Patent Application
20240203934
This disclosure relates to an apparatus, and method, and in particular to an apparatus for bonding an electronic component, a method for bonding an electronic component, and a method for manufacturing a light-emitting diode display.
In the manufacturing process of electronic products, there are often steps involved in the transfer of electronic devices. For example, in the manufacturing process of a light-emitting diode display panel (LED display), a pick-and-place apparatus is often used to transfer the LED from one substrate to another substrate. However, the operation of the pick-and-place apparatus is more complicated and/or the throughput or yield of the above method may be lower.
The disclosure provides an apparatus for bonding substrates, an equipment for transferring an electronic device, a method for bonding an electronic device, and a method for manufacturing a light-emitting diode display.
An apparatus for bonding an electronic component of the disclosure includes a first carrier configured to carry a first substrate and having a first carrying surface, a second carrier configured to carry a second substrate having the electronic component to be bonded, and having a second carrying surface, a driving mechanism enabling the first carrier and the second carrier to move close to and far away from each other, a substrate adjustment mechanism enabling the carried first substrate and the second substrate to be in a non-parallel configuration, and an energy beam generator generating an energy beam towards the first carrier and the second carrier.
A method for bonding an electronic component of the disclosure includes the following steps: providing a first substrate having a bonded surface; providing a second substrate having a surface on which the electronic component to be bonded is disposed; placing the first substrate and the second substrate in a way that the bonded surface of the first substrate faces the surface of the second substrate on which the electronic component to be bonded is disposed; arranging the first substrate and the second substrate to be in a non-parallel configuration; moving the first substrate and/or the second substrate to approach each other in the non-parallel configuration till the first substrate contacts the second substrate at a contact region; continuing to move the first substrate and/or the second substrate to achieve a full contact of the first substrate and the second substrate from the mere contact of the contact region; and applying an energy beam to bond the electronic component from the second substrate onto the bonded surface of the first substrate.
A method for manufacturing a light-emitting diode display of the disclosure includes the following steps: bonding the light-emitting diode using the method for bonding an electronic component, wherein the electronic component is a light-emitting diode.
Based on the above, the apparatus of the disclosure may be configured to bond the substrates, and the equipment of the disclosure may be configured to transfer the electronic device in a relatively simple manner. Furthermore, the apparatus, equipment and/or method for bonding the electronic device may improve productivity or yield.
To make the aforementioned more comprehensive, several embodiments accompanied with drawings are described in detail as follows.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate example embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
The content of the following embodiments is illustrative and not restrictive. Also, descriptions of well-known apparatuses, methods and materials may be omitted so as not to obscure the description of the various principles of the disclosure. Directional terms (e.g., up, down) used herein are intended to refer only to conventional terms used or corresponding to the figures in the drawings and are not intended to imply absolute orientation. In addition, unless the content clearly dictates otherwise, the singular forms “a”, “one”, “the” or the form not specifically referring to a quantity may include one or multiple, i.e., include “at least one”.
In some of the drawings, for the sake of clarity, some devices, components, or layers may be enlarged, reduced, or omitted at specific locations or specific orientations. For example, in all drawings, electronic components (but not limited to) may be shown enlarged.
Similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and have similar functions, materials, or formation methods, and descriptions thereof are omitted. It will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that the disclosure can be practiced in other embodiments that depart from the specific details disclosed herein, from the teachings of the embodiments and the corresponding illustrations.
Referring to
The first carrier 110 may have a first carrying surface 111, so that the first carrier 110 may be adapted to carry the first substrate 810.
In an embodiment, the first carrier 110 may include a frame. For example, the first carrier 110 may include a metal frame, a plastic frame, a frame similar to the foregoing, or a combination of the foregoing. In an embodiment, the first carrying surface 111 of the first carrier 110 may include a hollow surface. For example, the first carrying surface 111 may include a surface of the frame and/or a hollow surface surrounded thereby.
In an embodiment, the first carrier 110 may include a platform having a body. For example, the first carrier 110 may include a physical platform of sheet metal, sheet plastic, an analog of the foregoing, or a combination of the foregoing. In an embodiment, the first carrying surface 111 of the first carrier 110 may include a physical surface.
In an embodiment, the first substrate 810 may be carried on the first carrying surface 111 of the first carrier 110 (which may be below as in
In an embodiment, the first substrate 810 may be deformed correspondingly by applying force to an appropriate part of the first substrate 810.
