Semiconductor device fabrication apparatus

Claim 2

Apparatus for facilitating the fabrication of semiconductor devices, each semiconductor device to have a semiconductor die mounted on a die receiving means, a lead strip having lead portions to be bonded between respective dice and electrical conductors adjacent the die receiving means, the strip being in sets of lead portions each set for use with an individual electrical unit, the improvement including in combination, a frame member extending longitudinally along a first direction, having an upper surface, and along one longitudinal edge having a plurality of rigid aligning means extending transverse to said first direction and spaced from said upper surface; each aligning means having a die-receiving receptacle, a pair of indexing studs on said frame adjacent said one longitudinal edge and spaced inwardly from the longitudinal extremities of said frame member, a pivot member extending transverse to said aligning means and said first direction and located centrally between said framemember-longitudinal extremities, and spaced closer to said one longitudinal edge of said frame member than said indexing studs and having a downwardly-facing pivot surface, said aligning means being spaced apart along said first direction for receiving a plurality of semiconductor die mounting means which are adapted to slide intermediate said aligning means and said frame member such that all of said die receiving means are accurately aligned with respect to said conductors, said indexing studs adapted to receive an indexing portion of a lead strip disposed over said plurality of aligning means with lead portions of the lead strip engaging the die and said conductors, and weight means adapted to be movably disposed on said frame member for pivotally engaging said downwardly-facing pivot surface and having a plurality of depending fingers for engaging a lead strip at the respective lead portions thereof adjacent semiconductor dice in the apparatus for simultaneously forcing such lead portions against the corresponding dice to make a solderable contact between said lead portions and said dice adjacent said aligning means and between said dice and said mounting portions, respectively.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said weight means includes a plate elongated in said first directioN and having first and second longitudinal edge portions thereon and upper and lower sides and having a given weight, a leaf spring mounted on said first edge portion and including said depending fingers as a plurality of independently-yieldable variable-tension spring fingers extending along said plate and past said lower side toward said aligning means and adapted to engage said lead strip intermediate said respective semiconductor dice and said mounting base strip, said plate having an indexing edge along said second edge portion slidably engaging said indexing studs and having a pivot portion for engaging said downwardly-facing pivot surface, and weight means along said first edge portion forcing said fingers downwardly to pivot with respect to said downwardly-facing pivot surface.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said die-receiving receptacles are triangularly-shaped openings with enlarged apexes and facing away from said one longitudinal edge for receiving a semiconductor die with one corner thereof being at the enlarged apex of the triangle.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said frame member has a stop member extending along said one longitudinal edge and supporting said aligning means in a spaced-apart relationship from said frame member upper surface and said stop member serving to align all semiconductor die-receiving portions of said mounting base strip in one longitudinally extending line whereby said mounting bases are aligned in two directions.

Claim 6

The apparatus in claim 4 wherein said frame member further includes an upstanding edge member opposite said one edge for supporting an indexing portion of said mounting base strip to make alignment of the mounting base strip traverse to said one direction.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said weight means plate has a plurality of large apertures through which said depending fingers downwardly extend for permitting air circulation to said mounting portions, semiconductor dice, and lead strip, said weight means plate second edge portion being disposed substantially parallel to said frame member and said first edge portion of said weight means extending upwardly away from said frame member.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said weight means plate has a weight adding member extending along its second edge portion for reducing the total mass of said apparatus for a given force to be applied against the lead portions of the lead strip.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said depending fingers are portions of an etch-cut stainless-steel unitary member with each finger uniformly tapering to its smallest dimension immediately adjacent the engagement with said lead portions.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said frame member has legs of equal lengths such that when disposed on a level surface the frame member is level and adapted to be disposed at an angle with said one longitudinal edge whereby said dice and said lead strip are gravitationally indexed to a desired position.

