Continuous solder transfer to substrates
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJae-Woong Nah, Stephen L. Buchwalter, Peter A. Gruber, Da-Yuan Shih, Paul Alfred Lauro
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an Injection Molded Soldering system, a single, one-layer decal has one or more through hole patterns where each through hole pattern has a plurality of through holes through the decal. A drum with a drum circumference turns while the decal is forced to be adjacent to the drum circumference. The decal passes by a tangent point on the drum circumference where one or more solder-filled through hole patterns align with recessed openings on a substrate at the tangent point of the drum circumference. Applied heat causes the solder structures to melt and flow into the recessed openings.
Claims20
An injection molded solder system comprising:
- a decal with one or more through hole patterns, each through hole pattern having a plurality of through holes through the decal, the decal capable of being driven in a decal direction, the through holes having a through hole top with a top width and a through hole bottom with a bottom width, the top width being wider than the bottom width;
- a substrate belt capable of holding a plurality of substrates, the substrate belt driven in a belt direction;
- a fill head capable of injecting the through holes with solder as the through hole pattern is driven past a protrusion fill head causing a solder structure to form within each of one or more of the through holes;
- and
- a drum with a drum circumference, the decal forced to be adjacent to the drum circumference and the drum circumference and decal turning and passing a tangent point,
- wherein as each of the solder structures are aligned with a recessed opening on a substrate at the tangent point heat causes the solder structures to melt and flow into the recessed opening.
An injection molded solder system comprising:
- a decal with one or more through hole patterns, each through hole pattern having a plurality of through holes through the decal, the decal capable of being driven in a decal direction, the through holes having a through hole top with a top width and a through hole bottom with a bottom width, the top width being wider than the bottom width;
- a substrate belt capable of holding a plurality of substrates, the substrate belt driven in a belt direction;
- a protrusion fill head injecting the through holes with solder as the through hole pattern is driven past the protrusion fill head causing a protrusion solder structure to form within each of one or more of the through holes, the protrusion solder structure having one or more protrusions passing through the through holes;
- and
- a drum with a drum circumference, the decal forced to be adjacent to the drum circumference and the drum circumference and turning and passing a tangent point,
- wherein heat is applied to the protrusion solder structures when aligned with a recessed opening on a substrate at the tangent point causing the protrusion solder structure to flow into the recessed opening.
A method of attaching a solder ball to a substrate, comprising the steps of:
- injecting a solder structure into a through hole, the through hole being one of a pattern of through holes in one or more through hole patterns on a decal;
- moving the decal around the circumference of a drum;
- moving one or more of the substrates on a substrate belt, each substrate having one or more recessed openings with a metal recessed pad at the bottom of the recessed opening;
- aligning one or more of the solder structures with one or more of recessed openings, respectively, at a tangent point on the circumference of the drum;
- applying heat at the alignment at the tangent point to melt the solder structure and cause the solder structure to flow into the recessed opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.