Sintering tool and method for sintering an electronic subassembly

Abstract
Sintering tool (10) with a cradle for receiving an electronic subassembly (BG) to be sintered, characterized by at least one support bracket (20), arranged at two locations opposite the cradle, for fixing a protective film (30) covering the electronic subassembly (BG).
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a National Stage application of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2015/070625, filed on Sep. 9, 2015, which claims priority to German Patent Application No. 102014114097.4, filed on Sep. 29, 2014, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.


TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a sintering tool with a cradle for receiving an electronic subassembly to be sintered. The invention also relates to a method for sintering an electronic subassembly comprising the steps of: arranging the electronic subassembly on the cradle of a sintering tool, covering the electronic subassembly with a protective film, and sintering the electronic subassembly.


BACKGROUND

Sintering devices for carrying out the low-temperature pressure sintering of electronic subassemblies are already known. These have an upper die and a (preferably heatable) lower die, which can be moved towards one another. In particular, such sintering devices are designed for sintering electronic subassemblies in such a way that a lower die is provided with a massive tool, which carries and heats the planar circuit carrier. A temperature-resistant elastic medium of the upper die tool in the form of a pressure pad, for example a silicone pad, produces an increasing pressure on the surface of the circuit carrier, whereby the latter is pressed onto the planar support of the lower die tool.


If a silicone pad is used as the pressure pad, it is customary to cover the subassembly to be sintered with a protective film, for example a Teflon film, in order to avoid contamination of the electronic subassembly with silicone components. The protective film is placed between the upper die and the lower die, covering the electronic subassembly to be sintered, and is elastically deformable in such a way that as the pressure pad presses the Teflon film against the surface contour of the electronic subassembly, so that the latter adapts itself to the surface relief of the electronic subassembly under elevated pressure (up to approximately 30 MPa) and elevated temperature (up to approximately 350° C.).


However, it has been found to be disadvantageous when using these protective films, that the protective film remains adapted to the contour of the electronic subassembly after the opening of the upper die and lower and the cooling down of the sintered electronic subassembly, and has to be carefully lifted off from the subassembly relief to avoid damage to the sintered electronic subassembly.


SUMMARY

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a sintering tool and a method for sintering that facilitates the sintering operation, in particular the handling of the protective film.


This object is achieved according to the invention by the tool for a sintering device comprising: a sintering tool with a cradle for receiving an electronic subassembly (BG) to be sintered, comprising at least one support bracket, arranged at two locations opposite the cradle, for fixing a protective film covering the electronic subassembly (BG) and the method comprising the steps of: a method for sintering an electronic subassembly (BG) comprising the steps of: arranging the electronic subassembly (BG) on the cradle of a sintering tool, covering the electronic subassembly (BG) with a protective film, and sintering the electronic subassembly (BG), whereby after the covering and before the sintering of the electronic subassembly (BG), the protective film is fixed to at least one support bracket which is in turn fixed at two locations on opposing sides of the cradle. The subclaims, which are respectively dependent on the independent claims, provide advantageous designs of the invention.


The basic concept of the invention is to fix the protective film at its edges, or the edges of the cradle, or of the electronic subassembly, before the heating and the application of pressure. On account of the elastic properties of the protective film, although the protective film will deform to adapt to the relief of the subassembly under the effect of heat and the effect of pressure, it will contract during the cooling down once sintering has been performed, and withdraw itself of its own accord from the surface relief, so that this operation takes place automatically and no longer has to be carried out manually.


The advantage of the invention is therefore that the protective film detaches itself of its own accord from the subassembly after the lifting off of the upper die and cooling down, and can be readily lifted off from the subassembly.


The sintering tool designed according to the invention has a cradle for receiving an electronic subassembly to be sintered and at least one support bracket, fixed at two locations on opposing sides of the cradle, for fixing a protective film covering the electronic subassembly.


Preferably, two sets of fixing points for the support bracket are provided, co-planarly arranged on either side of the cradle, and in orthogonal directions. A particularly advantageous design being achieved if the support bracket is of an annular form.


The support bracket can optionally also be rectangular, elliptical, or formed as a polygon to provide an optimized use of space of the cradle. Advantageously, the support bracket is formed complementary in shape to an edge of the cradle.


Easy fastening of the protective film to the sintering tool, the sintering tool preferably has a socket for receiving a connector formed on the support bracket. Specifically, the socket and the connector may be formed in the manner of a bayonet fastener.


