Abstract:
A resin sealing method for a chip size package electrically connected to electrodes of a semiconductor chip in a chip face of the semiconductor chip with one end of leads joined and the other end thereof exposed to an outer face of a sealing resin for sealing the chip face as connection parts to a package substrate, includes the steps of: providing a first transfer mold formed with a cavity recess in which an object to be molded including the semiconductor chip joined to leads is set, and a second transfer mold mated with the first transfer mold; setting the object to be molded in the cavity recess with a transfer mold face containing the cavity recess of the transfer mold; covering the mold face of the first and second mold with release films having flexibility and heat resistance, respectively; clamping the object to be molded with the transfer mold face of the second mold; and filling the cavity of the first mold with a resin for sealing the package with the resin.

Description:
This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/898,832 filed Jul. 23, 1997, and now U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,483 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a resin sealing method and device for chip size packages. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     The chip size packages (hereinafer referred to as “CSP”) are formed substantially in the same size as a semiconductor chip, and as one of the CSPs, there is an SON (small outline nonlead) package. FIGS. 1 and 2 are a sectional view and a bottom view of the CSP, particularly SON, respectively. In FIG. 1, reference numeral  10  denotes a semiconductor chip;  112  denotes a die pad; and  114  is leads for electrically connecting the semiconductor chip  10  and a package substrate. Each of the leads  114  is formed as a bonding part  114   a  joined to the semiconductor chip  10  at a center thereof with the surface of a joint electrically connected to an electrode of the semiconductor chip  10  by wire bonding. An outer portion of each of the bonding parts  114   a  is formed as a connection part  114   b  slightly floating up from the chip face and extending in parallel with the chip face for connection to the package substrate. 
     Each of the connection parts  114   b  is placed in the chip face of the semiconductor chip  10  and the whole package is formed substantially in a chip size. Reference numeral  116  denotes bonding wires for electrically connecting the electrode of the semiconductor chip  10  and each of the leads  114 . Reference numeral  18  denotes a sealing resin for sealing the joint faces to the leads  114  of the semiconductor chip  10 . The sealing resin  18  seals the wiring bonding portions of the semiconductor chip  10  and the leads  114  and also supports the connection parts  114   b , of the leads  114  at predetermined positions. 
     The connection part  114   b  of each the respective lead  114  is exposed to the outer face of the sealing resin  18  for connection to the package substrate by soldering, etc. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the connection parts  114   b  are placed in parallel with a given spacing on two opposed sides on the outer face of the sealing resin  18 . They are formed on a flat face so that they can be connected to the connection parts of the package substrate by soldering, etc. 
     If a normal transfer mold method is used to seal the joint faces of the semiconductor chip  10  and the leads  114  with a resin in a manufacturing process of CSPs as described above, resin fins may occur on the surfaces of the leads  114 . Thus, because the normal transfer mold method cannot be used and hitherto, a potting method has been used to seal with a resin. Since the CSP has a large number of leads  114  placed in parallel with the chip face, it is placed in portrait orientation and a potting resin is injected. 
     However, the potting method involves the following problems: It takes much time until the resin hardens, and mass productivity is poor. Air is easily caught in the resin at the potting time, whereby voids easily occur. Close adherence of the resin to the semiconductor chip  10  is not necessarily sufficient. The potting method is lower in resin molding accuracy than the resin sealing method using a transfer mold. Voids occurring in the package cause cracks to occur due to heat at a curing process. After packaging, temperature rise and drop in the external environment act repeatedly on the package, thereby breaking the package or short-circuiting the wiring pattern. 
     FIGS. 3A to  3 D show other product examples of the CSP. For a product shown in FIG. 3A, a wiring pattern  212  is provided via an electric insulating layer  211  on a face where surface electrodes of a semiconductor chip  10  are placed, and solder balls  214  are joined as external connection pins. The solder balls  214  are connected to one end of the wiring pattern  212  and the other end of the wiring pattern  212  is extended like leads from the periphery of the electric insulating layer  211  to the outside and are bonded to the surface electrodes  216  of the semiconductor chip  10 . 
     A sealing resin  18  of the wiring pattern  212  is bonded to the surface electrodes  216 . Hitherto, the wiring pattern  212  of the portion bonded to the surface electrodes  216  has been sealed by potting. The reason why it has been sealed by potting is as follows: Since the wiring pattern  212  in the chip size package is supported via the electric insulating layer  211  on the semiconductor chip  10 , if the wiring pattern  212  is sealed with a resin by a normal transfer mold method, a molded article (an object to be molded) cannot reliably be pressed and a resin fin occurs in an unnecessary part and when a runner is peeled off or a gate is broken after the wiring pattern  212  is sealed with the resin, the wiring pattern may be damaged. 
