PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9443819-B2
Application Number: US-201414179779-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Clamping mechanism for processing of a substrate within a substrate carrier

Abstract:
A method and clamping apparatus for securing a substrate within a substrate carrier during an ultrasonic mounting process. The clamping apparatus may include a substrate carrier having a top plate and a bottom plate, the top plate and the bottom plate forming a cavity dimensioned to hold a substrate. A clamping plate is positioned on a side of the top plate opposite the bottom plate, the clamping plate having an opening aligned with the cavity and a pair of clamping members, each of the pair of clamping members extending toward a center of the opening and through the cavity such that the clamping member presses portions of the substrate exposed through the opening against the bottom plate. The method may include providing a clamping plate having an opening configured for alignment with a cavity formed in a substrate carrier and mounting a pair of resilient arms to the clamping plate.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A clamping apparatus for securing a substrate within a substrate carrier during an ultrasonic mounting process, the apparatus comprising:
 a substrate carrier having a top plate and a bottom plate, the top plate having a first side and a second side, the first side faces a direction opposite to that of the second side, and wherein when the first side of the top plate is positioned on the bottom plate, the top plate and the bottom plate form a cavity dimensioned to hold a substrate within the cavity; and 
 a clamping plate dimensioned to be positioned on the second side of the top plate, the clamping plate having an opening that aligns with the cavity and a pair of clamping members, each of the pair of clamping members dimensioned to extend toward a center of the opening and through the cavity such that when a substrate is positioned within the cavity, the clamping member presses portions of the substrate exposed through the opening against the bottom plate. 
 
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein each of the pair of clamping members have a resilient arm individually attached to the clamping plate. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the clamping plate comprises a different material than the pair of clamping members. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the clamping members are made of copper beryllium. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein each of the pair of clamping members have a first portion mounted to a bottom side of the clamping plate, a second portion positioned within the cavity and a bent portion between the first portion and the second portion. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein each of the pair of clamping members are mounted to portions of the clamping plate along opposite sides of the opening. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the cavity comprises a substrate opening positioned between a first clamping member opening and a second clamping member opening, the substrate opening dimensioned to expose opposing sides of a substrate positioned therein, and the first and second clamping member openings dimensioned to receive portions of the pair of clamping members. 
     
     
       8. A clamping apparatus for securing a substrate within a substrate carrier during an ultrasonic mounting process, the apparatus comprising:
 a substrate carrier having a top plate and a bottom plate, the top plate and the bottom plate forming a cavity dimensioned to hold a substrate within the cavity; and 
 a clamping plate having a pair of clamping members, the clamping plate having an opening extending entirely through the clamping plate that aligns with the cavity, each of the pair of clamping members extending toward a center of the opening and through the cavity such that when a substrate is positioned within the cavity and the clamping plate is positioned on the top plate, the clamping member presses portions of the substrate exposed through the opening against the bottom plate. 
 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein the top plate comprises a first side and a second side, the first side faces a direction opposite to that of the second side, and wherein the first side of the top plate is positioned on the bottom plate to form the cavity dimensioned to hold the substrate within the cavity. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein the top plate comprises a first side and a second side, and wherein the first side of the top plate is positioned on the bottom plate to form the cavity dimensioned to hold the substrate within the cavity and the clamping plate is positioned on, and is in contact with, the second side of the top plate. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein at least one of the clamping members forming the pair of clamping members comprises an integrally formed resilient member having a mounting portion, a clamping portion, and a bent portion connecting the mounting portion and the clamping portion. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein at least one of the clamping members forming the pair of clamping members comprises a mounting portion mounted to a bottom side of the clamping plate and a clamping portion that bends over a top side of the substrate exposed through the opening in the clamping plate. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of  claim 8  wherein at least one of the clamping members forming the pair of clamping members comprises a planar mounting portion and a planar clamping portion, the planar mounting portion is mounted to the clamping plate and the planar clamping portion extends from the planar mounting portion in a direction away from the clamping plate. 
