Abstract:
A dispenser includes a supporting section configured to retain a circuit board at a predetermined height. A dispenser nozzle includes a nozzle tip having at least one hole, the nozzle tip configured to provide an adhesive substance to the circuit board. A driving mechanism is configured to drive the supporting section in a first direction and drive the dispenser nozzle in a second direction and a third direction. A circuit board fabricating method includes dispensing at least one droplet of an adhesive substance, having a shape extending toward a first direction, onto a predetermined point on a circuit board. A chip is placed onto the predetermined point to cover the droplet. The chip is soldered onto the predetermined point.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to Japanese patent application No. 2003-362653 filed on Oct. 23, 2003, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a dispenser nozzle, a dispenser including the dispenser nozzle, and a method for dispensing a viscous substance.  
         [0004]     2. Discussion of the Background  
         [0005]     In fabricating a printed circuit board, a chip or a socket is temporarily attached to the printed circuit board, and is directly soldered onto the printed circuit board.  
         [0006]      FIGS. 1A  to  1 D show temporarily attachment of a chip  102  to a printed circuit board  101 .  
         [0007]     As shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , a single droplet  104  of substantially circular shape, which contains adhesive substance, is dispensed by a dispenser (not shown) onto a predetermined point between pads  103   a  and  103   b  of the printed circuit board  101 .  
         [0008]     Thereafter, as shown in  FIGS. 1C and 1D , the chip  102  is placed on the predetermined point so as to cover the droplet  104 . In this case, the chip  102  is placed such that its respective sides, having electrode sections  105   a  and  105   b,  cover the corresponding sides of the pads  103   a  and  103   b.  The droplet  104  is then heated by a hardening furnace (not shown) to securely keep the chip  102  to the predetermined point.  
         [0009]      FIGS. 2A  to  2 D show another embodiment of a temporarily attachment of the chip  102  to the printed circuit board  101 . In this case, a double droplet  104  is dispensed by a dispenser (not shown), instead of the single droplet  104  shown in any one of  FIGS. 1A  to  1 D.  
         [0010]     In either of the above background operations, the dispenser should dispense a sufficient amount of adhesive substance onto a predetermined point with high precision. However, with the recent trend in chip miniaturization, it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve such an amount.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     The present invention can provide a dispenser including a supporting section configured to retain a circuit board at a predetermined height. A dispenser nozzle includes a nozzle tip having at least one hole, the nozzle tip configured to provide an adhesive substance to the circuit board. A driving mechanism is configured to drive the supporting section in a first direction and drive the dispenser nozzle in a second direction and a third direction.  
         [0012]     The present invention can further provide a circuit board fabricating method including dispensing at least one droplet of an adhesive substance, having a shape extending toward a first direction, onto a predetermined point on a circuit board. A chip is placed onto the predetermined point to cover the droplet. The chip is soldered onto the predetermined point. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]     A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0014]      FIGS. 1A and 1C  are plan views showing temporary attachment of a chip to a printed circuit board before soldering.  
         [0015]      FIGS. 1B and 1D  are front views corresponding to  FIGS. 1A and 1C , respectively.  
         [0016]      FIGS. 2A and 2C  are plan views showing another embodiment of a temporary attachment of a chip to a printed circuit board before soldering.  
         [0017]      FIGS. 2B and 2D  are front views corresponding to  FIGS. 2A and 2C , respectively.  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  is a front view showing soldering of a printed circuit board of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a dispenser nozzle according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 6  is a front view showing an interior of the dispenser nozzle of  FIG. 5 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing dispensing performed by the dispenser nozzle of  FIG. 5 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 8  is a partially enlarged view of the dispenser nozzle of  FIG. 7 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view showing a dispenser nozzle according to another embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0025]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view showing dispensing performed by the dispenser nozzle of  FIG. 9 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 11  is a partially enlarged view of the dispenser nozzle of  FIG. 10 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 12  is a schematic diagram showing a driving mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0028]      FIG. 13  shows items of information stored in the driving mechanism of  FIG. 12 .  
         [0029]      FIG. 14  is a flowchart showing dispensing performed by the driving mechanism of  FIG. 12 .  
