JP2022539774A - Pick and place machine cleaning system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are devices, mechanisms and methods for regular and consistent cleaning of vacuum openings, nozzles and contact surfaces of pick-and-place equipment and pick-up tools of automated or manual semiconductor device and die handling machines. The cleaning material can include a cleaning pad layer with one or more intermediate layers having preset properties, regular geometric features and/or irregular surface morphology.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This PCT application is based on U.S. patent application Ser. 16/460918, 16/460929 filed July 2, 2019 and 16/794068 filed February 18, 2020.

The present disclosure is particularly applicable to devices, mechanisms and methods for regular and consistent cleaning of apertures, nozzles and contact surfaces of pick-and-place equipment and pick-up tools of automated or manual semiconductor device and die handling machines. , the disclosure will be described in this context. The cleaning material includes a cleaning pad layer with one or more intermediate layers having preset properties, regular geometric features and/or irregular surface topography.

A pick and place apparatus moves semiconductor devices or dies from one holding tray or wafer tape to a lead frame for die attach to move the semiconductor devices, dies or electronic components from one holding tray to another holding tray; It is used to move from one holding tray to a test socket for electrical testing and back to the holding tray, or to move an electronic component out of the holding tray for attachment to a printed circuit board. These machines are used for high speed, high precision pick and place of a wide variety of semiconductor devices and dies. Downtime of this facility for unscheduled maintenance has a significant impact on productivity and throughput loss.

A pick-and-place apparatus includes a plurality of suction cups, a suction inlet, a vacuum collet, a nozzle and a vacuum pick-up tool for picking up semiconductor devices from a device holding tray via vacuum force. Vacuum force suction is a vacuum with up and down motion for picking up an electronic device from one holding tray and placing the device into a test socket, lead frame or another holding tray or onto a printed circuit board in a preset position. Produced by a mechanism. Mishandling due to vacuum failure can damage the device and require troubleshooting to restore performance. Additionally, pick-up collet vacuum related issues and excessive downward pressure are major contributors to die failure.

In order to maintain an appropriate suction force and reliably pick and place semiconductor devices, close contact between the pick and place apparatus and the semiconductor devices to be handled is required. Debris in the vacuum openings, the vacuum nozzle of the device, the vacuum inlet/outlet or on the contact surface of the suction device affects the vacuum strength. Over time, pick-and-place equipment, pick-up tools and aspiration devices, and the openings in the prongs can become clogged or contaminated with various substances, reducing vacuum strength and creating vacuum failures. In order to clean and maintain the pick and place equipment, the IC device handling machinery must be taken off-line and the various pick and place equipment are manually cleaned. During off-line cleaning operations, it can be difficult to clean or remove material that has accumulated within or compressed within or on the nozzle of the pick-up tool. Routine, preventative cleaning and debris removal can be effective in controlling debris accumulation and preventing build-up of stubborn contaminants. Regular preventive cleaning and debris removal extends mean maintenance intervals and improves equipment uptime.

Cleaning of pick-and-place equipment is performed by removing the vacuum or suction pick-up tool from the facility to be cleaned and/or refurbished. Cleaning and refurbishment of pick and place equipment consists of a wet wipedown and scrubbing process using solvents or other cleaning fluids. Additionally, the pick-up tool vacuum port may be manually cleaned using mechanical manipulation to remove accumulated debris. However, manual handling and cleaning of pick-up tools carries the risk of damage.

Such typical cleaning processes for pick-and-place equipment and vacuum pick-ups require that semiconductor device handling functions be shut down while the pick-and-place assembly is cleaned and refurbished. Additionally, wet chemical and mechanical scrubbing processes can damage the vacuum pick-up tool. Semiconductors without removing pick-and-place equipment, vacuum pick-up tools or suction pick-up tools and without using wet chemical or mechanical scrubbing processes to maximize performance and maintain uptime for high throughput It is desirable to be able to clean the pick and place assembly of the device handling machine.

Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, like reference numbers indicate like elements.