     
     
       14. A clamping apparatus for securing a substrate within a substrate carrier during an ultrasonic mounting process, the apparatus comprising:
 a substrate carrier having a top plate and a bottom plate, the top plate having a first side and a second side, the first side faces a direction opposite to that of the second side, and wherein when the first side of the top plate is positioned on the bottom plate, the top plate and the bottom plate form a cavity dimensioned to hold a substrate within the cavity; and 
 a clamping plate dimensioned to be positioned on the second side of the top plate, the clamping plate having an opening extending entirely through the clamping plate that aligns with the cavity and a pair of clamping members, each of the pair of clamping members dimensioned to extend toward a center of the opening and through the cavity such that when a substrate is positioned within the cavity, the clamping member presses portions of the substrate exposed through the opening against the bottom plate.

Description:
FIELD 
     An embodiment of the invention is directed to a clamping mechanism for clamping a substrate within a substrate carrier during a processing operation, more specifically, for clamping a substrate within the substrate carrier during an ultrasonic flip-chip mounting process. Other embodiments are also described and claimed. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Current camera module assembly processing involves processing of singulated leadless chip carrier (LCC) substrates. Due to the substrate&#39;s near weightless characteristic and tiny size, the assembly handling process for surface-mount technology (SMT), wash and clean, flip-chip, underfill and glass attach has become challenging. Representatively, SMT and glass attach processing is done on one side of the substrate while flip-chip and underfill is done on the other side thus a flip is required. In addition, it is difficult to hold the substrate down due to its weight and size. In particular, the substrate easily gets dislodged with vibration or air. Moreover, there is no space for, for example, use of a vacuum technique to hold the substrate in place. Conventional systems, which have tried to address these issues, include sticking a substrate to a carrier using double sided tape or mechanically clamping the substrate to a carrier. In each case, however, pick, flip and placement or transfer of the substrate from the carrier to, in some cases, another carrier, must occur after each processing step so that processing may occur on both sides of the substrate. 
     Flip-chip mounting technologies incorporate many different techniques for bonding a microelectronic device (e.g. an image sensor) to a substrate (e.g. a ceramic substrate). One such technique uses ultrasonic energy to bond the device to the substrate. In particular, during an ultrasonic flip-chip mounting process the substrate is clamped against a bottom carrier plate to help stabilize the substrate against movement due to the ultrasonic vibrations. The substrate may be clamped using a plate that press the substrate from the top. Metallic bumps are formed on one face of the microelectronic device and the other face is vacuum attached to an ultrasonic horn. The horn then aligns the device with the substrate and applies an ultrasonic energy that vibrates the device and causes it to bond to the substrate. During this process, it is important that the substrate be held stationary, hence the use of the plate clamping the substrate to the bottom carrier. It has further been found that sandwiching the device between the bottom carrier and a top carrier can improve the handling and robustness of the substrate. When two carriers are used, however, the plate can no longer contact and press the substrate to the bottom carrier because the top carrier is in the way. Thus, the current plate design cannot be used with a substrate carrier having a top carrier over the substrate. 
     SUMMARY 
     An embodiment of the invention is a clamping apparatus for securing a substrate within a substrate carrier during an ultrasonic mounting process. The clamping apparatus may include a substrate carrier having a top plate and a bottom plate, the top plate and the bottom plate forming a cavity dimensioned to hold a substrate. The clamping apparatus may further include a clamping plate positioned on a side of the top plate opposite the bottom plate. The clamping plate may include an opening aligned with the cavity and a pair of clamping members, each of the pair of clamping members extending toward a center of the opening and through the cavity such that when a substrate is positioned within the cavity, the clamping member presses portions of the substrate exposed through the opening against the bottom plate. 
     An embodiment of the invention further includes a method of assembling a clamping apparatus for securing a substrate within a substrate carrier for use during an ultrasonic mounting process. The method includes providing a clamping plate having an opening configured for alignment with a cavity formed in a substrate carrier. The method further including mounting a pair of resilient arms to the clamping plate, wherein each of the pair of resilient arms have a mounting portion dimensioned to attach to the clamping plate and a clamping portion dimensioned to extend toward a center of the opening and through the cavity to clamp a substrate to the substrate carrier when the clamping plate is positioned on the substrate carrier. 