         [0030]      FIG. 15  is a schematic diagram showing a driving mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0031]      FIGS. 16A and 16B  are front views showing rotation of the nozzle tip.  
         [0032]      FIGS. 17A and 17B  are flowcharts showing dispensing performed by the driving mechanism of  FIG. 15 .  
         [0033]      FIG. 18  is a schematic diagram showing a driving mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0034]      FIGS. 19A and 19B  are flowcharts showing dispensing performed by the driving mechanism of  FIG. 18 .  
         [0035]      FIGS. 20A and 20B  are bottom views showing installation of a dispenser nozzle to the dispenser of  FIG. 3 .  
         [0036]      FIGS. 21A and 21B  are front views corresponding to  FIGS. 20A and 20B , respectively.  
         [0037]      FIGS. 22A and 22B  are front views showing installation of a dispenser nozzle to the dispenser of  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0038]     In describing preferred embodiments shown in the drawings, predetermined terminology is employed for clarity. However, it is to be understood that the description is not intended to be limited to the predetermined terminology, and it is to be understood that each predetermined element includes all equivalents that operate in a similar manner.  
         [0039]     Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical, corresponding, or similar parts throughout the several views,  FIG. 3  shows a dispenser  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0040]     The dispenser  100  is configured to dispense a relatively small amount of viscous substance onto a predetermined point on a planar surface. For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the dispenser  100  is configured to dispense a relatively small amount of adhesive substance onto a predetermined point on a printed circuit board  1 . In this case, any kind of adhesive substance may be used, as long as the adhesive can sufficiently bind various chips onto the printed circuit board  1 .  
         [0041]     Such binding is preferably performed before soldering, as shown in  FIG. 4 . In this way, a chip  2 , for example, is prevented from falling into a solder bath.  
         [0042]     The dispenser  100  includes a head section  28 , a plurality of supporting pins  16 , a table  35 , a head guide  37 , and a table guide  38 .  
         [0043]     The head section  28  includes a dispenser nozzle  6  having a nozzle tip  9  at its end, a dispenser head  15 , and a buffer  17 . The dispenser nozzle  6  preferably has a conical shape as shown in  FIG. 3 , and is previously attached to the dispenser head  15 . The dispenser nozzle  6  previously stores an adhesive substance in its interior, and dispenses a predetermined amount of the adhesive substance through the nozzle tip  9 . The dispenser head  15  moves vertically with respect to the surface of the printed circuit board  1  according to an instruction received from a driving mechanism (not shown). By this movement, the dispenser head  15  adjusts a distance between the nozzle tip  9  and the board surface. The buffer  17  may be optionally provided on the upper side of the dispenser head  15  to reduce damage on the board surface, which may be caused by the nozzle tip  9 . Specifically, the buffer  17  reduces pressure that may be applied to the board surface, when the nozzle tip  9  is brought in close contact with the board surface.  
         [0044]     The printed circuit board  1  is placed above the table  35  at a predetermined height determined by the plurality of supporting pins  16 . The lengths of the supporting pins  16 , i.e., the height of the printed circuit board  1  from the table  35 , may differ depending on the machine configuration. Further, it may be adjusted to provide a predetermined distance between the nozzle tip  9  and the board surface.  
         [0045]     To temporarily attach the chip  2  onto a predetermined point on the printed circuit board  1 , the nozzle tip  9  and the predetermined point of the printed circuit board  1  are precisely positioned to oppose each other. This may be achieved by the driving mechanism configured to control the movements of the head section  28  and the table  35 , respectively. Specifically, the head section  28  slides along the head guide  37  in the direction indicated as X, by a head motor (not shown) controlled by the driving mechanism. The table  35  slides along the table guide  38  in the direction indicated as Y, by a table motor (not shown) controlled by the driving mechanism.  
         [0046]      FIG. 5  shows an embodiment of the dispenser nozzle. The dispenser nozzle  6   a  includes a nozzle body  7 , a connector  8 , and a nozzle tip  9   a  having a groove  10 .  
