Abstract: The invention provides for a placement head for a die placing assembly of an assembler for assembling dice on a carrier. The assembler has an enclosure with a support assembly for operatively supporting a wafer with dies thereon, a die picking assembly for picking dice from said wafer, a die placement assembly for placing the dies onto the carrier, a die conveyance mechanism operatively conveying the dies from the die picking and placement assemblies, and a control system controlling the assembler. The placement head includes a first translation stage mounted on the die placement assembly, said first stage operatively displaceable along a first axis relative to the die placement assembly. The placement head also includes a second translation stage mounted on the first stage, the second stage displaceable perpendicular to the first stage.

Abstract: The invention provides an assembler for constructing a pagewidth inkjet printhead by assembling inkjet ICs on a carrier having tortuous ink supply paths to each IC. The assembler supports and positions a diced wafer having the inkjet ICs, and picks and conveys a predetermined plurality of the ICs from the wafer to be sequentially placed across the carrier thereby constructing the pagewidth printhead. A die placement assembly of the assembler receives a clamp assembly's elongate body which has a pair or elongate retaining plates, an insert below the plates, and a diaphragm which receives the carrier and is pneumatically displaceable to urge the insert against the plates. A base/plate of the assembler's wafer positioning assembly has stages, one of which rotatably mounts a support plate which receives the wafer and has a motor which rotates the support plate underneath the assembler's die picker under control of the assembler's controller.

Abstract: This invention relates to a dice placement assembly for placing dice on a carrier. The assembly includes a support platform with a clamp mechanism configured to clamp the carrier onto said platform, and at least one camera operatively directed at the platform to detect alignment fiducials on the carrier. The assembly also includes a placement device having a vacuum mechanism to retrieve the dice from a supply mechanism, said placement device having actuators to align the dice with the carrier and to place the dice thereon once aligned, and a heater to heat the dice prior to placement on the test bed. Further included is a controller operatively controlling the clamp mechanism, the camera and the placement device, to facilitate accurate placement of the dice on the carrier.

Abstract: The invention provides for a clamp assembly for an assembler for assembling printhead integrated circuits on a carrier. The assembler has an enclosure with a support assembly for operatively supporting a wafer with dies thereon, a die picking assembly for picking dice from said wafer, a die placement assembly for placing the dies onto the carrier, a die conveyance mechanism operatively conveying the dies from the die picking and placement assemblies, and a control system controlling the assembler. The clamp assembly includes an elongate clamp body, the body shaped and configured to be received by the die placement assembly, and a pair of elongate retaining plates mounted on top of the body. The clamp also includes an insert shaped and dimensioned to be received in the body below the plates, the insert operatively receiving said carrier, as well as a diaphragm positioned in the body, the diaphragm pneumatically displaceable to operatively urge the insert against the retaining plates.

Abstract: The invention provides for a method of attaching printhead integrated circuitry to a carrier. The method includes scanning a wafer having a number of circuitry dies formed thereon to demarcate respective dies, aligning a die picker with a dice on the wafer according to a wafer substrate mapping scheme, and removing the dice from the wafer with the die picker. The method further includes the steps of transporting the dice to a placement station operatively positioning the carrier, aligning the dice with the carrier; and heat bonding the dice to the carrier.

Abstract: The invention provides for a transfer apparatus for transferring a component of integrated circuitry from a receiving location to a delivery location within an integrated circuitry assembly machine. The transfer apparatus includes a support structure that defines a transfer path between said locations, and a component carrier that defines a receiving zone configured to receive the component of integrated circuitry. The transfer apparatus also includes a retaining mechanism arranged on the component carrier to retain the component of integrated circuitry in position in the receiving zone, the retaining mechanism being operable to release the component at the delivery location, as well as a displacement mechanism engaged with the component carrier to displace the component carrier along said transfer path.

Abstract: The invention provides for a method of attaching printhead integrated circuitry to a carrier. The method includes scanning a wafer having a number of circuitry dies formed thereon to demarcate respective dies, aligning a die picker with a dice on the wafer according to a wafer substrate mapping scheme, and removing the dice from the wafer with the die picker. The method further includes the steps of transporting the dice to a placement station operatively positioning the carrier, aligning the dice with the carrier; and heat bonding the dice to the carrier.

Abstract: The invention provides for a wafer positioning assembly for an assembler for assembling printhead integrated circuits on a carrier. The assembler includes an enclosure with a support assembly for operatively supporting a wafer with dies thereon, a die picking assembly for picking dice from said wafer, a die placement assembly for placing the dies onto the carrier, a die conveyance mechanism operatively conveying the dies from the die picking and placement assemblies, and a control system controlling the assembler. The wafer positioning assembly, in turn, includes a displacement assembly having a base plate with first and second stages mounted thereon, and a wafer support plate assembly rotatably mounted on the second stage. The support plate assembly is configured to receive the wafer and has a motor under control of the control system to rotate the support plate assembly underneath the die picking assembly.

Abstract: The invention provides for a dice pick and lift head for an assembler for assembling printhead integrated circuitry on a carrier. The assembler includes an enclosure with a support assembly for operatively supporting a wafer with dies thereon, a die picking assembly for picking dice from said wafer, a die placement assembly for placing the dies onto the carrier, a die conveyance mechanism operatively conveying the dies from the die picking and placement assemblies, and a control system controlling the assembler. The dice pick and lift head includes a first translation stage mounted to the die picking assembly, said first translation stage operatively displaceable along a vertical axis relative to the support assembly. The dice pick and lift head also includes a second translation stage mounted to the first translation stage, said second translation stage operatively displaceable along a horizontal axis relative to the support assembly.