     In another embodiment, a method for securing a substrate within a substrate carrier during an ultrasonic mounting process is further provided. The method may include positioning a substrate within a cavity of a substrate carrier, wherein the cavity is formed between a top carrier plate and a bottom carrier plate. The method further including positioning a clamping plate over the substrate carrier to secure the substrate within the substrate carrier during an ultrasonic mounting process, wherein the clamping plate comprises an opening aligned with the cavity and a pair of resilient arms extending toward a center of the opening and through the cavity to press the substrate against the bottom carrier plate. 
     The above summary does not include an exhaustive list of all aspects of the present invention. It is contemplated that the invention includes all systems and methods that can be practiced from all suitable combinations of the various aspects summarized above, as well as those disclosed in the Detailed Description below and particularly pointed out in the claims filed with the application. Such combinations have particular advantages not specifically recited in the above summary. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and they mean at least one. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exploded top perspective view of a clamping assembly for a substrate carrier. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a top plan view of the clamping assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a bottom plan view of the clamping assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a top plan view of a clamping plate of the clamping assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a bottom plan view of a clamping plate of the clamping assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6A  illustrates a magnified cross sectional view of a clamping member of the clamping plate of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6B  illustrates a magnified cross sectional view of a clamping member of the clamping plate of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a cross sectional view of portion I of one embodiment of the clamping assembly of  FIG. 2  along line  7 - 7 . 
         FIG. 8  illustrates the clamping assembly of  FIG. 7  during an ultrasonic flip chip mounting process. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a cross sectional view of portion I of another embodiment of the clamping assembly of  FIG. 2  along line  7 - 7 . 
         FIG. 10  is a block diagram illustrating a process of assembling a clamping apparatus. 
         FIG. 11  is a block diagram illustrating a process for securing a substrate within a substrate carrier. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In this section we shall explain several preferred embodiments of this invention with reference to the appended drawings. Whenever the shapes, relative positions and other aspects of the parts described in the embodiments are not clearly defined, the scope of the invention is not limited only to the parts shown, which are meant merely for the purpose of illustration. Also, while numerous details are set forth, it is understood that some embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an exploded top perspective view of a clamping assembly for a substrate carrier. Clamping assembly  100  may include a clamping plate  102  configured to clamp one or more of a substrate  108  between a top carrier plate  104  and a bottom carrier plate  106  of a substrate carrier  160 . Representatively, clamping plate  102  may include one or more of opening  110  and a pair of clamping members  112 A,  112 B. Clamping members  112 A,  112 B are attached to clamping plate  102  along opposing sides  114 A,  114 B, respectively, of opening  110  such that they extend toward a center of opening  110 . Clamping members  112 A,  112 B may be resilient structures, such as resilient arms or plates, which are separately attached at one end to a bottom side  118  (or a top side  116 ) of clamping plate  102 . Each opening  110  is configured for alignment with a carrier opening  120  within top carrier plate  104  and a carrier opening  122  within bottom carrier plate  106 . In this aspect, when carrier opening  120  is aligned with carrier opening  122 , clamping members  112 A,  112 B extend into a cavity formed between carrier openings  120 ,  122  and press a substrate  108  held within the cavity against bottom carrier plate  106 . Pressing substrate  108  against bottom carrier plate  106  helps to stabilize substrate  108  during subsequent processing operations, for example, an ultrasonic flip chip mounting process which could otherwise cause substrate  108  to shift within the substrate carrier, as will be described in more detail below. 
     Representatively, top carrier plate  104  and bottom carrier plate  106  may be used to form a substrate carrier  160  which holds one or more of substrate  108  within a cavity formed by carrier openings  120 ,  122 . Substrate carrier  160  exposes both sides of one or more of substrate  108  held within the cavity for processing (e.g. surface-mount technology (SMT), wash and clean, flip-chip, underfill and glass attach) without the need for pick, flip or removal of substrate  108  from substrate carrier  160 . Substrate  108  may be, for example, a ceramic substrate such as a leadless chip carrier (LCC) substrate or other similarly sized substrate that may be subjected to similar substrate processing techniques (e.g. SMT, wash and clean, flip-chip, underfill and glass attach) or other micro scale device, for example, a microelectronic device (e.g. an image sensor). 