FIG. 1A illustrates a manual, semi-automatic or semi-automated pick-and-place assembly that utilizes vacuum and suction pick-up tools to "pick up" semiconductor devices with various contaminants and debris on the surface of the "pick up" side of the semiconductor device. 1 shows a tool used in an automated semiconductor device handling machine. FIG. 1B is a manual, semi-automatic, or automatic with a pick and place assembly that utilizes a vacuum and suction pick-up tool to "pick up" semiconductor devices with various contamination and debris on the surface of the "pick up" side of the semiconductor device. A tool used in a semiconductor device handling machine is shown. FIG. 1C is a manual, semi-automatic, or automatic with a pick and place assembly that utilizes a vacuum and suction pick-up tool to "pick up" semiconductor devices with various contamination and debris on the surface of the "pick up" side of the semiconductor device. A tool used in a semiconductor device handling machine is shown. FIG. 2A shows a tool used in a manual, semi-automatic, or automatic semiconductor device handling machine with a pick and place assembly, where various contaminants and debris "strip" the semiconductor device from the surface on the "pick up" side of the semiconductor device. It is glued or attached to a vacuum and suction pick-up tool used to "pick up". FIG. 2B shows a tool used in a manual, semi-automatic or automatic semiconductor device handling machine with a pick and place assembly where various contaminants and debris "pick up" the semiconductor device from the surface on the "pick up" side of the semiconductor device. is adhered or adhered to the vacuum and suction pick-up tool used to FIG. 2C shows a tool used in a manual, semi-automatic or automatic semiconductor device handling machine with a pick and place assembly where various contaminants and debris "pick up" the semiconductor device from the surface on the "pick up" side of the semiconductor device. is adhered or adhered to the vacuum and suction pick-up tool used to FIG. 3A shows a tool used in a manual, semi-automatic, or automatic semiconductor handling machine with a pick and place assembly during cleaning operations, one type of pick-up tool moving into contact with the surface of the elastomeric cleaning material. there is FIG. 3B shows a tool used in a manual, semi-automatic, or automatic semiconductor handling machine with a pick and place assembly during cleaning operations, one type of pick-up tool moving into contact with the surface of the elastomeric cleaning material. there is FIG. 3C shows a tool used in a manual, semi-automatic, or automatic semiconductor handling machine with a pick and place assembly during cleaning operations, where one type of pick-up tool moves into contact with the surface of the elastomeric cleaning material. there is FIG. 4A illustrates a method for cleaning and removing adhering debris and contaminants from various vacuum and suction pick-up tools used in manual, semi-automatic, or automatic semiconductor device handling machines with pick-and-place assemblies. FIG. 4B illustrates a method for cleaning and removing adhering debris and contaminants from various vacuum and suction pick-up tools used in manual, semi-automatic, or automatic semiconductor device handling machines with pick-and-place assemblies. FIG. 4C illustrates a method for cleaning and removing adhering debris and contaminants from various vacuum and suction pick-up tools used in manual, semi-automatic, or automatic semiconductor device handling machines with pick-and-place assemblies. FIG. 5 shows an example method for cleaning various vacuum and suction pick-up tools used in manual, semi-automatic, or automatic semiconductor device handling machines with pick-and-place assemblies. FIG. 6A is a top view of a cleaning device with a cleaning pad attached to a carrier for use within a manual, semi-automatic or automatic semiconductor device handling machine. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of a typical cleaning device with a cleaning pad applied to a substrate surface for use within a manual, semi-automatic, or automatic semiconductor device handling machine. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of a typical cleaning device with a cleaning pad attached to an IC package or semiconductor device for use within a manual, semi-automatic, or automatic semiconductor device handling machine. FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a cleaning medium having one or more compliant intermediate material layers below a cleaning pad layer. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a cleaning medium having one or more intermediate rigid material layers below a cleaning pad layer with preset properties. FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a cleaning medium having one or more rigid and compliant intermediate material layers beneath a cleaning pad layer with preset properties. FIG. 7D is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a cleaning medium having one or more alternating rigid and compliant intermediate material layers beneath a cleaning pad layer with preset properties. FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a cleaning material having evenly spaced micro-columns of preset shape configured on one or more material layers with preset properties. FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of a cleaning material having equally spaced micro-columns of preset shape constructed from a combination of one or more rigid and compliant intermediate material layers with preset properties; . FIG. 9A illustrates the equally spaced microscopic wafers shown in FIG. 8B constructed from a combination of one or more intermediate material layers for consistent cleaning efficiency in the contact areas of the vacuum and suction pick-up tools of the pick and place assembly. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a column; FIG. 9B shows cleaning with evenly spaced micro-pyramids constructed from a combination of one or more intermediate material layers for consistent cleaning efficiency in the contact area of the vacuum and suction pick-up tools of the pick and place assembly. FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a fifth embodiment of the material; FIG. 10A is a plan view of a sixth embodiment of a cleaning material showing portions of mutually separated microfeatures using a "street" arrangement for second area moments or inertias to control bending resistance; be. FIG. 10B is a plan view of a seventh embodiment of a cleaning material showing portions of mutually separated microfeatures using an "avenue" arrangement for second area or inertia to control bending resistance; be. FIG. 10C is a plan view of an eighth embodiment of a cleaning material showing portions of mutually separated microfeatures using a diagonal array for the second area moment or inertia moment to control bending resistance. 11A is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning material with the carrier substrate of FIG. 6A for cleaning the sides, interior and contact areas of a vacuum and suction pick-up tool of a pick and place assembly; FIG. FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning material with the carrier substrate of FIG. 6A for cleaning the sides, interior and contact areas of the vacuum and suction pick-up tool of the pick and place assembly. FIG. 11C is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning material with the carrier substrate of FIG. 6A for cleaning the sides, interior and contact areas of the vacuum and suction pick-up tool of the pick and place assembly. Figure 12A is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning material with micro-columns of Figures 8B and 9A for cleaning the sides, interior and contact areas of the vacuum and suction pick-up tool of the pick and place assembly. Figure 12B is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning material with micro-columns of Figures 8B and 9A for cleaning the sides, interior and contact areas of the vacuum and suction pick-up tools of the pick and place assembly. Figure 12C is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning material with micro-columns of Figures 8B and 9A for cleaning the sides, interior and contact areas of the vacuum and suction pick-up tool of the pick and place assembly. Figure 13A is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning material with micropyramids of Figure 9B for cleaning the interior and contact areas of the vacuum and suction pick-up tool of the pick and place assembly. Figure 13B is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning material with micropyramids of Figure 9B for cleaning the interior and contact areas of the vacuum and suction pick-up tool of the pick and place assembly. Figure 13C is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning material with micropyramids of Figure 9B for cleaning the interior and contact areas of the vacuum and suction pick-up tool of the pick and place assembly. FIG. 14A is an example of a vacuum collet prior to cleaning using a cleaning device. FIG. 14B is an example of a vacuum collet after cleaning using a cleaning device.

The present disclosure is particularly applicable to devices, mechanisms and methods for regularly and consistently cleaning openings, nozzles and contact surfaces of pick and place equipment and pick-up tools of automated or manual semiconductor device handling machines. , the description of the present disclosure is described in this context. However, the device, mechanism and method can be used to clean any device having openings, nozzles and contact surfaces that become clogged or fouled by various substances over time and can be used to clean other devices in automatic or manual semiconductor device handling machinery. A larger You will find it useful. For example, the cleaning devices and methods disclosed below can be used to pick and place equipment on SMT (Surface Mount Technology) component placement machines used for placement of a wide range of electronic components such as capacitors, resistors, integrated circuits on PCBs, etc. Can be used for cleaning. Further, the cleaning material used for cleaning as described above can be the embodiments described below, but can also be other variations of the cleaning device within the scope of the present disclosure.

In one embodiment, the pick-and-place device, vacuum pick-up tool, and suction pick-up tool are designed to clean the vacuum openings in a timely manner, maintain their performance, and provide the cleaning required of the contact surfaces to achieve maximum vacuum force during pick-up. A self-adhesive elastomeric cleaning material (of various embodiments described generally below) placed on a surrogate device, on various substrates, at designated locations on a tool, or on an in-tool carrier that can be used to maintain the integrity of the cleaning material) can be cleaned regularly. Contact parts of tools/machines (pick-up tools or pick-and-place machines or pick-and-place machines for SMT components or pick-and-place machines for packaged devices) that come into contact with components/devices/ICs etc. to be handled are cleaned and the contact elements/portions are, for example, one or more vacuum openings, one or more nozzles, one or more suction cups, one or more suction inlets, one or more vacuum collet and vacuum pick-up tool connected to semiconductor device handling machinery. In addition to the pick and place apparatus described above, the cleaning device and method can also be used in the pick and place assembly of die attach machines or flip chip bonder machines. The cleaning materials, devices, mechanisms and methods can be used to refurbish pick and place equipment in manual, semi-automatic and automatic semiconductor device handling machines without the need for unplanned downtime for maintenance. An example of a vacuum collet prior to cleaning the collet contact surface of debris is shown in FIG. 14A and described below, and an example of the same vacuum collet after cleaning using the cleaning device of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. explained below.

Figures 1A-C show known automatic or manual semiconductor devices having various types of pick-up tools (101, 102 and 103) used to "pick up" surface mount devices (107) such as electronic or semiconductor devices. A handling machine (100) is shown.