Claim 11

An electrical device assembly apparatus for facilitating the simultaneous assembly of a plurality of electrical units each having an active electrical element, a mounting base portion supporting the element, a plurality of conductors each with a free end portion adjacent the mounting base portion and a like plurality of plate-like lead portions respectively extending between the free end portions and electrical contact land areas on the electrical element, the mounting base portion and conductors initially being in a unitary strip having plural sets of such portions and conductors with an indexing portion supporting the sets in a yieldable manner, the lead portions being in a unitary lead strip having an indexing portion having at least two indexing V-shaped slots opening away from the lead portion and with arms extending from the indexing portion at spaced apart locations to support the lead portions, the arms having a greater cross section than the lead portions for stabilizing same with rEspect to the lead strip indexing portion, the improvement including in combination, an elongated frame having a pair of depending leg means each along the length of the frame and joined by a support web having an upper surface, an elongated rest on one leg means extending above the said upper surface the length of said frame, an elongated stop member on the upper surface extending along a second one of said leg means accurately in a first direction parallel to the frame elongation, a unitary aligning member secured on top of said elongated stop member with a plurality of aligning spring teeth extending transversely to said first direction over said upper surface and spaced therefrom a distance less than the thickness of the mounting portions and each of said teeth adapted to slidably snugly engage a respective one of the mounting portions and being spaced apart along said first direction in accordance with the spacing of the mounting portions on said set supporting indexing portion, each of said teeth having a semiconductor die receiving receptacle opening at the free end thereof and shaped as a ''''V'''' with an enlarged opening at the apex of the ''''V'''', a pair of upstanding indexing studs on said unitary aligning member and spaced inwardly from the longitudinal ends of said frame and being located with respect to said receptacles in accordance with the location of said unitary lead strip V-shaped slots with respect to said lead portions, and adapted to receive said V-shaped slots for positioning said lead strip with respect to said die receiving receptacles, an upstanding pivot post with a downwardly facing pivot surface and said unitary aligning member located centrally between said upstanding indexing posts but spaced closer to said second one leg than said indexing posts such that said unitary lead strip does not engage said upstanding pivot post, said upstanding pivot post having a downwardly-facing pivot surface, a weight lever adapted to yieldably and evenly urge the lead portions respectively against land areas and conductor portions, the weight lever including an elongated plate having first and second portions disposed at an obtuse angle with an apex extending along said first direction and having a plurality of apertures respectively disposed over each receptacle, a unitary stainless-steel spring member secured to said second portion and having a plurality of tapered fingers extending transverse to said one direction and then downwardly through said apertures with each finger for engaging one lead portion in the lead strip, and said first portion having a pivot post engaging slotted portion adapted to movably receive said upstanding pivot post such that said downwardly facing pivot surface pivotally engages said slotted portion as said spring fingers engage the respective lead portions.

Claim 12

An electrical device assembly apparatus for facilitating the simultaneous assembly of a plurality of electrical units each having an active electrical element, a mounting base portion supporting the element, a plurality of conductors each with a free end portion adjacent the mounting base portion and a like plurality of plate-like lead portions respectively extending between the free end portions and electrical contact land areas on the electrical element, the mounting base portion and conductors initially being in a unitary strip having plural sets of such portions and conductors with an indexing portion supporting the sets in a yieldable manner, the lead portions being in a unitary lead strip having an indexing portion having at least two indexing V-shaped slots opening away from the lead portion and with arms extending from the indexing portion at spaced apart locations to support the lead portions, the arms having a greater cross section than the lead portions for stabilizing same with rEspect to the lead strip indexing portion, the improvement including in combination, an elongated frame having a pair of depending leg means each along the length of the frame and joined by a support web having an upper surface, an elongated rest on one leg means extending above the said upper surface the length of said frame, an elongated stop member on the upper surface extending along a second one of said leg means accurately in a first direction parallel to the frame elongation, a unitary aligning member secured on top of said elongated stop member with a plurality of aligning spring teeth extending transversely to said first direction over said upper surface and spaced therefrom a distance less than the thickness of the mounting portions and each of said teeth adapted to slidably snugly engage a respective one of the mounting portions and being spaced apart along said first direction in accordance with the spacing of the mounting portions on said set supporting indexing portion, each of said teeth having a semiconductor die receiving receptacle opening at the free end thereof and shaped as a ''''V'''' with an enlarged opening at the apex of the ''''V'''', a pair of upstanding indexing studs on said unitary aligning member and spaced inwardly from the longitudinal ends of said frame and being located with respect to said receptacles in accordance with the location of said unitary lead strip V-shaped slots with respect to said lead portions, and adapted to receive said V-shaped slots for positioning said lead strip with respect to said die receiving receptacles, an upstanding pivot post with a downwardly facing pivot surface and said unitary aligning member located centrally between said upstanding indexing posts but spaced closer to said second one leg than said indexing posts such that said unitary lead strip does not engage said upstanding pivot post, said upstanding pivot post having a downwardly-facing pivot surface, a weight lever adapted to yieldably and evenly urge the lead portions respectively against land areas and conductor portions, the weight lever including an elongated plate having first and second portions disposed at an obtuse angle with an apex extending along said first direction and having a plurality of apertures respectively disposed over each receptacle, a unitary stainless-steel spring member secured to said second portion and having a plurality of tapered fingers extending transverse to said one direction and then downwardly through said apertures with each finger for engaging one lead portion in the lead strip, and said first portion having a pivot post engaging slotted portion adapted to movably receive said upstanding pivot post such that said downwardly facing pivot surface pivotally engages said slotted portion as said spring fingers engage the respective lead portions.

Claim 13

Apparatus for facilitating the fabrication of semiconductor devices, including a frame member for supporting a semiconductor element receiving means and having a depending pivot member, an elongated plate having first and second longitudinal edge portions and upper and lower sides and having a given weight, a leaf spring mounted on said first edge portion and having a plurality of independently-yieldable variable-tension spring fingers extending along said plate, and past said lower side, with each finger having a depending end portion for engaging a like plurality of members to receive the distributed weight, said depending pivot member pivotally engaging said second edge portion such that said fingers evenly distribute said given weight to said members, respectively.