         [0047]     The nozzle body  7 , which has a nearly conical shape, is connected to the dispenser head  15  through the connector  8  having a substantially cylindrical shape. The nozzle body  7  has a hollow interior, and contains therein an adhesive substance. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the hollow interior preferably has a tapered shape, which is narrower toward the nozzle tip  9   a.  With this configuration, the dispenser nozzle  6   a  can dispense a sufficient amount of adhesive substance more smoothly.  
         [0048]     The nozzle tip  9   a  preferably has a cylindrical shape with a circular cross section, as shown in  FIG. 5 . The nozzle tip  9   a  has one end attached to the end of the nozzle body  7 , and has the other end having an opening toward the board surface. The other end of the nozzle tip  9   a  is provided with the groove  10  having a concave shape. Alternatively, the nozzle tip  9   a  may be formed into a cylindrical shape with an oval cross section, or it may be formed into a polygonal column shape with a polygonal cross section.  
         [0049]      FIG. 7  shows dispensing of a relatively small amount of adhesive substance performed by the dispenser nozzle  6   a.    
         [0050]     First, the center of the nozzle tip  9   a  is positioned above a predetermined point between the pads  3   a  and  3   b,  by the driving mechanism. The dispenser nozzle  6   a  is then lowered until the nozzle tip  9   a  is disposed a predetermined distance from the predetermined point on the printed circuit board  1 .  
         [0051]     The dispenser nozzle  6   a  disposes a droplet  4   a  containing a sufficient amount of adhesive substance, from the nozzle body  7  through the nozzle tip  9 , onto the predetermined point of the printed circuit board  1 .  
         [0052]     As shown in  FIG. 7 , the droplet  4   a  has substantially an oval shape, and can sufficiently bind the chip  2  onto the printed circuit board  1 , without contaminating the pad  3   a  or  3   b . Formation of the oval shape of droplet  4   a  is achieved through the groove  10  of the tip nozzle  9   a,  as shown in  FIG. 8 . Specifically, the central section of the nozzle tip  9   a , i.e., the portion other than the groove  10 , acts as a stopper to limit the amount of adhesive substance dispensed from the central section.  
         [0053]     As discussed above, the shape of the droplet  4   a  may differ depending on the shape of the nozzle tip  9   a . However, the droplet  4   a  extends toward one direction (either X or Y direction in  FIG. 3 ), when compared with the droplet  104  shown in any of  FIGS. 1A  to  1 D.  
         [0054]      FIG. 9  shows another embodiment of the dispenser nozzle. The dispenser nozzle  6   b  is similar to the dispenser nozzle  6   a  of  FIG. 5 , except with respect to the nozzle tip  9   b . Specifically, the nozzle tip  9   b  has a cut section  11 , which is previously formed by cutting two sides of the nozzle tip  9   b  at a slant. Although the angles of the slants for the respective sides are similar in  FIG. 9 , the angles may be different from each other. Further, although the nozzle tip  9   b  has a rectangular column shape with a rectangular cross section in  FIG. 9 , the nozzle tip may be formed into a cylindrical shape or a polygonal column shape, as described above with reference to  FIG. 5 .  
         [0055]      FIG. 10  shows dispensing a relatively small amount of adhesive substance performed by the dispenser nozzle  6   b . The dispenser nozzle  6   b  forms a droplet  4   b  of nearly mountain shape having peaks or a valley between the peaks. With this shape, the droplet  4   b  can sufficiently bind the chip  2  onto the printed circuit board  1 , without contaminating the pad  3   a  or  3   b . Formation of the droplet  4   b  is achieved through the cut section  11  of the tip nozzle  9   b , as shown in  FIG. 11 . Specifically, the central section of the nozzle tip  9   b , i.e., the portion other than the cut section  11 , acts as a stopper.  
         [0056]     As discussed above, the shape of the droplet  4   b  may differ depending on the shape of the nozzle tip  9   b . However, the droplet  4   b  extends toward one direction (either X or Y direction in  FIG. 3 ), when compared with the droplet  104  shown in any of  FIGS. 2A  to  2 D. The nozzle tip  9   b  may provide a single droplet or a double droplet, depending on its shape.  