     Carrier opening  120  and carrier opening  122  are further dimensioned to receive clamping members  112 A,  112 B of clamping plate  102 . Representatively, in one embodiment, carrier opening  120  includes a substrate opening  124  and clamp openings  126 ,  128  on opposite sides of the substrate opening  124 . The substrate opening  124  and clamp openings  126 ,  128  are separated by protrusions  130 ,  132 ,  134  and  136 , which extend inwardly toward a center of carrier opening  120 . Protrusions  130 ,  132 ,  134  and  136  may be dimensioned to help align and hold substrate  108  within substrate opening  124 . In particular, each of protrusions  130 ,  132 ,  134  and  136  may overlap corners of substrate  108  along the top side of substrate  108  such that they hold substrate  108  against bottom carrier plate  106 . Clamp openings  128 ,  126  are dimensioned to receive clamping members  112 A,  112 B, respectively. Representatively, in on embodiment, each of substrate opening  124  and clamp openings  128 ,  126  may have substantially rectangular shaped profiles. In other embodiments, substrate opening  124  and clamp openings  128 ,  126  may have a different shape, for example, a circular, oval or square shape. In addition, it is to be understood that although four carrier openings  120  are shown formed in top carrier plate  104 , more or less may be provided depending upon the number of substrates to be processed. For example, in some embodiments, as many as 20 or more carrier openings  120  may be formed in top carrier plate  104 . Still further, carrier openings  120  may be formed in an aligned pattern such that each is aligned with another as shown, or offset from one another. 
     Carrier opening  122  of bottom carrier plate  106  is substantially similar to carrier opening  120 . Representatively, in one embodiment, carrier opening  122  includes a substrate opening  138  and clamp openings  140 ,  142  on opposite sides of the substrate opening  138 . The substrate opening  138  and clamp openings  140 ,  142  are defined by protrusions  144 ,  146 ,  148  and  150 , which extend inward toward a center of carrier opening  122 , and also help to hold substrate  108  within substrate opening  138 . In particular, each of protrusions  144 ,  146 ,  148  and  150  may overlap corners of substrate  108  along the bottom side of substrate  108  such that they hold substrate  108  against top carrier plate  104 . Clamp openings  140 ,  142  are dimensioned to receive clamping members  112 A,  112 B, respectively. Representatively, in on embodiment, each of substrate opening  138  and clamp openings  140 ,  142  may have substantially rectangular shaped profiles. In other embodiments, substrate opening  138  and clamp openings  140 ,  142  may have a different shape, for example, a circular, oval or square shape. In addition, it is to be understood that although four carrier openings  122  are shown formed in bottom carrier plate  106 , more or less may be provided depending upon the number of substrates to be processed. For example, in some embodiments, as many as 20 or more carrier openings  122  may be formed in bottom carrier plate  106 . Still further, carrier openings  122  may be formed in an aligned pattern such that each is aligned with another as shown, or offset from one another. 
     It is to be understood that although only one of opening  110  in clamping plate  102 , carrier opening  120  in top carrier plate  104  and carrier opening  122  of bottom carrier plate  106  are described, each of the other openings illustrated in each plate may have the same size and dimensions as those previously discussed. In addition, a pattern of each of an opening  110 , carrier opening  120  and carrier opening  122  formed in the respective plates may be similar such that they align with each other when the clamping plate  102 , top carrier plate  104  and bottom carrier plate  106  are stacked together with substrate  108  in between. 
     Each of clamping plate  102 , top carrier plate  104  and bottom carrier plate  106  may be substantially planar structures which can be stacked, one on top of the other. Representatively, clamping plate  102  may have a top side  116  and a bottom side  118 . Top carrier plate  104  may have a top side  152  and a bottom side  154 . Bottom carrier plate  106  may have a top side  156  and a bottom side  158 . When the plates  102 ,  104  and  106  are stacked together, bottom side  118  of clamping plate  102  contacts top side  152  of top carrier plate  104  and bottom side  154  of top carrier plate  104  contacts the top side  156  of bottom carrier plate  106 . Since the plates are substantially planar, when the clamping plate  102  is positioned on the top carrier plate  104  and the top carrier plate  104  is positioned on the bottom carrier plate  106 , each plate is within an entirely separate plane. In addition, clamping plate  102 , top carrier plate  104  and bottom carrier plate  106  may have substantially the same footprint. In other words, an overall size and shape of the clamping plate  102 , top carrier plate  104  and bottom carrier plate  106  is substantially the same. 
