JP6694406B2 - Lead frame substrate carrier - Google Patents

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a lead frame base material transport device.

  The lead frame is used as an internal wiring of a semiconductor package, and is formed by processing a lead frame base material which is a strip-shaped thin metal plate. The lead frame base material is unwound from a winding roll in a coiled state, is transported to the downstream side by a transport device, and is then wound by a winding roll. For the lead frame base material, various processing treatments (for example, resist film forming treatment, etching treatment, plating treatment, etc.) are performed in the transportation process from the unwinding roll to the winding up. ) Is performed sequentially. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a lead frame base material conveying device. The transport device transports the lead frame base material such that the main surface of the lead frame base material is in a state in which the main surface is along the horizontal direction (hereinafter, it may be referred to as “prone state”).

JP, 7-237746, A

  The lead frame base material is usually very thin (for example, about 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm) and extremely flexible. Therefore, in the conventional transport device, in order to suppress the bending of the lead frame base material in the transport direction (traveling direction), a large number of support rollers for supporting the side edge portions of the lead frame base material from below are arranged at a narrow pitch. It was sometimes required to do so. Even if such a large number of support rollers are used, there is a concern that the center portion in the width direction of the lead frame base material may be bent when the plate width of the lead frame base material is large. Moreover, as the lead frame base material is conveyed toward the downstream side, unnecessary portions of the lead frame base material are removed by etching or the like. Therefore, the central portion in the width direction of the lead frame base material tends to be particularly flexible.

  If such bending occurs in a portion of the lead frame base material that is being processed during processing, the processing accuracy of the lead frame base material will decrease, and it will be difficult for the processed lead frame to have a shape that conforms to the design. .. Therefore, it is conceivable to further arrange a support roller that supports the central portion in the width direction of the lead frame base material. However, since the central part is an important part that functions as a semiconductor package, it is desirable to avoid the risk that the central part is deformed, scratched, or foreign matter enters due to contact with the support roller. There is also.

  Therefore, the present disclosure describes a lead frame base material conveying device capable of improving the processing accuracy of the lead frame base material.

  A lead frame base material conveying device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a pair of first rollers capable of sandwiching a lower edge portion of a lead frame base material whose main surface is in a state of being in a vertical direction, and a pair of first rollers. A first rotation mechanism configured to rotate at least one of the first rollers, a first drive mechanism configured to relatively move the pair of first rollers toward and away from each other, and control And a section. The control unit controls the first rotation mechanism to rotate at least one of the pair of first rollers to thereby fix the lead frame base material in a state where the lower edge portion is sandwiched by the pair of first rollers. By controlling the first process of transporting and the first drive mechanism to intermittently relatively move the pair of first rollers toward and away from each other, the lower edge portion is sandwiched by the pair of first rollers. The second process of repeating the release and the release at a predetermined interval is executed.

  According to the lead frame substrate transporting device of the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the processing accuracy of the lead frame substrate.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a lead frame substrate carrying device. FIG. 2 is a view of the vicinity of the upstream-side transport unit and the downstream-side transport unit as viewed from the transport direction of the lead frame base material.

  The embodiments according to the present disclosure described below are examples for explaining the present invention, and thus the present invention should not be limited to the following contents.

<< Outline of Embodiment >>
[1] A lead frame base material conveying device according to an example of the present embodiment is a pair of first lead frame base material whose main surface is in a state along the vertical direction and which can sandwich a lower edge portion of the lead frame base material. A roller, a first rotation mechanism configured to rotate at least one of the pair of first rollers, and a first drive configured to relatively move the pair of first rollers toward and away from each other. A mechanism and a control unit are provided. The control unit controls the first rotation mechanism to rotate at least one of the pair of first rollers to thereby fix the lead frame base material in a state where the lower edge portion is sandwiched by the pair of first rollers. By controlling the first process of transporting and the first drive mechanism to intermittently relatively move the pair of first rollers toward and away from each other, the lower edge portion is sandwiched by the pair of first rollers. The second process of repeating the release and the release at a predetermined interval is executed.