     FIG. 3B shows a structure in which a semiconductor chip  10  is housed in a ring  120  shaped like a rectangular frame and FIG. 3C shows a structure in which a semiconductor chip  1 (is housed in a can  222  as other product examples of CSPs. FIG. 3D shows a fan-in/fan-out type product wherein the semiconductor chip  10  is supported on a package substrate  224  formed with a recess for housing the semiconductor chip  10  and a wiring pattern  212  is provided in each of an inner area and an outer area of the semiconductor chip  10  and external connection pins are bonded. For every example shown in FIGS. 3B,  3 C and  3 D, the wiring pattern  212  of the portion bonded to the surface electrodes  216  of the semiconductor chip  10  is sealed by potting. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and therefore an object of the invention is to provide a resin sealing method and device for CSPs which can reliably seal packages with a resin without causing resin fins to occur, enable easy mass production of CSPs, and can provide high-reliability CSPs. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a resin sealing method and device for chip size packages for enabling CSPs to be sealed with a resin by a transfer mold method, thereby improving the molding accuracy of the packages and preventing voids from occurring in the package, thereby easily manufacturing high-reliability chip size packages. 
     To achieve the above objects, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a resin sealing method of a CSP electrically connected to electrodes of a semiconductor chip in the chip face of the semiconductor chip with one end of leads joined and the other end thereof exposed to the outer face of a sealing resin for sealing the chip face as connection parts to a package substrate, etc., the method comprising the steps of using a transfer mold formed with a cavity recess in which the molded article comprising the semiconductor chip joined to the leads is set, setting the molded article in the cavity recess with the transfer mold face containing the cavity recess of the transfer mold covered with a release film having required flexibility and heat; resistance, clamping the molded article with the transfer mold face of the other transfer mold mated with that transfer mold with a release film, and filling the cavity with a resin for sealing the package with the resin. 
     The plane portion of the cavity recess in which the molded article is housed is varied in size. When the molded article is set in the cavity recess, the plane portion is set larger than the outside dimensions of the semiconductor chip. After the molded article is set in the cavity recess, the size of the plane portion of the cavity recess is reduced matching the outside dimensions of the molded article and the molded article is clamped from the side face for resin sealing. 
     Of the transfer mold parts making up the four side faces of the cavity recess, the transfer mold part formed with the gate is made a fixed mold part and the remaining transfer mold parts are made moving mold parts for varying the size of the plane portion of the cavity recess. 
     According to the invention, there is provided a resin sealing system of a CSP electrically connected to electrodes of a semiconductor chip in the chip face of the semiconductor chip with one end of leads joined and the other end thereof exposed to the outer face of a sealing resin for sealing the chip face as connection parts to a package substrate, etc., the system comprising a transfer mold formed with a cavity recess for housing the molded article for clamping the molded article forming the CSP and filling the cavity with a resin and attraction and support means for air-attracting and supporting release films having required flexibility and heat resistance on the transfer mold faces of the upper and lower molds containing the cavity recess of the transfer mold. 
     The attraction and support means comprises an attraction hole opened to the clamp face of the transfer mold, a cavity attraction hole opened on the inner bottom face of the cavity recess, and an air mechanism communicating with the attraction hole and the cavity attraction hole. 
     To vary the size of the plane portion of the cavity recess in which the molded article is set, the transfer mold forming the cavity recess is formed with split molds making up the cavity recess and the split molds include moving molds that can be moved by move means. 
     The moving pin is also provided for pressing the semiconductor chip in the molded article against the inner bottom face of the cavity when the cavity is filled with a resin. 
     According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a resin sealing method of a chip size package comprising a wiring pattern supported via an electric insulating layer on one side of a semiconductor chip and extended like leads from the periphery of the electric insulating layer and connected to surface electrodes of the semiconductor chip, the connection parts being sealed with a resin, said method comprising the steps of using a transfer mold formed with a cavity recess in which the molded article comprising the wiring pattern supported on the semiconductor chip is set, setting the molded article in the cavity recess with the clamp faces containing the cavity recess of the transfer mold covered with release films having required flexibility, heat resistance, and elasticity, clamping the molded article via the release films, and filling the cavity recess with a resin. 
