Apparatus to minimize paper particulate from paper based carrier tape reel

Abstract

A reel adapted to have chip carrier tape wound thereabout includes at least one flange and a plastic rail. The flange is made from a paper-based material. The plastic rail is attached an interior major surface of the paper flange. The plastic rail may extend along a radial direction of the flange and/or along a circumferential direction of the flange, for example. The plastic rail may be substantially straight and/or curved, for example. The plastic rail is preferably made from a static dissipative material. The plastic rail reduces or eliminates the generation of paper particles from the paper-based flange while reeling/unreeling chip carrier tape from the reel.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention generally relates to paper based reels for holding chip carrier tape, as used for shipping semiconductor chips. In one aspect, it relates to apparatus and methods to minimize paper particulate from cardboard reels as the carrier tape is reeled/unreeled.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Some manufacturers produce semiconductor chips at one geographical location and have the chips packaged at another geographical location. Also, some manufacturers ship large quantities of packaged chips to other geographical locations. In such cases, the chips (packaged or unpackaged) are often delivered in a tape and reel package. A conventional tape and reel shipping package 20 is shown in FIG. 1. While reels may be made entirely from anti-static plastic, many existing reels have cardboard or thick paper side flanges.

[0003] Currently, many carrier tape suppliers deliver their carrier tape on cardboard reels or thick paper reels. As the carrier tape 22 is unwound from such reels 24, the tape 22 often rubs against the paper flanges 26 of the reel 24 (see FIG. 1). Such rubbing causes paper particles to fall into empty pockets of the carrier tape. Often these paper particles become sealed into the pockets of the tape along with the chips stored therein. Then, the chips and the paper particles are shipped and delivered to another site or to customers. Customers are typically displeased to find paper particles or any other foreign materials in the pockets with the chips and on the chips being delivered. For example, paper particles on the chips could cause solderability problems during reflow at the customer. Also, paper particles from such reels tend to accumulate in the cabinets used to store and house the reels. Furthermore, such paper particles tend to get moved around the factory along with the reels, which is highly undesirable in a clean factory environment. Hence, there is a need for an apparatus and method to reduce or eliminate the generation of paper particles from cardboard/paper-flanged reels.

[0004] One solution is to use reels made entirely of plastic. However, the all-plastic reels usually cost more than the cardboard reels. Also, there is an abundance of existing cardboard reels in use or in stock. Thus, a need exists for a way to continue using existing cardboard/paper-flanged reels while also reducing or eliminating the generation of paper particles during use of such reels to unreel, reel, and store chip carrier tape.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The problems and needs outlined above are addressed by certain aspects of the present invention. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a reel adapted to have chip carrier tape wound thereabout is provided. The reel includes a drum portion, a first flange portion, a second flange portion, and a plastic portion. The first flange portion extends from the drum at a first end of the drum in a generally radial direction. The first flange is made from paper material. The second flange portion extends from the drum at a second end of the drum in a generally radial direction. A tape storing region is formed between the first and second flange portions. The plastic portion is attached to the first flange portion and extends from the first flange portion into the tape storing region.

[0006] Another plastic portion may be attached to the second flange portion and extend from the second flange portion into the tape storing region. The plastic portion may be removably or permanently attached to the first flange portion, for example. The plastic portion may include generally radially extending spokes and/or at least one round-shaped rail that is generally concentric with the drum portion, for example. The plastic portion may be formed from a band adapted to fit over an outer edge of the first flange portion. The plastic portion may be disc shaped and mounted against an interior major surface of the first flange portion. The plastic portion may be a layer formed on the first flange portion.

[0007] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a package of semiconductor chips is provided, which includes chip carrier tape, a plurality of semiconductor chips, and a reel. The chip carrier tape has a series of pockets. The plurality of semiconductor chips are located in at least some of the pockets. The reel has the chip carrier tape wound thereabout. The reel includes a drum portion, a first flange portion, a second flange portion, and a plastic portion. The first flange portion extends from the drum at a first end of the drum in a generally radial direction. The first flange is made from paper material. The second flange portion extends from the drum at a second end of the drum in a generally radial direction. A tape storing region is formed between the first and second flange portions. The plastic portion is attached to the first flange portion and extends from the first flange portion into the tape storing region.

