JP4942194B2 - Vacuum seam bonding equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a seam bonding apparatus in which an electronic component such as a crystal resonator is accommodated in a package, and a lid (lid) is placed and sealed in an opening of the package, and more specifically, the sealing is performed in a vacuum chamber. The present invention relates to a vacuum seam joining apparatus.

  Conventionally, there is a device that hermetically seals electronic components in a vacuum chamber. For example, as a method of hermetically sealing a chip such as a crystal resonator or a surface acoustic wave filter in a container, Joule heat generated during energization is used. The micro parallel seam joining method is widely used.

  In this seam bonding method, as shown in FIG. 5, a container 53 is prepared by brazing a metal seal ring 52 on the periphery of an opening of a ceramic base 51, and an electronic component 54 such as a crystal resonator is provided therein. Storing. Then, the electrode of the electronic component 54 and the outer electrode 55 provided on the container 53 are electrically connected by a wire 56, and then the opening of the container 53 is covered with a lid 57 which is a metal lid made of Kovar or the like.

  Next, a pair of roller electrodes 58a and 58b constituting the seam joining head are brought into contact with two opposite sides of the lid 57 under a certain pressure condition, and the lid 57 and the roller electrodes 58a and 58b are moved relative to each other. A roller having a tapered contact portion is brought into rolling contact with the lid, and at the same time, pulsation energization is performed on the roller electrodes 58a and 58b. The two sides are melted by Joule heat generated at this time, and the container 53 and the lid 57 are seam joined. Similarly, seam joining is also performed on the other two opposite sides. Hereinafter, an electronic component is housed inside the container and a lid is placed on the opening of the container, or a state where the lid is seam-bonded to the container is simply referred to as a package.

  By the way, the seam bonding is generally performed in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen gas whose dew point is controlled, and therefore the hermetically sealed package is filled with the inert gas. However, for example, quartz crystal products such as crystal resonators, crystal filters, and crystal oscillators all have a metal thin film electrode formed on the surface of the crystal diaphragm, and are sealed hermetically to protect the metal thin film electrode from the outside air. Along with the recent miniaturization of quartz crystal devices, quartz crystal plates have also become smaller and require hermetic sealing in a vacuum atmosphere in order to reduce resistance during driving. In addition to crystal vibrating devices, there is a growing demand for hermetic sealing in a vacuum atmosphere.

  Patent Document 1 describes a technique of micro-parallel seam bonding in a vacuum chamber as described above. Generally, in such a bonding apparatus, the package does not shift in order to improve production efficiency. A plurality of packages are placed and handled on the tray in which the recesses are formed. FIG. 6 shows a plan view of the tray. In recent years when the package has been downsized in each recess formed on the upper surface of the tray 59 so that the bottom of the package is slightly lowered. The number of packages arranged in a matrix on a single tray is generally several hundreds.

  This tray is generally formed of a metal plate and is a rectangular plate having a thickness of several millimeters. Positioning holes 60 and 61 are formed at a plurality of locations as shown in FIG. These positioning holes are formed for the purpose of being used so that the tray itself is placed at a desired position, or for handling during tray conveyance. In the case of vacuum seam bonding, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228707, the entire tray is housed in the vacuum chamber as described in Patent Document 1, and the bonding operation is generally performed.

  In Patent Document 1, it is described that the package is taken in and out of the vacuum chamber directly from the atmospheric pressure environment at the time of joining, but there is a case where a structure as shown in FIG. 7 is prepared in consideration of production efficiency. is there. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 62 denotes a vacuum chamber in which vacuum seam bonding is performed as described above. Reference numeral 63 denotes a vacuum replacement chamber, which is connected to the vacuum chamber 62 via a gate valve 64, and an external gate 65 for taking in and out the tray on which the package is placed from the atmospheric pressure environment. Is equipped.

  Here, each of the vacuum chamber 62 and the vacuum replacement chamber 63 is provided with a separate exhaust device, and the vacuum chamber 62 is evacuated to a high vacuum, and the vacuum replacement chamber 63 is compared with the vacuum chamber 62. The evacuation is performed in a low vacuum. Therefore, when the gate valve 64 and the external gate 65 are closed, the air pressure in the vacuum chamber 62 and the vacuum replacement chamber 63 is maintained at a high vacuum state and a low vacuum state, respectively. When only the gate valve 64 is opened for taking in and out of the package before and after the operation is performed, the exhaust device of the vacuum chamber 62 temporarily exhausts the air in the vacuum replacement chamber 63, so that the atmospheric pressure is totally higher than the high vacuum. However, the atmospheric pressure is slightly low.