     The plane portion of the cavity recess in which the molded article is set is varied in size. When the molded article is set in the cavity recess, the plane portion is set larger than the outside dimensions of the molded article. After the molded article is set in the cavity recess, the dimensions of the plane portion of the cavity recess are reduced matching the outside dimensions of the molded article for resin molding. 
     Of the transfer mold parts making up the four side faces of the cavity recess, the transfer mold parts forming the side faces formed with a gate communicating with the cavity are made fixed mold parts and the transfer mold parts making up the remaining side faces are made moving mold parts. 
     According to the invention, there is provided a resin sealing system of a chip size package comprising a wiring pattern supported via an electric insulating layer on one side of a semiconductor chip and extended like leads from the periphery of the electric insulating layer and connected to surface electrodes of the semiconductor chip, the connection parts being sealed with a resin, said system comprising a transfer mold formed with a cavity recess for housing the molded article as a transfer mold for clamping the molded article comprising the wiring pattern supported on the semiconductor chip and filling the cavity recess with a resin and attraction and support means for air-attracting and supporting release files having required flexibility, heat resistance, and elasticity on the transfer mold faces containing the cavity recess of the transfer mold. 
     The attraction and support means comprises an attraction hole opened to the clamp face of the transfer mold, a cavity attraction hole opened on the inner bottom face of the cavity recess, and an air mechanism communicating with the attraction hole and the cavity attraction hole. 
     The transfer mold forming the cavity recess comprises split molds making up the cavity recess, and the split molds include moving molds that are movable by a moving means. 
     To vary the dimensions of the plane portion of the housing of the molded article in the cavity recess in which the molded article is set, the transfer mold forming the cavity recess is formed with moving parts and moving means for moving the moving parts is provided. 
     The above and other objects and features of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the accompanying drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a CSP; 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the CSP in FIG. 1; 
     FIGS. 3A to  3 D are illustrations to show structures of CSPs; 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view of a lead frame forming a CSP; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a resin sealing system for sealing with a resin the lead frame forming the CSP; 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view in a state in which a molded article is clamped by upper and lower molds; 
     FIG. 7 is an illustration to show how to press the molded article by means of a moving pin disposed in the upper mold; 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a lapping resin; 
     FIGS. 9A and 9B are a plan view and a sectional view to show placement of split molds of the lower mold, respectively; 
     FIG. 10 is a sectional view to show the proximity of a cavity recess in the resin sealing system of CSPs on an enlarged scale; 
     FIGS. 11A and 11B are illustrations to show plane placement of a lower mold; 
     FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a state in which a plurality of semiconductor chips are supported by a carrier tape; 
     FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which leads are bonded in a situation where the semiconductor chip is supported by the carrier tape; 
     FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a method of sealing the molded article in which the semiconductor chip is supported by the carrier tape with a resin; and 
     FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing another method of sealing the molded article in which the semiconductor chip is supported by the carrier tape with a resin. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Now, a description will be given in more detail of preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view of a lead frame  120  of a CSP used for sealing with a resin. It also shows the placement position of a semiconductor chip  10  mounted on the lead frame  120 , a die pad  112 , a resin sealing range, and a gate position at the resin sealing time. Leads  114  are supported at one end on a support bar  22  located in the width direction of the lead frame  120  and extend at a tip to the center from each of the paired support bars  122 . 
     The semiconductor chip  10  is aligned with bonding parts  114   a  of the leads  114  and joined to the lower faces of the leads  114 , then the bonding parts  114   a  and electrodes of the semiconductor chip  10  are wire-bonded. 
     After the wire bonding, the lead frame  120  is sealed with a resin. In the embodiment, a resin sealing method using release films is used to seal with a resin. FIG. 5 is a sectional view to show the structure of the main part of a resin sealing system for sealing with a resin the lead frame  120  on which the semiconductor chip  10  is mounted. Numeral  340  is a molded article (an object to be molded) comprising the semiconductor chip  10  mounted on the lead frame  120 . 
     The resin sealing system of the embodiment is a system for manufacturing CSPs by a transfer mold method and is characterized by the fact that transfer mold faces of an upper mold  330  and EL lower mold  332  for clamping a molded article are covered with a release film  334  for sealing the molded article with a resin. 
     In FIG. 5, numeral  340  is a molded article sealed with a resin by the transfer mold method. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the molded article  340  is clamped by the upper mold  330  and the lower mold  340  in the left half of the center line and a state in which a cavity is filled with a resin in the right half of the center line. Numeral  250  is a pot for supplying a mold resin and numeral  252  is a plunger. A cavity recess for setting the molded article  340  and sealing with a resin is placed on both sides for sandwiching the pot  250  in the lower mold  332 . 