[0008] In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a reel adapted to have chip carrier tape wound thereabout is provided. The reel includes a drum portion, a first flange portion, a second flange portion, and a non-paper layer. The first flange portion extends from the drum at a first end of the drum in a generally radial direction. The first flange is made from paper material. The second flange portion extends from the drum at a second end of the drum in a generally radial direction. A tape storing region is formed between the first and second flange portions. The non-paper layer is formed on the first flange portion and extends from the first flange portion into the tape storing region. The layer may be made from an anti-static polyethylene material, for example.

[0009] In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a reel adapted to have chip carrier tape wound thereabout is provided. The reel includes a drum, a first paper flange, a second paper flange, and a non-paper disc. The first paper flange is attached to a first end of the drum. The second paper flange is attached to a second end of the drum. The non-paper disc is located about the drum between the first and second flanges. The disc has a hole formed therein, and the drum extends through the hole in the disc. The disc may be made from an anti-static plastic material, for example.

[0010] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a reel adapted to have chip carrier tape wound thereabout is provided. The reel includes a flange and a plastic rail. The flange is made from a paper-based material. The plastic rail is attached an interior major surface of the paper flange. The plastic rail may extend along a radial direction of the flange and/or along a circumferential direction of the flange, for example. The plastic rail may be substantially straight and/or curved, for example. The plastic rail is preferably made from a static dissipative material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The above features of the present invention will be more clearly understood from consideration of the following descriptions in connection with accompanying drawings in which:

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional tape and reel package having chip carrier tape wound thereon;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a front view of a conventional reel of the prior art;

[0014] FIG. 3 is sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

[0015] FIG. 4 is a front view of another conventional reel of the prior art;

[0016] FIG. 5 is a front view of a reel in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] FIG. 6 is sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

[0018] FIGS. 7A-7H are cross-section views of some example rails that may be used in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] FIG. 8 is a front view of a reel in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] FIG. 9 is sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8;

[0021] FIG. 10 is a front view of a reel in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] FIG. 11 is sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 10;

[0023] FIG. 12 is a front view of a reel in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] FIG. 13 is sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 12;

[0025] FIG. 14 is a front view of a reel in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] FIG. 15 is sectional view taken along line 15-15 of FIG. 14;

[0027] FIG. 16 is a front view of a reel in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] FIG. 17 is sectional view taken along line 17-17 of FIG. 16;

[0029] FIG. 18 is a cross-section view taken along line 18-18 of FIG. 17; and

[0030] FIG. 19 is a cross-section view of an example alternative edge ring that may be incorporated into an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers are used herein to designate like elements throughout the various views, preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated and described. As will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in some instances the drawings have been exaggerated and/or simplified in places for illustrative purposes only. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the many applications and variations of the present invention in light of the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. The preferred embodiments discussed herein are illustrative examples of the present invention and do not limit the scope of the invention to the preferred embodiments described.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional reel 24 with a chip carrier tape 22 wound thereabout. The conventional reel 24 of FIG. 1 has cardboard paper flanges 26 attached to a cardboard drum 28. A front view of the conventional reel 24 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 to illustrate the interior surface for one of the cardboard flanges 26. Although the conventional reel 24 shown has a cardboard drum 28, there may be conventional reels that have plastic or metal drums. Also, there are conventional reels that are made entirely of plastic or entirely of metal. The flange 26 of a conventional reel 24 may be made from cardboard, laminated paper layers, corrugated cardboard, thick paper, recycled paper-based material, or any combination thereof, for example. The terms “paper,” “paper material,” or “paper-based material” is used herein to include all particulate-generating reel materials, such as paper, cardboard, recycled material, partially recycled material, or wood-based fiberboard, for example.

[0033] Note that a reel 24 may be adapted to hold one or more rows of wound carrier tape 22 (a.k.a., multi-wound carrier tape reels). For example, the reel 24 shown in FIGS. 1-3 is adapted to hold multiple rows of chip carrier tape 22. FIG. 4 shows a front view of a conventional paper reel 24 adapted to hold only one row of a wound carrier tape 22 (a.k.a., single wound carrier tape reels), and hence the reel 24 has a drum 28 with an interior width 30 slightly larger than the width of a given chip carrier tape 22, but narrower than two times the width of the chip carrier tape 22.