     Top carrier plate  104  and bottom carrier plate  106  may be made of any material suitable for processing of a substrate held therein. Representatively, top carrier plate  104  and/or bottom carrier plate  106  may be made of a metallic material, for example, a ferromagnetic metallic material such that the plates can be magnetically held together, or other material and the plates can be mechanically clamped together. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a top plan view of the clamping assembly of  FIG. 1 . From this view, it can be seen that when clamping plate  102 , top carrier plate  104  and bottom carrier plate  106  are stacked together, clamping members  112 A,  112 B are positioned within clamp openings  128 ,  126 , respectively, of top carrier plate  104 . In addition, clamping members  112 A,  112 B are positioned over sides of substrate  108  thereby pressing portions of substrate  108  exposed through opening  110  against bottom carrier plate  106  (not shown). Protrusions  130 ,  132 ,  134  and  136  of top carrier plate  104  can also be seen overlapping corners of a top side of substrate  108  in order to hold substrate  108  within substrate opening  124 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a bottom plan view of the clamping assembly of  FIG. 1 . Looking at clamping assembly  100  from the bottom, it can be seen that clamping members  112 A,  112 B are positioned within clamp openings  142 ,  140 , respectively, of bottom carrier plate  106 . In addition, clamping members  112 A,  112 B are positioned over the top sides of substrate  108  to press substrate  108  against bottom carrier plate  106 . In addition, it can be seen that protrusions  144 ,  146 ,  148  and  150  of bottom carrier plate  106  overlap corners of the bottom side of substrate  108  in order to hold substrate  108  within substrate opening  138 . In this aspect, the corners of substrate  108  are held between protrusions  130 ,  132 ,  134  and  136  along a top side and protrusions  144 ,  146 ,  148  and  150  along a bottom side. It is noted that since only the corners and a small surface area along the top side of the substrate  108  are covered by protrusions  130 ,  132 ,  134 , protrusions  144 ,  146 ,  148  and  150  and clamping members  112 A,  112 B, a maximum surface area of substrate  108  is exposed for processing. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a top plan view of a clamping plate of the clamping assembly of  FIG. 1 . As previously discussed, clamping plate  102  includes one or more of opening  110 . For example, in one embodiment, up to 20 or more of opening  110  may be formed in clamping plate  102 . Each opening  110  may have substantially the same size and shape, or a different size and shape than another opening, depending upon the shape and size of the openings formed within substrate carrier  160  (e.g. openings  120 ,  122 ) and the substrate to be held therein. Representatively, in one embodiment, each opening  110  may have a substantially rectangular shape. Alternatively, each opening  110  may have a square, elliptical or circular shape. Clamping members  112 A,  112 B are shown mounted at one end, for example, a mounting end  402 ,  404 , respectively, to clamping plate  102 . The other end, for example, a clamping end  406 ,  408 , of each of clamping members  112 A,  112 B, respectively, is positioned within opening  110  such that they overlap, and press against, sides of a substrate positioned within the underlying substrate carrier. In this aspect, clamping members  112 A,  112 B may be elongated arm like structures which extend into the opening toward one another. In some embodiments, clamping members  112 A,  112 B may have a length dimension such that they extend into the opening  110  toward one another but do not touch. Rather, there is a gap between the clamping end  406 ,  408  such that they overlap only edges of the underlying substrate and therefore allow for processing of nearly the entire surface area of the substrate that is exposed through opening  110 . 