     Numeral  60  is a cavity attraction hole opened like a slit on the inner face of the cavity recess. As shown in the figure, the cavity attraction hole  60  communicates on a rear with an air flow passage formed in a base  500  and the air flow passage communicate with an external air mechanism. Numeral  62  is an attraction hole for air-attracting and supporting the release film  334  on the clamp face of the transfer mold. The attraction hole  62  also communicates with the external air mechanism via the air flow passage formed in the base  500 . The release film  334  first is air-attracted on the clamp face of the transfer mold through the attraction hole  62 , then air is sucked from the cavity attraction hole  60 , whereby the release film  334  is attracted and supported following the inner face of the cavity recess. 
     The left half of FIG. 5 shows a state in which the release film  334  is attracted to and supported on the inner face of the cavity recess and the molded article  340  is set in the cavity recess. In the embodiment, the upper mold  330  has a clamp face made flat. One release film  334  is supplied to each of the upper mold  330  and the lower mold  332  and covers the transfer mold face of the corresponding mold. In the upper mold  330 , the release film  334  is attracted and supported flat through the attraction hole  62  and the cavity attraction hole  60 . 
     The release film  334  used for sealing with a resin in the embodiment needs to have flexibility so as to be attracted and supported easily following the inner face shape of the cavity recess by air suction and needs to resist heating temperatures of the transfer mold. It also needs to be a material that can be easily separated from the transfer mold and easily peeled off with a mold resin after sealing with a resin. Materials having such characteristics are an FEP film, a fluorine—containing glass cloth, a PET film, an ETFE film, polyvinylidene fluoride, etc. 
     One reason to use the release film  334  for sealing with a resin as described above is to make it possible to seal with a resin without depositing a mold resin directly on the transfer mold faces of the upper mold  330  and the lower mold  332 . In the embodiment, for the resin supplied to the pot  250 , a lapping resin  54  with a resin sealed with a lapping film is used so as to prevent the resin from being deposited on the inner face of the pot  250 . 
     FIG. 8 shows the outside shape of the lapping resin  54 . The lapping resin of the embodiment comprises a resin  54   a  molded like a stick sealed with a lapping film  54   b . The lapping film  54   b  is extended to sides from the upper end face of the resin  54   a  and the end face shape becomes T. The extension piece is a portion where two lapping films are bonded and sealed, and is formed so that it can be peeled off by resin pressure at the resin sealing time. As shown in FIG. 5, the lapping resin  54  is set so that the extension piece of the lapping resin  54  is extended to the side of the molded article  340  with the lapping resin  54  supplied to the pot  250  and when the cavity is filled with the resin from the pot  250 , the resin is prevented from being deposited on the transfer mold in the resin passage portion. 
     FIG. 6 shows a state in which the molded article  340  is clamped by the upper and lower molds  330  and  332  through the release films  334 . 
     To seal the molded article  340  with a resin, first, release films  334  are sent to the transfer mold face positions of an upper mold  330  and a lower mold  332  and are air-attracted onto the transfer mold faces through attraction holes  62  of the upper mold  330  and the lower mold  332 , then air is sucked through cavity attraction holes  60  for forming a cavity recess, then the molded article  340  is aligned with the cavity recess and is set. 
     Next, the molded article is clamped by the upper mold  330  and the lower mold  332  and the cavity recess  338  is filled with a resin from a pot  250 . 
     FIG. 6 shows a state in which the molded article  340  is set in the transfer mold and clamped by the upper mold  330  and the lower mold  332 . It is a sectional view when the cavity recess  338  is viewed from the end face of the leads  114 . A large number of leads  114  are placed in parallel and their tips are bent toward the chip face. Numeral  146  is a gate for filling the cavity recess  338  with a resin. As shown in FIG. 4, the gate  146  is connected to the side of a large number of leads  114  placed in parallel and is placed so as to fill the cavity recess  338  with a resin from the side faces of the leads  114 . In FIG. 4, the gate  146  is connected to a part of the side margin of the cavity recess  338  for filling the cavity recess  338  with a resin. 
     However, the side margin of the extension piece of a lapping resin  54  is matched with the side margin of the cavity, whereby the cavity recess  338  can also be filled with a resin from one entire side of the cavity recess  338 . 