[0034] Generally, an embodiment of the present invention reduces or eliminates the generation of paper particles from a cardboard/paper flanged reel while reeling/unreeling chip carrier tape from the reel. Some preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in FIGS. 5-16, as described next.

[0035] A first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a front view of a reel 24 of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the reel 24 taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5. A first flange 26a is attached to a first end 31 of a drum 28. The first flange 26a is made from paper material (e.g., cardboard, recycled paper, etc.). A second flange 26b is attached to a second end 32 of the drum 28, and the second flange 26b is also made from paper material in this case. A chip carrier tape storing region 34 is formed between the flanges 26a, 26b. The first embodiment has eight plastic rails 40 (or spokes) attached to each flange 26a, 26b. The plastic rails 40 extend into the tape storing region 34. In the first embodiment, the plastic rails 40 are straight and extend radially. The plastic rails 40 hinder or prevent chip carrier tape (not shown in FIG. 1) from rubbing against the paper portions of the flanges 26a, 26b as the tape is being wound onto or unwound from the reel 24. This reduces or eliminates the generation of undesired paper particulates from the paper portions of the flanges 26a, 26b during use of the reel 24, as compared to a conventional reel with paper flanges.

[0036] For an embodiment of the present invention, the number of rails 40 on a given flange 26 may vary. For example, although the first embodiment has eight rails 40 on each flange 26, it may have any number of rails (e.g., 2, 4, 10). This may apply to any embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] The plastic rails 40 for an embodiment of the present invention are preferably made from static dissipative plastic to reduce or eliminate the build-up of static electricity during use. Plastic is used generically herein to refer to a group of materials (related or unrelated) that exhibit similar properties to fulfill the purpose(s) of the present invention. Thus, other static dissipative materials or antistatic materials may be used in place of plastic as an equivalent. Although it is preferable to use a static dissipative or antistatic material, other materials that are less capable of being static dissipative may be used as well to provide an alternative material choice. These material variations may apply to any embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIGS. 7A-7H illustrate some exemplary cross-section shapes for rails 40 that may be used on an embodiment of the present invention. The shapes shown in FIGS. 7A-7H are merely a few examples. With the benefit of this disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art will realize many other possible cross-section shapes that may be used for a rail 40. A rail 40 may be solid (see e.g., FIGS. 7A-7D), hollow (see e.g., FIGS. 7E-7F), or partially hollow, for example. Also, a rail 40 may have tabs 42 extending therefrom (see e.g., FIGS. 7G and 7H), which may be used to attach the rail 40 to a flange 26. Such tabs 42 may extend along the extent of the rail, may partially extend along the rail, or may be located at discrete locations, for example. Also, the size of a given rail may vary to suit the needs of a given application for an embodiment. These variations may apply to any embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] The rails 40 of an embodiment may be permanently or removably attached. Whether permanently or removably attached, it may be preferably to make the rails 40 easy to permanently remove when recycling the materials of a reel 24. Examples of how a rail 40 may be permanently attached to a flange 26 include, but are not limited to: staples, rivets, adhesive, sewn, ultrasonically welded, fused, melting a portion of the rail, reshaping or reforming a portion of a rail, reshaping a tab end, melting a tab end, forming a tab end to a larger diameter shape, flattening a tab end, attaching a tab to a rail (e.g., using bonding, welding, adhesive, melting), adding material to a tab end to increase its size (e.g., using bonding, welding, adhesive, melting), or any combination thereof, for example. Examples of how a rail 40 may be removably attached to a flange 26 include, but are not limited to: a snap fit, a snap fastener, clipping a rail to the flange, slipping a rail onto or over an edge of a flange, a tab-in-slot configuration, tongue-in-groove configuration, dove-tail configuration, stretched onto or over an edge of a flange, hoop and latch fastener (e.g., Velcro), screws, bolts, or any combination thereof, for example. Also, any combination of permanent and removable attachment methods may be used together. With the benefit of this disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art will likely realize many other ways to attach a rail 40 to a flange 26 for another embodiment of the present invention. These attachment variations may apply to any embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] FIGS. 8 and 9 show a reel 24 for a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a front view of the reel 24 of the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the reel 24 taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8. The second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment, except that the rails 40 have curved shapes, as shown in FIG. 9. In other embodiments, the rails 40 may have other shapes and/or different combinations of shapes. Also, the rail shapes, rail lengths, rail proportions, rail sizes, and rail cross-sections used per flange 26 may vary for an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] FIGS. 10 and 11 show a reel 24 for a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a front view of the reel 24 of the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the reel 24 taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 10. The plastic rails 40 of the third embodiment have round shapes or ring shapes, and are generally concentric with the drum portion 28 (see e.g., FIG. 11). The placement and number of the plastic rails 40 about the drum 28 may vary.