  In the lead frame base material conveying device according to one example of the present embodiment, the control unit controls the first rotation mechanism, and the pair of first rollers holding the lower edge portion of the lead frame base material. By rotating at least one of the above with the first rotating mechanism, the lead frame base material is conveyed in a state where the main surface of the lead frame base material is along the vertical direction (hereinafter, may be referred to as “upright state”). It Since the lead frame base material is a strip-shaped thin metal plate, it is more difficult for the lead frame base material to bend with respect to gravity in the standing state than in the prone state. Therefore, in order to suppress the bending of the lead frame base material, it is not necessary to support the central portion of the lead frame base material in the width direction (hereinafter, simply referred to as “width direction”) with the support roller. Therefore, since bending and deformation of the lead frame base material are suppressed, it is possible to improve the processing accuracy of the lead frame base material. In addition, when the lead frame base material is conveyed in an upright state, it becomes easy to uniformly perform processing on both surfaces of the lead frame base material. Further, as compared with the case where the lead frame base material is conveyed in the prone state, a large number of support rollers for supporting the main surface (lower surface) of the lead frame base material are not required, so that the number of parts can be suppressed. It will be possible.

  By the way, when the lead frame base material is conveyed by the pair of first rollers in an upright state, the pair of first rollers slide down downward due to the horizontal force pushed by the counterpart roller and gravity. The downward frictional force from the lead frame base material acts. That is, as a reaction force from the pair of first rollers, a horizontal force and a vertically upward force act on the lead frame base material. Therefore, the lead frame base material gradually approaches the pair of first rollers during the transportation process. If such a rising is left, the lead frame base material may eventually come off the pair of first rollers, and the lead frame base material may not be conveyed. Therefore, in the lead frame substrate transporting device according to one example of the present embodiment, the control unit controls the first drive mechanism to intermittently move the pair of first rollers relative to each other by the first drive mechanism. The pair of first rollers repeatedly sandwiches and releases the lower edge portion at predetermined intervals by making the pair of first rollers closer to each other. Therefore, the lower edge portion is released by the pair of first rollers when the lead frame base material is pushed up, and the lower edge portion is clamped by the pair of first rollers when the lead frame base material is dropped by a predetermined amount. It Therefore, the momentary release of the pair of first rollers corrects the rising of the lead frame base material. As a result, the lead frame base material can be appropriately transported.

  [2] The device according to the above-mentioned item 1 is located on the upstream side of the pair of first rollers in the transport direction of the lead frame base material, and the main surface is in a state of being along the vertical direction. A pair of second rollers capable of holding the lower edge of the frame base material, a second rotation mechanism configured to rotate at least one of the pair of second rollers, and a pair of second rollers. A second drive mechanism configured to be relatively close to and away from each other, and the controller controls the second rotation mechanism to rotate at least one of the pair of second rollers. , A third process of transporting the lead frame base material in which the lower edge portion is sandwiched by the pair of second rollers, and the second drive mechanism are controlled to intermittently move the pair of second rollers. By relatively approaching and separating, the pair of first When the rollers release the lower edge portion, the lower edge portion is sandwiched by the pair of second rollers, and when the pair of first rollers sandwich the lower edge portion, the lower edge portion is sandwiched by the pair of second rollers. You may perform the 4th process of releasing a part. In this case, the lower edge portion of the lead frame base material is held by at least one of the pair of first rollers and the pair of second rollers. Therefore, even when one of the pair of first rollers and the pair of second rollers releases the lower edge portion, the other pinches the lower edge portion to convey the lead frame base material. Therefore, it becomes possible to continuously convey the lead frame base material. In particular, if the lead frame base material conveyance is temporarily stopped during processing such as resist film formation processing, etching processing, plating processing, exposure processing, and resist film removal processing, the processing time will not be constant and the resist film thickness The etching amount, the plating film thickness, the exposure amount, the resist film removal amount, and the like may vary. However, according to the apparatus described in the item (2), since the lead frame base material is continuously conveyed, such a variation can be significantly suppressed.