  Thereafter, when the loading and unloading of the package is completed and the gate valve 64 is closed, the inside of the vacuum chamber 62 returns to the original high vacuum state in a short time, and preparations for starting the seam bonding operation are completed. Further, when the external gate 65 is opened during the seam bonding operation in the vacuum chamber 62 and the package is taken in and out, the pressure in the vacuum replacement chamber 63 becomes atmospheric pressure. By closing and exhausting, the inside of the vacuum replacement chamber 63 can be returned to the low vacuum state. By adopting such a configuration, the time required for exhausting each time the package in the vacuum chamber 62 is replaced is shortened, and the production efficiency is increased.

  Next, a method for transporting the package while the gate valve 64 is open will be described. FIG. 8 does not show the vacuum chamber (reference numeral 62 in FIG. 7) and the vacuum replacement chamber (reference numeral 63 in FIG. 7), and shows only the gate valve 64. Referring to the figure, the other side of the gate valve 64 is a vacuum chamber and the front side is a vacuum replacement chamber. Here, 59 is a tray on which a plurality of packages are placed, 66 is a moving block that supports the tray on its upper surface, 67 is a rail in the vacuum chamber, and 68 is a rail in the vacuum replacement chamber. In addition, a gap is provided between the rail 67 in the vacuum chamber and the rail 68 in the vacuum replacement chamber in consideration of the state in which the lid 64A of the gate valve 64 is closed. Are aligned so that they can reciprocate.

  The moving block 66 supporting the tray 59 on the upper surface reciprocates between the pickup stage in the vacuum replacement chamber and the joining stage in the vacuum chamber by a driving means (not shown), and transports the package before seam joining to the joining stage. , And transporting the seam-bonded package to the pickup stage.

  FIG. 9 is a side view showing the insertion / removal of the tray into / from the vacuum replacement chamber 63. In FIG. 9, 63 is a side view drawn so that the inside of the vacuum replacement chamber can be seen, and the vacuum chamber 62 is drawn on the other side as viewed from the paper surface of the vacuum replacement chamber 63. Two gripping mechanisms 69 are provided on the transport mechanism 70 so as to be movable up and down. One of the gripping mechanisms 69 takes out the seam-welded tray 59A from the vacuum replacement chamber 63 and transports it to the carry-out stage 71, and the other is the tray 59B before seam welding. From the carry-in stage 72 to the vacuum replacement chamber.

  FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the gripping mechanism 69. In the gripping mechanism 69, 73 is a base, 74 is a shaft that supports the base 73 and moves up and down, 75 is a gripping plate having a claw portion 75A at the lower end, and is driven The distance between the claw portions 75A that are moved in the horizontal direction by the means 76 and face each other can be enlarged or reduced. Reference numeral 77 denotes a positioning pin that fits into a positioning hole 78 in the tray 59 and regulates the positional relationship between the gripping mechanism 69 and the tray 59 in the horizontal direction. Further, the other positioning hole 79 is fitted with a convex portion 80 provided on the upper surface of the moving block 66 and restricts the horizontal positional relationship between the tray 59 and the moving block 72.

  In addition, the gripping mechanism 69 is lowered in a state where the distance between the tips of the claw portions 75A of the grip plate 75 is larger than the outer shape of the tray 59, the positioning pin 77 is fitted into the positioning hole 78 of the tray 59, and the claw portion 75A is further moved to the tray 59. When the position reaches further below the lower surface, the distance between the claws 75A is reduced, and the portion indicated by the hatched portion of the tray 59 is supported so as to be lifted from below.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-5543 (page 4, FIG. 1)

  When such a conventional transport mechanism is used at a production site, an unsteady state may occur in transport at each stage. For example, if there is a burr or the like on the inner periphery of the positioning hole 78 shown in FIG. 10, even if the gripping mechanism 69 performs the operation of placing the tray 59 on the stage and opening it, the positioning hole will be the positioning pin 77 It may be difficult to place on the stage under normal conditions. In addition, in the case where burrs or the like are present in the positioning hole 79 of the tray 59, there is a case where it cannot be placed in close contact with the upper surface of the moving block 72. Therefore, there is a demand for improving the mechanical reliability so that the tray is surely placed at a predetermined position in a predetermined posture in repeated operations.