[0042] FIGS. 12 and 13 show a reel 24 for a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a front view of the reel 24 of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the reel 24 taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 12. The plastic portion of the fourth embodiment is a disc shaped member 50 with a hole 52 formed therein. The drum 28 extends through the hole 52 in the disc 50. The disc 50 may be free to move rotationally and/or laterally relative to the drum 28 and the flanges 26. In other embodiments, the disc 50 may be fixed to the flange 26 and/or the drum 28. The disc 50 may be made from any non-paper material, for example. The diameter of the disc 50 may be less than, approximately equal to, or greater than that of an adjacent flange 26. The disc 50 acts as a separator between the chip carrier tape and a flange 26. The hole 52 in the disc 50 may be larger than, approximately the same diameter as, or greater than the outer diameter of the drum 28. It may be undesirable to allow the disc 50 to rotate against the flange 26 during use, as this may generate paper particulates from the flange 26. However, if the flange 26 has a coating or layer, the disc 50 may rub against the flange without generating paper particulates.

[0043] In a fifth embodiment shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a layer 60 is formed on or attached to a flange 26 to provide a separator between the chip carrier tape and the flange 26. For example, a paper flange may be laminated with an antistatic polyethylene layer 60. The layer 60 may cover the entire interior surface of the flange 26, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15. Although not shown, the layer 60 may also partially or entirely cover the flange 26 or a majority of the flange's outer surfaces or exposed outer surfaces, including the edges, for example. Such layer 60 may be sprayed on, adhered on, dipped on, or poured on, for example. With the benefit of this disclosure one of ordinary skill in the art will likely realize many other ways to form or attach a non-paper layer 60 to a paper flange surface.

[0044] FIGS. 16 and 17 show a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The sixth embodiment incorporates an edge band or ring 70 that is fitted over the outer edge of the flange 26 and attached in place with at least one staple 72. FIG. 18 shows a cross-section of the plastic ring 70 of FIGS. 16 and 17. The material used for the ring 70 may be flexible, rigid, stretchable, brittle, or some combination thereof, for example. FIG. 19 shows another cross-section for an edge ring 70 that may be substituted into the sixth embodiment. If the edge band 70 is stretchable, it may be made with a smaller diameter than the flange 26 so that it is in a stretched configuration on the edge of the flange 26 when operably installed. The edge band 70 may be held in place simply by the stretching force of the edge band 70 being stretched about the flange edge. With the benefit of this disclosure, one of ordinary skill in the art will likely realize many other possible cross-section shapes that may be used for an edge band or edge ring 70 for an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Also, any of the features of the embodiments discussed herein may be combined to form other embodiments of the present invention. For example, a flange 26 may have an antistatic polyethylene layer 60 formed on each major surface and a stretchable edge band 70 fitted over the outer edge of the flange 26 (not shown). Some or all of the plastic portions of an embodiment may be reused many times if the paper portions become overly worn, torn, or deteriorated first. Likewise, some or all of the plastic portions may be replaced if a portion is broken or lost during shipping or use.

[0046] Reels 24 are often stored or used while installed in a cabinet or rack (not shown). In such cases, the flanges 26 may also rub against the cabinet walls or against a portion of a rack during use. Thus, it may be desirable to have rails 40, a disc 50, a layer 60, an edge band 70, or any combination thereof on an outer surface of a flange 26, and/or extending outward from the flange 26, to prevent or hinder the paper portions of the flange 26 from rubbing against a cabinet or rack.

