Speedline launches industry's only wafer printing system with integrated wafer handling robot

Citation

(2000), "Speedline launches industry's only wafer printing system with integrated wafer handling robot", Microelectronics International, Vol. 17 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/mi.2000.21817aad.004

Speedline launches industry's only wafer printing system with integrated wafer handling robot

Speedline launches industry's only wafer printing system with integrated wafer handling robot

Keywords: Printer, Robots

Speedline MPM has launched the WP-1, a printer that is specifically designed for applying solder paste, conductive epoxies, polymers, polyimides, and other screen or stencil printable materials onto silicon, quartz, gallium arsenide and other wafers.

Part of the Speedline MPM range of advanced fluids dispensing systems, the WP-1 Wafer Bumping Printer system has dual cassette stands and a wafer prealigner to accept standard 100mm to 200mm wafers, with options available for handling larger or smaller wafers. It is reportedly the only commercially available printer with an integrated wafer handling robot, eliminating wafer damage due to operator handling. Process parameters can be set from a menu-driven interface.

The WP-1 is a versatile and flexible system capable of handling high throughput semi-conductor applications, as well as small prototype lots. Change over of stencils, screens and wafer chucks can be done in minutes, and throughput rates of 60 wafers per hour are reported (including the entire process time for the robot to take a wafer from the cassette through the removal of the wafer from the chuck and back to the cassette).

All control parameters and set-up functions are fully programmable using a 14.5" flat panel, colour display with a menu-driven Graphical User Interface and trackball (no keyboard necessary). GEM, SECSII and Ethernet are available as options.

By using high-precision leadscrews and the Cognex 5000™ Vision Alignment System, the WP-1 boasts an alignment accuracy of +5 microns. It also uses MPM's patented "On-the-move" look-up/look-down illumination optics coupled with automatic gain and offset contrast optimisation. Advanced algorithms quickly and efficiently capture images for fiducial find and stencil-to-wafer alignment. Each WP-1 machine is thoroughly tested using MPM's exclusive Glass Plate Test for repeatability measurements. This data is provided with each machine.