  [3] In the apparatus described in the second item, in the fourth processing, both the pair of first rollers and the pair of second rollers may temporarily sandwich the lower edge portion. In this case, a state in which the lead frame base material is not conveyed, that is, a state in which the lower edge portion is not sandwiched between the pair of first rollers and the pair of second rollers does not occur. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably realize continuous conveyance of the lead frame base material.

  [4] In the device described in the above item 2 or 3, even if the lower edge portion sandwiched by the pair of first rollers is longer than the lower edge portion sandwiched by the pair of second rollers. Good. By the way, when the lead frame base material is sandwiched and conveyed by the pair of first rollers or the pair of second rollers, the pushing force acts on the downstream side portion of these rollers of the lead frame base material. There is. However, since the lead frame base material is a strip-shaped thin metal plate, when the pushing force is applied to the lead frame base material, it is extremely likely to buckle. Therefore, in the apparatus described in the third section, the lead frame base material is mainly conveyed by the pair of first rollers located on the downstream side. That is, the pair of first rollers located on the downstream side function as main drive rollers. In this case, since the portion of the lead frame base material on the downstream side of the main drive roller becomes relatively short, the influence of the pushing force acting from the main drive roller is reduced. Therefore, the deformation of the lead frame base material can be suppressed.

  [5] The apparatus described in any one of the above items 2 to 4 includes a pair of guide members configured to guide the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the lead frame base material in the transport direction. Further, the pair of guide members may be arranged between the pair of first rollers and the pair of second rollers. In this case, since the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the lead frame base material are guided by the pair of guide members, it is possible to suppress the lateral deflection of the lead frame base material in the transport direction.

  [6] The apparatus described in any one of the above items 1 to 5 may further include a stopper member configured to prevent the lead frame base material from falling. In this case, since the lead frame base material that has dropped due to the release from the pair of first rollers is received by the stopper member, it is possible to prevent the lead frame base material from dropping more than necessary.

<< Exemplary embodiment >>
Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment according to the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same elements or elements having the same function will be denoted by the same reference symbols, without redundant description.

[Conveying device for lead frame base material]
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a transfer device 1 for a lead frame base material LF which is a strip-shaped thin metal plate will be described. The transport device 1 is configured to be capable of transporting the lead frame base material LF in an upright state (a state in which the main surface of the lead frame base material LF is along the vertical direction).

  In the transport direction of the lead frame base material LF by the transport device 1 (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as “transport direction”), an unwind roll (unillustrated) that unwinds the lead frame base material LF on the upstream side of the transport device 1. And a take-up roll (not shown) for taking up the lead frame base material LF is located on the downstream side of the transport device 1. Between the unwinding roll and the transport device 1, for example, a processing device for performing processing such as resist film forming processing, exposure processing, etching processing, resist film peeling processing, and plating processing on the lead frame base material LF. It may be arranged. For example, an inspection device for performing an inspection process for inspecting the lead frame base material LF may be arranged between the transport device 1 and the winding roll.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transport device 1 includes an upstream transport unit 10, a downstream transport unit 20, a plurality of guide units 30, a stopper member 40, a sensor 50, a controller 60 (control unit). Equipped with.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upstream transport unit 10 includes a pair of upstream rollers 11 and 12 (second roller), a rotating mechanism 13 (second rotating mechanism), and a driving mechanism 14 (second roller). 2 drive mechanism) and a swinging member 15. The pair of upstream rollers 11 and 12 are positioned so that the lower edge portion LFa of the lead frame base material LF is placed therebetween. That is, the pair of upstream rollers 11 and 12 are opposed to each other via the lower edge portion LFa. Both the upstream rollers 11 and 12 have a cylindrical shape and can rotate around a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction.