Claim 14

Apparatus for facilitating the fabrication of semiconductor devices, including a frame member for supporting a semiconductor element receiving means and having a depending pivot member, an elongated plate having first and second longitudinal edge portions and upper and lower sides and having a given weight, a leaf spring mounted on said first edge portion and having a plurality of independently-yieldable variable-tension spring fingers extending along said plate, and past said lower side, with each finger having a depending end portion for engaging a like plurality of members to receive the distributed weight, said depending pivot member pivotally engaging said second edge portion such that said fingers evenly distribute said given weight to said members, respectively.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 11 further including weight adding members on said second edge portion with said leaf spring secured to said plate by said weight members and wherein said plate has a plurality of apertures through which said fingers downwardly extend and with said second edge portion being at an obtuse angle with respect to saId first portion such that said second edge portion is higher than said first edge portion when said second edge portion is engaging said downwardly facing pivot surface.

Claim 16

Apparatus for use in fabrication of a semiconductive device comprising: a frame member extending longitudinally along a first direction, having an upper surface and having one longitudinal edge and an aligning means for aligning a semiconductive element at a position spaced from said upper surface, positioning means on said frame member, a holding means extending from said frame member, said semiconductive element when aligned with said frame member being so positioned with respect to said frame member as to be received by a semiconductor-element-receiving means, at least a portion of said element-receiving means being adapted to be positioned intermediate said element and said frame member so that said element is accurately aligned with respect to said semiconductor-element-receiving means, said positioning means being adapted to position an extending portion of a lead strip over said aligning means with respect to said element and said element-receiving means, and pressure means adapted to be movably disposed on said frame member for engaging said holding means and having at least one lead engaging portion for engaging a lead strip at a lead portion thereof adjacent said semiconductor element in the apparatus for forcing said lead portion against said element and said semiconductor device against said element receiving means to make a solderable contact between said lead portion and said element and between said element-receiving means and said element.

Claim 17

Apparatus for use in fabrication of a semiconductive device comprising: a frame member extending longitudinally along a first direction, having an upper surface and having one longitudinal edge and an aligning means for aligning a semiconductive element at a position spaced from said upper surface, positioning means on said frame member, a holding means extending from said frame member, said semiconductive element when aligned with said frame member being so positioned with respect to said frame member as to be received by a semiconductor-element-receiving means, at least a portion of said element-receiving means being adapted to be positioned intermediate said element and said frame member so that said element is accurately aligned with respect to said semiconductor-element-receiving means, said positioning means being adapted to position an extending portion of a lead strip over said aligning means with respect to said element and said element-receiving means, and pressure means adapted to be movably disposed on said frame member for engaging said holding means and having at least one lead engaging portion for engaging a lead strip at a lead portion thereof adjacent said semiconductor element in the apparatus for forcing said lead portion against said element and said semiconductor device against said element receiving means to make a solderable contact between said lead portion and said element and between said element-receiving means and said element.

Claim 18

The invention of claim 13 in which said pressure means includes an elongated portion, said lead engaging portion comprises a spring means fastened to said elongated portion, said elongated portion having a positioning edge for engaging said positioning means and a portion for engaging said holding means, and a weight supported by said elongated portion.

Claim 19

The invention of claim 14 in which there is a triangularly shaped opening in said element aligning means with an enlarged apex facing away from said longitudinal edge for receiving a corner of said element.

Claim 20

The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said frame member has a stop member extending along said one longitudinal edge and supporting said aligning means in a spaced-apart relationship from said frame member upper surface and said stop member serving to align said semiconductor element-receiving means with respect to said frame member.

Claim 21

The invention of claim 16 in which said frame member further includes an upstanding edge member opposite said one edge and in which said element-receiving means is a portion of a mounting base strip and said upstanding edge member supports said mounting base strip.

Claim 22

The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said pressure means has a plurality of large apertures through which said lead engaging portions downwardly extend for permitting air circulation to said element-receiving means, semiconductor element and said lead strip, said pressure means having a first and second edge portions which are disposed substantially parallel to said longitudinal direction of said frame member and said first edge portion of said pressure means extending upwardly away from said frame member.

Claim 23

The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said pressure means has a pressure adding member extending along its second edge portion for reducing the total mass of said apparatus for a given force to be applied against the lead portions of the lead frame.

Claim 24

The invention of claim 19 wherein said lead engaging portion is a portion of an etch-cut stainless steel member, said lead engaging portion tapering uniformly to its smallest cross sectional dimension adjacent to the end thereof which engages said lead portion.

Claim 25

The invention of claim 13 in which said semiconductor-element-receiving means is a portion of a mounting base strip and saId device aligning means extends laterally from said first direction and said mounting base strip engages said aligning means to align said base strip with respect to said frame member.