     When the molded article  340  is clamped by the upper mold  330  and the lower mold  332  and the cavity recess  338  is filled with a resin, no resin fins must occur on the rear face of the die pad  112  or the external faces of the connection parts  114   a  of the leads  114 . The release film  334  coming in contact with the molded article  340  at the clamping time has the effect of reliably clamping the molded article  340  without damaging the molded article  340  owing to flexibility of the film. Even for a package with leads  114  floating up from the chip face like the CSP, the resin sealing method using the release films can be used to reliably hold the molded article  340 . 
     Since the CSP is sealed with a resin in a state in which the semiconductor chip  10  remains exposed, damage to the semiconductor chip  10  must be prevented. Molding accuracy on the side faces of the package is required and no resin fins must occur on the rear face of the die pad  112  or the external faces of the leads  114 . Then, the embodiment is characterized by a mechanism for clamping the molded article  340  from the side face direction in the lower mold  332  for setting the molded article  340  and a press mechanism for pressing the molded article  340  against the cavity recess face of the lower mold  332 . 
     In the embodiment, the lower mold  332  forming a cavity recess  336  is made by split molds having moving molds, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, as the mechanism for clamping the side faces of the moLded article  340 . That is, in FIGS. 9A and 9B, numerals  332   a ,  332   b ,  332   c , and  332   d  are split molds making up the cavity recess  336 ;  332   a  is a fixed mold and  332   b ,  332   c , and  332   d  are moving molds. When the molded article  340  is set in the lower mold  332 , the moving molds  332   b ,  332   c , and  332   d  are placed at positions slightly wider than the outside dimensions of the semiconductor chip  10 . After the molded article  340  is set in the cavity recess  336 , the side face of the semiconductor chip  10  is advanced to the clamping position and the molded article  340  is clamped and supported on four side faces. The moving molds  332   b ,  332   c , and  332   d  are moved by move means using a cam, etc. 
     The gate  146  is disposed in the fixed mold  332   a.    
     After the molded article  340  is clamped by the upper mold  330  and the lower mold  332 , the cavity recess  336  is filled with a resin from the gate  146  for sealing with the resin. When the molded article  340  is set in the lower mold  332 , the moving molds  332   b ,  332   c , and  332   d  are previously moved back, whereby setting the molded article  340  in the cavity recess  336  is facilitated and damage to the semiconductor chip  10  is prevented at the setting time. When the molded article  340  is set, if it is placed slightly out of position, the position difference can also be corrected by clamp operation with the moving molds  332   b ,  332   c , and  332   d . The open dimensions of the moving molds  332   b ,  332   c , and  332   d  may be set appropriately; in the embodiment, the moving mold  332   b ,  332   c ,  332   d  is opened about 0.5 mm as compared with the final clamping position. 
     FIG. 7 shows a structure wherein the upper mold  330  is provided with a moving pin  149  as the press mechanism for pressing the molded article  340  against the cavity recess face of the lower mold  332 . It shows a state in which the molded article  340  is set in the lower mold  332  in the left half of the center line and a state in which the molded article  340  is clamped by the upper mold  330  and the lower mold  332  in the right half. When the molded article  340  is clamped, the moving pin  149  comes in contact with the top face of a corner of the semiconductor chip  10  and presses the semiconductor chip  10  as shown in the right half of the center line of FIG.  7 . In this state, the cavity recess  336  is filled with a resin. 
     To press the semiconductor chip  10  by means of the moving pin  149  and fill the cavity recess with a resin, the moving pin  149  is pulled into the upper mold  330  from the cavity at the timing at which the cavity recess is filled with a resin to a degree that the semiconductor chip  10  does not float up, and the whole cavity is filled with the resin finally. The timing at which the moving pin  149  is pulled in may be determined by the resin injecting time or may be sensed by a photoelectric sensor or a pressure sensor placed in the transfer mold. Since the moving pin  149  is covered with the release film  334 , the package is sealed with the resin without any trace of the moving pin  149  when the moving pin  149  is pulled in. The release film  334 , which is extremely excellent in elasticity, can be easily restored to the same flat face as the cavity recess inner face of the upper mold  330  by pulling in the moving pin  149 . 
     The method of sealing the package with a resin while pressing the molded article  340  against the inner bottom face of the cavity recess  336  by the moving pin  149  is effective as a method of enabling resin molding without allowing a resin to enter the rear face of the semiconductor chip  10 , namely, the outer face of the die pad  112 . As described above, the die pad  112  is pressed by means of the release film  334  having flexibility in the embodiment. Thus, from this point, a resin is also prevented from entering the rear face of the die pad  112 . 
