Programmable Micro-Stamp Pick-and-Place Apparatus and Method
OwnerAaron Voon-Yew THEAN, Baochang XU +1inventors
InventorsAaron Voon-Yew THEAN, Baochang XU, Yu ZHANG
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Abstract
The present invention describes an innovative programmable micro-stamp pick and place apparatus and method. This invention provides a micro-stamp device having a patterned polymer membrane that is configured with micropillars. When a micro-stamp device, singly or arranged in an array or group, is inflated with a fluid, the patterned polymer membrane deforms from a planar state and this causes the micropillars to peel from the workpiece. This patterned polymer membrane can thus be used to pick and place electronic die(s) or chip(s), single or in an array or a group, during fabrication, or to pick and replace defective die(s) or chip(s) during a test and repair process.
Claims12
A micro-stamp pick-and-place apparatus comprising:
- a micro-stamp body having a hollow micro-cavity;
- a flexible polymer membrane formed across a mouth of the hollow micro-cavity;
- a plurality of micropillars formed to extend out from the flexible polymer membrane;
- and
- a fluidic channel formed through the micro-stamp body to supply a fluid pressure into the hollow micro-cavity;
- wherein, when the fluid pressure is at substantially zero gauge pressure, the flexible polymer membrane and the plurality of micropillars are substantially planar, in an deflated state, so that pressing the plurality of micropillars onto a workpiece causes the workpiece to adhere to the plurality of micropillars in a pick location, and inflating the fluid pressure causes the flexible polymer membrane to deform from a plane of the workpiece, in an inflated state, in order to cause the plurality of micropillars to release or peel from the workpiece in a place location.
A micro-stamp pick-and-place method comprising:
- using a 3D printed mold and a first elastomer to cast a micro-bubble stamp body with a hollow micro-cavity and a fluidic channel;
- using a lithographically formed mold and a second elastomer solution to spin-cast a flexible membrane patterned with micropillars;
- bonding the flexible membrane with micropillars onto the micro-bubble stamp body to produce a micro-stamp pick-and-place device;
- supporting the micro-stamp pick-and-place device with an XYZ stage;
- fluidly connecting the fluidic channel to a fluid control valve;
- and
- connecting a pump and a controller to operate the XYZ stage and the fluid control valve to actuate a micro-stamp pick-and-place device to handle workpieces of die(s) or chip(s).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.