         [0057]     The nozzle tip  9  (including the nozzles  9   a  and  9   b ) can be formed from various materials, including known materials. In a preferred embodiment, the material includes stainless steel, which provides high resistance to corrosion.  
         [0058]     A surface of the nozzle tip  9  can be quenched to increase its resistance to corrosion. In quenching, the heated steel is cooled very rapidly by water or oil such that the strong state of the steel crystal structure is maintained even after cooling.  
         [0059]     In another example, coating or plating may be applied to the surface of the nozzle tip  9  to reduce friction and wear. For example, chrome plating may be applied, which uses the electrolytic deposition of chromium.  
         [0060]     In yet another example, case hardening may be applied to the surface of the nozzle tip  9 . For example, nitriding may be applied, which depends on the absorption of nitrogen into the steel, to increase surface hardness, resistance to corrosion, and/or fatigue strength.  
         [0061]     In addition to the above exemplary treatments, other known treatments may be applied to the nozzle tip  9  to increase corrosion resistance.  
         [0062]      FIG. 12  shows an embodiment of the driving mechanism. The driving mechanism controls the respective movements of the head section  28  and the table  35 , as well as the dispensing operation performed by the dispenser nozzle  6 .  
         [0063]     The driving mechanism of  FIG. 12  includes a storage device  18 , a controller  19 , a head drive controller  24 , a head height controller  26 , a head position controller  27 , a dispenser nozzle controller  30 , a compressor  31 , a regulator  32 , a table drive controller  33 , and a table position controller  34 .  
         [0064]     The storage device  18  stores various information including information regarding various chips to be adhered to the printed circuit board  1  (referred to as the “chip information”), and information regarding the respective positions of the head section  28  and the table  35  (referred to as the “head position information” and the “table position information”, respectively), for example.  
         [0065]     As shown in  FIG. 12 , the storage device  18  includes a chip information memory  20 , a head position memory  21 , and a table position memory  22 , for example. The chip information memory  20  stores the chip information. As shown in  FIG. 13 , the chip information includes, for example, chip number information, chip position information, and chip shape information. The chip number information is used to identify a predetermined chip from the various chips to be adhered to the printed circuit board  1 . The chip position information indicates the position on the printed circuit board  1  where the predetermined chip is to be implemented, and is expressed in the XY coordinate system, with the X referring to the direction X shown in  FIG. 3  and the Y referring to the direction Y shown in  FIG. 3 . The chip shape information indicates the shape of the predetermined chip. These items of information are stored in a corresponding manner as shown in  FIG. 13 . The head position memory  21  includes the head position information. The table position memory  22  includes the table position information.  
         [0066]     The controller  19  controls operation of the driving mechanism. Specifically, the controller  19  stores at least one controlling software program used for controlling the operation of the driving mechanism, such a known NC (numerical control) program.  
         [0067]     The head drive controller  24  drives the head section  28  in the vertical and X directions, by using the head height controller  26  and the head position controller  27 . The head height controller  26  controls the height of the head section  28  with respect to the surface of the printed circuit board  1 , as a result of an instruction provided by the controller  19 . The head position controller  27  controls the position of the head section  28  in the X direction, which is horizontal with respect to the board surface, as a result of an instruction provided by the controller  19 .  
         [0068]     The dispenser nozzle controller  30  causes the dispenser nozzle  6  to dispense a predetermined amount of adhesive substance. Specifically, the compressor  31  compresses air to provide a predetermined amount of air pressure, which is necessary to push out the predetermined amount of adhesive substance. The amount of air pressure is controlled by the regulator  32 , according to an instruction received from the controller  19 .  
         [0069]     The table drive controller  33  drives the table  38  in the Y direction, by using the table position controller  34 . The table position controller  34  controls the position of the table  38  in the Y direction, as a result of an instruction provided by the controller  19 .  
         [0070]      FIG. 14  shows dispensing a relatively small amount of adhesive substance performed by the dispenser  100  including the driving mechanism of  FIG. 12 . Specifically, the steps shown in  FIG. 14  are performed when the controller  19  loads the controlling program. This exemplary case assumes that the chip  2  is temporarily attached to the printed circuit board  1 .  
