Abstract:
There is provided a chip ejector including a fixing unit; and at least one or more conveying units disposed outwardly of the fixing unit, wherein the conveying units fall with a tape having one surface attached to upper portions of the conveying units, and separate a chip attached to the other surface of the tape therefrom.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0081465 filed on Jul. 25, 2012, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a chip ejector, and more particularly, to a chip ejector for separating a chip from a tape and a chip removal method thereof. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    In order to realize high density component mounting in a semiconductor device, a stack package in which a plurality of semiconductor chips are mounted on a wiring substrate in a 3 dimensional manner has recently been commercialized. In this case, the thickness of a semiconductor chip may be several tens of μm or less. 
         [0006]    To mount such a thin semiconductor chip on a wiring substrate, a tape for protecting an integrated circuit is bonded to a circumferential surface of a semiconductor wafer in which the integrated circuit is formed, a rear side of the semiconductor wafer is polished and etched in this state, and thus the thickness thereof is significantly reduced at a level of several tens of μm. 
         [0007]    Such a thin semiconductor wafer, the rear side of which is bonded to a bonding tape, is diced so that the semiconductor wafer is separated into a plurality of individual chips. 
         [0008]    Thereafter, a rear side of the bonding tape is rolled by using a pin and the like so that the semiconductor chips may be detached from the bonding tape one after another. 
         [0009]    The semiconductor chip removed from the bonding tape is mounted on the wiring substrate. 
         [0010]    However, during a process of assembling a package using such a thin chip, cracks or defects may easily occur in a chip when individual chips split by dicing are removed and picked up from the bonding tape, and thus, research into a method of preventing the occurrence of cracks or defects is urgently required. 
         [0011]    Patent Document 1, in the related art, discloses a device for removing a semiconductor chip using a pin. 
         [0012]    However, pressure may be concentrated on a small area of a semiconductor chip due to a collision between the semiconductor chip and the pin, and a thickness of the semiconductor chip may be reduced due to high integration of the semiconductor chip, which may cause cracks in the semiconductor chip due to an impact between the semiconductor chip and the pin. 
       RELATED ART DOCUMENT 
       [0000]    
       
         (Patent Document 1) U.S. Patent Publication No. 20040105750 
       
     
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    An aspect of the present invention provides a chip ejector and a chip removal method capable of suppressing damage to a chip such as cracks and breakdowns, thereby preventing wasted manufacturing costs due to defective chips and separating the chip from a tape stably. 
         [0015]    According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a chip ejector including: a fixing unit; and at least one or more conveying units disposed outwardly of the fixing unit, wherein the conveying units fall with a tape having one surface attached to upper portions of the conveying units, and separate a chip attached to the other surface of the tape therefrom. 
         [0016]    The individual conveying units may fall sequentially. 
         [0017]    The individual conveying units may sequentially fall inwardly from the outside thereof. 
         [0018]    The individual conveying units may sequentially fall outwardly from the inside thereof. 
         [0019]    The fixing unit and the conveying units may have a through hole that passes through an upper side and a lower side thereof. 
         [0020]    The through hole formed in the fixing unit may have at least one pin installed therein. 
         [0021]    Air may be drawn through the through hole such that the tape is adhered and fixed to the conveying units. 
         [0022]    The chip ejector may further include a pickup unit picking up the chip separated from the tape. 
         [0023]    The chip ejector may further include a conveying unit actuator transferring power to the conveying units. 
         [0024]    According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a chip removal method including: mounting a tape to which a chip is attached on one surface of a fixing unit and one surface of at least one or more conveying units disposed outwardly of the fixing unit; adhering and fixing the tape to one surface of the fixing unit and one surface of the conveying units by drawing air through holes formed in the fixing unit and the conveying units; and controlling the individual conveying units to fall sequentially. 
         [0025]    The individual conveying units may sequentially fall inwardly from the outside thereof. 
         [0026]    The individual conveying units may sequentially fall outwardly from the inside thereof. 
         [0027]    The chip removal method may further include pushing the tape to which the chip is attached upwards by raising a pin installed in the through hole formed in the fixing unit such that the pin protrudes outwardly from the fixing unit. 
         [0028]    The chip removal method may further include pushing the tape to which the chip is attached upwards by spraying air through the through hole formed in the fixing unit. 