The second carrier 120 may have a second carrying surface 121, so that the second carrier 120 may be adapted to carry the second substrate 820.
In an embodiment, all parts of the second carrying surface 121 may be located at the same or similar level.
In an embodiment, second carrier 120 may include a frame. For example, the second carrier 120 may include a metal frame, a plastic frame, a frame similar to the foregoing, or a combination of the foregoing. In an embodiment, the second carrying surface 121 of the second carrier 120 may include a hollow surface. For example, the second carrying surface 121 may include a surface of the frame and/or a hollow surface surrounded thereby.
In an embodiment, the second carrier 120 may include a platform having a body. For example, the second carrier 120 may include a physical platform of sheet metal, sheet plastic, an analog of the foregoing, or a combination of the foregoing. In an embodiment, the second carrying surface 121 of the second carrier 120 may include a physical surface.
In an embodiment, the second substrate 820 may be placed on the second carrying surface 121 of the second carrier 120 by natural gravity (which may be above as in
In an embodiment, the second substrate 820 may be deformed correspondingly by applying force to an appropriate part of the second substrate 820.
The driving mechanism 140 may be adapted to directly or indirectly actuate at least one of the first carrier 110 and the second carrier 120, so that the first carrier 110 or the second carrier 120 may be moved and/or rotated in a corresponding direction according to design requirements. For example, the driving mechanism 140 may enable the first carrier 110 and the second carrier 120 to move close to each other or far away from each other.
In an embodiment, for example, the driving mechanism 140 may include movable modules (e.g., horizontal moving module, vertical moving module, rotating moving module, or a combination thereof), which may include corresponding hardware or software, or may be further combined with auxiliary components. For example, the movable module may have power supply devices, motors, belts, gears, and other related components, etc., which are not limited in the disclosure. The related components include, for example, communication components, power components, etc., which are not limited in the disclosure. The software includes, for example, spatial position calculation software, error logging software, communication software, etc., which are not limited in the disclosure. The auxiliary components include, for example, moving rails, moving shafts, shock adsorbing elements, positioning devices, etc., which are not limited in the disclosure.
The substrate adjustment mechanism 130 may enable the first substrate 810 carried on the first carrying surface 111 of the first carrier 110 and the second substrate 820 carried on the second carrying surface 121 of the second carrier 120 to be in a non-parallel configuration.
In an embodiment, the substrate adjustment mechanism 130 may include at least two suction nozzles 131 and 132. Referring to the side shown in
The two suction nozzles 131 and 132 are disposed opposite to each other and are disposed near the second carrier 120. For example, in a direction substantially parallel to the second carrying surface 121, the second carrier 120 is located between the suction nozzle 131 and the suction nozzle 132, and the suction nozzle 131 and the suction nozzle 132 are respectively near the second carrier 120.
In an embodiment, the two suction nozzles 131 and 132 are not located between the first carrying surface 111 and the second carrying surface 121.
In an embodiment, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first carrying surface 111 or the second carrying surface 121, the two suction nozzles 131 and 132 do not overlap the first carrying surface 111 or the second carrying surface 121.
In an embodiment, a height of the two suction nozzles 131 and 132 may be adjusted by an appropriate movable module (e.g., a vertical moving module).
The two suction nozzles 131 and 132 may pump air in a direction away from the second carrying surface 121 to adsorb an object. For example, one end of a gas pipeline of the suction nozzles 131 and 132 may face the second substrate 820 on the second carrier 120, and the other end of the gas pipeline of the suction nozzles 131 and 132 may be connected to a corresponding air pumping apparatus (e.g., an air pump). In this way, at least one part of the second substrate 820 may be deformed by actuating the air pumping apparatus, so that this part gradually approaches the suction nozzles 131 and 132 and is adsorb by the suction nozzles 131 and 132.
In an embodiment, a method for bonding the electronic component 830 from the second substrate 820 to the first substrate 810 by the apparatus for bonding an electronic component (may be referred to as: the apparatus) 100 may be as follows.
Referring to
In an embodiment, the second substrate 820 may include a bare substrate, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the second substrate 820 may be a bare glass plate, a bare plastic plate, a bare metal plate, an analog of the foregoing, or a combination of the foregoing.