Furthermore, it is necessary to detect the unsteady state that occurs in the conveyance at each stage. For example, when there is no tray on the stage where the tray should be, or when the holding mechanism that should have been opened by placing the tray on the stage still holds the tray. Therefore, it is necessary to make it possible to detect the presence or absence of the tray by the gripping mechanism itself. In addition to detecting that the tray is present at a predetermined position, the tray is present at a predetermined position in a predetermined posture. Specifically, it is necessary to completely detect the positioning hole provided in the tray and the positioning projection of the moving block and detect that the posture of the tray is not lifted or tilted.

  For example, when the tray and the moving block are lifted or inclined, a bonding failure occurs in the seam bonding process in the vacuum chamber 62, or the bonding apparatus itself is damaged due to interference between the roller electrode and the package or the tray. May occur. In the case of the former (bonding failure), the production operation is forced to be interrupted for a long time due to generation of defective products of several hundreds of packages, or cleaning up many scattered packages. In the latter case, the production work is interrupted for a longer time and the apparatus is repaired.

  Therefore, before the tray on which the package is placed is transported into the vacuum chamber 62, it is required to reliably place the tray on the moving block at a predetermined position and posture. Further, since the vacuum state continues in the vacuum chamber and the vacuum replacement chamber, the operation of the electrical components in vacuum is generally not guaranteed due to problems such as heat dissipation. In other words, the use of electrical parts in a vacuum affects the life and failure rate of the parts, and there is a problem that the reliability of the apparatus is lowered. In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the motor driving the XY table in the vacuum chamber is disposed outside the chamber.

  In view of the above, the present invention has an object to reliably transport a package and a tray by a gripping mechanism, and to reliably support the tray on a moving block in a vacuum replacement chamber, and to provide an electrical component such as a sensor in a vacuum environment. It was created to solve this problem.

  A first aspect of the present invention is a vacuum seam bonding apparatus including a micro parallel seam bonding mechanism and a vacuum chamber for sealing a package in which an electronic component is stored, and is connected to the vacuum chamber via a gate valve. A vacuum replacement chamber provided, a tray having first and second positioning holes and a plurality of the packages, and a convex portion that is inserted into the first positioning hole and restricts displacement of the tray. And a moving block that reciprocates between the vacuum replacement chamber and the vacuum chamber through the opening of the gate valve while supporting the tray on its upper surface, and an upper and lower portion that is fitted into the second positioning hole. A gripping mechanism that grips the tray, and has at least a pair of positioning pins erected in the direction and a pair of claw portions that expand and contract each other by a driving means. Gripping mechanism provides a vacuum seam welding device, characterized in that a axial direction of the positioning pin comprising a pressing portion for pressing the tray resiliently in the direction of the claw portion.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the pressing portion is fitted to the positioning pin, the upper surface thereof is urged by a compression coil spring from above, and the lower surface of the pressing pin is inserted into the second positioning hole. The vacuum seam joining apparatus according to the first aspect is characterized in that the vacuum seam joining apparatus comes into contact with the tray by being inserted.

  Further, according to a third aspect of the present invention, the gripping mechanism includes a sensor, and the sensor detects a relative vertical movement of the pressing portion with respect to the positioning pin. The gripping mechanism grips the tray. The vacuum seam bonding apparatus according to the second aspect is provided, wherein the information on whether or not the pressure is detected is obtained by detecting the vertical movement of the pressing portion.

  Further, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the gripping mechanism includes a sensor, and the sensor detects a relative vertical movement of the pressing portion with respect to the positioning pin, and the gripping mechanism opens the tray. Information on whether or not the tray is supported in a predetermined posture by the moving block is detected by detecting the vertical movement of the pressing portion. A vacuum seam bonding apparatus according to any one of the second and third aspects is provided.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the gripping mechanism is gripping the tray, the tray is sandwiched between the claw portion and the pressing portion, so that the tray is transported even if the transport mechanism is subjected to vibration or impact. It doesn't rattle inside. Further, when the gripping mechanism places the tray on the moving block, the pressing portion presses the tray against the upper surface of the moving block, so that the tray can be placed on the moving block in a posture without floating or tilting.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the pressing portion is fitted to the positioning pin, the pulling direction is most effective when the positioning pin and the second positioning hole are stuck to each other. Can be applied. Further, since it is not necessary to arrange the pressing portion at a position different from the positioning pin, the structure is simplified.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, whether or not the gripping mechanism is actually gripping the tray can be detected at a desired time regardless of the operating state of the gripping mechanism. In addition, since the sensor is provided in the gripping mechanism, it is not necessary to provide a sensor for the same application in the vacuum replacement chamber or the reduced pressure environment in the vacuum chamber, and the detection reliability is improved.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it can be detected whether or not the tray is supported in a desired posture on the moving block. Moreover, since this detection can be performed using the sensor provided for the purpose of the third aspect, the structure of the gripping mechanism is simplified. Therefore, since the same sensor serves both as the detection of the presence / absence of the tray and the detection of the posture of the tray, it is not necessary to provide a sensor for the same application in the reduced pressure environment in the vacuum replacement chamber or the vacuum chamber as in the third aspect. , Detection reliability is improved.

