TWI894731B - Foreign matter removal device, foreign matter removal method, and non-temporary storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention can not only utilize a simpler structure to more effectively remove foreign matter, but also further suppress costs. The foreign body removal device includes: a first holding member, which is formed into a cylindrical shape with a circular first opening formed at the lower end, and by setting the internal pressure inside to a negative pressure relative to the atmospheric pressure, the particles of the adhesive gel-like elastic body are adsorbed and held at the first opening; a second holding member, which is formed into a cylindrical shape with a circular second opening formed at the upper end, and by setting the internal pressure inside to a negative pressure, the particles are adsorbed and held at the second opening; a first driving member, which drives the first holding member or the second holding member to move the second opening of the second holding member closer to or farther away from the first opening of the first holding member; and a second driving member, which drives the first holding member or the second holding member to change the relative angular position of the second opening of the second holding member and the first opening of the first holding member.

Description

Foreign matter removal device, foreign matter removal method, and non-temporary storage medium

The present invention relates to a foreign matter removal device, a foreign matter removal method, and a program, and more particularly to a foreign matter removal device, a foreign matter removal method, and a non-transitory storage medium for removing foreign matter attached to the surface of an object such as a semiconductor device or an optical component.

Foreign matter adhering to optical products such as image sensors, lenses, and glass filters used in cameras can cause product defects. Therefore, a common method involves visual inspection under a microscope. If foreign matter is found, it is removed by transferring it to the adhesive using a stick with a semi-solid adhesive such as an elastomer (hereinafter referred to as a gel stick).

Furthermore, foreign matter removal using gel sticks is sometimes performed automatically. One known device uses an image inspection device using a high-resolution camera to detect foreign matter and automatically presses a gel stick against the area where the foreign matter is located to transfer the gel stick and remove the foreign matter.

However, since this method uses the lower surface of the stick to absorb foreign matter, its effectiveness in removing foreign matter decreases after a few uses, necessitating frequent replacement of the gel stick. Other methods have proposed removing foreign matter by changing the angle of the gel stick (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, since the stick abuts against surrounding components near the area where the foreign matter is to be removed, it cannot be operated at an angle, thus limiting its applicability.

Furthermore, the mechanism for replacing the rod standby station or the rod replacement is complicated.

Furthermore, in gel sticks, if there is a stick portion (hereinafter referred to as the stick), the adhesive at the connection to the stick cannot be used for foreign matter removal, so the surface that can be used is limited to less than half of the sphere.

Furthermore, since the gel stick includes a rod, additional material costs as consumables are incurred.

[Prior Art Literature]

[Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 114000495

Since the gel stick is equipped with a rod, additional material costs are incurred as a consumable part. Furthermore, the replacement rod stand and the rod replacement mechanism are complicated.

This invention was developed in light of this situation, with the goal of using a simpler structure to more effectively remove foreign matter while further reducing costs.

One aspect of the present invention provides a foreign matter removal device for removing foreign matter adhered to the surface of an object such as a semiconductor device or optical component. The device comprises: a holding member formed in a cylindrical shape with a circular opening at its lower end, wherein the internal pressure is set to a negative pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, thereby adsorbing and retaining particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic material in the opening; a placement member for placing the object; and a first driving member for driving the holding member or the placement member to press the particles held by the holding member against the foreign matter.

An internal pressure changing component may be further provided to change the internal pressure inside the retaining component to either negative pressure or atmospheric pressure.

The internal pressure changing component can change the internal pressure inside the retaining component to any of negative pressure, positive pressure, or atmospheric pressure.

The first driving component drives the holding component to press the particles held by the holding component against foreign matter. A second driving component may be provided to drive the loading component to change the position of the loading component relative to the position of the holding component.

The first driving component can drive the mounting component to change the position of the mounting component relative to the position of the holding component.

A tray for placing adhesive gel-like elastic particles can be further provided, so that the retaining member can adsorb and retain the particles placed on the tray in the opening.

The system may further include: a photographing component for photographing the surface of an object; and an image processing component for obtaining the position of foreign matter attached to the surface of the object based on the image of the photographed surface of the object, so that the first driving component presses the particles held by the holding component to the position of the foreign matter obtained by the image processing component.

