Patents Assigned to Esec AG
  • Patent number: 9603294
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a pick and place system with a bonding head, picking head and support table. The picking head and support table are mounted on a carriage. The apparatus can be operated in a direct mode and a parallel mode. In the direct mode the carriage is in a first position (parked). A control unit operates the pick and place system to cause the bonding head to move a series of semiconductor chips from the wafer table to the substrate. In the parallel mode, the carriage is in a second position. The control unit operates the picking head, support table and pick and place system to repeatedly cause the picking head to move a semiconductor chip from the wafer table to the support table and the bonding head to move said semiconductor chip from the support table to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: ESEC AG
    Inventors: Guido Suter, Ruedi Grueter
  • Patent number: 9082816
    Abstract: A semiconductor mounting apparatus has a dispensing station configured to dispense adhesive portions to the substrate locations of a substrate, a bonding station configured to place semiconductor chips on the substrate locations and a transport device configured to transport the substrates along a transport path. The transport device includes a buffer station disposed between the dispensing station and the bonding station. The buffer station is configured to temporarily remove a substrate which is to be transported from the dispensing station to the bonding station, or in reverse direction, from the transport path so that another substrate can be transported by the transport device from the bonding station to the dispensing station, or in reverse direction, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: ESEC AG
    Inventors: Marco Graf, Dominik Hartmann, Juergen Stuerner
  • Patent number: 8715457
    Abstract: The detachment and removal of a semiconductor chip from a foil occurs in accordance with the invention in three phases. In the first phase there is a partial detachment of the semiconductor chip from the foil with mechanical means, but without the participation of a chip gripper. In the second phase the semiconductor chip is further detached from the foil, with the semiconductor chip being held by the chip gripper. In the third phase the chip gripper is lifted and moved away.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Esec AG
    Inventor: Stefan Behler
  • Patent number: 8573467
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for dispensing solder and a method for mounting a semiconductor chip on the dispensed solder. The substrate is heated to a temperature which lies above the melting temperature of the solder and a solder portion is applied. A pin is thereafter immersed in the solder portion until it touches the solder portion and presses against the substrate. The pin is subjected to ultrasonic sound in such a way that ultrasonic waves are generated in the pin, which are directed perpendicularly or angularly in relation to the surface of the substrate, and is then moved along a predetermined path in order to distribute the solder. The treatment with ultrasonic sound locally improves the wettability of the substrate. The temperature of the pin is preferably lower than the melting temperature of the solder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: ESEC AG
    Inventor: Heinrich Berchtold
  • Publication number: 20130133188
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a pick and place system with a bonding head, picking head and support table. The picking head and support table are mounted on a carriage. The apparatus can be operated in a direct mode and a parallel mode. In the direct mode the carriage is in a first position (parked). A control unit operates the pick and place system to cause the bonding head to move a series of semiconductor chips from the wafer table to the substrate. In the parallel mode, the carriage is in a second position. The control unit operates the picking head, support table and pick and place system to repeatedly cause the picking head to move a semiconductor chip from the wafer table to the support table and the bonding head to move said semiconductor chip from the support table to the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Publication date: May 30, 2013
    Applicant: ESEC AG
    Inventors: Guido Suter, Ruedi Grueter
  • Publication number: 20130008599
    Abstract: A semiconductor mounting apparatus has a dispensing station configured to dispense adhesive portions to the substrate locations of a substrate, a bonding station configured to place semiconductor chips on the substrate locations and a transport device configured to transport the substrates along a transport path. The transport device includes a buffer station disposed between the dispensing station and the bonding station. The buffer station is configured to temporarily remove a substrate which is to be transported from the dispensing station to the bonding station, or in reverse direction, from the transport path so that another substrate can be transported by the transport device from the bonding station to the dispensing station, or in reverse direction, respectively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: ESEC AG
    Inventors: Marco Graf, Dominik Hartmann, Juergen Stuerner
  • Publication number: 20120298730
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for dispensing solder and a method for mounting a semiconductor chip on the dispensed solder. The substrate is heated to a temperature which lies above the melting temperature of the solder and a solder portion is applied. A pin is thereafter immersed in the solder portion until it touches the solder portion and presses against the substrate. The pin is subjected to ultrasonic sound in such a way that ultrasonic waves are generated in the pin, which are directed perpendicularly or angularly in relation to the surface of the substrate, and is then moved along a predetermined path in order to distribute the solder. The treatment with ultrasonic sound locally improves the wettability of the substrate. The temperature of the pin is preferably lower than the melting temperature of the solder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2012
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Applicant: ESEC AG
    Inventor: Heinrich Berchtold
  • Patent number: 8250742
    Abstract: A die ejector comprises a chamber which can be subjected to vacuum and comprises a cover plate having a hole, a plurality of plates which are arranged in the interior of the chamber, protrude into the first hole and are jointly and also individually displaceable in a direction extending perpendicularly or in an oblique way in relation to the surface of the cover plate, and drive means in order to displace the plates. The drive means comprise a drive mechanism which comprises a motor and a pin which can be moved along a predetermined path and which is movable by the motor between two positions back and forth. Each of the plates comprises a path-like opening. The path-like opening is different from plate to plate in such a way that the plates are displaced in a predetermined sequence in the mentioned direction when the pin is moved along the path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: ESEC AG
