Patent ID: 7644853

Claim:
A solder ball placement apparatus comprising: a tool body movable in multiple axes and rotatable about at least one axis; a plurality of ball seats each having an aperture therein in the tool body, each ball seat of the plurality having a recess having a shape of a solder ball therein to receive the solder ball therein; passageways leading from each aperture to a vacuum source and to a pressurized gas source; a first movable valve apparatus directly connected to the tool body moving therewith for controlling a vacuum applied to the plurality of ball seats for retaining solder balls on the plurality of ball seats for determining if each aperture contains a solder ball; a second movable valve apparatus directly connected to on the tool body moving therewith for controlling a gas under pressure to the plurality of ball seats for releasing the solder balls; and a controllable ball dispenser supplying the solder balls to the solder ball placement apparatus comprising: a ramp for feeding the solder balls to the plurality of ball seats, the ramp having an upper end and a lower end; a controllable valve at the lower end of the ramp for releasing a single solder ball of the solder balls on demand to the plurality of ball seats using the vacuum applied to the plurality of ball seats; and a reservoir providing a supply of the solder balls to the ramp.