Abstract: The invention provides for a die picker for picking printhead integrated circuitry from a wafer. The picker includes a wafer platform having a displacement actuator to displace said platform which operatively receives the wafer, and a picker head having a vacuum mechanism to lift a dice of the circuitry from said wafer. The picker also includes an alignment sensor configured to detect a position of the dice on the wafer, and a controller arranged in control signal communication with the displacement actuator, the picker head and the sensor to facilitate aligning the wafer with the picker head, and to pick the dice from the wafer with the head for transport to a transfer apparatus.

Abstract: The invention provides for a clamp assembly for an assembler for assembling printhead integrated circuits on a carrier. The assembler has an enclosure with a support assembly for operatively supporting a wafer with dies thereon, a die picking assembly for picking dice from said wafer, a die placement assembly for placing the dies onto the carrier, a die conveyance mechanism operatively conveying the dies from the die picking and placement assemblies, and a control system controlling the assembler. The clamp assembly includes an elongate clamp body, the body shaped and configured to be received by the die placement assembly, and a pair of elongate retaining plates mounted on top of the body. The clamp also includes an insert shaped and dimensioned to be received in the body below the plates, the insert operatively receiving said carrier, as well as a diaphragm positioned in the body, the diaphragm pneumatically displaceable to operatively urge the insert against the retaining plates.

Abstract: The invention relates to an assembler for assembling printhead integrated circuitry on a carrier. The assembler includes a support assembly, a wafer positioning assembly arranged on the support assembly and configured to retain and position a wafer defining a plurality of die to be picked from the wafer; and a die picking assembly arranged on the support assembly and configured to pick a pre-selected dice from the wafer. The assembler also includes a die placement assembly arranged on the support assembly and configured to receive the pre-selected dice and to place the dice on the carrier, and a die conveyance mechanism arranged on the support assembly and configured to convey the dice from the die picking assembly to the die placement assembly. Further included is a control system operatively engaged with the wafer positioning, die picking, die placement and die conveyance assemblies to control operation thereof.

Abstract: The invention provides for a placement head for a die placing assembly of an assembler for assembling dice on a carrier. The assembler has an enclosure with a support assembly for operatively supporting a wafer with dies thereon, a die picking assembly for picking dice from said wafer, a die placement assembly for placing the dies onto the carrier, a die conveyance mechanism operatively conveying the dies from the die picking and placement assemblies, and a control system controlling the assembler. The placement head includes a first translation stage mounted on the die placement assembly, said first stage operatively displaceable along a first axis relative to the die placement assembly. The placement head also includes a second translation stage mounted on the first stage, the second stage displaceable perpendicular to the first stage.

Abstract: The invention provides for a transfer apparatus for transferring a component of integrated circuitry from a receiving location to a delivery location within an integrated circuitry assembly machine. The transfer apparatus includes a support structure that defines a transfer path between said locations, and a component carrier that defines a receiving zone configured to receive the component of integrated circuitry. The transfer apparatus also includes a retaining mechanism arranged on the component carrier to retain the component of integrated circuitry in position in the receiving zone, the retaining mechanism being operable to release the component at the delivery location, as well as a displacement mechanism engaged with the component carrier to displace the component carrier along said transfer path.

Abstract: This invention relates to a dice placement assembly for placing dice on a carrier. The assembly includes a support platform with a clamp mechanism configured to clamp the carrier onto said platform, and at least one camera operatively directed at the platform to detect alignment fiducials on the carrier. The assembly also includes a placement device having a vacuum mechanism to retrieve the dice from a supply mechanism, said placement device having actuators to align the dice with the carrier and to place the dice thereon once aligned, and a heater to heat the dice prior to placement on the test bed. Further included is a controller operatively controlling the clamp mechanism, the camera and the placement device, to facilitate accurate placement of the dice on the carrier.

Abstract: A position sensor encodes absolute position via n consecutive members of a pseudorandom sequence of bits, where each bit (30a-30k) comprises a region of high transmission or reflectivity adjacent to a region of low transmission or reflectivity. The pseudorandom sequence is chosen such that every series of n consecutive bits (30a-30k) in the sequence is predominantly formed from a predetermined bit value (1 or 0). The light transmitted or reflected from the series is therefore detected as a substantially periodic intensity pattern (42), which can be processed via Fourier analysis to yield an accurate interpolation of relative position. An example is given of a pseudorandom sequence, which can be represented as a cyclic Manchester code, in which at least 8 members of every series of 11 consecutive bits has a bit value of 1.

Abstract: A position sensor encodes absolute position via n consecutive members of a pseudorandom sequence of bits, where each bit (30a-30k) comprises a region of high transmission or reflectivity adjacent to a region of low transmission or reflectivity. The pseudorandom sequence is chosen such that every series of n consecutive bits (30a-30k) in the sequence is predominantly formed from a predetermined bit value (1 or 0). The light transmitted or reflected from the series is therefore detected as a substantially periodic intensity pattern (42), which can be processed via Fourier analysis to yield an accurate interpolation of relative position. An example is given of a pseudorandom sequence, which can be represented as a cyclic Manchester code, in which at least 8 members of every series of 11 consecutive bits has a bit value of 1.