     As previously discussed, clamping plate  102  may be a substantially planar plate with each of clamping members  112 A,  112 B separately attached to clamping plate  102 . Clamping members  112 A,  112 B may be made of a resilient material and structure that can press against an underlying substrate  108 . In one embodiment, clamping plate  102  and clamping members  112 A,  112 B may be made of different materials. For example, clamping plate  102  may be made of a metal material and clamping members  112 A,  112 B may be made of a different type of metal material. Representatively, clamping plate  102  may be made of a metal alloy such as stainless steel and clamping members  112 A,  112 B may be made of a copper material, for example, copper beryllium, or other metal material having a resilient property. Alternatively, clamping plate  102  and one or more of clamping members  112 A,  112 B may be made of the same material, for example, copper beryllium. In addition, although each opening  110  is shown having two clamping members  112 A,  112 B, it is to be understood that in some embodiments, more than two clamping members  112 A,  112 B may be attached to clamping plate  102 . For example, four clamping members  112 A,  112 B may extend into each opening  110 , for example, one from each side such that one clamping member extends from each side of opening  110 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a bottom plan view of a clamping plate of the clamping assembly of  FIG. 1 . From this view, it can be seen that each mounting end  402 ,  404  of clamping members  112 A,  112 B, respectively, is separately mounted to a bottom side  118  of clamping plate  102 . For example, in one embodiment, each of mounting end  402 ,  404  is mounted to the bottom side  118  of clamping plate using fasteners  502 ,  504 . Fasteners  502 ,  504  may be, for example, screws, bolts, or other similar attachment mechanisms. Since clamping members  112 A,  112 B are mounted to a bottom side  118  (or, in some cases, a top side) of clamping plate  102 , at least a portion (e.g. mounting end  402 ,  404 ) of clamping members  112 A,  112 B is in a different plane than clamping plate  102 . 
       FIG. 6A  illustrates a magnified cross sectional view of a clamping member of one embodiment of the clamping plate of  FIG. 1 . As previously discussed, clamping members  112 A,  112 B may be resilient arm members which can press an underlying substrate (e.g. substrate  108 ) against a bottom carrier (e.g. bottom carrier  106 ) of a substrate carrier (e.g. substrate carrier  160 ). Thus, in one embodiment, clamping members  112 A,  112 B are configured such that they have a resilient structure. Representatively, clamping member  112 B may be a resilient arm that includes a mounting portion  602  that is substantially planar and may be mounted to clamping plate  102  at mounting end  404 , as previously discussed. The other end may be considered the clamping portion  606  since it includes the clamping end  408  that will be used to contact and clamp the substrate. The clamping portion  606  is also a substantially planar portion. Between the mounting portion  602  and the clamping portion  606  is a bent portion  604  that causes the mounting portion  602  and the clamping portion  606  to lie in separate planes. In one embodiment, the bent portion  604  is an “S” shaped, or upward, bend such that the clamping portion  606  is in a plane above the mounting portion  602 . In this aspect, when the mounting end  404  of the mounting portion  602  is mounted to the bottom side of clamping plate  102 , the clamping portion  606  bends over a top side of the substrate so that clamping end  408  can press the substrate down against the bottom carrier plate  106 . These features will be described in more detail in reference to  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 6B  illustrates a magnified cross sectional view of another embodiment of a clamping member of the clamping plate of  FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, clamping member  112 B is shown with a slightly different configuration than that of  FIG. 6A . Representatively, clamping member  112 B includes mounting portion  602  and clamping portion  606  which are substantially planar members as previously discussed, except in this embodiment, bent portion  610  bends in a different direction. In particular, bent portion  610  forms a downward bend (e.g. a downward bend) such that the clamping end  408  of clamping portion  606  is in a plane vertically downward from that of the mounting end  404  of mounting portion  602 . Thus, according to this embodiment, when mounting end  404  is mounted to clamping plate  102 , clamping portion  606  extends inward toward a center of the corresponding opening (e.g. opening  110 ) and downward toward the underlying substrate (e.g. substrate  108 ). This embodiment will be described in more detail in reference to  FIG. 9 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a cross sectional view of portion I of one embodiment of the clamping assembly of  FIG. 2  along line  7 - 7 . From this view, it can be seen that when substrate opening  124  of top carrier plate  104  and substrate opening  138  of bottom carrier plate  106  are aligned with one another, they form a substrate cavity  712 . Substrate cavity  712  is formed between top carrier plate  104  and bottom carrier plate  106 . Cavity  712  is formed between, for example, carrier opening  120  of top carrier plate  104  and carrier