  Next, a vacuum seam bonding apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vacuum seam joining apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a vacuum chamber, in which the package is vacuum sealed. Reference numeral 2 denotes a vacuum replacement chamber connected to the vacuum chamber via the gate valve 3, and the vacuum chamber 1 closes the gate valve 3 to depressurize the inside and perform the bonding operation. The loaded tray 4 is taken in and out, then the external gate 5 is closed, the internal pressure is reduced, and the process waits until the gate valve 3 is opened again.

  A moving block 6 is provided immediately below the opening of the external gate 5, and the moving block 6 reciprocates between the vacuum chamber 1 and the vacuum replacement chamber 2 through the opening of the gate valve 3. Can be done. A gripping mechanism 7 is depicted immediately above the external gate 5, and this gripping mechanism 7 can be moved horizontally in the direction of arrow A by a driving means (not shown) and can be moved up and down in the direction of arrow A. FIG. 1 shows a state before the tray 4 supported on the moving block 6 is picked up.

  Next, the structure of the gripping mechanism 7 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view of the gripping mechanism 7. Reference numeral 8 denotes a base, and 9 denotes a shaft that supports the base 8 and moves the base 8 up, down, left, and right to position it. Reference numeral 10 denotes a pair of grip plates, each having a claw portion 10A at the lower end, each of which is moved in the left-right direction by an air cylinder 11 as a driving means, so that the interval between the claw portions 10A indicated by X in the figure can be expanded or reduced. .

  Reference numeral 12 denotes a positioning pin erected on the base 8 in the vertical direction, and the lower end of the positioning pin is tapered so as to have a small diameter. Reference numeral 13 denotes a pressing portion, which is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is formed with cutouts 13A from the lower end at two opposite positions in the front-rear direction as viewed in the figure. The pressing portion 13 is prevented from dropping downward by the contact of the press-fit pin 12A penetrating in the front-rear direction with reference to the positioning pin 12 and the notch 13A. On the other hand, a compression coil spring 14 inserted through the positioning pin 12 and having an upper end in contact with the base 8 urges the upper surface of the pressing portion 13 downward.

  The sensor 15 fixed to the lower side of the base 8 so that the vertical position can be adjusted is a light blocking sensor having a light emitting part and a light receiving part in the front-rear direction as seen in the figure. When the distance is reached, the light is cut off and turned off, and the vertical position of the pressing portion 13 with respect to the positioning pin 12 is detected. All of the constituent elements excluding the base 8 and the shaft 9 are provided as a pair symmetrically with reference to the drawing.

  Next, the gripping operation of the gripping mechanism 7 will be described based on FIGS. 3 and 4. 3A shows a state before the gripping mechanism 7 grips the plate 4, FIG. 3B shows a state in which the gripping operation is started, and FIG. 3C shows a state in which the gripping operation is finished. . In FIG. 3A, the gripping mechanism 7 is in a state of being separated upward with respect to the tray 4 supported on the moving block 6. Therefore, the pressing portion 13 provided in the gripping mechanism 7 is at the lowest end position in contact with the above-described press-fit pin 12A, and the sensor is in the ON state. Further, the distance between the tips of the claw portions 10 </ b> A is wider than the outer shape of the tray 4.

  In FIG. 3B, the gripping mechanism 7 is lowered and the tip of the positioning pin 12 is fitted into the second positioning hole of the tray, that is, a hole for regulating the positional relationship between the gripping mechanism 7 and the tray 4. The gripping mechanism 7 stops descending when the upper surface of the claw portion 10 </ b> A is lower than the lower surface of the tray 4. First, in this state, the pressing portion 13 is pushed up to the tray 4 and the compression coil spring 14 is compressed. At the same time, the pressing portion 13 moves upward with respect to the positioning pin 12, so that the sensor 15 is turned off and the gripping mechanism 7 is turned off. It is detected that the tray 4 is actually gripped.

Thereafter, the air cylinder 11 is actuated to reduce the distance between the pair of claws 10A, and the gripping mechanism 7 is raised as shown in FIG. Even in this state, since the sensor 15 is still in the OFF state, it can be detected that the tray 4 is actually gripped even when the gripping mechanism 7 finishes the gripping operation and starts the transporting operation.