The diameter of the circular opening of the retaining member can be made smaller than the diameter of the particles.

One aspect of the present invention provides a foreign matter removal method for removing foreign matter adhered to the surface of an object, such as a semiconductor device or optical component, using a foreign matter removal apparatus. The foreign matter removal apparatus comprises: a holding member formed into a cylindrical shape with a circular opening formed at a lower end; a placement member for placing the object; and a driving member for driving the holding member or the placement member. The foreign matter removal method includes the steps of: setting the internal pressure of the holding member to a negative pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, thereby adsorbing and retaining particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic material in the opening; and driving the holding member or the placement member with the driving member to press the particles held in the holding member against the foreign matter.

One aspect of the present invention includes a non-transitory storage medium storing a program for causing a computer controlling a foreign matter removal device to execute processing. The foreign matter removal device removes foreign matter attached to the surface of an object such as a semiconductor element or an optical component, and the foreign matter removal device includes: a holding member formed in a cylindrical shape with a circular opening formed at a lower end; a loading member for placing the object; and a driving member for driving the holding member or the loading member. The processing includes the following steps: setting the internal pressure of the holding member to a negative pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, thereby adsorbing and retaining particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic body at the opening; and driving the holding member or the loading member by the driving member to press the particles retained in the holding member against the foreign matter.

The foreign matter removal device of one aspect of the present invention presses particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic body against foreign matter attached to the surface of an object such as a semiconductor element or an optical component to remove the foreign matter. The foreign matter removal device comprises: a first holding member formed in a cylindrical shape with a circular first opening formed at the end portion of the lower side, and the particles of the adhesive gel-like elastic body are adsorbed and held in the first opening by setting the internal pressure thereof to a negative pressure relative to the atmospheric pressure; a second holding member formed in a cylindrical shape with a circular first opening formed at the end portion of the upper side; The cylindrical shape has a second opening, and by setting the internal pressure to negative relative to atmospheric pressure, particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic body are attracted and retained in the second opening. A first driving member drives the first retaining member or the second retaining member to move the second opening of the second retaining member closer to or farther from the first opening of the first retaining member. A second driving member drives the first retaining member or the second retaining member to change the relative angular position of the second opening of the second retaining member and the first opening of the first retaining member.

The first driving component can drive the first retaining component to press the particles retained by the first retaining component toward the foreign matter.

The second driving member can drive the first holding member to change the angle between an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical first holding member and an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical second holding member.

The second driving member can drive the second holding member to change the angle between an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical first holding member and an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical second holding member.

The second driving member can drive the second retaining member to change the angle of rotation about an imaginary straight line passing through the center of the second opening and extending along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical second retaining member as the central axis.

An internal pressure changing component may be further provided to change the internal pressure inside the first retaining component to either negative pressure or atmospheric pressure.

The internal pressure changing component can change the internal pressure inside the first retaining component to any of negative pressure, positive pressure, or atmospheric pressure.

An internal pressure changing component may be further provided to change the internal pressure inside the second retaining component to either negative pressure or atmospheric pressure.

The internal pressure changing component can change the internal pressure inside the second retaining component to any one of negative pressure, positive pressure, or atmospheric pressure.

In one aspect of the present invention, a foreign matter removal method is performed using a foreign matter removal device, the foreign matter removal device comprising: a first holding member formed in a cylindrical shape with a circular first opening formed at a lower end portion, wherein the internal pressure of the first holding member is set to a negative pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, thereby adsorbing and retaining particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic body at the first opening; a second holding member formed in a cylindrical shape with a circular second opening formed at an upper end portion, wherein the internal pressure of the first holding member is set to a negative pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, thereby adsorbing and retaining particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic body at the second opening; and a first driving member that drives the first holding member or the second holding member to move the second opening of the second holding member closer to or farther away from the first opening of the first holding member; and a second driving member that drives the first holding member or the second holding member to change the relative angular position of the second opening of the second holding member and the first opening of the first holding member. The foreign matter removal device presses particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic material against foreign matter adhered to the surface of an object such as a semiconductor device or an optical component to remove the foreign matter. The foreign matter removal method comprises the following steps: causing the particles of the adhesive gel-like elastic material adsorbed and retained by the first holding member to be adsorbed and retained by the second holding member; changing the relative angular position of the second opening of the second holding member and the first opening of the first holding member; and causing the particles of the adhesive gel-like elastic material adsorbed and retained by the second holding member to be adsorbed and retained by the first holding member.

