Semiconductor Equipment Gmbh

Arthur H Moore

Apparatus for rapidly and precisely removing and replacing surface mount devices without disturbance to nearby devices on a printed circuitboard, the invention utilizes a multiple nozzle arrangement wherein nozzles arranged for reciprocating motion one each along each edge of a surface mount device direct low velocity hot gas against bond joint locations along the respective edges of the surface mount device, thereby to melt the bonding agent mounting the device to the circuitboard. The multiple nozzle arrangement of the present system thus allows removal and/or replacement of devices of widely varying dimensions without the need for changes in nozzle size such as is inherent in prior art hot gas rework stations.

Multi-nozzle surface mount rework system

A method and apparatus for applying vacuum forces to at least portions of the underside of wafer handling tape to facilitate removal of sawn or scribed circuit chips from the tape, the invention includes heating of the tape/chip to further reduce adhesion of the chip to the tape. The invention reduces handling damage to circuit chips conventionally caused by manual techniques used to remove chips from handling tape and allows chip removal without the use of a conventional die ejector. Apparatus according to the invention includes a vacuum plate grooved to provide a pattern of pins having planar mounting surfaces on which the handling tape is carried, vacuum applied through the plate causing portions of the tape to pull into the grooves adjacent the pins to reduce the area of contact between the undeside of the chips and the surface of the tape on which the chips are adhered. Heating of the tape and chips while under vacuum facilitates chip removal from the tape.

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Fillmore, CA, United States of America

Arthur H Moore