FIG. 1A shows a portion of the machine 100, particularly the conical vacuum pick-up tool (101) portion of the machine, with an inlet/outlet positioned near the semiconductor device (107) for picking and placing the semiconductor device (107). 1B shows a suction cup type pick-up tool (102) with flexible pads and inlets/outlets positioned near the semiconductor device (107) for picking and placing the semiconductor device (107). , FIG. 1C shows a multi-sided vacuum collet pick-up tool (103) with inlets/outlets positioned near the semiconductor device (107) for picking and placing the semiconductor device (107). The vacuum pick-up tools (101, 102 and 103) are removably attached to the semiconductor device handling machine so that the pick-up tools can be removed periodically for cleaning and/or refurbishment. The vacuum pick-up tools (101, 102 and 103) are lowered toward the semiconductor device 107 until they are in contact and a vacuum can be applied to the surface of the semiconductor device. The contact surface of the pick-up tool is also brought into contact and debris, particles or contaminants (104) (collectively "debris") present on the semiconductor device surface represented for illustration by the dotted black line along the surface of the semiconductor device. is aspirated with a vacuum. Actual debris, particles or contaminants can have any shape or size and be composed of a variety of different substances. For example, debris on a device being picked and placed can be metal flakes, mold compound fragments, solder residue, solder flux residue, particles from other devices, dust generated during handling, and the like.

Figures 2A-C show a known automatic or manual semiconductor device handling machine (100) with various types of pick-up tools (101, 102 and 103) after picking and placing the semiconductor device to a preset location. show. When the semiconductor device (107) is picked up by the tools 101, 102, 103, debris, particles or contaminants (104) from the semiconductor device (107) are picked up by the various pick-up tools (101, 102 and 104) as shown. 103) contact surfaces and inlets/outlets. For example, FIG. 2A shows a conical vacuum pick-up tool (101) with debris blocking the vacuum inlet/outlet, and FIG. 2B shows a suction cup with debris stuck to the flexible pad and clogging the vacuum inlet/outlet. Figure 2C shows a multi-sided vacuum collet type pick-up tool (103) with debris inside and outside the collet and clogging the vacuum inlets/outlets. Adhering debris, particles or contaminants (104) are removed by the vacuum mechanism repeatably and consistently and repeatedly picking up the device (107) from one location to a second preset without dropping or mishandling the device. Reduces the suction available to place the device into place. Excessive downward pressure of the pick-up tools 101-103 (caused by the suction being reduced by adhering debris, particles or contaminants (104) causing the pick-up tools to push down harder to obtain the desired suction) It is a known major cause of die breakage.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a first implementation of a method for cleaning contact surfaces and inlets/outlets of various pick-up tools (101 in Figures 3A and 4A, 102 in Figures 3B and 4B and 103 in Figures 3C and 4C). showing morphology. The various pick-up tools (101, 102 and 103) with contaminants (104) do not need to be removed from the vacuum mechanism using the novel cleaning method unlike typical cleaning methods. The cleaning material (110) can be placed in preset locations on a cleaning substrate, surrogate package, or clean block or station. The cleaning process can be implemented in a variety of ways, including manually positioning the cleaning material (110) adjacent to the contact surfaces and inlets/outlets of the pick-up tools (101, 102 and 103), semi-automatically, and semi-automatically. A human commanding the handling machine to position the pick-up tools (101, 102 and 103) near the cleaning material (110) or automatically causing the handling machine to pick up the tools when cleaning is required or on a regular cleaning cycle. moving and positioning a cleaning material or cleaning substitute (104) under (101, 102 and 103); When the cleaning method is manually, semi-automatically or automatically initiated, the machine moves the pick-up tool, which is inserted into the cleaning material or brought into contact with a substitute cleaning device. FIG. 4 shows how debris, particles or contaminants (104) are captured and removed by the cleaning material (110). In some embodiments, a machine pick-up error can be detected and a cleaning process can be initiated. The cleaning frequency can be preventative maintenance to extend the mean time between manual cleaning performances and reduce the need to take the unit offline.

FIG. 5 shows a cleaning process 500 that can be performed on a pick-and-place device, vacuum pick-up tool, or suction pick-up tool. The process illustrated in Figure 5 can be performed manually, semi-automatically, or automatically as described above. The process 500 maintains a suction level to keep the contact surfaces of the pick-up tool clean and to collect debris, particles or contaminants on a regular basis and to prevent dropping or mishandling the device causing downtime or equipment errors. It can be done on site at regular intervals to maintain. As shown in FIG. 5, the process can include the cleaning material being positioned adjacent to the tool (502) when the cleaning process is performed. The cleaning method can then include inserting a tool into or into the cleaning material to dislodge 504 the debris. In one embodiment, the cleaning material can be used to perform cleaning during normal operating periods of the machine.

The cleaning material used to clean the pick and place device, vacuum pick-up tool or suction pick-up tool can take various forms. For example, the cleaning material has a crosslinked polymer layer, a cleaning layer on a carrier or substrate or frame so that the cleaning material is handled in the same way as a semiconductor device, and a cleaning layer and one below the cleaning layer. Or it can have multiple layers of intermediate layers. The cleaning material can also have textures, features or irregularities or patterns that are advantageous for cleaning the interior and exterior of the pick-up tool. The cleaning material may be of a material that retains debris from the pick-up tool and vacuum inlet/outlet when the pick-up tool is inserted into the cleaning material. The cleaning material preferably comprises a compliant polymer with embedded abrasive particles such as Probe polish commercially available from International Test Solutions, Inc. or a wrapping film such as Probe Lap.

Figures 6A, 6B and 6C show three typical different types of cleaning material applied to various substrates, substrates of different sizes, substrates of different shapes, or in some applications no substrate. A cleaning device is shown. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, cleaning devices 20 and 21, respectively, include a substrate 23 and a cleaning media material or pad 24 fixed, adhered or applied to the surface of the carrier or substrate, respectively, of known shape; can include Substrate 23 may be plastic, metal, glass, silicon, ceramic or any other similar material. Further, substrate 25 shown in FIG. 6C can have a shape similar to that of packaged IC device (DUT) 22 . Using such a cleaning device with a cleaning material to clean the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool, or cleaning the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool during normal operation of the machine. It is not known to clean the outlet without removing it from the machine during the cleaning operation.

A pick-up tool contact surface, side surface and vacuum inlet/outlet cleaning process and device uses a cleaning medium having one or more compliant intermediate layers as will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. can. In one embodiment (FIG. 7A), the cleaning media 220 has preset properties such as hardness, elasticity modulus, etc. that contribute to cleaning the pick-up tool contact surfaces, sides, and vacuum inlets/outlets that contact the bond pads or frame. It can be made from the cleaning pad layer 202 . The cleaning medium 220 can also have one or more compliant intermediate layers 203 attached below the cleaning pad layer. The combination of layers yields material properties that are not available from the individual constituent materials, and the variety of matrices, abrasive particles and geometries allows for a product or construction with an optimal combination for maximizing cleaning performance. By adding a sublayer of compliant or microporous foam under the rigid cleaning layer, the overall properties of the cleaning material are enhanced to the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool without sacrificing form or function. reinforced to extend the overall service life of the By applying a layer of abrasive particles to the surface of a compliant unfilled polymer or the "skin" side of a microporous foam, a multilayer material with favorable abrasive properties is obtained. The overall compliance of the underlying layer is systematically increased (decreased in stiffness) so that the overall properties of the cleaning material can be defined.