In one aspect of the present invention, a non-transitory storage medium stores a program for causing a computer that controls a foreign matter removal device to execute processing. The foreign matter removal device includes: a first holding member formed in the shape of a cylinder having a circular first opening formed at a lower end portion, wherein the internal pressure inside the cylinder is set to a negative pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, thereby adsorbing and retaining particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic body at the first opening; a second holding member formed in the shape of a cylinder having a circular second opening formed at an upper end portion, wherein the internal pressure inside the cylinder is set to a negative pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, thereby adsorbing and retaining particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic body at the second opening; and a first driving member that drives the first holding member or the second holding member so that the second opening of the second holding member is aligned with the first opening of the first holding member. An opening of the first holding member approaches or moves away from the second holding member; and a second driving member drives the first holding member or the second holding member to change the relative angular position of the second opening of the second holding member and the first opening of the first holding member, and the foreign matter removal device presses particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic body against foreign matter attached to the surface of an object such as a semiconductor device or an optical component to remove the foreign matter. The processing includes the following steps: causing the particles of the adhesive gel-like elastic body adsorbed and held by the first holding member to be adsorbed and held by the second holding member; changing the relative angular position of the second opening of the second holding member and the first opening of the first holding member; and causing the particles of the adhesive gel-like elastic body adsorbed and held by the second holding member to be adsorbed and held by the first holding member.

As described above, according to the present invention, foreign matter can be more effectively removed using a simpler structure while further reducing costs.

11: Foreign matter removal device

21: Gel ball processing unit

22: Image inspection unit

23: Workpiece carrier

24: Workpiece carrier drive unit

25: Use the position change platform

26: Control Department

31: Tray

41: Image sensor

51: Nozzle

51a, 81a: Opening

52, 53, 82, 84: Nozzle drive unit

61, 91: Vacuum pump

63, 64, 93, 94: Valve

81: Changing the nozzle position

83: Carrier

101: Gel Ball

201:CPU

202:ROM

203: RAM

204: Bus

205: Input/Output Interface

206:Input part

207:Output Department

208: Storage Department

209: Ministry of Communications

210:Driver

211: Removable Media

221: Workpiece carrier drive control unit

222: Nozzle Position and Posture Control Unit

223: Nozzle internal pressure control unit

224: Used to change the nozzle position and posture control unit

225: Use location change nozzle internal pressure control unit

226: Judgment Department

227: Selection Department

228: Storage Control Unit

229: Shooting Control Department

230: Image Processing Department

241: Foreign object removal action counter

242: Used Parts Storage

243: Gel ball position storage used

S11, S12, S13, S14, S15, S16, S17, S18, S19, S20, S21, S22, S23, S24, S25, S41, S 42. S43, S44, S45, S46, S47, S48, S49, S50, S51, S71, S72, S73, S74, S75, S76, S77 、S78、S79、S80、S81、S82、S83、S84、S85、S101、S102、S103、S104、S121、S122、S123、S124、S125、S126、S127、S128、S129、S130、S131、S132、S133、S134、S135: Steps

X, Y, Z: Axes

FIG1 is a diagram illustrating the outline of the structure of a foreign matter removal device 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG2 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the gel ball processing unit 21 and the adsorption of gel balls 101 placed on the tray 31.

FIG3 is a diagram illustrating the suction nozzle 51 being driven to press the gel ball 101 onto the surface of the image sensor 41.

FIG4 is a diagram illustrating the generation of negative pressure in the suction nozzle 51.

FIG5 is a diagram showing the structure of the use position change stage 25.

FIG6 is a diagram illustrating the generation of negative pressure in the use location change nozzle 81.

FIG7 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control unit 26.

Figure 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional structure implemented by the control unit 26 executing the program.

Figure 9 is a flow chart illustrating the process of removing foreign matter.

Figure 10 is a flow chart illustrating the details of the gel ball installation process.

Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating details of the process for changing the site where the gel balls are to be used.

Figures 12(A) to 12(F) illustrate the changing of the location where the gel balls are to be used.

Figure 13 is a flow chart illustrating the details of the disposal process for gel balls.

Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating details of the process for changing the site where the gel balls are to be used.

Figures 15(A) to 15(G) illustrate another operation of changing the location where the gel balls are to be used.

The following describes embodiments of the present invention, but the following examples illustrate the correspondence between the constituent elements of the present invention and the embodiments described in the detailed description of the invention. This description serves to confirm that the embodiments supporting the present invention are described in the detailed description of the invention. Therefore, even if an embodiment not described herein corresponds to a constituent element of the present invention, this does not mean that the embodiment does not correspond to the constituent element. Conversely, even if an embodiment is described herein as corresponding to a constituent element, this does not mean that the embodiment does not correspond to constituent elements other than the constituent element.

The foreign matter removal device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 15(G).

Figure 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the structure of a foreign matter removal device 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Foreign matter removal device 11 is an example of a foreign matter removal device that holds adhesive gel-like elastic particles and presses the held adhesive gel-like elastic particles against foreign matter adhered to the surface of an image sensor 41, an example of an object such as a semiconductor device, thereby removing the foreign matter adhered to the surface of image sensor 41. The surface of image sensor 41 refers to the side of image sensor 41 on which light enters when image sensor 41 is in use.

The side where the image sensor 41, serving as a workpiece, is positioned is referred to as the right side. The X-axis represents the left-right direction, the Z-axis represents the up-down direction, and the Y-axis represents the forward-backward direction. Hereinafter, the lower right side in FIG. 1 along the Y-axis will be referred to as the front side, and the upper left side in FIG. 1 along the Y-axis will be referred to as the back side. Furthermore, hereafter, the lower left side in FIG. 1 along the X-axis will be referred to as the left side, and the upper right side in FIG. 1 along the X-axis will be referred to as the right side. Furthermore, hereafter, the upper side in FIG. 1 along the Z-axis will be referred to as the upper side, and the lower side in FIG. 1 along the Z-axis will be referred to as the lower side. The positive direction of the Y axis is toward the back, the positive direction of the X axis is toward the right, and the positive direction of the Z axis is toward the top. The Z axis direction is also referred to as the vertical direction, and the direction along a plane parallel to the X and Y axes is also referred to as the horizontal direction. Furthermore, the direction at a relatively small angle to the horizontal direction and the horizontal direction are also referred to as the horizontal direction, and the direction at a relatively small angle to the vertical direction and the vertical direction are also referred to as the vertical direction. This applies to the following figures as well.

The foreign matter removal device 11 comprises a gel ball processing unit 21, an image inspection unit 22, a workpiece stage 23, a workpiece stage drive unit 24, a workpiece location change stage 25, and a control unit 26. Furthermore, the foreign matter removal device 11 is equipped with a tray 31 on which several to several dozen gel balls are placed. Furthermore, several to several dozen image sensors 41, serving as workpieces, are placed on the workpiece stage 23. Furthermore, the image sensors 41 are placed on the workpiece stage 23 with their surfaces facing upward. Hereinafter, the surface of the image sensors 41 will also be referred to as the upper surface.

The gel ball processing unit 21 holds adhesive gel-like elastic particles. The gel ball processing unit 21 presses the held adhesive gel-like elastic particles against foreign matter adhering to the surface of the image sensor 41, thereby removing the foreign matter adhering to the surface of the image sensor 41.

The image inspection unit 22 is a camera that captures still images of the surface of the image sensor 41 mounted on the workpiece carrier 23. The optical axis of the image inspection unit 22 is set to face downward. The image inspection unit 22 captures an image of the object below. The workpiece carrier 23 holds the mounted image sensor 41. The workpiece carrier drive unit 24 displaces the workpiece carrier 23 in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction. That is, the workpiece carrier drive unit 24 drives the workpiece carrier 23 to change the position of the workpiece carrier 23 relative to the positions of the gel ball processing unit 21 and the image inspection unit 22 in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction. Since the position of the workpiece stage 23 is changed along the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction, the drop of dust from the gel ball processing unit 21 can be further reduced compared to the case where the position of the gel ball processing unit 21 is changed.

