Apparatus for manufacturing circuit boards

An apparatus for manufacturing a circuit board, comprising:

• means for providing a substrate including at least one wiring layer, the substrate having a surface and including a plurality of contacts on the surface;
• means for providing an area array component with at least one attachment surface and a plurality of bumps on the attachment surface, the bumps corresponding approximately to the contacts;
• means for providing a first solder material of metal solder alloy in communication with one of the contacts and the bumps;
• means for placing the area array component on the substrate with the bumps aligned with the contacts;
• means for reflowing the first solder material to connect the bumps to the contacts with metal solder alloy;
• means for testing the circuit board to determine that the area array component requires replacement;
• means for replacing the area array component depending on the determination and including:
• (a) means for holding the substrate in a fixed position;
• (b) means for providing hot gas;
• (c) a nozzle duct including a plurality of side walls and an open nozzle end, the side walls extending to the open nozzle end, the open nozzle end being sufficiently large to fit over the area array component, the side walls defining a plurality of holes near the open nozzle end for directing the hot gas toward the open nozzle end and out the holes;
• (d) means for moving the open nozzle end toward the circuit board and away from the circuit board;
• (e) gimbaling means connected between the moving means and the nozzle duct for tilting the nozzle duct, allowing the open nozzle end to conform to the surface of the circuit board;
• (f) force means for biasing the open nozzle end against the circuit board with a predetermined force sufficient to restrain the circuit board when heated from bending enough to damage one of the circuit board and the area array component and with about the same force on opposite sides of the open nozzle duct;
• and
• (g) a rigid flattening surface held fixed in relation to a plane of the circuit board adjacent to the circuit board, the open nozzle end configured to contact the circuit board to urge the circuit board against the rigid flattening surface to restrain the circuit board from warping.

An apparatus for manufacturing a circuit board which requires removal of an area array component joined to a substrate by solder connections, the apparatus comprising:

• a backing plate supporting the substrate;
• a nozzle having an open end, the nozzle being movable between a first position in which the nozzle contacts the substrate to press the substrate against the backing plate and a second position in which the nozzle is withdrawn from the substrate, the open end configured to allow the area array component to pass within the open end when the nozzle is in the first position, thereby allowing the nozzle to contact the substrate and to press the substrate between the backing plate and the nozzle to restrain the substrate from warping when heated;
• and
• the nozzle directing hot gas toward the open end to reflow the solder connections joining the area array component to the substrate, the area array component being removable from the substrate when the solder connections are reflowed.