In one embodiment shown in FIG. 7A, the cleaning medium 220 includes a removable protective layer 201 that is applied over the cleaning pad 202 layer prior to intended use to separate the surface cleaning pad layer from contaminants. can have The removable protective layer 201 protects the working surface of the cleaning pad layer 202 from debris/contaminants until the cleaning device is ready for use to clean the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool. When the cleaning device is ready for use to clean the pick-up tool contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets, the removable protective layer 201 can be removed to expose the working surface of the cleaning pad layer 202 . The protective layer can be made of known non-reactive polymeric membrane materials, preferably polyester (PET) film. The protective layer can have a matte finish or other "textured" features to enhance cleaning efficiency. A matte finish or textured surface may also help identify the cleaning surface. The surface becomes "functional" and this "functional feature" facilitates cleaning performance of various nozzles and collets. Such functional features can be inserted inside a vacuum nozzle for cleaning and debris collection within the vacuum passageway.

In addition to the one or more compliant layers 203, the cleaning medium 220 includes an adhesive layer 204 below the one or more compliant layers 203 and a release layer above the adhesive layer 204, as shown in FIG. 7A. 205 and . Placement of the cleaning device 220 over a preset substrate (for cleaning the tool) removes the second release liner layer 205 (made of the same material as the first release liner layer) and leaves the adhesive layer 204. It is performed by exposing and then applying the adhesive layer 204 to the substrate surface. The adhesive layer 204 can then be pressed against the substrate to adhere the cleaning device 220 to the substrate. The substrate can be a variety of materials with different purposes as described in the prior art.

The cleaning pad layer 202 described above and the cleaning pad layers described below can impart preset mechanical, material and dimensional properties to the cleaning material. For example, the cleaning pad layer may be abrasive, specific gravity (eg, in the range of 0.75 to 2.27) (specific gravity is the ratio of density to that of water at a particular temperature), elasticity (eg, in the range of 40 MPa to 600 MPa). range), tackiness (eg, 20-800 grams range), planarity and thickness (eg, 25 μm-500 μm range).

One or more intermediate layers 203 (which can be compliant layers as described above, rigid layers as described below, or a combination of compliant and rigid layers as described below) are cleaned. Materials can be given preset mechanical, material and dimensional properties. For example, one or more of the intermediate layers may be abrasive (discussed in more detail below), specific gravity (eg, in the range of 0.75 to 2.27) (specific gravity is 1 relative to the density of water at a particular temperature). or ratio of densities of multiple intermediate layers), elasticity (eg, in the range 40 MPa to 600 MPa), stickiness (eg, in the range 20 to 800 grams), planarity, thickness (eg, in the range 25 μm to 500 μm) and/or porosity (eg, in the range of 10-150 micropores/inch) (average number of pores per inch).

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 7B, the cleaning medium 220 has a cleaning pad layer 202 with one or more rigid intermediate layers 206 underlying the cleaning pad layer 202 supporting the cleaning pad layer 202 . In another embodiment (FIG. 7C), the cleaning medium 220 comprises a combination of one or more rigid intermediate layers 206 and one or more compliant material layers 203 under the cleaning pad layer 202 with preset properties. Can be configured using The embodiment of FIG. 7C has one or more compliant layers 203 between the cleaning pad 202 and one or more rigid layers 206, but instead has one or more compliant layers 203 immediately below the cleaning pad layer 202. There can be multiple rigid layers and one or more compliant layers below the rigid layer 206 . The embodiment of Figures 7B and 7C also has two protective liner layers 201, 205 and an adhesive layer 204 as described above.

FIG. 7D illustrates that the cleaning medium 220 is constructed by alternating one or more rigid intermediate layers 206 and one or more compliant material layers 203 under the cleaning pad layer 202 with preset properties. 1 shows a preferred embodiment. In this embodiment, the cleaning medium 220 has one or more compliant layers 203 below the cleaning pad 202, followed by one or more rigid layers 206 and one or more compliant layers 203. However, the cleaning media 220 can have alternating compliant and rigid layers in other configurations within the scope of this disclosure. In this embodiment, the cleaning pad 202 and underlying layers (203, 206, etc.) are of preset abrasiveness, density, elasticity, and/or tackiness that contribute to cleaning the contact surfaces, sides, and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool. have sexual characteristics. The superposition of cleaning layer and intermediate material layer properties can vary depending on the specific configuration and geometry of the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool.

The abrasive nature of the cleaning pad layer 202 shears off debris from the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool. By using preset volume and mass densities of abrasive particles, the abrasiveness of the cleaning material can be systematically influenced to facilitate debris removal. Typical abrasive material and particle weight percentages loaded into the cleaning material layer can range from 30% to 500% weight percent. As used in this application, weight percent polymer loading can be defined as the weight of the polymer divided by the weight of the polymer plus the weight of the abrasive particles. Typical abrasives that can be incorporated into the material can include aluminum oxide, silicon carbide and diamond, although the abrasive material can also be other well known abrasive materials. The abrasive can comprise spatially or selectively dispersed particles of aluminum oxide, silicon carbide or diamond, although the abrasive particles can also be other known abrasive materials having a Mohs hardness of 7 or greater. The controlled surface tackiness of the cleaning layer ensures that debris on the pick-up tool contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets will preferentially stick to the pad and adhere to the pick-up tool contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets during cleaning operations. / to be removed from the outlet.

In one embodiment, the cleaning material layer 202, and/or the rigid intermediate layer 206, and/or the compliant intermediate layer 203 (each, a "material layer") are solid or open, including rubber and polymers, both synthetic and natural. Or it can be made of a foam-based elastomeric material with closed cells. Each material layer can have an elastic modulus in the range of greater than 40 MPa to less than 600 MPa, and the thickness of the layer can range from ≧25 μm to ≦500 μm. Each material layer can have a hardness range of 30 Shore A to 90 Shore A or less. The cleaning adhesive layer can have a working range of -50°C to +200°C. Each elastomeric material can be a material made of preset tacky or abrasive particles spatially or selectively dispersed within the body of the material. Each material retains the integrity of the elastomeric matrix while allowing the pick-up tool contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets to penetrate into the layer of elastomeric material so that the pick-up tool contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets are It can have preset elasticity, density and surface tension parameters that allow debris to be removed from the vacuum pick-up tool without damaging the geometry. Each layer of material has a preset thickness of approximately 1 to 20 mils. The thickness of each layer can vary depending on the specific configuration of the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool. For example, a thin material cleaning layer (~1 mil thick) is suitable for "non-penetrating" geometries such as flat tubes, and a thick material cleaning layer (~20 mils) is suitable for "penetrating" tube geometries. . In a cleaning pad during normal operation of automatic, semi-automatic or manual cleaning as one or more assembly elements and supporting hardware of the assembly equipment, the normal contact force drives the contact element into the pad and the pad The material removes debris from the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool and is retained by the pad material.