     The resin sealing system of the embodiment splits the lower mold  332  forming the cavity recess  336  for housing the molded article  340  into split molds, thereby enabling the side faces of the molded article  340  to be clamped reliably, and clamps the molded article  340  via the release films  334  in the thickness direction of the molded article  330 , thus can reliably seal the package with a resin without causing resin fins to occur. The outer faces of the connection parts  114   a  of the leads  114  are covered with the release films  334 , whereby the package can be sealed with a resin without causing resin fins to occur on the outer faces of the connection parts  114   a.    
     If a resin sealing method using release films for sealing CSPs with a resin like the resin sealing method of the embodiment is applied, the time required for resin sealing can be shortened and easy mass production of CSPs is enabled as compared with use of the potting method. Since the resin sealing transfer mold is used to seal with a resin, the package molding accuracy can be improved preferably. Void occurrence in the package can be suppressed preferably as compared with the potting method, so that high-reliability CSPs can be provided. 
     FIG. 10 shows on an enlarged scale a state in which a CSP including a wiring pattern supported via an electric insulating layer on one side of a semiconductor chip and extended like leads from the periphery of the electric insulating layer and connected to surface electrodes of the semiconductor chip, the connection parts being sealed with a resin, is clamped via the release films  334  by the upper mold  330  and the lower mold  332  and the cavity is filled with resin according to another embodiment of the invention. The CSP includes a wiring pattern  212  provided via an electric insulating layer  211  on the top face of a semiconductor chip  10 . Therefore, to seal the CSP with a resin, the release films  334  are air-attracted to and supported on the transfer mold faces of the upper mold  330  and the lower mold  332 , then the molded article formed like a single piece is set in the cavity recess of the lower mold  332  and is clamped by the upper mold  330  and the lower mold  332  for sealing with a resin. 
     The cavity recess made in the lower mold  332  needs to be formed to dimensions to allow the CSP to be just housed with the release film  334  air-attracted on the inner face of the cavity recess and needs to be set to a depth dimension so that the semiconductor chip  10 , the electric insulating layer  211 , and the wiring pattern  212  are reliably pressed and resin fins do not occur when the molded article is clamped by the upper mold  330  and the lower mold  332 . 
     Since the release films  334  have the effect of elastically pressing the outer face of the molded article  340  when the molded article  340  is clamped by the upper mold  330  and the lower mold  332 , the molded article can be reliably clamped without being damaged and can be sealed with a resin without causing any fins to occur. 
     However, for a CSP where the semiconductor chip  10  is not supported on the ring  120 , etc., as shown in FIG. 3A, care must be taken so as not to damage the semiconductor chip  10  at the handling time. Thus, in the embodiment, when the semiconductor chip  10  is set in the cavity recess, the dimensions of the cavity recess are made slightly larger than the outside dimensions of the semiconductor chip  10 , and when the package is thereafter sealed with a resin, the cavity recess is set to a predetermined sLze. 
     Thus, in the system of the embodiment, the lower mold  332  forming the cavity recess is attached movably so that the size of the cavity recess can be changed. When the molded article  340  is set, the cavity recess is set larger than the outside dimensions of the molded article  340  and when the package is sealed with a resin, the lower mold is moved for setting the cavity recess to a predetermined size. 
     FIGS. 11A and 11B show a plane placement of the lower mold forming the cavity recess  336 . In the figures, numerals  332   a ,  332   b ,  332   c , and  332   d  are split molds making up four side faces of the cavity recess  336 ; numerals  332   a  and  332   b  are fixed mold parts and numerals  332   c  and  332   d  are moving mold parts. 
     Numeral  238  is a gate for injecting a resin into the cavity. The gate  238  is connected to one corner of the cavity recess and a resin sent from the pot  250  under pressure is injected into the cavity from the corner of the cavity recess. 
     The fixed mold parts  332   a  and  332   b  make up two sides sandwiching the gate  238  and the moving mold parts  332   c  and  332   d  make up two sides opposed thereto. FIG. 11B shows a state in which the molded article  340  is set and the moving mold parts  332   c  and  332   d  are placed at positions open outward as compared with the positions when the package is sealed with a resin. The open dimensions of the moving mold parts  332   c  and  332   d  may be set appropriately; in the embodiment, the moving mold part  332   c ,  332   d  is opened about 0.5 mm as compared with the final resin sealing position. 
     In the embodiment, with the moving mold parts  332   c  and  332   d  thus placed at open positions, the release films  334  are attracted to the transfer mold faces and in this state, the molded article  340  is set in the cavity recess  336 . The method of supplying the molded article  340  with the cavity recess  336  made larger than the dimensions of the molded article  340  is effective in that the molded article  340  of a single piece can be supplied and that it is not damaged when the molded article  340  is supplied. When the molded article  340  is set, if it is placed slightly out of position, the position difference can be absorbed for setting the molded article. 