Advantageously a release device may be provided, by means of which the separation of the sintering tool, in particular of the support bracket, from the protective film, may be carried out by the upper die after a pressurization and a sintering process. The electronic subassembly is usually set loosely on a moveable lower die and is pressed against an upper die comprising a pressure pad. The pressure pad is usually made of silicone, wherein the protective film protects the electronic subassembly from sticking and contamination by silicone. After the sintering, the lower die moves down and away from the fixed upper die, with the risk that the protective film, and possibly the electronic subassembly, adheres to the pressure pad of the upper die. To ensure safe release of the protective film, and possibly the electronic subassembly, from the pressure pad, a release device, coming from the upper die of the sintering tool, preferably engages into receiving sockets of the support bracket in order to release the sintering mold from upper die. Such a release device may comprise, for example, two or more electrically, pneumatically or hydraulically moveable actuator bolts. Herby it is possible to obtain a safe detachment of the electronic subassembly and thus a trouble-free and efficient sintering process.


The method concerning the invention for sintering an electronic subassembly then provides that the electronic subassembly is arranged on the cradle of a sintering tool, is covered with a protective film, and is sintered, the protective film being fixed to at least one support bracket which is in turn fixed at two locations on opposing sides of the cradle.


Optionally, the protective film may be mechanically detached after sintering.


According to a preferred embodiment, the protective film is fixed after the covering of the electronic subassembly by a clamping ring.


The protective film is in particular a Teflon film.


The protective film may be of a multi-layered or multi-ply construction, the one layer or ply of the protective film consisting of Teflon and another layer or ply consisting of Kapton. The Teflon layer or ply may, for example, have a thickness of 400 μm and the layer or ply of Kapton that is facing the electronic subassembly may be 50 μm thick, so that the risk of contamination of the electronic subassembly with Teflon is reduced.


Most preferably, the protective film is formed such that a gas exchange through the protective film is ensured—this is made possible by means of pores or holes penetrating the protective film. The clearances provided in the protective film allow an evacuation of the area surrounding the process, without inclusions of air remaining between the Teflon film and the components, or exposure to process gases, which can be brought up to the components to be sintered through these clearances, holes or pores.





BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in more detail on the basis of an exemplary embodiment that is represented in the following figures.



FIG. 1 shows a sectional view through an exemplary embodiment according to the invention that is of a particularly preferred design.



FIG. 2 shows a sectional view through a second exemplary embodiment according to the invention with a release device for the separation of the sintering tool.



FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention.





DETAILED DESCRIPTION


FIG. 1 shows a sintering tool 10, which has a cradle, formed as a depression in the sintering tool 10, for receiving an electronic subassembly BG to be sintered. The electronic subassembly BG is covered by a protective film 30, for example a Teflon film, which is fastened to the sintering tool 10 by means of the support bracket 20 arranged on both sides of the cradle.


In FIG. 2 is shown a sintering press 100 which comprises an upper die 42 and a lower die 44. A sintering tool 10 is mounted on the lower die 44. For pressure sintering, the lower die 44 can be moved vertically in the direction of the upper die 42 to produce a sintering pressure in the range of 10 to 40 MPa. An electronic subassembly BG, comprising a circuit substrate and electronic components which are to be electrically connected to it by pressure sintering, is inserted into a cradle in the tool holder 52. The sintering tool 10 includes a protective film 30 and a support bracket 20, which is formed as an annular clamping ring around the tool holder 52, and the protective film 30 is fixed on the tool holder 52 of the sintering tool 10. The lower die 44 and the upper die 42 are electrically heated. The upper die 42 carries a pressure pad 56, that creates a quasi-hydrostatic pressure distribution on the protective film 30 and the electronic assembly BG when the lower die 44 is pressed into the upper die 42. After the pressure sintering process, the lower die 44 moves downwards away from the upper punch 42. In order to prevent adhesion of the protective film 30, and thus also the sintering tool 10 to the pressure pad 56, receiving sockets 46 are provided in the support bracket 20 of the sintering tool 10. A release device 40 is shown, comprising a lifting bar 50 which is vertically movable by a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator cylinder 54. The lifting bar 50 includes two or more actuator bolts 48 which can engage in the receiving sockets 46 of the support bracket 20. If the lifting bar 50 is lowered in the direction of the closed lower die 44, preferably synchronously with the speed of lowering of the lower die 44, a reliable separation of the protective film 30, and thus the sintering tool 10, from the pressure pad 56 is obtained. Thus the sintering tool 10 can be removed from the sintering press 100 to allow further processing steps.



FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention. The method 200 concerning the invention for sintering an electronic subassembly provides that the electronic subassembly is arranged 201 on the cradle of a sintering tool, is covered 202 with a protective film, and is sintered 203, the protective film optionally being fixed 204 at least in a direction in front of and behind the electronic subassembly after the covering and before the sintering of the electronic subassembly. Optionally, the protective film may be mechanically detached 205 after sintering 203.