In another embodiment of the cleaning medium 221 (FIGS. 8A and 8B), the maximum cleaning efficiency of the cleaning material is determined by micro-columns with a preset aspect ratio (diameter to height), cross-section (square, circular, triangular, etc.) or The use of a plurality of uniformly shaped and regularly spaced geometric micro-features 212, such as micro-pyramids, can be improved. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8A, the spaced-apart microfeatures are composed of a single layer 212 over and across a combination of compliant or rigid intermediate layers 207 with preset properties. As an example of one type of microfeature configuration, the square microcolumns shown in FIG. ” and “Avenue” widths are less than 50 μm. The "street" and "avenue" depths are controlled by the cutting method to obtain the aspect ratio. In this example, the features have a major axis width of 100 microns by a depth (or height) of 200 microns. In this configuration, depth is obtained without cutting through the cleaning material layer or into the underlying layers. In the embodiment of FIG. 8B, the equally spaced microfeatures can be composed of multiple layers 213 of multiple compliant or rigid intermediate layers 207 with preset properties. The size and shape of the microfeatures will depend on the configuration and materials of the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool to obtain a pad that removes debris but does not damage the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool. can vary accordingly. If the microfeatures are large compared to the shape of the contact element, cleaning performance will be adversely affected. When the microfeatures are small compared to the contact element geometry, the reciprocal forces are insufficient to obtain high cleaning efficiency to remove adhering contaminants.

Generally, microfeatures can have several types of shapes, including cylindrical, square, triangular, rectangular, and the like. The cross-sectional size of the major axis of each microfeature can be greater than or equal to 25 μm and less than 500 μm, and each microfeature can have an aspect ratio in the range of 1:10 to 20:1. The shape of the microfeatures can be adjusted in manufacturing the cleaning layer so that the material can be used to modify the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool.

In the embodiment of Figures 9A and 9B, which show enlarged cross-sectional views of a cleaning material having microfeatures (microcolumns 219 (9A) and micropyramids 319 (Figure 9B) of cleaning material 224, 324, respectively), the features are: It can be any other regular geometric shape. The distortion of a microfeature under load depends not only on the load, but also on the cross-sectional shape of the feature.

In the embodiment of FIG. 9A, the spacing or pitch 215 of the microcolumns, the area moment of inertia 216 or second moment of inertia which are properties of the shape and both can be used to predict the feature's resistance to bending and strain, the length of the cleaning pad The height 217, the length 218 of the intermediate pad, and the total length 219 of the micro-columns are preset according to the specific configuration of the pick-up tool's contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets. Due to the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool, the shape of the micro-columns allows the scavenging features to fit "into the inlets/outlets" and to the sides of the tool for scavenging action and debris collection. It is shaped so that it can be physically touched along. In this example, the vacuum inlet/outlet is considered to have a diameter of 125 microns. For the cleaning material, the length of the feature cross-section major axis will be less than 125 microns and the height will be at least 60 microns to facilitate over-travel into the cleaning material.

In FIG. 9B, the micro-pyramid apex spacing or pitch 315 and variable moment of inertia 316 along height, cleaning pad pyramid length 317, pyramid frustum height 318, and micro-pyramid overall height 319 are also similar to the vacuum pick-up tool. preset according to the specific configuration of the For example, the micro-pyramidal shape allows the cleaning material to penetrate into the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool and along the inside of the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool and along the sides of the pick-up tool. It is shaped to provide cleaning action and debris collection. For a particular pick-up tool configuration, the shape of the microfeatures is such that the cleaning features are placed into and along the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlet/outlets of the pick-up tool. It is shaped to fit in for cleaning action and debris collection. The shape of the microfeature is defined by the kerf (i.e., "street width and shape" and "avenue width and shape") if a precision cutting process is used, or by the mold shape if a casting process is used. . For cleaning material microfeatures, the cross-sectional major axis length of the top surface of the microfeature is less than 125 microns to facilitate cleaning in the pick-up collet. The overall height is at least 200 microns to facilitate overtravel into the cleaning material and provide sufficient counterforce to initiate cleaning and/or material removal action.

The microfeatures described above can have abrasive particles applied to the top surface, along the length of the microfeature, within the body of the microfeature, or to the bottom of the microfeature. In one embodiment, the average microfeature can have a cross-sectional width of 1.0 μm or greater, a height of 400 μm or less, and an average abrasive particle size of less than 15.0 μm. Typical abrasives that can be incorporated into and across material layers and microfeatures include aluminum oxide, silicon carbide and diamond, although abrasive particles can also be found in other well known abrasive materials having a Mohs hardness of 7 or greater. can also be The amount and size of abrasive material added to the microfeatures will depend on the configuration and materials of the pick-up tool contact surfaces and vacuum inlets/outlets to obtain a pad that removes and collects debris but does not cause damage. can change.

10A, 10B and 10C illustrate embodiments of cleaning materials 226 and 326, respectively, in which microfeatures are separated from one another using preset arrangements of streets 351, avenues 352 and diagonals 353. Formed with a preset moment of inertia to eliminate unwanted interactions and other coupling effects and to provide a preset surface compliance so that when the vacuum pick-up tool contacts the pad surface, the contact element tip is forced by the material. Reciprocal forces are imparted into the contact areas within the features to support the structure for improved efficiency in removing debris and contamination forces. The width of the streets, avenues and diagonals are dependent on the configuration and materials of the vacuum pick-up tool to obtain separate material surfaces for even removal of debris from the sides and geometrical features within the contact element tips. can change. The streets, avenues and diagonals can have abrasive particles evenly or selectively distributed across their width. The width of the streets, avenues and diagonals and the size of the abrasive material across the width can vary depending on the configuration and materials of the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool. In such embodiments, each island 360 of cleaning material is a micro-feature that is isolated from other micro-features.

The cleaning system and cleaning pad not only remove and collect adhering particulates from the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool, but also do not affect the overall shape and geometrical properties. Inserting the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool into a cleaning device such as carrier device 20 shown in FIG. 6A, substrate device 21 in FIG. 6B, dummy package device 22 in FIG. Removes adhering debris and supporting hardware without leaving organic residue that must be subsequently removed in an off-line or on-line process.

An on-site method for cleaning pick-up tool contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets achieves the objectives of reducing downtime and increasing productivity by cleaning the pick-up tool without removing the tool from the handling machine. The cleaning material is placed in a preset location in the cleaning bin or station and when the cleaning algorithm is manually, semi-automatically or automatically initiated, the machine will direct the machine to the preset location where the cleaning material is located. A pick-up tool is moved, after which the pick-up tool is inserted into the cleaning material. The cleaning material layer of the device has preset physical, mechanical and geometric properties depending on the configuration and materials of the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool.