     After the molded article  340  is set in the cavity recess  336 , when the package is sealed with a resin, the moving mold parts  332   c  and  332   d  are moved to the positions matching the dimensions of the molded article  340  and the side faces of the molded article  340  are reliably held for sealing the package with a resin. FIG. 11A shows a state. in which the moving mold parts  332   c  and  332   d  are moved to predetermined positions. The moving mold parts  332   c  and  332   d  are moved from the open positions to the regular positions, whereby the molded article  340  is positioned and held. Since the release films  334  have flexibility, the side faces of the molded article  340  are reliably held by means of the moving mold parts  332   c  and  332   d ; resin leakage in the side faces is prevented and reliable resin sealing is enabled. 
     To move the moving mold parts  332   c  and  332   d , they may be slid by move means such as a cam mechanism in association with the opening and closing of the upper mold  10  and the lower mold  332 . 
     In the embodiment, the lower mold portion forming the two sides opposed to the gate  238  are made movable. However, the structure of the lower mold is not necessarily limited to that of the embodiment; any other structure can also be adopted if it makes the plane dimensions of the cavity recess  336  variable. 
     The method of varying the plane dimensions of the part of the cavity recess  336  in which the molded article  340  is set by means of the moving mold parts  332   c  and  332   d  and sealing the package with a resin is also preferably applied to resin sealing of CSPs using the ring  120 , the can  222 , etc., in addition to the CSP as shown in FIG.  3 A. 
     The resin sealing of the CSP is intended for sealing the wiring pattern  212  surrounding the electric insulating layer  211  provided on the top face of the semiconductor chip  10 ; no resin must be deposited on the surface of the wiring pattern  212 , etc. The resin sealing system of the embodiment clamps the molded article  340  so as to lap the bottom face, the side faces, and the top face of the molded article  340  via the release films  334  and seals the package with a resin, thus can reliably fill only the necessary portion surrounding of the electric insulating layer  211  with the resin. It can perform high-quality resin sealing without causing any resin fins to occur. 
     For CSPs using the ring  120  or the can  222 , the ring  120  or the can  222  is formed with a gate port  219  or  119 , respectively, for making the pot  250  and the cavity recess communicate with each other as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, whereby the package can be sealed with a resin in the same manner as the embodiment. 
     In the above embodiment, a method is applied in which a piece of molded article  340  is set in the mold for resin sealing. As the method of sealing the CSP with a resin other than the above method in which a piece of molded article  340  is set in the mold for resin sealing, there is a method of a plurality of semiconductor chips supported by a carrier tape is set in a mold for resin molding. The method of supporting the semiconductor chips by the carrier tape is excellent in mass productivity. 
     FIG. 12 shows a molded article where a plurality of semiconductor chips  10  are supported by a carrier tape  470 . The semiconductor chips  10  are supported two by two widthwise of the carrier tape  470 . Reference numeral  472  denotes sprocket holes. 
     The structure of the respective package portions are identical with that in the above embodiment, and each of the semiconductor chip  10  is supported by the carrier tape  470  on which each wiring pattern  212  is disposed through an elastomer layer that is an electric insulating layer  211  having a buffering property. 
     FIG. 12 shows a process sequence in which leads  212   a  of the wiring patterns  212  are bonded onto the surface electrodes  216  and resin-sealed in the order from the left side, for example. Reference numeral  212   b  denotes lands of the external connection terminals which is joined to solder balls. 
     A part A of FIG. 12 shows a state where the leads  212   a  is bridged between the carrier tape  470  and the semiconductor chips  10 . A part C thereof shows a state where one end of the leads  114   a  is cut off, and a part D shows a state where the respective ends of the leads  2112   a  are bonded to the surface electrodes  116  of the semiconductor chips  10 . A part E shows a state where the leads  212   a  are sealed with a resin. 
     FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing processes from an initial process up to a process of bonding the lead  212   a  to the semiconductor chip  10  supported by the carrier tape  470 . 
     A part A of FIG. 13 shows a state in which the semiconductor chip  10  is made to adhere to the carrier tape  70  through the electric insulating layer  211 . The lead  212   a  bridges a window portion defined in the carrier tape  470  so that the former is supported by the latter. A part B of FIG. 13 shows a state in which a pair of bonding tools  474  are moved down up to a position above the lead  212   a  for bonding the lead  212   a  to the surface electrode of the semiconductor chip  10 . A part C of FIG. 13 is a state in which each end of the bonding tools  474  abuts against the lead  212   a  for cutting the lead  212   a.    