While the present disclosure has been illustrated and described with respect to a particular embodiment thereof, it should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications to this disclosure may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims
  • 1. A sintering tool with a cradle for receiving an electronic subassembly to be sintered, comprising at least one support bracket, configured to be fastened to two locations on opposing sides of the cradle, such that a protective film covering the electronic subassembly is clamped between the cradle and the support bracket, wherein the support bracket has a socket configured to receive a connector associated with an upper die.
  • 2. The sintering tool according to claim 1, further comprising two sets of fixing points for the support bracket, co-planarly arranged on either side of the cradle, and in orthogonal directions.
  • 3. The sintering tool according to claim 1, wherein the support bracket is of an annular form.
  • 4. The sintering tool according to claim 1, wherein the sintering tool is provided with a release device by means of which the separation of the sintering tool from the protective film is carried out by the upper die after a sintering process.
  • 5. The sintering tool according to claim 2, wherein the support bracket is of an annular form.
  • 6. The sintering tool according to claim 2, wherein the sintering tool is provided with a release device by means of which the separation of the sintering tool from the protective film is carried out by the upper die after a sintering process.
  • 7. The sintering tool according to claim 3, wherein the sintering tool is provided with a release device by means of which the separation of the sintering tool from the protective film is carried out by the upper die after a sintering process.
  • 8. A sintering tool with a cradle configured to receive an electronic subassembly to be sintered, comprising at least one support bracket configured to be fastened to the sintering tool at two locations on opposing sides of the cradle, the support bracket configured to fix a protective film between the electronic subassembly and a sintering pressure pad, and further configured to clamp the protective film between the at least one support bracket and the cradle, wherein the support bracket is provided with receiving sockets configured to engage a release device, wherein the release device is configured to separate the protective film from the sintering pressure pad after a sintering process.
  • 9. The sintering tool according to claim 8, wherein the receiving sockets are configured to engage a movable actuator of the release device.
  • 10. A sintering press comprising: an upper die;a lower die; anda sintering tool;wherein the sintering tool has a cradle configured to receive an electronic subassembly to be sintered, the sintering tool comprising at least one support bracket, configured to be fastened to two locations opposite the cradle, and configured to clamp a protective film covering the electronic subassembly between the at least one support bracket and the cradle; andwherein the support bracket has a socket configured to receive a connector associated with the upper die.
  • 11. The sintering press according to claim 10, further comprising a pressure pad arranged on the upper die, wherein the sintering tool is arranged on the lower die, wherein the lower die is configured to be moved towards the upper die, and wherein the pressure pad is configured to provide a hydrostatic pressure distribution onto the protective film and the electronic subassembly when the lower die is moved towards the upper die.
  • 12. The sintering press according to claim 10, further including a release device configured to engage the support bracket and to separate the protective film from the sintering pressure pad after a sintering process.
  • 13. The sintering tool according to claim 1, wherein the socket and the connector form a bayonet-type fastener.
  • 14. The sintering tool according to claim 1, wherein the support bracket has at least two sockets configured to receive connectors associated with the upper die.
