BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when viewed in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a compressive support assembly of a pattern plate and a pattern with molten solder filling through-holes in that pattern plate;
FIG. 1A is a side elevational view of the compressive plate support assembly shown in FIG. 1, with a pattern plate compressed therebetween;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a pattern plate with solder filled through-holes thereon, being placed in alignment with a wafer of substrate therebeneath;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a pattern plate and substrate supported on a temperature controlled support;
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a pattern plate being removed from a substrate or wafer with its solder bumps left disposed therebehind on that substrate;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a substrate or wafer with the solder bumps disposed thereon;
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of the compression plates initially shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a further embodiment of the solder deposition arrangement of a pattern plate, with a further embodiment of the compressive plates;
FIG. 8 is a side elevational view, in section, of a pattern plate with a through-hole arranged therein;
FIG. 9 is a further view of a pattern plate with a further embodiment of a through-hole therein;
FIG. 10 is a further embodiment of a pattern plate with a depressive through-hole therein;
FIG. 11 is yet a further embodiment of a pattern plate with a pinched waist through-hole therewith;
FIG. 12 is still another further embodiment of a pattern plate with a through-hole therewith;
FIG. 13 is a view taken along the lines 13-13 of FIG. 12; and
FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of an alignment mechanism for joining a pattern plate with solder therewithin and any substrate or wafer, in an alignment optimizing operation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings in detail, and particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown the present invention, which comprises a method and apparatus for generating, depositing and forming an accurate array of solder bumps on a substrate such as a wafer of for example silicon, or on a layer of plate glass. These solder bumps are utilized to form an array of electrical contacts on that substrate, wafer of plate, for use in the electronics industry.
The initial apparatus of the present invention, represented in FIG. 1 thus comprises a solder-loading assembly 20 consisting of a first or lower support compression plate 22 and a second or upper compression plate 24 (only partially shown, for clarity). The first or lower support plate 22 of the assembly 20 may be movably supported on lower plate drive 26 and the second or upper plate 24 may be supported by an upper plate drive 28, wherein each drive 26 and 28 may be movable for compressably advancing the lower and upper plates 22 and 24 toward and apart from one another. The lower plate arrangement 22 of the assembly may be removably disposed within a liquid solder bath 30 or received within a solder deposition application arrangement. One or both of the drives 26 and 28 may have an energy field vibration or agitation generator arrangement therewith, (not shown for clarity), to enhance the process of filling the holes 34, described hereinbelow, with molten solder.
A mold plate or pattern plate 32 is arranged in proper alignment on the first or lower plate 22 during operation of the solder-loading assembly 20. The pattern plate 32 has a plurality of properly aligned “through-holes” 34 disposed thereon. The pattern plate 32 is disposed on the first or lower plate 22 in the solder bath 30 or solder-deposition arrangement so as to supply completely void-free molten solder 36 in those through-holes 34 thereon. The first or lower plate 22 and the second or upper plate 24 are then brought pressingly together facing one another with the now solder-filled pattern plate 32 sandwiched therebetween, as represented in FIG. 1A. During this compression stage between the first or lower plate 22 and the second or upper plate 24, the excess molten solder 39 is pressed away or “squeegeed” off of the pattern plate 32, that pattern plate 32 then being preferably chilled by a chill means 38 in the lower plate 22 or within the assembly 20, to a temperature sufficient to solidify the solder 36 in the through-holes 34 in that now “excess-solder-free” pattern plate 32. A vibration means, an ultrasound means or an electromechanical energy field generator 41 may, in a further embodiment, be utilized to help effect void-free solder-filling the through-holes 34 in a step in this process, and also as a further embodiment in the separation of the pattern plate 32 from those solder bumps 36 in a further step in this inventive process.
The now solidified, void-free solder 36 in the now excess-solder free pattern plate 32 is transferred to an awaiting substrate 40 such as a silicon wafer, or a plate glass substrate, in proper alignment therewith, as represented in FIG. 2. The wafer or substrate 40 to which the pattern plate 32 is alignably disposed, may be resting upon or in contact with a wafer supporting base 42 with a heater and/or chill means 44 arranged therewithin. The wafer substrate 40 and pattern plate 32 may then be heated to a temperature above the melting point of the solder 36 within the through-holes 34 of the pattern plate 32. The now aligned through-holes 34 adheringly deposit their bumps of solder 36 onto the aligned wafer 40 therebeneath, as represented in FIG. 3. The pattern plate 32 is preferably then liftably removed (as represented by arrow “R”) from the wafer substrate 40, the through-holes 34, now empty, and with the solder bumps 36 now adheringly disposed on their particular pads 46 on the now cooled wafer or substrate 40 therebeneath, as is represented in FIG. 4. That substrate or wafer 40 with the appropriate free-standing solder bumps 36 which are now aligned and secured thereon, and separated from its chill plate base 42 for subsequent further processing, is represented in FIG. 5.