  Next, the operation of the gripping mechanism 7 placing the tray 4 on the moving block 6 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A shows a state where the gripping mechanism 7 that grips the tray 4 is located immediately above the moving block 6. On the upper surface of the moving block 6, there is provided a convex portion 6 </ b> A that fits in the first positioning hole of the tray 4 and regulates the horizontal displacement between the tray 4 and the moving block 6. In the case of the present embodiment, the convex portions 6 </ b> A are provided at two locations in the diagonal direction of the tray 4.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the gripping mechanism 7 is lowered and the lower surface of the tray 4 comes into contact with the upper surface of the moving block 6. At this time, the tray 4 positioned in the horizontal direction by the positioning pin 12 of the gripping mechanism 7 and the second positioning hole of the tray 4 is fitted so that the first positioning hole fits the convex portion 6 </ b> A of the moving block 6. It has become. Thereafter, the gripping mechanism 7 continues to descend, and stops descending when a gap is formed between the upper surface of the claw portion 10A and the lower surface of the tray 4.

Here, since the pressing portion 13 provided in the gripping mechanism 7 presses the tray 4 downward, the tray 4 can be placed on the moving block 6 in a predetermined posture without floating or tilting. Further, in the state of FIG. 4 (b) following the state of FIG. 4 (a), the sensor 15 always maintains the OFF state, so that the gripping mechanism 7 actually places the tray 4 on. Can be detected.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, the air cylinder 11 is operated, the interval between the claw portions 12 </ b> A is made larger than the outer shape of the tray 4, and the gripping mechanism 7 starts to rise. At this time, there may be a case where a float is generated between the lower surface of the tray 4 and the upper surface of the moving block 6 as shown by a one-dot chain line in the figure, regardless of the downward pressing of the pressing portion 13. Such a state can be known by raising the gripping mechanism 7 to a position where the sensor 15 is turned on if the tray 4 is normally placed, and detecting the state of the sensor 15 at that position. It is.

The perspective view which shows embodiment of this invention Side view showing an embodiment of the present invention Side view showing an embodiment of the present invention Side view showing an embodiment of the present invention Sectional view showing conventional technology Plan view showing conventional technology Perspective view showing conventional technology Perspective view showing conventional technology Side view showing conventional technology Perspective view showing conventional technology

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum chamber 2 Vacuum substitution chamber 3 Gate valve 4 Tray 5 External gate 6 Moving block 7 Grip mechanism 8 Base 9 Shaft 10 Grip plate 11 Air cylinder 12 Positioning pin 13 Press part 14 Compression coil spring 15 Sensor

Claims (4)

A vacuum seam bonding apparatus comprising a micro parallel seam bonding mechanism for sealing a package containing electronic components and a vacuum chamber, wherein a vacuum replacement chamber connected to the vacuum chamber via a gate valve; And a tray having a plurality of second positioning holes on which the plurality of packages are placed, and a convex portion that is fitted into the first positioning hole to limit positional deviation of the tray, and supports the tray on the upper surface thereof. And a moving block that reciprocates between the vacuum replacement chamber and the vacuum chamber through the opening of the gate valve, and at least a pair of vertically arranged to be inserted into the second positioning hole. A gripping mechanism that grips the tray and includes a pair of claw portions that expand and contract each other in the horizontal direction by a positioning pin and driving means;
The vacuum seam joining apparatus, wherein the gripping mechanism includes a pressing portion that elastically presses the tray in the axial direction of the positioning pin and in the direction of the claw portion. The pressing portion is fitted to the positioning pin, and its upper surface is urged by a compression coil spring from above, and the lower surface is in contact with the tray when the positioning pin is inserted into the second positioning hole. The vacuum seam bonding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The gripping mechanism includes a sensor, and the sensor detects a relative vertical movement of the pressing portion with respect to the positioning pin. Information on whether or not the gripping mechanism is gripping the tray is displayed on the pressing mechanism. The vacuum seam bonding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the vacuum seam bonding apparatus is obtained by detecting the vertical movement of the part. The gripping mechanism includes a sensor, which detects a relative vertical movement of the pressing portion with respect to the positioning pin, and when the gripping mechanism opens the tray and is positioned at a predetermined height, The information as to whether or not the tray is supported by the moving block in a predetermined posture is acquired by detecting the vertical movement of the pressing portion. The vacuum seam bonding apparatus according to 1.

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