  The rotating mechanism 13 is connected to the upstream roller 11. The rotation mechanism 13 is, for example, a rotation motor. The rotation mechanism 13 operates based on an instruction from the controller 60, and rotationally drives the upstream roller 11.

  The drive mechanism 14 is connected to the swing member 15. The drive mechanism 14 is, for example, a swing servo motor. The drive mechanism 14 operates based on an instruction from the controller 60, and swings the swing member 15 around a swing axis extending in the vertical direction.

  The swing member 15 indirectly connects the upstream roller 12 and the drive mechanism 14. The swing member 15 has a function of rotatably supporting the upstream roller 12 at a position eccentric to the swing shaft of the drive mechanism 14. The shape of the swinging member 15 is not particularly limited as long as the function is exhibited. In the present embodiment, the rocking member 15 has a quadrangular prism shape, the drive mechanism 14 is attached to the base end of the rocking member 15, and the upstream roller 12 is attached to the tip end of the rocking member 15. ing.

  When the tip of the swing member 15 is swung by the drive mechanism 14, the upstream roller 12 attached to the tip is also swung so as to move toward and away from the upstream roller 11. When the upstream roller 12 approaches the upstream roller 11, the lower edges LFa of the lead frame base material LF are sandwiched by the peripheral surfaces of the upstream rollers 11 and 12 that face each other (see FIG. 2). That is, the pair of upstream rollers 11 and 12 are configured to be able to sandwich the lower edge portion LFa of the lead frame base material LF. The drive mechanism 14 is configured to bring the upstream roller 12 close to and away from the upstream roller 11.

  The downstream transport unit 20 includes a pair of downstream rollers 21, 22 (first roller), a rotation mechanism 23 (first rotation mechanism), a drive mechanism 24 (first drive mechanism), and a swing member 25. Have and. Since these configurations are similar to those of the upstream side transport unit 10, description thereof will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of guide portions 30 are arranged side by side in the transport direction of the lead frame base material LF. In the present embodiment, three guide parts 30 are arranged between the upstream side conveyance part 10 and the downstream side conveyance part 20, and one guide part 30 is arranged on the downstream side of the downstream side conveyance part 20. There is. At least one guide unit 30 may be arranged between the upstream side transport unit 10 and the downstream side transport unit 20. The guide unit 30 may not be arranged on the downstream side of the downstream side transport unit 20.

  The guide unit 30 includes a pair of guide rollers 31 and 32 (guide members) and a support body 33. The pair of guide rollers 31 and 32 are rotatably attached to the side surface of the support body 33. Both the pair of guide rollers 31 and 32 are rotatable about a rotation axis extending in the horizontal direction and in the thickness direction of the lead frame base material LF. The pair of guide rollers 31 and 32 are separated from each other in the vertical direction so that the guide roller 31 is located below the guide roller 32.

  Both guide rollers 31 and 32 have a cylindrical shape. The peripheral surfaces of the guide rollers 31 and 32 are opposed to each other. Grooves extending along the circumferential direction are provided on the circumferential surfaces of the guide rollers 31, 32. The guide rollers 31 and 32 are configured to guide the side edge portion (upper edge portion or lower edge portion) of the lead frame base material LF in the transport direction by these grooves.

  The shape of the grooves of the guide rollers 31 and 32 is not particularly limited, and may be V-shaped or U-shaped. The distance between the groove bottoms of the guide rollers 31 and 32 may be set to be slightly larger than the width of the lead frame base material LF. Specifically, the distance between the groove bottoms of the guide rollers 31 and 32 is such that the side edge (upper edge or lower edge) of the lead frame base material LF is the groove when the lead frame base material LF is transferred by the transfer device 1. However, it may be set so as not to abut against the groove bottom.

  The stopper member 40 is configured to prevent the lead frame base material LF from falling. Therefore, the stopper member 40 is arranged below the lower edge portion LFa of the lead frame base material LF. The stopper member 40 may be a grooved roller, like the guide rollers 31 and 32. In this case, the lower edge of the lead frame base material LF may be in contact with the groove bottom when the lead frame base material LF is transferred by the transfer device 1.