An embodiment of a micro-featured cleaning material suitable for cleaning a conical vacuum pick-up tool (101) is shown in FIG. 11A. A suction cup type vacuum pick-up tool (102) is shown in FIG. 11B and a multi-sided vacuum collet type pick-up tool (103) is shown in FIG. 11C. For this exemplary embodiment, a standard pick-up tool is shown, but other well-known elements of handling machines are not shown. Cleaning material 324 is placed on carrier substrate 20 ( FIGS. 11A-11C ) or on cleaning area substrate 500 . During cleaning, the handling machine is programmed to move (manually, semi-automatically, or automatically) to the location of the cleaning block/pad so that the pick-up tool can be inserted into the cleaning material. At specified time intervals, or "on demand," the pick-up tool is cleaned when the cleaning material 324 is driven into contact with a preset vertical position.

The cleaning material 324 shown in FIGS. 11A-11C can have microfeatures as described above. Micro-features (e.g., micro-columns) are used, the geometry of the cleaning device has spacing, shape, and the abrasiveness of the micro-columns is such that opposing pressures on the pick-up tool can effectively clean to dislodge and collect debris. It is as abrasive as possible. The micro-column spacing 215, moment of inertia 216 and overall length 219 are configured based on the configuration and material of the pick-up tool contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlet/outlet diameters (101, 102, 103). As the pick-up tools (101, 102, 103) are pushed into the cleaning material 324, debris is removed from the inlet/outlet surfaces as well as the interior. The number of pad/polymer/substrate layers and surface features can be controlled to control the overall thickness and cleaning thickness compliance of the cleaning device. This multi-layer embodiment allows for efficient "edge-side" cleaning of the interior of multi-sided vacuum collet pick-up tools.

As mentioned above, the cleaning operation does not affect the operation of the handling machine in any way, as the cleaning of the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool is performed during normal operation. In this way, the cleaning operation is inexpensive and allows the contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets of the pick-up tool to be cleaned without excessive downtime and throughput loss.

In the microfeature embodiment shown in FIGS. 12A-13C, microfeatures (microcolumns 224 in FIGS. 12A-12C or micropyramidal structures 324 in FIGS. 13A-13C) are used, and the geometry of the cleaning device is the spacing, shape and the abrasiveness of the micropyramids is such that opposing pressure on the pick-up tool can effectively clean to remove debris. The separation of features by streets 350, avenues 351 and diagonals 352 and width and depth are preset depending on the configuration and materials of the pick-up tool contact surfaces, sides and vacuum inlets/outlets. The number of pad/polymer/substrate layers and surface features can be controlled to control the overall thickness of the cleaning device as well as the cleaning thickness compliance. This multi-layer embodiment allows for efficient "edge-side" cleaning of the interior of multi-sided vacuum collet pick-up tools.

Figure 14A is an example of a vacuum collet 1400 before cleaning using a cleaning device and Figure 14B is an example of a vacuum collet 1400 after cleaning using a cleaning device. Vacuum collet 1400 has a circular contact surface 1402 with an internal void area. As shown in FIG. 14A, an uncleaned vacuum collet 1400 has one or more debris pieces 1404 on its contact surface 1402 that have accumulated after repeated pick-and-place operations in the case of a pick-and-place machine. Adhering debris 1404 affects the quality of the vacuum seal between the collet and the device being picked and placed, reducing the vacuum force. Debris pieces 1404 cause unplanned downtime required to manually clean the debris and restore collet performance. When the vacuum collet is cleaned using the cleaning material and cleaning process disclosed above, the vacuum collet contacts the surface of the cleaning material and adhering debris is removed from the contact surface 1402 and from the collet as shown in FIG. 14B. Removed along the sides of the tip. If desired, the collet can be actuated into the cleaning polymer multiple times to remove adhering debris. Cleaning the collet contact surface 1402 as shown in FIG. 14B can be performed without taking the system offline for unscheduled maintenance.

The foregoing description has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative arguments above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments are intended to better illustrate the principles of the disclosure and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to better understand the disclosure and various embodiments with various modifications appropriate to the particular uses envisioned. Selected and explained for better usability.

The systems and methods disclosed in this application may be implemented through or distributed among one or more components, systems, servers, machines, or other sub-components. When implemented as a system, the system can include components such as software modules found in a general purpose computer, a general purpose CPU, RAM, and the like. In implementations where the innovation resides in a server, such server may include components such as a CPU, RAM, etc. found in a general purpose computer.

Moreover, the systems and methods of the present application may be provided by implementations with disparate or disparate software, hardware and/or firmware components other than those described above. For example, with respect to such other components (e.g., software, processing components, etc.) and/or computer-readable media associated with or embodying the present invention, the innovations presented in this application may include many general-purpose or special-purpose components. It can be implemented consistently with any computing system or configuration. Various preferred computing systems, environments and/or configurations suitable for use with the innovations presented in this application include personal computers, server computing devices such as servers or routing/connection components, handheld or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set-top boxes, consumer electronic devices, network PCs, other existing computer platforms, distributed computing environments containing one or more of the above systems or devices not.

In some instances, aspects of the systems and methods may be achieved or implemented via logic and/or logic instructions, including, for example, program modules executed in association with such components or circuitry. Generally, program modules can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular instructions. The invention can also be implemented in distributed software, computers, or circuitry, and the circuits are connected via communication buses, circuitry, or links. In a distributed configuration, control/instructions are derived from both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices.

The software, circuitry, and components presented in this application may also include and/or utilize one or more types of computer-readable media. A computer-readable medium can be any available medium that resides in, is coupled with, or can be accessed by the circuits and/or computer components described above. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory and other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical storage devices, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices; or any other medium that can be used to store desired information and that can be accessed by computer components. Communication media may comprise computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and/or other components. Further, communication media may include wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, but does not include any transitory media. Combinations of any of the above are also included within the scope of computer readable media.

In this description, the terms component, module, device, etc. can refer to any type of logical or functional software element, circuit, block and/or process that can be implemented in many different ways. For example, the functionality of various circuits and/or blocks may be combined with each other into any number of other modules. Each module is implemented as a software program stored in tangible memory (e.g., random access memory, read-only memory, CD-ROM memory, hard disk, etc.) that is read by a central processing unit to implement the functionality of the innovations of this application. can even Or, a module may contain programming instructions that are transmitted over a transmission carrier wave to a general purpose computer or processing/graphics hardware. A module may also be implemented as a hardware logic circuit that implements the functionality encompassed by the innovations of this application. A module may also be implemented using special purpose instructions (SIMD instructions), field programmable logic arrays, or a mixture of these to provide the desired level of performance and cost.