         [0071]     In step S 1 , the controller  19  obtains chip information regarding a chip  2  from the chip information memory  20 . In this case, the chip information includes at least chip position information indicating the position of the printed circuit board  2  on which the chip  2  is to be adhered (referred to as “target chip position”).  
         [0072]     In step S 2 , the controller  19  obtains current head position information indicating the current position of the head section  28 , from the head position memory  21 .  
         [0073]     In step S 3 , the controller  19  generates target head position information indicating the target head position of the head section  28 , using the information obtained in the previous steps S 2  and S 3 . Specifically, the controller  19  calculates the target head position, which is a distance between the current head position and the target chip position.  
         [0074]     In step S 4 , based on the target head position information obtained in step S 3 , the controller  19  moves the head section  28  in the X direction, specifically, to the target head position.  
         [0075]     In step S 5 , the controller  19  obtains current table position information indicating the current position of the table  35 .  
         [0076]     In step S 6 , the controller  19  generates target table position information indicating the target position of the table  35 , using the information obtained in steps S 1  and S 5 . Specifically, the controller  19  calculates the target table position, which is a distance between the current table position and the target chip position.  
         [0077]     In step S 7 , based on the target table position information obtained in step S 6 , the controller  19  moves the table  35  in the Y direction, specifically, to the target table position.  
         [0078]     Through the steps S 1  to S 7 , the head section  28  is positioned above the target chip position on the printed circuit board  1 .  
         [0079]     In step S 12 , the controller  19  updates the head position information and the table position information, and stores the updated information in the storage device  18 .  
         [0080]     In step S 15 , the controller  19  lowers the head section  28  to provide a predetermined distance between the nozzle tip  9  and the target chip position.  
         [0081]     In step S 16 , the controller  19  dispenses a relatively small amount of adhesive substance onto the target chip position.  
         [0082]     In step S 17 , the controller  19  elevates the head position  28  back to the original position.  
         [0083]     In step S 18 , the controller  19  determines whether another chip is to be adhered to the printed circuit board  1 . If another chip is to be adhered to the printed circuit board  1 , the process returns to step S 1  to repeat the steps S 1  to S 18 . If another chip is not to be adhered to the printed circuit board  1 , the process ends.  
         [0084]      FIG. 15  shows another embodiment of the driving mechanism. The driving mechanism of  FIG. 15  is similar to the driving mechanism of  FIG. 12 , except with respect to the addition of a nozzle direction memory  23  and a nozzle direction controller  25 .  
         [0085]     The nozzle direction memory  23  of the storage device  18  stores nozzle direction information indicating the direction of the nozzle tip  9 . Thus, the direction of the nozzle tip  9  rotates according to the target chip position.  
         [0086]      FIGS. 16A and 16B  show rotation of the nozzle tip  9   a  according to the target chip position. For example, as shown in  FIG. 16A , if the target chip position extends in the X direction, the line passing through the groove  10  should be parallel to the X direction. As shown in  FIG. 16B , if the target chip position extends in the Y direction, the line of the groove  10  should be parallel to the Y direction. In this way, the droplet  4   a  of substantially oval shape is kept away from the pad  3   a  or  3   b , as described above with reference to  FIG. 7 .  FIGS. 16A and 16B  show the dispenser nozzle  6   a , however, the nozzle tip  9   b  of the dispenser nozzle  6   b  may be rotated in a similar manner.  
         [0087]     In this case, information indicating whether the target chip position extends in the X direction or Y direction is previously stored in the chip information memory  20 , as chip direction information. Particularly, in this exemplary case, a state A is assigned when the target chip position extends in the X direction, and a state B is assigned when the target chip position extends in the Y direction. According to this chip direction information, the controller  19  determines whether the direction of the nozzle tip  9  should be changed.  
         [0088]     As shown in  FIG. 15 , the nozzle direction controller  25  changes the direction of the nozzle tip  9 , according to an instruction received from the controller  19 .  