  The sensor 50 is configured to detect the height position of the upper edge of the lead frame base material LF. The sensor 50 may be, for example, a laser displacement sensor. The sensor 50 transmits a detection signal regarding the height position of the upper edge to the controller 60.

  The controller 60 outputs instruction signals for operating the rotation mechanisms 13 and 23 and the drive mechanisms 14 and 24, respectively, based on a program recorded in a recording medium (not shown) or an operation input from an operator. It is generated and the instruction signal is transmitted to the rotation mechanisms 13 and 23 and the drive mechanisms 14 and 24.

  Specifically, the controller 60 controls the rotation mechanisms 13 and 23 and the drive mechanisms 14 and 24 as follows. First, the controller 60 controls the drive mechanism 24 to swing the swinging member 25 so that the downstream roller 22 comes close to the downstream roller 21. As a result, the lower edge portion LFa of the lead frame base material LF is held between the pair of downstream side rollers 21 and 22. In this state, the controller 60 controls the rotating mechanism 23 to rotate the downstream roller 21, and sends out the lower edge portion LFa held by the pair of downstream rollers 21 and 22 (first processing). As a result, the lead frame base material LF is conveyed toward the downstream side.

  By the way, when the lead frame base material LF is conveyed by the pair of downstream side rollers 21 and 22 in the upright state, the pair of downstream side rollers 21 and 22 is pushed in the horizontal direction by the partner downstream side rollers 22 and 21. And a downward friction force in the vertical direction from the lead frame base material LF that tends to slide downward due to gravity. That is, as a reaction force from the pair of downstream rollers 21 and 22, a horizontal force and a vertically upward force act on the lead frame base material LF. Therefore, the lead frame base material LF gradually approaches the pair of downstream rollers 21 and 22 in the course of conveyance. If such a rising is left, the lead frame base material LF will eventually come off the pair of downstream rollers 21 and 22, and the lead frame base material LF cannot be conveyed.

  Therefore, the controller 60 determines, based on the detection signal received from the sensor 50, whether or not the amount of swelling of the lead frame base material LF is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. When the controller 60 determines that the amount of swelling of the lead frame base material LF is not greater than or equal to the threshold value, the amount of swelling of the lead frame base material LF is not so large, and therefore, the pair of downstream side rollers 21 and 22 are used. Continue the transport of LF.

  On the other hand, when the controller 60 determines that the amount of swelling of the lead frame base material LF is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the amount of swelling of the lead frame base material LF is excessive, and therefore the controller 60 performs the squeeze correction process. Specifically, in a state in which the lead frame base material LF is being conveyed by the pair of downstream rollers 21, 22, the controller 60 further controls the drive mechanism 14 to swing the swing member 15 to move the upstream side. The roller 12 is brought close to the upstream roller 11. As a result, the lower edge portion LFa of the lead frame base material LF is also held by the pair of upstream side rollers 11 and 12. In this state, the controller 60 controls the rotating mechanism 13 to rotate the upstream roller 11 and sends out the lower edge portion LFa held by the pair of upstream rollers 11 and 12 (third processing).

  Subsequently, the controller 60 controls the drive mechanism 24 to swing the swing member 25 and separates the downstream roller 22 from the downstream roller 21 (second and fourth processing). As a result, the lower edge portion LFa of the lead frame base material LF is released from the pair of downstream rollers 21 and 22. Therefore, in the vicinity of the pair of downstream rollers 21 and 22, the lead frame base material LF falls, and the lower edge portion LFa is received by the stopper member 40. During this time, the lead frame base material LF is being conveyed by the pair of upstream rollers 11 and 12.

  Subsequently, the controller 60 controls the drive mechanism 24 to swing the swinging member 25, and brings the downstream roller 22 close to the downstream roller 21 again. As a result, the lower edge portion LFa of the lead frame base material LF is held between the pair of downstream side rollers 21 and 22. Since the downstream roller 21 is continuously rotated by the rotating mechanism 23, the pair of downstream rollers 21 and 22 sends out the sandwiched lower edge portion LFa (first processing).