         [0029]    The chip removal method may further include adhering and fixing the chip to a pickup unit, and separating the chip from the tape by moving the pickup unit. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0030]    The above and other aspects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0031]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a chip ejector according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0032]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of a fixing unit of the chip ejector according to the embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0033]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of a conveying unit of the chip ejector according to the embodiment of the present invention while falling; 
           [0034]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the conveying unit of the chip ejector according to the embodiment of the present invention while falling; 
           [0035]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the conveying unit of the chip ejector according to the embodiment of the present invention while falling; 
           [0036]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the conveying unit of the chip ejector according to the embodiment of the present invention while falling; 
           [0037]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the conveying unit of the chip ejector according to the embodiment of the present invention while falling; 
           [0038]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of a chip ejector according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0039]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of a conveying unit of the chip ejector according to another embodiment of the present invention while falling; 
           [0040]      FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of the conveying unit of the chip ejector according to another embodiment of the present invention while falling; 
           [0041]      FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of the conveying unit of the chip ejector according to another embodiment of the present invention while falling; 
           [0042]      FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of the conveying unit of the chip ejector according to another embodiment of the present invention while falling; and 
           [0043]      FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view of the conveying unit of the chip ejector according to another embodiment of the present invention while falling. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
       [0044]    Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
         [0045]    In the drawings, the shapes and dimensions of elements may be exaggerated for clarity, and the same reference numerals will be used throughout to designate the same or like elements. 
         [0046]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional view of a chip ejector according to an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 2  is a plan view of a fixing unit of the chip ejector according to the embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0047]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , a chip ejector  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a fixing unit  130 , a conveying unit  140 , and a pickup unit  160 , and a conveying unit actuator  170 . 
         [0048]    A tape  120 , to which a chip  110  is attached may be disposed on one surface of the fixing unit  130 . One surface of the fixing unit  130  may be formed to be flat such that the tape  120  may be attached to one surface thereof. 
         [0049]    A cross section of the fixing unit  130  may be rectangular, but is not limited thereto and as long as the tape  120  may be attached to one surface, any shape may be used. The present invention is not limited in terms of a cross-sectional shape of the fixing unit  130 . 
         [0050]    At least one through hole  130   a  may be formed in the center of the fixing unit  130  such that it passes through an upper side and a lower side thereof. 
         [0051]    Although  FIGS. 1 and 2  show that one through hole  130   a  is formed in the fixing unit  130 , a plurality of through holes  130   a  can be formed therein. 
         [0052]    In a final step of separating the chip  110  from the tape  120 , the tape  120  is pushed upwards by air being sprayed upwardly through the through hole  130   a  so that the chip  110  may be separated from the tape  120 . 
         [0053]    A process of separating the chip  110  from the tape  120  by the chip ejector  100  according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described later with reference to  FIGS. 3 through 8 . 
         [0054]    The conveying unit  140  may be disposed outwardly of the fixing unit  130 . The tape  120  may be disposed on one surface of the conveying unit  140 . 
         [0055]    That is, the tape  120  may be disposed on one surface of the fixing unit  130  and one surface of the conveying unit  140 . 
         [0056]    One surface of the conveying unit  140  may be formed to be flat such that the tape  120  may be attached to one surface of the conveying unit  140 . One surface of the fixing unit  130  and one surface of the conveying unit  140  may be disposed on the same plane. 
         [0057]    The conveying unit  140  may include a plurality of conveying units. Although  FIGS. 1 and 2  show that the conveying unit  140  is formed of three conveying units  141 ,  143 , and  145 , the number of conveying units is not limited thereto, provided that the conveying unit  140  is formed of a plurality of conveying units. 
         [0058]    At least one or more through holes  141   a ,  143   a , and  145   a  that pass through an upper side and a lower side thereof may be formed in the conveying units. 
         [0059]    Air may be drawn through the through holes  141   a ,  143   a , and  145   a  such that the tape  120  may be adhered and fixed to one surface of the fixing unit  130  and one surface of the conveying unit  140 . 
         [0060]    Diameters of the through holes  130   a ,  141   a ,  143   a , and  145   a  formed in the fixing unit  130  and the conveying unit  140  may be formed such that the tape  120  cannot be drawn into the through holes  130   a ,  141   a ,  143   a , and  145   a.    
         [0061]    Therefore, even in the case that air is drawn through the through holes  141   a ,  143   a , and  145   a , the tape  120  may not be drawn into the through holes  141   a ,  143   a , and  145   a , and may be adhered and fixed to one surface of the fixing unit  130  and one surface of the conveying unit  140 . 
         [0062]    The conveying unit  140  may be formed to fall or rise due to the conveying unit actuator  170 . The conveying unit actuator  170  may use a general means such as a rod type cam or cylinder. 
