The present invention relates to a method for supplying a film carrier with a plurality of semiconductor chips which have adhered to a diced adhesive sheet by separating the semiconductor chips one by one from the adhesive sheet and an apparatus for carrying out the method.
An inner lead bonding apparatus as shown in FIG. 3 is known. A recognizing camera 1 recognizes the images of semiconductor chips 3 which have been attached to a diced adhesive sheet 2. The image-recognized semiconductor chips 3 are separated one by one from the adhesive sheet 2, as will be described later. The semiconductor chips 3 are then sucked to a sucking collet 4 (sucking nozzle) and supplied to a film carrier 5. Then, a bonding tool 6 bonds the semiconductor chip 3 one by one to the film carrier 5. Reference numeral 7 denotes a wafer ring.
The semiconductor chips 3 are obtained by dicing a semiconductor wafer 8 as shown in FIG. 4A. As shown in FIG. 4B, the semiconductor chips 3 are bonded to the upper surface of the stretched adhesive sheet 2. As shown in FIG. 4C, the semiconductor chips 3, image-recognized by the recognizing camera 1, are then separated from the adhesive sheet 2. Then each semiconductor chip 3 is sucked to the sucking collet 4 and transported toward the film carrier 5 as shown in FIG. 4D.
Referring to FIGS. 5A through 5F, an operation to be performed by a conventional semiconductor chip-supply apparatus is described in detail below. At a stage shown in FIG. 5A, the semiconductor chip 3 is bonded to the adhesive sheet 2. When the adhesive sheet 2 has been moved upward by a sucking ring 9 provided below the adhesive sheet 2, the recognizing camera 1 recognizes the image of the semiconductor chip 3. Then, the sucking collet 4 is moved to above and downward toward the semiconductor chip 3 as shown in FIG. 5B. As a result, a slight gap is formed between the sucking collet 4 and the semiconductor chip 3 as shown in FIG. 5C.
At a stage shown in FIG. 5D, push-up needles 10 are moved upward, with the sucking ring 9 being stationary. The sucking collet 4 starts an upward movement synchronously with the start of the upward movement of the push-up needles 10. While the push-up needles 10 are moving upward, the needles 10 push the semiconductor chip 3 upward. As a result, the semiconductor chip 3 is separated from the adhesive sheet 2. Then, as shown in FIG. 5E, the semiconductor chip 3 is sucked to the sucking collet 4 and then transported toward the film carrier 5 as shown in FIG. 5F.
The above-described construction has, however, a consideration in that unless the upward movement of the sucking collet is started synchronously with the start of the upward movement of the push-up needles, trouble as shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C occurs. Therefore, it is necessary to provide the semiconductor chip-supply apparatus with a complicated mechanism for controlling the operation of the push-up needles and that of the sucking collet so that the start timing in the former and in the latter are synchronized with each other in the upward movements thereof. FIG. 6A shows a case in which the sucking collet 4 has started an upward movement earlier than the push-up needles 10. In this case, the sucking collet 4 is liable to suck the semiconductor chip 3 inappropriately. FIGS. 6B and 6C show a case in which the push-up needles 10 have started an upward movement earlier than the sucking collet 4. In this case, an excessive pressure is applied to the semiconductor chip 3 and the push-up needles 10, thus damaging or breaking them.