  Subsequently, in a state in which the lead frame base material LF is being conveyed by the pair of downstream side rollers 21, 22, the controller 60 controls the drive mechanism 14 to swing the swinging member 15 so that the upstream side roller 12 is moved. It is separated from the upstream roller 11 (second and fourth processing). As a result, the lower edge portion LFa of the lead frame base material LF is released from the pair of upstream rollers 11 and 12.

  The controller 60 corrects the rising of the lead frame base material LF by repeating the above processing. That is, the controller 60 controls the rotation mechanisms 13 and 23 and the drive mechanisms 14 and 24 so that the upstream roller 11 and 12 and the downstream roller 21 and 22 repeatedly clamp and release the lower edge portion LFa at predetermined intervals. is doing. More specifically, the controller 60 causes the downstream rollers 21 and 22 to clamp the lower edge portion LFa while the upstream rollers 11 and 12 are releasing the lower edge portion LFa, and the downstream rollers 21 and 22 have the lower edge portions LFa. The rotating mechanisms 13 and 23 and the drive mechanisms 14 and 24 are controlled so that the lower edge portion LFa is sandwiched by the upstream rollers 11 and 12 when the portion LFa is released.

  The separation distance between the upstream rollers 11 and 12 and the downstream rollers 21 and 22 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 300 mm or more, 600 mm or more, or 800 mm or more. Good. The shorter the distance between the upstream rollers 11 and 12 and the downstream rollers 21 and 22 is, the more the lead frame base material LF is released when the upstream rollers 11 and 12 or the downstream rollers 21 and 22 release the lower edge portion LFa. Are less likely to drop, and the effect of correcting the swelling of the lead frame base material LF tends to be smaller. Note that the ease with which the lead frame base material LF can fall can also change depending on the rigidity of the lead frame base material LF and the like.

  The release time of the lower edge portion LFa by the downstream rollers 21 and 22 may be 1 second or less, 0.5 seconds or less, or 0.3 seconds or less, It may be 0.2 seconds or less. In other words, the nipping time of the lower edge portion LFa by the upstream rollers 11 and 12 may be at least the release time of the lower edge portion LFa by the downstream rollers 21 and 22.

  The holding time of the lower edge portion LFa by the downstream side rollers 21 and 22 may be variously changed depending on the degree to which the lead frame base material LF approaches, but may be, for example, about 5 seconds to 7 seconds. In other words, the release time of the lower edge portion LFa by the upstream rollers 11 and 12 may be at least the nipping time of the lower edge portion LFa by the downstream rollers 21 and 22.

  By the way, when the lead frame base material LF is conveyed while being sandwiched by the upstream side rollers 11 and 12 or the downstream side rollers 21 and 22, a pushing force acts on the downstream side portion of these rollers of the lead frame base material LF. is doing. However, since the lead frame base material LF is a strip-shaped thin metal plate, when the pushing force is applied to the lead frame base material LF, it is extremely likely to buckle. Therefore, the nipping time of the lower edge LFa by the downstream rollers 21 and 22 may be longer than the nipping time of the lower edge LFa by the upstream rollers 11 and 12. In this case, the lead frame base material LF is mainly transported by the downstream rollers 21 and 22. That is, the downstream rollers 21 and 22 function as main drive rollers. Therefore, the portion of the lead frame base material LF on the downstream side of the main drive roller becomes relatively short, and the influence of the pushing force acting from the main drive roller is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deformation of the lead frame base material LF.

