# US 9,520,317 B2 · Chip supplying apparatus

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- Number: US 9,520,317 B2
- Document ID: US9520317B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/441,305
- Filed: 2012-11-07
- Published: 2015-10-08
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2012-11-07
- Assignees: Fuji Machine Mfg. Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Fuji Machine Mfg. Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Toshihiko Yamasaki; Toshinori Shimizu; Hiroyasu Ohashi; Masaki Murai
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9520317B2

## CPC

- H10P 72/7624: {characterised by the mechanical construction of the susceptor, stage or support}
- B25J 11/0095: {Manipulators transporting wafers}
- B25J 15/0028: {with movable, e.g. pivoting gripping jaw surfaces}
- H10P 72/0446: {Apparatus for mounting on conductive members, e.g. leadframes or conductors on insulating substrates}
- H10P 72/18: {characterised by being specially adapted for supporting a single substrate or by comprising a stack of such individual supports}
- H10P 72/7602: {the wafers being placed on a robot blade or gripped by a gripper for conveyance}
- H10P 72/7606: {characterised by edge clamping, e.g. clamping ring}
- H10P 72/7608: {characterised by a plurality of separate clamping members, e.g. clamping fingers}
- H10W 72/07173: {Means for moving chips, wafers or other parts, e.g. conveyor belts}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50})
- H10W: GENERIC PACKAGES, INTERCONNECTIONS, CONNECTORS OR OTHER CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A chip supplying apparatus supplies a chip to a mounting machine which mounts the chip on a substrate is disclosed. The chip supplying apparatus includes wafer table which holds a wafer sheet at a position where an operation head of the mounting machine can receive the chip. In the chip supplying apparatus, the wafer table is provided with a frame, a stopper which is fixed to the center of a front portion of the frame and abuts against a front end of the wafer sheet, and a pair of clamp mechanisms which is supported by the frame and which clamps both side ends of the wafer sheet. In the chip supplying apparatus, a position of the pair of clamp mechanisms in a right-and-left direction with respect to the frame can be changed in multiple steps.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A chip supplying apparatus which supplies a chip to a mounting machine which mounts the chip on a substrate, the chip supply apparatus comprising:
a wafer table which holds a wafer sheet at a position where an operation head of the mounting machine can receive the chip, the wafer table including
a frame including a front frame plate and a rear frame plate,
a stopper which is fixed to a center of the front frame plate and configured to abut against a front end of the wafer sheet,
a pair of clamp mechanisms which clamps both side ends of the wafer sheet and each of the pair of clamp mechanisms is supported by the front frame plate and the rear frame plate,
wherein the pair of clamp mechanisms is configured to be moved in a right-and-left direction with respect to the frame.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The chip supplying apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the frame includes a pair of side frame plates,
wherein a front engaging portion is formed in a vicinity of a front end of each of the pair of clamp mechanisms, and a rear engaging portion is formed in a vicinity of a rear end of each of the pair of clamp mechanisms,
wherein a plurality of front engaged portions, which are engaged with the front engaging portion, are formed on the front frame plate, and
wherein, at a position corresponding to a position of the front engaged portion, a plurality of rear engaged portions, which are engaged with the rear engaging portion, are formed on the rear frame plate.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The chip supplying apparatus according to claim 2,
wherein each of the pair of clamp mechanisms includes a main plate, a front block which abuts against a rear surface of the front frame plate, a rear block which abuts against a front surface of the rear frame plate, and an intermediate block which is disposed between the front block and the rear block and fixed to the main plate,
wherein one of the front block and the rear block is supported to be slidable in a front-and-back direction with respect to the main plate, and is connected to the intermediate block via an elastic body,
wherein the other one of the front block and the rear block is fixed to the main plate, and
wherein, by moving the main plate with respect to the frame in a direction in which the elastic body is compressed, an engagement between the front engaging portion and the front engaged portion, and the engagement between the rear engaging portion and the rear engaged portion, are released.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The chip supplying apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein, in at least one of the front engaged portion and the rear engaged portion, a rattling preventative plate, which is supported by the frame via the elastic body, is provided.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The chip supplying apparatus according to claim 3,
wherein, on an upper surface of the main plate, an identification mark is provided.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The chip supplying apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein a position of the pair of clamp mechanisms in the right-and-left direction with respect to the frame is changed in multiple steps.