         [0063]    More specifically, elastic force may be provided to the conveying unit  140  by installing an elastic member on a lower side of the conveying unit  140 , and the individual conveying units of the conveying unit  140  may sequentially fall or rise by rotating the rod type cam. 
         [0064]    The individual conveying units of the conveying unit  140  may sequentially fall by a predetermined distance. In the chip ejector  100  according to the embodiment of the present invention, the individual conveying units of the conveying unit  140  may fall sequentially inwardly from the outside thereof. 
         [0065]    When the individual conveying units of the conveying unit  140  sequentially fall inwardly from the outside in a state where the tape  120  is adhered and fixed to one surface of the fixing unit  130  and one surface of the conveying unit  140 , the tape  120  adhered and fixed to the conveying unit  140  may also fall along with the conveying unit  140 . 
         [0066]    Therefore, the chip  110  may be sequentially separated from the tape  120 . 
         [0067]    Even in the case that the conveying unit  140  falls and the tape  120  adhered and fixed to one surface of the conveying unit  140  is separated from the chip  110 , the chip  110  is still attached to the tape  120  attached to one surface of the fixing unit  130 . 
         [0068]    In this regard, the tape  120  may be pushed upwards by air being sprayed upwardly through the through hole  130   a  formed in the fixing unit  130 . 
         [0069]    The tape  120  is pushed upwards and thus a part of the chip  110  attached to the tape  120  is further reduced, thereby minimizing the part of the chip  110  attached to the tape  120 . 
         [0070]    The pickup unit  160  may be disposed in upper sides of the fixing unit  130  and the conveying unit  140 . 
         [0071]    Although  FIG. 1  shows that the pickup unit  160  is disposed to contact the chip  110  attached to the tape  120 , the pickup unit  160  may be disposed in upper sides of the fixing unit  130  and the conveying unit  140  in a state where the pickup unit  160  does not contact the chip  110 . 
         [0072]    After the conveying unit  140  falls and the part of the chip  110  attached to the tape  120  is minimized by air being sprayed upwardly through the through hole  130   a  formed in the fixing unit  130  and pushing the tape  120  upwards, the chip  110  may be completely separated from the tape  120  by allowing the pickup unit  160  to pick the chip  110  up. 
         [0073]    More specifically, a through hole  161  that passes through an upper side and a lower side of the pickup unit  160  may be formed in the center of the pickup unit  160 . Air may be drawn through the through hole  161 . 
         [0074]    Therefore, the chip  110  may be adhered by the pickup unit  160  and may be completely separated from the tape  120  by moving the pickup unit  160 . 
         [0075]      FIGS. 3 through 7  are cross-sectional views of the conveying units of the chip ejector that sequentially fall inwardly from the outside thereof according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0076]    A process of separating the chip  110  from the tape  120  by using the chip ejector  100  according to the embodiment of the present invention will now be described below with reference to  FIGS. 3 through 7 . 
         [0077]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the tape  120  to which the chip  110  is attached is mounted in one surface of the fixing unit  130  and one surface of the conveying unit  140  disposed outwardly of the fixing unit  130 . 
         [0078]    Air is drawn through the through holes  141   a ,  143   a , and  145   a  formed in the conveying unit  140  such that the tape  120  may be adhered and fixed to one surface of the fixing unit  130  and one surface of the conveying unit  140 . 
         [0079]    The individual conveying units of the conveying unit  140  sequentially fall in a state where the tape  120  is adhered and fixed to one surface of the fixing unit  130  and one surface of the conveying unit  140 . 
         [0080]    In this regard, the individual conveying units of the conveying unit  140  may fall sequentially inwardly from the outside thereof, and, to the contrary, may sequentially fall outwardly from the inside thereof. 
         [0081]    As the conveying unit  140  falls, the tape  120  adhered and fixed to the conveying unit  140  may also fall along with the conveying unit  140 , and thus the chip  110  may be sequentially separated from the tape  120 . 
         [0082]    After the conveying unit  140  completely falls, air is sprayed upwardly through the through hole  130   a  formed in the fixing unit  130  or a pin (not shown) installed inside the through hole  130   a  rises to protrude outwardly from the fixing unit  130 , and thus the tape  120  adhered and fixed to the fixing unit  130  may be pushed upwards. 
         [0083]    Therefore, a part of the chip  110  attached to the tape  120  may be minimized. 
         [0084]    Finally, the chip  110  is adhered and fixed to the pickup unit  160  by drawing air through the through hole  161  formed in the pickup unit  160 . 
         [0085]    The chip  110  is completely separated from the tape  120  in the case in which the pickup unit  160  moves in a state where the chip  110  is adhered and fixed to the pickup unit  160 . 