         [0089]      FIGS. 17A and 17B  show dispensing of a relatively small amount of adhesive substance performed by the dispenser  100  including the driving mechanism of  FIG. 15 . The steps shown in  FIGS. 17A and 17B  are similar to the steps shown in  FIGS. 14A and 14B , except with respect to the addition of steps S 8  to S 11  and the replacement of step S 12  with step S 112 .  
         [0090]     In step S 8 , the controller  19  obtains chip direction information of the target chip  2  indicating the direction of the target chip position, from the chip information memory  20 .  
         [0091]     In step S 9 , the controller  19  obtains nozzle direction information indicating the current direction of the nozzle tip  9 , from the nozzle direction memory  23 .  
         [0092]     In step S 10 , based on the information obtained in the previous steps S 8  and S 9 , the controller  19  determines whether the current nozzle direction corresponds to the direction of the target chip position. If yes, the process moves to step S 112 . If no, the process moves to step S 11 .  
         [0093]     In step S 11 , the controller  19  rotates the nozzle tip  9  such that the line passing through the groove  10  or the cut section  11  becomes parallel to the direction of the target chip position.  
         [0094]     In step S 112 , the controller  19  updates the head position information, the table position information, and the nozzle direction information, and stores the updated information in the storage device  18 .  
         [0095]      FIG. 18  shows another embodiment of the driving mechanism. The diving mechanism of  FIG. 18  is similar to the driving mechanism of  FIG. 15 , except with respect to the addition of a distance detector  29 .  
         [0096]     The distance detector  29  detects a distance between the nozzle tip  9  and the upper surface of the printed circuit board  1 . The distance detector  29  can include known sensors or limiting switches.  
         [0097]      FIGS. 19A and 19B  show dispensing of a relatively small amount of adhesive substance performed by the dispenser  100  including the driving mechanism of  FIG. 18 . The steps shown in  FIGS. 19A and 19B  are similar to the steps shown in  FIGS. 17A and 17B , except with respect to the addition of steps S 13  and S 14 .  
         [0098]     In step S 13 , the controller  19  detects a distance between the nozzle tip  9  and the surface of the target chip position on the printed circuit board  1 , using the distance detector  29 .  
         [0099]     In step S 14 , the controller  19  calculates a target lowering distance indicating the distance that the head section  28  is to be lowered. Specifically, the controller  19  calculates the difference between the detected distance (obtained in step S 13 ) and a predetermined distance, which allows sufficient binding while preventing the nozzle tip  9  from directly contacting the board surface. The predetermined distance is previously stored in the storage device  18 , and it may vary according to the machine configuration.  
         [0100]     Thus, in step S 15 , the controller  19  lowers the head position  28  according to the target lowering distance obtained in step S 14 .  
         [0101]      FIGS. 20A  to  22 B show installation of the nozzle tip  9  to the dispenser nozzle  6 .  
         [0102]     As described above, the nozzle tip  9  can be aligned with high precision corresponding to the direction of the target chip position. Thus, the direction of the nozzle tip  9  can be controlled during its installation, by using any of the methods shown in  FIGS. 20A  to  22 B or other known methods.  
         [0103]     As shown in  FIGS. 20A and 21A , the connector  8  includes a concave section  12 . The dispenser head  15  includes a convex section  13 , which corresponds to the concave section  12 . When installing the dispenser nozzle  6  onto the dispenser head  15  ( FIGS. 20B and 21B ), the dispenser nozzle  6  is disposed such that the concave section  12  and the convex section  13  oppose each other. Subsequently, the convex section  13  is brought into direct contact with the concave section  12 .  
         [0104]     As shown in  FIGS. 22A and 22B , the connector  8  includes a mark  14   a , and the dispenser head  15  includes a mark  14   b . When installing the dispenser nozzle  6  onto the dispenser head  15  ( FIG. 22B ), the dispenser nozzle  6  is placed such that the mark  14   a  and the mark  14   b  oppose each other.  
         [0105]     Numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.  
         [0106]     For example, elements and/or features of different illustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and/or substituted for each other within the scope of this disclosure and appended claims.  
         [0107]     Further, the present invention may be applied to achieve objectives other than temporarily binding of a chip onto a printed circuit board. In such a case, other type of viscous substance may be used.