Patent ID: 7820006

Claim:
A die pickup apparatus for picking up semiconductor dies configured to pick up a semiconductor die attached on a dicing sheet, the apparatus comprising: a stage comprising a contact surface that is brought into close contact with a first surface of the dicing sheet facing away from a second surface of the dicing sheet, the second surface being attached with the semiconductor dies and the stage having a suction opening that is provided on the contact surface; a cover plate that is provided for the stage such that a surface of the cover plate freely extends upward from the contact surface, and that slides along the contact surface so as to open and close the suction opening; and a collet that suctions the semiconductor die, wherein when picking up a semiconductor die, in a state in which the semiconductor die to be picked up is suctioned by the collet, a frontal end of the cover plate facing a side for closing the suction opening is caused to extend upward from the contact surface and the cover plate is caused to slide while pushing up the dicing sheet and the semiconductor die to form a gap between the suction opening and the frontal end of the cover plate, and subsequently a rear end of the cover plate facing a side for opening the cover plate is caused to extend upward from the contact surface such that an upper surface of the cover plate is substantially in parallel with the contact surface, the cover plate is caused to slide while pushing up the dicing sheet and the semiconductor die with the upper surface of the cover plate such that the suction opening is sequentially opened, and the dicing sheet is sequentially suctioned into the opened suction opening, thereby sequentially separating the dicing sheet from the semiconductor die to be picked up.