In a further embodiment of the assembly 20 of the present apparatus as shown in FIG. 6, the first or lower compression plate 22 may have a slightly spherically convex or cylindrically shaped uppermost surface 50 thereon and the second or upper plate 24 may have a corresponding cylindrically or a somewhat convex shaped surface 52 thereon, as represented in FIG. 6, so as to provide a rollable or rockable “squeegee” effect to a pattern plate 32 supportably compressed therebetween. Such a curved upper plate 24 and correspondingly curved lower support plate 22 could be articulated side-to-side by an articulable upper and lower support 54 and 56 to provide a squeezing and excess solder-removal action to a pattern plate 32 with its associated through-holes 34 with temporarily molten solder 35 therein. Such articulable excess solder removal would thus shorten the manufacturing process by combining several steps into one operation of filling those through-holes 34 after the “bath” 30, and subsequently compressively and/or squeegingly cleaning the surface of the pattern plate 32 almost simultaneously.
A further embodiment of the assembly 20 utilized in the compression operation as applied to a pattern plate 32, is represented in FIG. 7, which assembly comprises the advancement of a pattern plate 32 with its respective aligned through-holes 34 therewith being pulled preferably vertically or “near vertical” movement from a solder bath 58, while being rolled or “squeegeed” between a pair of compressive roller members 60 and 62. Such compressive members 60 and 62 in one preferred embodiment thereof, would comprise a pair of biasedly-opposed rollers 60 and 62 compressing and advancing a pattern plate 32 therebetween, thus compressing each individual through-hole 34 therebetween and simultaneously squeegeeing any access molten solder 39 therefrom. Such compression and squeegeeing would thus foreshorten such a through-hole 34 solder filling manufacturing method. The biasedly opposed pair of roller apparatus or squeegee roller members 80 and 62 may be correspondingly chilled by a chill means 66 therein, so as to chill the molten solder 36 in those through-holes 34 in that particular pattern plate 32, or by adjacent chill means 69 acting upon the plate 32 upon its movement.
The particular through-holes 34 may have various cross-sectional configurations to suit particular wafer requirements. Such a pattern plate 32 in one embodiment, may have a straight through-bore or hole 34 therethrough, as is represented in the sectional view shown in FIG. 8. In another further embodiment of that pattern plate 32, the through-hole 34 may be a tapered solder-fillable through-hole 70, so as to create a tapered or conical shape to a solder bump subsequently applied to a substrate.
In yet a further embodiment of the through-hole configuration in a pattern plate 32, as represented in FIG. 10, a generally hemispherical-shaped depression 72 is arranged on one side of the pattern plate 32, with a through-hole 74 in the other side of that pattern plate 32 in communication with the hemispherical depression 72. A yet further embodiment of the through-hole configuration for a pattern plate 32 would be a hour-glass or pinched-waist 76 configuration to the through-hole, as represented in FIG. 11, wherein that pattern plate 32 may be subsequently etched-away on deposition of that pinched-waist configuration 76 of solder 36 applied to a wafer or substrate.
A still further configuration of that through-hole in a pattern plate 32 may be a straight bore 78 therethrough with a slot arrangement 80 disposed on both the top side and the lower side of the patterned plate to provide a “keyway” effect therewithin, as is represented in FIG. 13.
Alignment of a pattern plate 32 and a wafer or substrate 40 in the prior art is often an operation which consumes time and expense. One such apparatus for minimizing the expense, the time and the possible inaccuracies associated therewith, would be to present an apparatus 90 for supporting the patterned plate 32 in a hinged-correspondence to a base 92 for supporting the wafer 40. Pivotably moving the support 91 for the pre-aligned pattern plate 32 and the pre-aligned wafer 40 on a hinged support arrangement 94, to provide automatic and prompt pivotable self-alignment therebetween, preceding a heating and chilling operation of the pattern plate 32 with its solder 36 filled through-holes 34 therewith for the ultimate deposition of those solder 36 as “bumps” onto that wafer 40 is presented herewith, in FIG. 14.
Patent Application
20080009122
