At&t Bell Laboratories

Jamey N Potechin

Hans H Ammann

Everett F Simons

Richard F Kovacs

Henry B Micks, Jr

John G Tetz

Kwokming J Cheng

Richard C Steines

Phototools are located for processing both sides of printed circuit board panels by an apparatus and process that utilizes a work station with two alignment fixtures each including panel center registration PCR alignment mechanism to locate phototools and panels. Processing steps utilize the alignment fixtures to locate phototools on both sides of a panel. Each of the two phototools is initially positioned on its alignment fixture by the PCR alignment mechanism and secured to its alignment fixture by means of a vacuum supplied by a vacuum chuck which is operative as the top surface of the alignment fixture. The panel is then placed on top of the first phototool and aligned to the first phototool in the first alignment fixture using the PCR alignment mechanism. This first phototool is then affixed to the first side of the panel. The panel with the attached first phototool is then placed on the second phototool in the second alignment fixture and aligned to the second phototool using the PCR alignment mechanism. The second phototool is then affixed to the second side of the panel. The phototool-panel-phototool package is then placed in a printer for exposure.

Method and apparatus for aligning phototools for photoprocessing of

A metrology system to analyze panel misregistration in a panel manufacturing process includes a software controlled system which checks defined panel parameters on the four corners of a panel and related artwork for processing with a master pattern etched on a glass reference with a machine vision measuring system. The panel or artwork being checked is positioned by panel center registration means to align the center of the panel with the center of the master pattern. Displacement and rotational differences are entered under software control into a data base and analyzed by a stored program intelligent analyses system into a plurality of parameters based on a parameter model which permits an analysis of the cause of the misregistration.

Metrology system for analyzing panel misregistration in a panel

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Oak Ridge, NJ, United States of America

Jamey N Potechin