[0047] Some advantages of an embodiment of the present invention may include (but not necessarily limited to) the following:

[0048] Reduce or prevent the generation of paper particulates during normal use and handling of the reels;

[0049] Allow the conversion of many existing reels having paper/cardboard flanges to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Allow the use of paper/cardboard flanges without the mess of paper particulate, which may be less expensive than all-plastic reels or reels having plastic flanges;

[0051] May be made from recycled materials;

[0052] May be recycled;

[0053] Portions of an embodiment may be reused as other portions are no longer usable; and

[0054] Portions of an embodiment may be easily replaced if damaged or broken.

[0055] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that an embodiment of the present invention provides a reel that decreases or eliminates the generation of paper particulates during shipping and/or use. It should be understood that the drawings and detailed description herein are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive manner, and are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms and examples disclosed. On the contrary, the invention includes any further modifications, changes, rearrangements, substitutions, alternatives, design choices, and embodiments apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, as defined by the following claims. Thus, it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such further modifications, changes, rearrangements, substitutions, alternatives, design choices, and embodiments.

Claims

1. A reel adapted to have chip carrier tape wound thereabout, comprising:

a drum portion;

a first flange portion extending from the drum at a first end of the drum in a generally radial direction, the first flange being made from paper material;

a second flange portion extending from the drum at a second end of the drum in a generally radial direction, wherein a tape storing region is formed between the first and second flange portions; and

a plastic portion attached to the first flange portion and extending from the first flange portion into the tape storing region.

2. The reel of claim 1, wherein another plastic portion is attached to the second flange portion and extends from the second flange portion into the tape storing region.

3. The reel of claim 1, wherein the plastic portion is removably attached to the first flange portion.

4. The reel of claim 1, wherein the plastic portion is permanently attached to the first flange portion.

5. The reel of claim 1, wherein the plastic portion comprises generally radially extending spokes.

6. The reel of claim 1, wherein the plastic portion comprises at least one round-shaped rail that is generally concentric with the drum portion.

7. The reel of claim 1, wherein the plastic portion is formed from a band adapted to fit over an outer edge of the first flange portion.

8. The reel of claim 1, wherein the plastic portion is disc shaped and mounted against an interior major surface of the first flange portion.

9. The reel of claim 1, wherein the plastic portion is a layer formed on the first flange portion.

10. A package of semiconductor chips, comprising:

chip carrier tape having a series of pockets;

a plurality of semiconductor chips located in at least some of the pockets; and

a reel having the chip carrier tape wound thereabout, the reel comprising a drum portion,

a first flange portion extending from the drum at a first end of the drum in a generally radial direction, the first flange being made from paper material,

a second flange portion extending from the drum at a second end of the drum in a generally radial direction, wherein a tape storing region is formed between the first and second flange portions, and

a plastic portion attached to the first flange portion and extending from the first flange portion into the tape storing region.

11. A reel adapted to have chip carrier tape wound thereabout, comprising:

a drum portion;

a first flange portion extending from the drum at a first end of the drum in a generally radial direction, the first flange being made from paper material;

a second flange portion extending from the drum at a second end of the drum in a generally radial direction, wherein a tape storing region is formed between the first and second flange portions; and

a non-paper layer formed on the first flange portion and extending from the first flange portion into the tape storing region.

12. The reel of claim 11, wherein the layer is made from an anti-static polyethylene material.

13. A reel adapted to have chip carrier tape wound thereabout, comprising:

a drum;

a first paper flange attached to a first end of the drum;

a second paper flange attached to a second end of the drum; and

a non-paper disc located about the drum between the first and second flanges, the disc having a hole formed therein, and the drum extending through the hole in the disc.

14. The reel of claim 13, wherein the disc is made from an anti-static plastic material.

15. A reel adapted to have a chip carrier tape wound thereabout, comprising:

a flange made from a paper-based material; and

a plastic rail attached an interior major surface of the paper flange.

16. The reel of claim 15, wherein the plastic rail extends along a radial direction of the flange.

17. The reel of claim 15, wherein the plastic rail extends along a circumferential direction of the flange.

18. The reel of claim 15, wherein the plastic rail is substantially straight.

19. The reel of claim 15, wherein the plastic rail is curved.

20. The reel of claim 15, wherein the plastic rail is made from a static dissipative material.