As disclosed in this application, features compatible with the present disclosure can be implemented via computer hardware, software and firmware. For example, the systems and methods disclosed in this application can be embodied in a variety of forms including, for example, a data processor such as a computer containing a database, digital electronic circuitry, firmware, software, or combinations thereof. Further, although some of the disclosed implementations describe specific hardware components, systems and methods compatible with the innovations of this application can be implemented in any combination of hardware, software and/or firmware. Moreover, the features described above and other forms and principles of innovation in the present application can be implemented in a variety of environments. Such environments and related applications are specifically configured to perform various routines, processes and/or operations in accordance with the present invention, or are selectively activated by code to provide the necessary functionality. or may comprise a reconfigured general purpose computer or computer platform. The processes disclosed in this application are not inherently related to any particular computer, network, architecture, environment or other apparatus, and can be implemented through any suitable combination of hardware, software and/or firmware. For example, it may be more convenient to use various general-purpose machines with programs written in accordance with the teachings of the invention, or to construct specialized apparatus or systems to perform the required methods and techniques. .

Forms of the methods and systems described in this application, such as logic, can be applied to field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable array logic (PAL) devices, programmable logic devices (PLDs) such as electrically programmable logic and memory devices, and standard cell-based devices. It can be implemented as programmed functionality in a variety of circuit configurations, including application specific integrated circuits. Some other possibilities for implementing the form include memory devices, microcontrollers with memory (EEPROM), embedded microprocessors, firmware, software, and so on. Additionally, aspects can be embodied in microprocessors with software-based circuit emulation, discrete logic (sequential and combinatorial), custom devices, fuzzy (neutral) logic, quantum devices, and mixtures of any of the above device types. Underlying device technologies include metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) technologies such as complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS), bipolar technologies such as emitter coupled logic (ECL), polymer technologies (e.g. It can be provided in a variety of component types such as silicon conjugated polymer and metal conjugated polymer-metal structure), analog and digital blends.

The various logic and/or functionality disclosed in this application may be implemented using any number of combinations of hardware, firmware, and/or various machine-readable implementations in terms of behavior, register transfers, logic components and/or other features. or as data and/or instructions embodied in a computer readable medium. Computer-readable media capable of embodying such formatted data and/or instructions include, but are not limited to, various forms of non-volatile storage media (e.g., optical, magnetic, or semiconductor storage media). ) but does not include transitory media. Throughout the description, unless the context clearly requires, the use of "comprise" and similar words has an inclusive rather than an exclusive or exhaustive meaning, i.e., "includes but is limited to." should be construed to mean "not Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively. Further, the terms "in this application," "hereafter," "above," "below," and like words refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular part of this application. When "or" is used with a list of more than one item, the word encompasses all of the following interpretations of the word. That is, any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.

Although presently preferred implementations of the invention have been described in this application with particularity, those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will appreciate the various modifications shown and described in this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It will be apparent that changes and modifications may be made to any specific implementation. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be limited only to the extent required by applicable legal norms.

Although the foregoing refers to specific embodiments of this disclosure, changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of this disclosure, and the scope of the principles and spirit of this disclosure is set forth in the claims. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the range of

Claims (60)