[Action]
In the present embodiment as described above, the controller 60 controls the drive mechanism 24 to sandwich the lower edge portion LFa of the lead frame base material LF by the pair of downstream rollers 21 and 22, while the controller 60 controls the rotation mechanism 23. Is controlled to rotate the downstream roller 21 to convey the lead frame base material LF in an upright state. Since the lead frame base material LF is a strip-shaped metal thin plate, it is more difficult for the lead frame base material LF to bend in the upright state with respect to gravity than in the prone state. Therefore, in order to suppress the bending of the lead frame base material LF, it is not necessary to support the central portion of the lead frame base material LF in the width direction with a support roller or the like. Therefore, since the bending and deformation of the lead frame base material LF are suppressed, it is possible to improve the processing accuracy of the lead frame base material LF. In addition, when the lead frame base material LF is conveyed in an upright state, it becomes easy to uniformly perform processing on both surfaces of the lead frame base material LF. Further, as compared with the case where the lead frame base material LF is conveyed in the prone state, a large number of support rollers and the like for supporting the main surface (lower surface) of the lead frame base material LF are not required, so the number of parts is suppressed. It becomes possible to do.

  In the present embodiment, the controller 60 controls the drive mechanism 24 so that the drive mechanism 24 intermittently relatively moves the pair of downstream side rollers 21 and 22 toward and away from each other, so that the pair of downstream side rollers 21 and 22 is separated. The lower edge portion LFa is clamped and released by the above procedure at predetermined intervals. Therefore, the lower edge portion LFa is released by the pair of downstream side rollers 21 and 22 when the lead frame base material LF is pushed up, and the pair of downstream side rollers 21 and 22 is released when the lead frame base material LF is dropped by a predetermined amount. Thus, the lower edge portion LFa is clamped. Therefore, the momentary release of the pair of downstream rollers 21 and 22 corrects the rising of the lead frame base material LF. As a result, the lead frame base material LF can be appropriately conveyed.

  In this embodiment, the lower edge portion LFa of the lead frame base material LF is held by at least one of the upstream side rollers 11 and 12 and the downstream side rollers 21 and 22. Therefore, even when one of the pair of upstream rollers 11 and 12 and the pair of downstream rollers 21 and 22 releases the lower edge portion LFa, the other pinches the lower edge portion LFa to convey the lead frame base material LF. To do. Therefore, the lead frame base material LF can be continuously conveyed. In particular, if the conveyance of the lead frame base material LF is temporarily stopped during processing such as resist film forming processing, etching processing, plating processing, exposure processing, and resist film removing processing, the processing time will not be constant and the resist film Variations may occur in the thickness, etching amount, plating film thickness, exposure amount, resist film removal amount, and the like. However, in the present embodiment, since the lead frame base material LF is continuously conveyed, such variations can be significantly suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, the pair of guide rollers 31 and 32 configured to guide the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the lead frame base material LF include the upstream side rollers 11 and 12 and the downstream side rollers 21 and 22. Located in between. Therefore, since the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the lead frame base material LF are guided by the guide rollers 31 and 32, it is possible to suppress left and right shake of the lead frame base material LF with respect to the transport direction.

  In this embodiment, the stopper member 40 prevents the lead frame base material LF from falling. Therefore, the lead frame base material LF dropped by the release from the pair of downstream rollers 21 and 22 is received by the stopper member 40. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lead frame base material LF from dropping more than necessary.

[Other Embodiments]
Although the embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described in detail above, various modifications may be added to the above embodiments within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, although the sensor 50 detects the amount of swelling of the lead frame base material LF, when the timer or the like detects that a predetermined time has elapsed, the downstream side rollers 21, 22 release the lower edge portion LFa. You may break.

  The rotation mechanism 13 may rotate and drive at least one of the upstream rollers 11 and 12. Similarly, the rotation mechanism 23 may rotate and drive at least one of the downstream rollers 21 and 22.

  The drive mechanism 14 may drive at least one of the upstream rollers 11 and 12 to move the upstream rollers 11 and 12 relatively closer to and away from each other. Similarly, the drive mechanism 24 may drive at least one of the downstream side rollers 21 and 22 to relatively move the downstream side rollers 21 and 22 toward and away from each other.