         [0086]    The part of the chip  110  attached to the tape  120  is minimized due to actions of the conveying unit  140  and the fixing unit  130 , thereby separating the chip  110  from the tape  120  without damaging to the chip  110 . 
         [0087]    In this regard, the conveying unit  140  that has fallen may rise to the original location, and another tape to which a chip is attached may be disposed on the fixing unit  130  and the conveying unit  140  and thus the above process may be repeatedly performed. 
         [0088]    The chip ejector  100  according to the embodiment of the present invention may minimize damages to the chip  110 , since the tape  120  is adhered and fixed to the individual conveying units of the conveying unit  140  and the conveying units and the tape  120  sequentially fall together so that the chip  110  is separated from the tape  120 . 
         [0089]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of a chip ejector according to another embodiment of the present invention.  FIGS. 9 through 13  are cross-sectional views of conveying units of the chip ejector that sequentially fall outwardly from the inside thereof according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0090]    Referring to  FIG. 8 , a chip ejector  200  according to another embodiment of the present invention is the same as the chip ejector  100  according to the embodiment of the present invention, excepting the conveying unit  140  and the pin  250 , and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
         [0091]    The conveying unit  140  may be formed of a plurality of conveying units. The number of conveying units is not limited provided that the conveying unit  140  is formed of a plurality of conveying units. 
         [0092]    The individual conveying units of the conveying unit  140  may sequentially fall by a predetermined distance. The individual conveying units of the conveying unit  140  may sequentially fall outwardly from the inside thereof in the chip ejector  200  according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0093]    When the individual conveying units of the conveying unit  140  sequentially fall outwardly from the inside thereof in a state where the tape  120  is adhered and fixed to one surface of the fixing unit  130  and one surface of the conveying unit  140 , the tape  120  adhered and fixed to the conveying unit  140  may also fall along with the conveying unit  140 . 
         [0094]    Therefore, the chip  110  may be sequentially separated from the tape  120 . 
         [0095]    Even in the case that the conveying unit  140  falls and the tape  120  adhered and fixed to one surface of the conveying unit  140  is separated from the chip  110 , the chip  110  is still attached to the tape  120  attached to one surface of the fixing unit  130 . 
         [0096]    In this regard, like the chip ejector  100  according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the tape  120  may be pushed upwards by air being sprayed upwardly through the through hole  130   a  formed in the fixing unit  130 . Alternatively, the tape  120  may be pushed upwards by using the pin  250  installed in the through hole  130   a.    
         [0097]    The tape  120  is pushed upwards and thus a part of the chip  110  attached to the tape  120  is further reduced, thereby minimizing the part of the chip  110  attached to the tape  120 . 
         [0098]    Unlike the chip ejector  100  according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the pin  250  may be installed in the through hole  130   a  formed in the fixing unit  130  of the chip ejector  200  according to this embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0099]    The pin  250  may be installed in the through hole  130   a . In a final step of separating the chip  110  from the tape  120 , the tape  120  is pushed upwards by raising the pin  250  such that the pin  250  may protrude outwardly from the fixing unit  130 , thereby separating the chip  110  from the tape  120 . 
         [0100]    Even in the case that the conveying unit  140  falls and the tape  120  adhered and fixed to one surface of the conveying unit  140  is separated from the chip  110 , the chip  110  is still attached to the tape  120  attached to one surface of the fixing unit  130 . 
         [0101]    In this regard, the tape  120  may be pushed upwards by raising the pin  250  attached to the through hole  130   a  formed in the fixing unit  130  in the chip ejector  200  according to this embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0102]    More specifically, as the pin  250  rises such that the pin  250  protrudes outwardly from the fixing unit  130 , the tape  120  contacting the pin  250  is pushed upwards, and thus the chip  110  is separated from the tape  120 . 
         [0103]    Air is drawn through the through hole  161  formed in the pickup unit  160 , and thus the chip  110  may be adhered by the pickup unit  160  and move, thereby completely separating the chip  110  from the tape  120 . 
         [0104]    According to the embodiments described above, a chip ejector according to the present invention may have an effect of minimizing damages to the chip  110  and stably separating the chip  110  from the tape  120 . 
         [0105]    As set forth above, in a chip ejector and a chip removal method according to embodiments of the present invention, cost loss due to a defective chip can be suppressed, and a chip can be separated from a tape stably by suppressing damages to the chip such as cracks and breakdowns during a chip removal process. 
         [0106]    While the present invention has been shown and described in connection with the embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.