In an embodiment, the electronic component 830 may be adapted to be placed on a surface 821 of the second substrate 820. In an embodiment, there may be an appropriate temporary adhesive layer between the second substrate 820 and the electronic component 830 disposed thereon. The temporary adhesive layer may include a pyrolytic adhesive layer, a photolytic adhesive layer, or a photo thermolytic adhesive layer, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
In an embodiment, the electronic component 830 may be placed on the surface 821 of the second substrate 820, and then the second substrate 820 having the electronic component 830 disposed thereon is placed on the second carrying surface 121 of the second carrier 120. In an embodiment, the second substrate 820 may be placed on the second carrying surface 121 of the second carrier 120, and then the electronic component 830 is placed on the surface 821 of the second substrate 820 that has been placed on the second carrier 120.
In an embodiment, the first substrate 810 may have a bonded surface 811 onto which the electronic component 830 may be bonded. For example, the first substrate 810 may include a contact pad adapted to be bonded, and a surface on which the contact pad is located may be called the bonded surface 811. In an embodiment, the first substrate 810 may include a circuit board or a thin film transistor array substrate (TFT array substrate), but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
Three electronic components 830 are exemplarily shown in
Referring to
Referring to
In an embodiment, after the bonded surface 811 of the first substrate 810 is enabled to face the surface 821 of the second substrate 820 having the electronic component 830 to be bonded, at least two suction nozzles (e.g., the suction nozzle 131 and the suction nozzle 132) may be configured to pump air in a direction away from the second carrying surface 121, so that the second substrate 820 having the electronic components 830 to be bonded disposed thereon is deformed correspondingly. In this way, the surface 821 of the second substrate 820 may be made to appear curved, and the first substrate 810 is not parallel to the second substrate 820.
In an embodiment, by adjusting the suction force of the suction nozzles 131 and 132, the material of the second substrate 820 and/or the arrangement of the second substrate 820, a protrusion (i.e., a position closest to the first substrate 810) of the surface 821 appearing curved may be adjusted. Referring to
In an embodiment, after the suction nozzles 131 and 132 adsorb the second substrate 820, they may be moved in a direction far away from the second carrying surface 121 (e.g., by lowering a height of the suction nozzles 131 and 132), i.e., lower than the second carrying surface 121, so that the surface 821 of the second substrate 820 appears curved.
Referring to
In an embodiment, the contact region R1 is basically located in a central area of the first substrate 810 and the second substrate 820. In an embodiment, compared with other electronic components (e.g., the electronic components 832 and 833 different from the electronic component 831), the electronic component 831 placed corresponding to the protrusion may contact a corresponding position of the first substrate 810 earlier. For example, the conductive connector 839 on the electronic component 831 may contact a corresponding connection pad (not shown) on the bonded surface 811 of the first substrate 810.
In an embodiment, in the case where a thickness of the electronic component 830 and a thickness of the second substrate 820 are greatly different (e.g., the thickness of the second substrate 820 may be more than 10 times the thickness of the electronic component 830, or even more than 100 times the thickness of the electronic component 830), it may be considered that the electronic component 831 corresponding to the protrusion and a part of the second substrate 820 are in contact with the first substrate 810 to form a corresponding contact region. For example, the electronic component 830 may be a sub-millimeter light-emitting diode (Mini LED) or a micro-light emitting diode (Micro LED, μLED), and the second substrate 820 may be a glass plate or polymer plate with corresponding dimensions.
Referring to
In an embodiment, the first substrate 810 may be released so that the two substrates (i.e., the first substrate 810 and the second substrate 820) gradually contact with other regions from the contact region R1.
In an embodiment, the conductive connector 839 on other electronic components (e.g., the electronic components 832 and 833) different from the electronic component 831 may contact the corresponding connection pad on the bonded surface 811 of the first substrate 810.
In an embodiment, in the case where the thickness of the electronic component 830 and the thickness of the second substrate 820 are greatly different (e.g., the thickness of the second substrate 820 may be more than 10 times the thickness of the electronic component 830, or even more than 100 times the thickness of the electronic component 830), it may be considered that the electronic components 832 and 833 and the second substrate 820 are in contact with the first substrate 810.
Referring to
Referring to
In an embodiment, the energy beam 159 may at least partially melt the conductive connector 839 of the corresponding electronic component 831, so that at least a part of the melted conductive connector 839 may contact a corresponding region (e.g., the connection pad) on the first substrate 810. Then, the projection of the energy beam 159 may be stopped, and the heat may be dissipated by suitable means (e.g., by a fan or other active heat dissipation method; or, passive heat dissipation method by standing for a certain period of time) to allow the electronic component 831 to be bonded to the first substrate 810.