A method for cleaning pick and place equipment of a semiconductor device handling machine used for packaged semiconductor device testing, said method comprising:
Positioning the elastomeric cleaning material in the vicinity of a pick and place device connected to a semiconductor device handling machine, said pick and place device having a vacuum opening, a nozzle, a suction cup, a suction inlet, a vacuum collet and a vacuum pick-up tool. each having an inner surface and an outer surface;
one of the vacuum opening, the nozzle, the suction cup, the suction inlet, the vacuum collet and the vacuum pick-up tool contact the elastomeric cleaning material while the pick and place apparatus is attached to the semiconductor device handling machine; inserting the pick and place device into and into the elastomeric cleaning material so as to
removing debris from the inner and outer surfaces of one of the vacuum opening, the nozzle, the suction cup, the suction inlet, the vacuum collet and the vacuum pick-up tool;
A method, including 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving the elastomeric cleaning material adjacent to the pick and place device. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising trapping the debris within the elastomeric cleaning material. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric cleaning device has a crosslinked polymer layer. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the elastomeric cleaning material further comprises one or more intermediate layers with preset properties under the crosslinked polymer layer. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein positioning the elastomeric cleaning material further comprises using the semiconductor device handling machine to position the elastomeric cleaning material and move a plurality of semiconductor devices during a package testing process. Method. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the elastomeric cleaning material further comprises a carrier under the one or more intermediate layers. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said elastomeric cleaning material has a predetermined specific gravity, elasticity, tackiness, thickness and porosity. A method for cleaning pick and place equipment of a surface mount technology (SMT) component placement machine, said method comprising:
positioning an elastomeric cleaning material near a pick-and-place device connected to an SMT machine, said pick-and-place device having one of a vacuum opening, a nozzle, a suction cup, a suction inlet, a vacuum collet and a vacuum pick-up tool; having and positioning
one of the vacuum opening, the nozzle, the suction cup, the suction inlet, the vacuum collet and the vacuum pick-up tool while the pick and place apparatus is attached to the SMT machine; placing the pick and place device in contact with the elastomeric material to remove debris from one or more surfaces of one or more of the suction cup, the suction inlet, the vacuum collet and the vacuum pick-up tool; inserting into and into the cleaning material;
A method, including 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising moving the elastomeric cleaning material adjacent to the pick and place device. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising trapping the debris within the elastomeric cleaning material. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the elastomeric cleaning device has a crosslinked polymer layer. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the elastomeric cleaning material further comprises one or more intermediate layers with preset properties under the crosslinked polymer layer. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein positioning the elastomeric cleaning material further comprises using the semiconductor device handling machine to position the elastomeric cleaning material and move a plurality of semiconductor devices during a printed circuit board assembly process. described method. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the elastomeric cleaning material further comprises a carrier under the one or more intermediate layers. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein said elastomeric cleaning material has a predetermined specific gravity, elasticity, tackiness, thickness and porosity. A method of cleaning pick and place equipment of a die attach or flip chip bonder machine, said method comprising:
positioning an elastomeric cleaning material near a pick and place device connected to a die attach or flip chip bonder machine, said pick and place device comprising a vacuum opening, a nozzle, a suction cup, a suction inlet, a vacuum collet and a vacuum pick-up; positioning having one of the tools, each of which has an inner surface and an outer surface;
One of the vacuum opening, the nozzle, the suction cup, the suction inlet, the vacuum collet and the vacuum pick-up tool can be used to clean the elastomer while the pick-and-place apparatus remains attached to the die attach or flip-chip bonder machine. inserting the pick and place device into and into the elastomeric cleaning material so as to contact the material;
removing debris from the inner and outer surfaces of one of the vacuum opening, the nozzle, the suction cup, the suction inlet, the vacuum collet and the vacuum pick-up tool;
A method, including 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising moving the elastomeric cleaning material adjacent to the pick and place device. 18. The method of claim 17, comprising entrapping the debris within the elastomeric cleaning material. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the elastomeric cleaning device has a crosslinked polymer layer. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the elastomeric cleaning material further comprises one or more intermediate layers with preset properties under the crosslinked polymer layer. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein positioning the elastomeric cleaning material further comprises using the semiconductor device handling machine to position the elastomeric cleaning material and move a plurality of semiconductor devices during a printed circuit board assembly process. described method. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the elastomeric cleaning material further comprises a carrier under the one or more intermediate layers. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein said elastomeric cleaning material has a predetermined specific gravity, elasticity, tackiness, thickness and porosity. a device,
A semiconductor device handling machine having a pick and place apparatus, the pick and place apparatus having a contact element having an inner surface and an outer surface, the contact element being applied to one of the devices and components using suction. a contacting and picking semiconductor device handling machine;
a cleaning material attached to a substrate positioned adjacent to the pick and place device, the cleaning material having a top layer that contacts the contact surface of the pick and place device during a cleaning process; a cleaning material, wherein the top layer has properties for cleaning the inner and outer surfaces of said contact element;
with
The contact element is cleaned by inserting an end of the contact element into a cleaning material while the contact element is attached to the pick and place device; and perform pick-and-place operations once cleaned;
Device. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the cleaning material further has surface tackiness that causes debris pieces on the contact element to transfer to the cleaning material. 27. The device of claim 26, wherein said surface tackiness ranges from 20 grams to 800 grams. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the cleaning material further comprises a cleaning pad layer having one or more microfeatures formed therein. 29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the one or more microfeatures are one of microcolumns and micropyramids. 29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the cleaning material further comprises one or more intermediate layers under the cleaning pad layer supporting the cleaning pad layer. 31. The device of claim 30, wherein the intermediate layer is one of a rigid layer, a compliant layer, and a rigid and compliant layer. 31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the cleaning material further comprises a release layer over the top surface of the cleaning pad layer to protect the cleaning pad layer. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the cleaning material further comprises a substrate on which a cleaning pad layer is supported. 26. The pick-and-place equipment of claim 25, wherein the pick-and-place equipment further comprises one of a pick-and-place equipment for packaged devices under test and a pick-and-place equipment for components used in surface mount processes. Apparatus as described. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the pick and place equipment further comprises one of a pick and place equipment for die attach machines and a pick and place equipment for flip chip bonder machines. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein said contact element further comprises one of a vacuum opening, nozzle, suction cup, suction inlet, vacuum collet of said pick and place device. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the top surface of the cleaning material is a textured surface for cleaning interior and exterior surfaces of the vacuum pick-up tool. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the cleaning layer has a set of microfeatures with each microfeature spacing, moment of inertia and overall length determined based on at least the diameter of the content element of the pick and place device. . The cleaning layer has a set of microfeatures and an array of streets, avenues or diagonals separating each microfeature from each other, the width of each street, avenue or diagonal being the width of the pick and place apparatus. 26. The device of claim 25, based on the dimensions of the content element. A cleaning device,
comprising a cleaning material attached to the substrate;
wherein said cleaning material is a polymer and has a set of micro-features configured to clean a contact element of a pick and place machine having an inner surface and an outer surface;
the top surface of the cleaning material has surface tackiness to transfer debris pieces on the contact element surface to the cleaning material and properties to clean the inner and outer surfaces of the contact element;
cleaning device. 41. The cleaning device of claim 40, wherein said surface tackiness ranges from 20 grams to 800 grams. 42. The cleaning device of claim 41, wherein the set of microfeatures is one of microcolumns and micropyramids. 41. The cleaning device of claim 40, wherein the cleaning material further comprises a cleaning pad layer and one or more intermediate layers underlying the cleaning pad layer supporting the cleaning pad layer. 44. The cleaning device of Claim 43, wherein the intermediate layer is one of a rigid layer, a compliant layer, and a rigid and compliant layer. 41. The cleaning device of claim 40, wherein the cleaning material further comprises a release layer on top of the cleaning pad layer to protect the cleaning pad layer.
[Claim 45] (duplication)
41. The cleaning device of Claim 40, wherein the cleaning material has a predetermined specific gravity, elasticity, cohesiveness, thickness and porosity. 46. The cleaning device of Claim 45, wherein the cleaning material is one of rubber, natural polymers and synthetic polymers. The cleaning material has a specific gravity ranging from 0.75 to 2.27, a modulus ranging from 40 MPa to 600 MPa, a tackiness ranging from 20 to 800 grams, a thickness ranging from 25 μm to 500 μm, each layer comprising: 47. The cleaning device of claim 46, having a hardness of 30 Shore A to 90 Shore A and a porosity in the range of 10 to 150 micropores/inch. 45. The cleaning device of claim 44, wherein the cleaning pad layer further comprises a plurality of abrasive particles having a Mohs hardness of 7 or greater. The cleaning material has a specific gravity ranging from 0.75 to 2.27, a modulus ranging from 40 MPa to 600 MPa, a tackiness ranging from 20 to 800 grams, a thickness ranging from 25 μm to 500 μm, each layer comprising: 49. The cleaning device of claim 48, having a hardness of 30 Shore A to 90 Shore A and a porosity in the range of 10 to 150 micropores/inch. 41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the top surface of the cleaning material is a textured surface that cleans the inner and outer surfaces of the contact element. 41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the cleaning layer has a set of microfeatures with each microfeature spacing, moment of inertia and overall length determined based on at least the diameter of the content element. The cleaning layer has a set of microfeatures and an array of streets, avenues or diagonals separating each microfeature from each other microfeature, the width of each street, avenue or diagonal being the width of the content element. 41. The device of claim 40, based on the dimensions of . A method of picking and placing semiconductor elements, the method comprising:
performing a pick-and-place operation on a semiconductor device using a contact element of a pick-and-place apparatus, the contact element having an inner surface and an outer surface;
cleaning the contact element of the pick and place device while the contact element is attached to the pick and place device, wherein cleaning the contact element further comprises cleaning an end of the contact element with a cleaning material; and cleaning the inner and outer surfaces of the contact element with the cleaning material;
performing the pick and place operation once the contact elements have been cleaned;
A method, including 54. The method of claim 53, wherein cleaning the contact element further comprises transferring debris pieces from the surface of the contact element to the cleaning material. 55. The method of claim 54, wherein transferring debris pieces from the surface of the contact element further comprises attracting the debris pieces using surface tackiness of an upper surface of the cleaning material. 56. The method of claim 55, wherein transferring debris pieces from a surface of the contact element further comprises transferring debris pieces from an inner surface of the contact element to the surface of the cleaning material. Performing the pick-and-place operation further includes performing the pick-and-place operation for a packaged device under test and performing the pick-and-place operation for a component used in a surface mount process. 54. The method of claim 53, comprising one of: Performing the pick and place operation further includes one of performing the pick and place operation for a die attach machine and performing the pick and place operation for a flip chip bonder machine. 54. The method of claim 53. 54. The method of Claim 53, wherein cleaning the contact element further comprises positioning the cleaning material adjacent to the pick and place device. 54. The method of claim 53, wherein cleaning the contact element further comprises cleaning one of a vacuum opening, nozzle, suction cup, suction inlet, vacuum cullet of the pick and place device.

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