opening  122  of bottom carrier plate  106  when the plates are stacked one on top of the other. More specifically, cavity  712  may be formed between bottom sides of protrusions  130 ,  132  (and also protrusions  134 ,  136 , although not shown) of top carrier plate  104  and top sides of protrusions  144 ,  146  (and also protrusions  148 ,  150 , although not shown) of bottom carrier plate  106  which define the substrate openings  124 ,  138 , respectively. For example, each of protrusions  130 ,  132 ,  134 ,  136  and protrusions  144 ,  146 ,  148 ,  150 , may have recessed portions along the side facing substrate  108 . The recessed portions may form pockets between protrusions  130 ,  132 ,  134 ,  136  and protrusions  146 ,  144 ,  150 ,  148 , respectively, which are dimensioned to receive the top side or bottom side of corners of substrate  108 . When substrate  108  is positioned within cavity  712 , the clamping end  406 ,  408  of clamping members  112 A,  112 B, respectively, extend into cavity  712  and contact the top surface  720  of substrate  108 . Clamping members  112 A,  112 B press substrate  108  toward bottom carrier plate  106 . From this view, it can further be seen that substrate  108  is aligned within cavity  712  by protrusions  130 ,  132  of top carrier plate  102  and protrusions  144 ,  146  of bottom carrier plate  106 . 
     In one embodiment, clamping members  112 A,  112 B may be secured to the bottom side of clamping plate  102  using fasteners  704 ,  706 , respectively. Fasteners  704 ,  706  may be any type of fastener suitable for fixedly attaching clamping members  112 A,  112 B to clamping plate  102 . Representatively, in one embodiment, fasteners  704 ,  706  may be bolts, screws, pins, or the like. In some embodiments, clamping plate  102  may include downwardly extending mounting arms  708 ,  710  which extend into clamp openings  128 ,  126  of top carrier plate  104 , and in some cases, clamp openings  142 ,  140 , of bottom carrier plate  106 , respectively. In this aspect, mounting members  112 A,  112 B may be similarly shaped to the mounting member described in reference to  FIG. 6A . Representatively, mounting members  112 A,  112 B may be mounted to mounting arms  708 ,  710  such that the mounting ends  402 ,  404  are below the top side  720  of substrate  108  and the bent portion  610  bends the clamping ends  406 ,  408  over the top side  720  of substrate  108 . The downward tension placed on mounting members  112 A,  112 B due to the clamping plate  102  and shape of mounting members  112 A,  112 B presses substrate  108  against bottom carrier plate  106 . In this aspect, mounting members  112 A,  112 B help to hold substrate  108  in place against bottom carrier  106  during subsequent processing operations. One such processing operation is described in reference to  FIG. 8 . 
     In particular,  FIG. 8  illustrates the clamping assembly of  FIG. 7  during an ultrasonic flip chip mounting process. Representatively, during an ultrasonic flip chip mounting process, carrier assembly  100  is positioned on top of a heater block  802  such that the bottom side of substrate  108  faces heater block  802 . A device  804 , for example, a microelectronic device (e.g. an image sensor) is placed on the top side of substrate  108 . In order to bond device  804  to substrate  108 , an ultrasonic vibrator  806  is placed on top of device  804 . Ultrasonic vibrator  806  is configured to apply ultrasonic vibrations in a direction of arrow  808  to device  804 . Since substrate  108  is secured to bottom carrier plate  106  using clamping members  112 A,  112 B as previously discussed, substrate  108  remains substantially stationary while device  804  moves in the direction of arrow  808 . In the absence of clamping plate  102 , substrate  108  could shift causing misalignment of device  804  with substrate  108 . This ultrasonic energy creates metallic joints between the device  804  and substrate  108 . Once device  804  is mounted to substrate  108 , ultrasonic vibrator  804  can be removed. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a cross sectional view of portion I of another embodiment of the clamping assembly of  FIG. 2  along line  7 - 7 . Clamping assembly  100  is substantially similar to that discussed in reference to  FIG. 8  except in this embodiment clamping members  112 A,  112 B have a shape similar to that described in reference to  FIG. 6B . In particular, the bent portion  610  bends clamping members  112 A,  112 B downward in a direction of substrate  108 . Thus, in this embodiment, the mounting ends  402 ,  404  are mounted to a bottom side of clamping plate  102  and are positioned vertically above substrate  108 . The bent portion  610  then bends the clamping members  112 A,  112 B in the downward direction such that the clamping ends  406 ,  408  extend into cavity  712 . In this aspect, clamping ends  406 ,  408  contact, and press down on, a top side  720  of substrate  108  and press substrate  108  against bottom carrier  106 . Clamping members  112 A,  112 B therefore secure substrate  108  against bottom carrier  106  during subsequent processing operations. One such processing operation is an ultrasonic mounting process such as that previously described in reference to  FIG. 8 . For example, a device such as a microelectronic device (e.g. image sensor device) may be placed on a top side of substrate  108  and an ultrasonic vibrator used to bond the device to substrate  108  as previously discussed. 