     The bonding action of the lead  212   a  is performed in such a manner that the lead  212   a  is cut off by a tip of the bonding tool  474 , and the lead  212   a  is sequentially pushed down so that the end of the lead  212   a  is brought in press contact with the surface electrode for conducting thermo-compression bonding. A part D shows a state in which the lead  212   a  is bent by the bonding tool  474  and bonded onto the surface electrode of the semiconductor chip  10 . A part E shows a state in which the lead  212   a  is bonded on the surface electrode of the semiconductor chip  10  after removal of the bonding tool  474 . 
     FIG. 14 shows a method of sealing the lead  212   a  with a resin using a mold after the semiconductor chip  10  is supported on the carrier tape  470  and then bonded on the surface electrode. 
     In this embodiment, the semiconductor chip  10  is set in the mold together with the carrier tape  470  that supports the semiconductor chip  10 , and sealed with a resin. A cavity recess is defined in the mold so as to coincide with a position at which the semiconductor chip  10  is arranged. In clamping the semiconductor chip  10 , the respective mold faces of the upper and lower molds  330  and  332  are covered with the release film  334  for resin-sealing as in the above embodiment. 
     Also, in resin-sealing, movable mold portions are provided in the lower mold  332  so that the cavity recess is made slightly larger than the outer dimensions of the semiconductor chip  10  for facilitating setting of the molded article, and after the molded article is set, the movable mold portions are moved so that the side surfaces of the semiconductor chip  10  are brought in press contact with the inner surfaces of the cavity for resin-sealing, as in the above embodiment. A part F of FIG. 14 is a state in which a slight gap is defined between the surfaces of the semiconductor chip  10  and the inner surface of the cavity recess in a situation where the molded article is set. A part G of FIG. 14 is a state in which the side faces of the semiconductor chip  10  are brought in press contact with the inner surface of the cavity recess by moving the movable mold portions. 
     Reference numeral  476  denotes a resin path through which the cavity is filled with a resin. In the case where the semiconductor chip  10  is set in the mold while it is supported by the carrier tape  470  as in this embodiment, in pressing the molded article between the upper and lower molds  330  and  332 , the carrier tape  470  is sandwiched between the release films  334  on the peripheral portion of the cavity. Therefore, the resin is stuck to the release film as well as the carrier tape  470 , and then resin molding is conducted. 
     A method of resin-sealing without the resin being stuck to the carrier tape  470  is, for example, shown in FIG.  15 . In the figure, a push hole  470   a  is provided in the carrier tape  470  in correspondence with the peripheral portion of the cavity, and a press protrusion  330   a  that clamps the press hole  470   a  is provided on the upper mold  330   a , in such a manner that in clamping the molded article, the molded article can be clamped by the press protrusion  330   a  and the lower mold  332  on the peripheral portion of the cavity. The protruded dimensions of the press protrusion  330   a  is designed taking the thickness of the carrier tape  470  into account, so that resin fins are prevented from occurring on the outer surface of the product when resin-sealing. 
     As described above, even in the case where the molded article is set in the mold while the semiconductor chip  10  is supported by the carrier tape  470  for resin-sealing, a proper resin sealing can be performed without generating any resin fins by application of the resin sealing method employing the release film  334 . 
     The resin sealing method using the transfer mold as in the embodiment can shorten the time to hardening of a resin and enables easy mass production of CSPs. According to the resin sealing method using the transfer mold, the molding accuracy of resin molded articles becomes constant and good products with no variations in outside shape can be provided. 
     The resin sealing method using the transfer mold can suppress occurrence of voids as compared with the potting method; the reliability of CSPs can be improved by making voids small by molding pressure. 
     In the resin sealing method using the release films  334 , the molded article  340  can be sealed with a resin without being clamped. by an excessive force owing to flexibility of the release films  334 , so that the molded article  340  can be sealed with a resin without being damaged. 
     As described above, the resin sealing method and system of CSPs according to the invention can easily provide high-molding-accuracy CSPs with no resin fins and high-reliability CSPs with no voids, etc., enable excellent mass productivity, and cart effectively reduce the CSP manufacturing costs. 
     Also, the resin sealing system of CSPs according to the invention can perform resin molding without allowing a resin to be put on the joint face of the external connection pins of the package and easily manufacture good CSPs. 
     The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents.