in accordance with the movement of the cam 31 in the reverse direction.

  When the vertical gripping portions 36 and 37 move up and down, the distance sensor 71 measures the distance to the measurement surface of the upper and lower gripper blocks 32 and 33 facing each distance sensor, thereby gripping the vertical gripping portions 36 and 37. The distance between the surfaces is measured, thereby obtaining a measured value of the substrate thickness. The principle of measuring the thickness of the substrate based on the measurement by the distance sensor 71 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 9A shows a state in which the tip surfaces of the upper and lower grips 36 and 37 are in contact with each other. Regarding this state, the symbols in the figure indicate the following distances.
a0: gripping surface of the upper gripping part 36 to measuring surface of the upper gripper block 32
a1: Measuring surface of the distance sensor 71 to the upper gripper block 32

FIG. 9B shows a state where the upper and lower grips 36 and 37 grip the substrate. Regarding this state, the symbols in the figure indicate the following distances.
a2: Measuring surface of the distance sensor 71 to the upper gripper block 32
da: distance of the upper gripping portion 36
db: Lowering distance of the lower grip 37

  Since the lower gripping portion 37 is engaged with a part of the unit base 22 to determine the lowered position, the lowered distance db is constant regardless of the substrate thickness.

There is the following relationship between the above distances.
da = (a1 + a0)-(a2 + a0) = a1-a2
db = C0 (constant value)

From the above equation, the substrate thickness t is obtained as follows.
t = da + db = (a1-a2) + C0
Here, in the above formula, since a1 is also a constant value, only a2 changes. Therefore, if we put the constant (a1 + C0) as C, the above equation becomes
t = C-a2
It becomes. That is, if only the amount of movement of the upper gripping portion 36 is detected even if the thickness of the substrate changes, the substrate thickness can be known, and the substrate surface height in the gripped state by the gripper 20 can be known. Based on this, the access distance required when the access member approaches or contacts the substrate surface in each processing apparatus can be calculated, and the movement amount of the access member can be controlled.

  Specifically, since the lower surface of the substrate is supported by the rail 11b during clamping by the clamper unit 50, the substrate is supported at a position slightly lower than the support height of the lower surface of the substrate by the lower gripping portion 37. However, since the difference is a certain known value, the substrate surface height and the access distance may be calculated in consideration of this, and the movement of the access member may be controlled. Further, based on the value obtained by one measurement by the distance sensor 71, the movement control of the access member in the plurality of processing devices can be performed in this way.

  Next, a feed operation between the processing apparatuses will be described. The feeding operation by the gripper 20 is performed in a state where the upper and lower grip portions 36 and 37 are closed and the lead frame 12 is gripped. That is, the slide base 21 moves along the linear way 42 via the pulleys 44, 45, 46 and the timing belt 47 by the operation of the stepping motor 49. As the slide base 21 moves, the upper and lower grips 36 and 37 of the gripper 20 move, and the lead frame 12 is transferred by a constant pitch. At this time, the roller 24 of the L-shaped arm 23 moves in the long hole 25 of the link lever 16. Thereafter, the upper and lower grips 36 and 37 are opened and returned to their initial positions by movement in the direction opposite to that of the feed operation. By repeating this series of operations, the lead frame 12 is transferred at a constant pitch.

  The clamper unit 50 operates to position the lead frame 12 at the silver paste supply position P and the pellet mount position Q in the transfer path of the lead frame 12. At the silver paste supply position P and the pellet mount position Q, the silver paste is supplied onto the lead frame 12 in a positioning state by the clamper 54, and then the semiconductor pellet is mounted.

  As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this, A various change is possible unless it deviates from the meaning. For example, the gripper may have a structure in which the lower gripping portion has a constant height and only the upper gripping portion moves up and down to grip the substrate. In this case, the rail surface provided adjacent to the transport device may be the lower gripping surface. Various mechanisms such as a link mechanism, a cylinder device, and a gear mechanism other than those of the above-described embodiment can be used for the drive mechanism of the gripper and the conveying device. Further, the present invention can be applied to various processing apparatuses in which an access member approaches or contacts a substrate in addition to a dispensing apparatus and a bonding apparatus in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.

P: Silver paste supply position Q: Pellet mount position S: Substrate ps, qs: Control unit 10: Transport device 11a, 11b: Rail 12: Lead frame 20: Gripper 36: Upper gripping part 37: Lower gripping part 50: Clamper unit 71: Distance sensor 75: Calculation unit

Claims (4)

  A gripper for gripping the substrate in the thickness direction, a transfer device for moving the gripper between the processing apparatuses in the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a distance sensor for measuring the height of the upper gripping position of the gripper when gripping the substrate, A calculation unit for calculating an access distance that an access member in the processing apparatus should approach in the substrate thickness direction based on the substrate surface height in the processing apparatus obtained from the measurement value of the distance sensor; and a calculation result of the calculation unit And a control unit that moves the access member in the processing apparatus closer to and away from the substrate in the thickness direction.   The calculation unit calculates a difference from a measurement value obtained by the distance sensor when the substrate having a reference thickness is held by the gripper and a measurement value obtained by the distance sensor when the substrate to be processed is held by the gripper. The semiconductor manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a distance that the access member in the processing apparatus should approach the substrate is calculated based on the calculated value.   3. The semiconductor manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the processing device is a dispensing device that supplies an adhesive to the substrate, and the access member that approaches the substrate is a syringe for supplying an adhesive. apparatus.   3. The semiconductor according to claim 1, wherein the processing apparatus is a bonding apparatus for bonding a semiconductor chip to a substrate, and the access member that approaches the substrate is a collet that holds the semiconductor chip. Manufacturing equipment.

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