       FIG. 10  is a block diagram illustrating a process of assembling a clamping apparatus. Representatively, in one embodiment, the assembly process  1000  may include providing a clamping plate (e.g. clamping plate  102 ) having openings (e.g. opening  110 ) for alignment with a cavity formed in a substrate carrier (e.g. substrate carrier  160 ) (block  1002 ). A pair of resilient arms (e.g. clamping members  112 A,  112 B) may be mounted to the clamping plate (block  1004 ). Representatively, a mounting end of the resilient arms may be screwed or bolted to opposing sides of the opening such that a clamping portion extends toward a center of the opening and through the cavity of the substrate carrier. In this aspect, when a substrate is positioned within the cavity of the substrate carrier, the clamping members press the substrate against the substrate carrier to secure the substrate during subsequent processing operations (e.g. ultrasonic flip-chip mounting). 
       FIG. 11  is a block diagram illustrating a process for securing a substrate within a substrate carrier. Representatively, in one embodiment, the securing process  1100  may include positioning a substrate (e.g. substrate  108 ) within a cavity of a substrate carrier (e.g. substrate carrier  160 ) (block  1102 ). The substrate carrier may include a top carrier plate (e.g. top carrier plate  104 ) and a bottom carrier plate (e.g. bottom carrier plate  106 ) such that the substrate is sandwiched between the plates. The plates may be secured together using any suitable securing mechanism, for example, magnetic or mechanical attachment mechanisms. A clamping plate (e.g. clamping plate  102 ) may be positioned over the substrate carrier to secure the substrate within the substrate carrier during an ultrasonic mounting process (block  1104 ). The clamping plate may include an opening, which is aligned with the cavity and a pair of resilient arms extending toward a center of the opening and through the cavity to press the substrate against the bottom carrier plate. The clamping plate may be secured to the substrate carrier using any suitable securing mechanism, for example, a clamping assembly or magnetic assembly. 
     While certain embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that the invention is not limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. The description is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of limiting.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20140213
Publication Date: 20160913
Grant Date: 20160913
Priority Date: 20140213
Inventors: AFABLE GERARD ANTHONY C.
TOC HOWELL JOHN CHUA
VENKATESAPPA PRAKASH
TEO KOK PENG
YANG ANNABELLE Q.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H10F39/804", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/83104", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/75704", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/7598", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2924/15153", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/95", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/81206", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/73204", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/95", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/83", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/75343", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49998", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49826", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/81", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H10F39/804", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49998", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49826", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/81", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/83104", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/75704", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/7598", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2924/15153", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/95", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/81206", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/73204", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/95", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/83", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/75343", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H10F39/804", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/83", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/81", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/95", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2924/15153", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/83104", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/95", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/73204", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/7598", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/75704", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/75343", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/81206", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/75", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/75", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/75", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49826", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2924/00014", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/83104", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2924/15153", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/75", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/95", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/81206", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/95", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/7598", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "Y10T29/49998", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/81", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/75704", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L24/83", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L27/14618", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/75343", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/73204", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01L2224/81", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 53569780