  • 15. The sintering tool according to claim 1, wherein the cradle has a socket for receiving the connector associated with the upper die.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
10 2014 114 097 Sep 2014 DE national
PCT Information
Filing Document Filing Date Country Kind
PCT/EP2015/070625 9/9/2015 WO 00
Publishing Document Publishing Date Country Kind
WO2016/050468 4/7/2016 WO A
US Referenced Citations (70)
Number Name Date Kind
2900287 Bestler et al. Aug 1959 A
2922092 Gazzara et al. Jan 1960 A
2945688 Pajenkamp et al. Jul 1960 A
3112388 Wiant Dec 1963 A
3480842 Scharli Nov 1969 A
3501288 Krainer et al. Mar 1970 A
3529759 Clark Sep 1970 A
3896541 Golinski Jul 1975 A
4202690 Funke May 1980 A
4252263 Houston Feb 1981 A
4257156 Houston Mar 1981 A
4340902 Honda et al. Jul 1982 A
4348339 Assmann Sep 1982 A
4392153 Glascock, II et al. Jul 1983 A
4591537 Aldinger et al. May 1986 A
4800421 Davis et al. Jan 1989 A
4903885 Schwarzbauer Feb 1990 A
4903886 Schwarzbauer Feb 1990 A
5099310 Osada et al. Mar 1992 A
5213248 Horton et al. May 1993 A
5247425 Takahasi Sep 1993 A
5352629 Paik et al. Oct 1994 A
5396403 Patel Mar 1995 A
5653376 Nakamura et al. Aug 1997 A
6003757 Beaumont et al. Dec 1999 A
6108205 Bergstedt Aug 2000 A
6161748 Katayama et al. Dec 2000 A
6199748 Zhu et al. Mar 2001 B1
6390439 Cordes et al. May 2002 B1
6435401 Miitsu et al. Aug 2002 B1
6821381 Yamauchi et al. Nov 2004 B1
8822036 Wereszczak Sep 2014 B1
20010005053 Kitae et al. Jun 2001 A1
20030027371 Sunagawa Feb 2003 A1
20040063251 Ootsuka et al. Apr 2004 A1
20040157362 Beroz et al. Aug 2004 A1
20060186423 Blonder et al. Aug 2006 A1
20060210705 Itoh et al. Sep 2006 A1
20060266792 Ko et al. Nov 2006 A1
20070131353 Gobl Jun 2007 A1
20080073776 Suh et al. Mar 2008 A1
20080156398 Yasuda et al. Jul 2008 A1
20090032570 Matsumura Feb 2009 A1
20090039507 Funaki Feb 2009 A1
20090283575 Budd et al. Nov 2009 A1
20090302485 Fan Dec 2009 A1
20090325116 Matsuura et al. Dec 2009 A1
20100051319 Schmitt et al. Mar 2010 A1
20100055828 Schmitt et al. Mar 2010 A1
20100093131 Maeda Apr 2010 A1
20100224674 Liu et al. Sep 2010 A1
20110114708 Maeda et al. May 2011 A1
20110259876 Breznak Oct 2011 A1
20110290863 Kajiwara et al. Dec 2011 A1
20120037688 Kock et al. Feb 2012 A1
20120052402 Turek et al. Mar 2012 A1
20120153011 Schäfer et al. Jun 2012 A1
20120247664 Kobayashi Oct 2012 A1
20130092310 Ishigami et al. Apr 2013 A1
20130250538 Le et al. Sep 2013 A1
20130271248 Nagata et al. Oct 2013 A1
20150037197 Komatsu Feb 2015 A1
20150077895 Jindo et al. Mar 2015 A1
20150090768 Kuroda et al. Apr 2015 A1
20160059361 Schafer et al. Mar 2016 A1
20160190046 Fontana Jun 2016 A1
20170141074 Schafer et al. May 2017 A1
20170229418 Osterwald et al. Aug 2017 A1
20170326640 Schmitt et al. Nov 2017 A1
20180236672 Scotchmer Aug 2018 A1
Foreign Referenced Citations (27)
Number Date Country
1462067 Dec 2003 CN
1823409 Aug 2006 CN
101111932 Jan 2008 CN
101371346 Feb 2009 CN
101490831 Jul 2009 CN
102709203 Oct 2012 CN
103081088 May 2013 CN
102569110 Jun 2014 CN
102007047698 Apr 2008 DE
10 2008 009 510 Jul 2009 DE
102008048869 Apr 2010 DE
10 2010 020 696 Nov 2011 DE
10 2013 003 527 Sep 2014 DE
2 278 032 Jan 2011 EP
496763 Dec 1938 GB
558382 Jan 1944 GB
1459475 Dec 1976 GB
S53118202 Oct 1978 JP
64-005026 Jan 1989 JP
2003-347360 Dec 2003 JP
2004-296746 Oct 2004 JP
2006-352080 Dec 2006 JP
2012-0090202 Aug 2012 KR
2008125726 Oct 2008 WO
2014003107 Jan 2014 WO
2014129626 Aug 2014 WO
2014135151 Sep 2014 WO
Non-Patent Literature Citations (4)
Entry
International Search Report for PCT Serial No. PCT/EP2015/070625 dated Dec. 14, 2015.
“Die Niedertemperatur-Verbindungstechnik der Leistungselektronik” by Christian Mertens (Jan. 1, 2004), Book series: Fortschritt-Berichte VD1, Reihe 21, Elektrotechnik, No. 365, VDI Verlag, Düsseldorf, Germany, pp. 1-35, 72-101, 116-141; and English translation of pertinent parts thereof.
“Reduction of Thermomechanical Stress by Applying a Low Temperature Joining Technique” by S. Klaka et al, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Power Semiconductor Devices (May 31-Jun. 2, 1994), Davos, Switzerland, pp. 259-264.
C-Therm Technologies “Summary of Coefficient of Linear Expansion (CTE) of Metals” (2020).
Related Publications (1)
Number Date Country
20170216920 A1 Aug 2017 US