    Inventors: Daniel Kloeckner, Ives Muehlemann, Daniel Schnetzler
  • Patent number: 8166637
    Abstract: An apparatus for mounting semiconductor chips as flip chips on a substrate includes a chip supply, a pick-and-place system with a bonding head having a chip gripper, a flipping apparatus operable to rotate the chip from a first position to a second (flipped) position through an angle with a gripper and two cameras. The first camera determines a position of the chip before the flipping apparatus receives the chip and also determines a position of the flipped chip received by the chip gripper of the bonding head once the flipping apparatus has transferred the chip to it. The apparatus also comprises an optical switch, e.g., a rotatable mirror located in the field of view of the first camera. The mirror operates to rotate with the gripper of the flipping apparatus but at half the angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: ESEC AG
    Inventors: Patrick Blessing, Ruedi Grueter, Dominik Werne
  • Patent number: 8106564
    Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer comprises an elongate horn, a counterpiece, two piezoelectric drives and a screw. The counterpiece is fastened to the horn by means of the screw and thus clamps the piezoelectric drives, which are arranged on either side of a longitudinal axis of the ultrasonic transducer, between the horn and the counterpiece. The ultrasonic transducer is designed in such a way that the tip of a capillary which is clamped in the horn can oscillate in two different directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Esec AG
    Inventors: Silvan Thuerlemann, Martin Von Arx
  • Publication number: 20110214819
    Abstract: The detachment and removal of a semiconductor chip from a foil occurs in accordance with the invention in three phases. In the first phase there is a partial detachment of the semiconductor chip from the foil with mechanical means, but without the participation of a chip gripper. In the second phase the semiconductor chip is further detached from the foil, with the semiconductor chip being held by the chip gripper. In the third phase the chip gripper is lifted and moved away.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Publication date: September 8, 2011
    Applicant: ESEC AG
    Inventor: Stefan Behler
  • Publication number: 20100315655
    Abstract: Determination of the height difference between a first reference point and a second reference point, at least one of the two reference points lying on a semiconductor chip, which is mounted on a substrate, comprises the steps A) recording a first image from a first direction, which runs diagonally to the surface of the substrate at a predetermined angle ?2, the substrate and the semiconductor chip being illuminated from a second direction which runs diagonally to the surface of the substrate at a predetermined angle ?3, a telecentric optics being located in the beam path, B) recording a second image from the second direction, the substrate and the semiconductor chip being illuminated from the first direction, either the cited telecentric optics or a further telecentric optics being located in the beam path, C) ascertaining a first coordinate of the position of the first reference point and a first coordinate of the position of the second reference point in the first image and determining a first difference
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2007
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: ESEC AG
    Inventors: Stefan Behler, Patrick Blessing, Stephan Scholze, Roland Stalder, Martin Von Arx
  • Publication number: 20100233369
    Abstract: A method of forming a paste pattern on a surface of a body comprises moving a writing nozzle delivering the paste relatively to the surface of the body along a sequence of segment lines following each other. Each segment line has a start point and an end point and at least one of the segment lines has a section with a curvature. The curvature of each segment line having a section with a curvature changes continuously. Said moving comprises stopping the writing nozzle at the end point of each segment line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2010
    Publication date: September 16, 2010
    Applicant: ESEC AG
    Inventors: Dietmar Krause, Christian Saner
  • Publication number: 20100107405
    Abstract: A die ejector comprises a chamber which can be subjected to vacuum and comprises a cover plate having a hole, a plurality of plates which are arranged in the interior of the chamber, protrude into the first hole and are jointly and also individually displaceable in a direction extending perpendicularly or in an oblique way in relation to the surface of the cover plate, and drive means in order to displace the plates. The drive means comprise a drive mechanism which comprises a motor and a pin which can be moved along a predetermined path and which is movable by the motor between two positions back and forth. Each of the plates comprises a path-like opening. The pin is guided through the path-like opening of each of the plates. The path-like opening is different from plate to plate in such a way that the plates are displaced in a predetermined sequence in the mentioned direction when the pin is moved along the path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2009
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: ESEC AG
    Inventors: Daniel Kloeckner, Ives Muehlemann, Daniel Schnetzler
  • Publication number: 20100040449
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for mounting semiconductor chips as flip chip on a substrate. The apparatus comprises means for supplying the semiconductor chips, a pick-and-place system with a bonding head with a chip gripper, a flipping apparatus with a gripper and two cameras. The first camera is used for determining the actual position of the semiconductor chip that is provided by the said means for mounting before the flipping apparatus receives the semiconductor chip, and it is used to determine the actual position of the flip chip received by the chip gripper of the bonding head once the flipping apparatus has transferred the semiconductor chip. The apparatus comprises an optical switch in accordance with the invention, e.g., a rotatably held mirror which is located in the field of view of the first camera. In operation, the mirror is rotated simultaneously with the gripper of the flipping apparatus, but only by half the angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Publication date: February 18, 2010
    Applicant: ESEC AG
    Inventors: Patrick Blessing, Ruedi Grueter, Dominik Werne