In an embodiment, the energy beam 159 may reduce force between the second substrate 820 and the corresponding electronic component 831. For example, if there is an appropriate temporary adhesive layer between the second substrate 820 and the electronic component 830 disposed thereon, light or heat energy from the energy beam 159 may be used to reduce the bonding force between the second substrate 820 and the corresponding electronic component 831.
In an embodiment, the energy beam generator 150 may include a laser generating mechanism. In an embodiment, the energy beam 159 may include a laser beam. In an embodiment, the configuration position of the energy beam generator 150 may be adjusted according to design requirements.
It should be noted that in the embodiments shown in
In an embodiment, the electronic components 832 and 833 may be bonded and fixed on the first substrate 810 in the same or similar manner as described above.
Referring to
Referring to
The second carrier 220 may have a second carrying surface 221, so that the second carrier 220 may be adapted to carry the second substrate 820.
In an embodiment, the second carrier 220 and the substrate adjustment mechanism 230 may be the same component. For example, at least two parts of the second carrying surface 221 may be located at different levels. In this way, after the second substrate 820 is placed on the second carrying surface 221 of the second carrier 220, the surface 821 of the second substrate 820 may present a non-horizontal (e.g., tilted) inclined surface, so that the first substrate 810 carried on the first carrying surface 111 of the first carrier 110 and the second substrate 820 carried on the second carrying surface 221 of the second carrier 220 are in a non-parallel configuration.
In an embodiment, the second carrier 220 and the substrate adjustment mechanism 230 may be integrated components. For example, the substrate adjustment mechanism 230 may include a screw or other component adapted to adjust height, and at least two parts of the second carrying surface 221 may be located at different heights through appropriate adjustment.
In an embodiment, the substrate adjustment mechanism 230 may be adjusted by an appropriate movable module (e.g., a vertical moving module).
The driving mechanism 140 may be adapted to directly or indirectly actuate at least one of the first carrier 110 and the second carrier 220, so that the first carrier 110 or the second carrier 220 may be moved and/or rotated in a corresponding direction according to design requirements.
In an embodiment, a method for transferring the electronic component 830 from the second substrate 820 to the first substrate 810 by the apparatus for bonding an electronic component (may be referred to as: the apparatus) 200 may be as follows.
Referring to
Referring to
In an embodiment, the contact region R2 is basically located in a peripheral area of the first substrate 810 and the second substrate 820. In an embodiment, compared with other electronic components (e.g., the electronic components 831 and 833 different from the electronic component 832), the electronic component 832 placed at a corresponding height may contact a corresponding position of the first substrate 810 earlier. For example, the conductive connector 839 on the electronic component 832 may contact a corresponding connection pad on the bonded surface 811 of the first substrate 810.
Referring to
In an embodiment, the conductive connector 839 on other electronic components (e.g., the electronic components 831 and 833) different from the electronic component 832 may contact the corresponding connection pad on the bonded surface 811 of the first substrate 810.
Referring to
Referring to
It should be noted that, in the embodiments shown in
In an embodiment, the electronic components 831 and 833 may be bonded to the first substrate 810 in the same or similar manner as described above.
Referring to
All of the components or elements in the drawings may be suitably flipped, rotated, arranged, and/or combined to become components presented in another undrawn drawing. For example, in an undrawn drawing or embodiment, the configuration may be a rotation or up and down flip of
The methods for transferring or bonding the electronic component 830 according to the above embodiments may be applicable to any suitable manufacturing process for an electronic component. For example, the electronic component 830 may include light-emitting diode (LED), and the bonding method described above may be a part of a manufacturing process for an LED display.
To sum up, the apparatus of the disclosure may be configured to bond the substrates, and the apparatus of the disclosure may be configured to transfer the electronic component in a relatively simple manner. Furthermore, the apparatus and/or method for bonding the electronic component may improve productivity or yield.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the disclosure covers modifications and variations provided that they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 112106952 | Feb 2023 | TW | national |
This application claims the priority benefits of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63/432,384, filed on Dec. 14, 2022, and Taiwanese application serial no. 112106952, filed on Feb. 24, 2023. The entirety of each of the above-mentioned patent applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63432384 | Dec 2022 | US |