  The nipping time of the lower edge portion LFa by the upstream rollers 11 and 12 may be longer than the nipping time of the lower edge portion LFa by the downstream rollers 21 and 22. In this case, the lead frame base material LF is mainly transported by the upstream rollers 11 and 12.

  There may be a timing when both the upstream rollers 11 and 12 and the downstream rollers 21 and 22 sandwich the lower edge portion LFa. That is, both the upstream rollers 11 and 12 and the downstream rollers 21 and 22 may temporarily sandwich the lower edge portion LFa. In this case, the state where the lead frame base material LF is not conveyed, that is, the state where the lower edge portion LFa is not sandwiched between the upstream side rollers 11 and 12 and the downstream side rollers 21 and 22 does not occur. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably realize continuous conveyance of the lead frame base material LF.

  The guide unit 30 may have a pair of guide rails (not shown) extending in the transport direction, instead of the pair of guide rollers 31 and 32. That is, the guide portion 30 may be configured to be able to guide the lead frame base material LF in the transport direction.

  The carrier device 1 may not include the guide unit 30. The transport device 1 may not include the stopper member 40.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Conveyance apparatus, 10 ... Upstream side conveyance part, 11, 12 ... Upstream side roller (2nd roller), 13 ... Rotation mechanism (2nd rotation mechanism), 14 ... Drive mechanism (2nd drive mechanism), 20 ... Downstream transport section 21, 22 ... Downstream roller (first roller), 23 ... Rotation mechanism (first rotation mechanism), 24 ... Drive mechanism (first drive mechanism), 30 ... Guide section, 31, 32 ... Guide roller (guide member), 40 ... Stopper member, 50 ... Sensor, 60 ... Controller (control unit), LF ... Lead frame base material, LFa ... Lower edge portion.

Claims (6)

A pair of first rollers capable of holding the lower edge portion of the lead frame base material whose main surface is in a state of being in the vertical direction;
A first rotation mechanism configured to rotate at least one of the pair of first rollers;
A first drive mechanism configured to relatively move the pair of first rollers toward and away from each other;
And a control unit,
The control unit is
By controlling at least one of the pair of first rollers by controlling the first rotation mechanism, the lead frame base material in a state where the lower edge portion is sandwiched by the pair of first rollers. A first process of transporting
By controlling the first drive mechanism to intermittently relatively move the pair of first rollers toward and away from each other, the pair of first rollers can clamp and release the lower edge portion. A carrier device for a lead frame base material, which carries out a second process repeated at predetermined intervals. The lower edge portion of the lead frame base material, which is located upstream of the pair of first rollers in the transport direction of the lead frame base material and has a main surface along the vertical direction, is sandwiched. A pair of possible second rollers,
A second rotation mechanism configured to rotate at least one of the pair of second rollers;
And a second drive mechanism configured to relatively move the pair of second rollers close to and away from each other,
The control unit is
By controlling the second rotation mechanism to rotate at least one of the pair of second rollers, the lead frame base material in a state where the lower edge portion is sandwiched by the pair of second rollers. A third process of transporting
When the pair of first rollers releases the lower edge portion by controlling the second drive mechanism to intermittently relatively bring the pair of second rollers toward and away from each other. The lower edge portion is sandwiched by the pair of second rollers, and the lower edge portion is released by the pair of second rollers when the pair of first rollers sandwich the lower edge portion, The apparatus according to claim 1, which performs a fourth process.   The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein in the fourth processing, both of the pair of first rollers and the pair of second rollers temporarily sandwich the lower edge portion.   The device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a sandwiching time of the lower edge portion by the pair of first rollers is longer than a sandwiching time of the lower edge portion by the pair of second rollers. Further comprising a pair of guide members configured to guide the upper edge portion and the lower edge portion of the lead frame base material in the transport direction,
The device according to claim 2, wherein the pair of guide members are arranged between the pair of first rollers and the pair of second rollers.   6. The device of any one of claims 1-5, further comprising a stopper member configured to prevent the leadframe substrate from falling.

Images