While changing the location of the adhesive gel-like elastic particles pressed against the surface of the image sensor 41, the use position changing stage 25 temporarily holds the adhesive gel-like elastic particles held by the gel ball handling unit 21. Furthermore, the use position changing stage 25 cooperates with the gel ball handling unit 21 to change the angular position of the adhesive gel-like elastic particles relative to the gel ball handling unit 21. The control unit 26 controls the gel ball handling unit 21, the image inspection unit 22, the workpiece stage 23, the workpiece stage drive unit 24, and the use position changing stage 25.

The foreign matter removal device 11 is also equipped with a waste bin (not shown) for collecting and discarding used adhesive gel-like elastic particles. The waste bin is a box with an open top. It is displaced along with the workpiece stage 23 by the workpiece stage drive unit 24.

Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the gel ball processing unit 21 and the adsorption of the gel ball 101 placed on the tray 31. The gel ball 101 is an example of particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic body. The gel ball processing unit 21 is composed of a suction nozzle 51 (first holding member), a suction nozzle drive part 52 (second drive part) and a suction nozzle drive part 53 (first drive part). The suction nozzle 51 is formed into a cylindrical shape of a prescribed length. For example, the suction nozzle 51 is formed into a cylindrical shape. In addition, the suction nozzle 51 can also be formed into a square cylindrical shape. A circular opening 51a (first opening) is formed at the lower end of the suction nozzle 51. The diameter of the circular opening 51a at the lower end of the suction nozzle 51 is set to be smaller than the diameter of the gel ball 101. For example, the diameter of the circular opening 51a at the lower end of the nozzle 51 is set to 0.3 mm to 4.8 mm. The nozzle 51 maintains a negative internal pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, thereby attracting and retaining the gel balls 101, which are adhesive, gel-like elastic particles, to the opening 51a. The suction force provided by the nozzle 51 is stronger than the adhesive force of the gel balls 101 when they are attached to the image sensor 41.

The nozzle 51 is formed of metal or resin. For example, the nozzle 51 is formed of an aluminum alloy with a non-adhesive surface treatment. For example, the nozzle 51 can be formed of a non-adhesive fluororesin.

The nozzle drive unit 52, which includes a motor and a speed reducer, drives the nozzle 51 to tilt relative to the surface of the image sensor 41. More specifically, the nozzle drive unit 52 rotates the nozzle 51 about the Y-axis to a predetermined angular position. Specifically, the nozzle drive unit 52 rotates the nozzle 51 to a predetermined angular position about the Y-axis, or a pitch angle φ. Alternatively, the nozzle drive unit 52 can rotate the nozzle 51 about the X-axis to a predetermined angular position. Specifically, in this case, the nozzle drive unit 52 rotates the nozzle 51 to a predetermined angular position about the X-axis, or a roll angle θ.

The nozzle drive unit 53, which includes a motor, a ball screw, and a linear guide, drives the nozzle 51 vertically. Specifically, the nozzle drive unit 53 moves the nozzle 51 along the Z-axis. As shown in Figure 3, the nozzle drive unit 53 drives the nozzle 51 to press the gel ball 101 held in the nozzle 51 against foreign matter adhering to the surface of the image sensor 41.

While details will be discussed later, in foreign matter removal device 11, the adhesive portion of gel ball 101 is always pressed against foreign matter adhering to the surface of image sensor 41, eliminating the need to tilt suction nozzle 51. Consequently, as shown in Figure 3, foreign matter can be reliably removed even when there are peripheral components near image sensor 41.

Here, gel ball 101 is explained. Gel ball 101 is a spherical semi-solid adhesive. Gel ball 101 is an example of a foreign matter remover and is formed from an adhesive gel-like elastic body. Because gel ball 101 is formed from a gel-like elastic body, it deforms when pressed against foreign matter attached to the surface of image sensor 41 without damaging image sensor 41. Furthermore, because gel ball 101 is formed from an adhesive gel-like elastic body, when pressed against foreign matter attached to the surface of image sensor 41, it picks up the foreign matter attached to the surface of image sensor 41 and adheres to the foreign matter, thereby enabling more reliable removal of foreign matter.

Gel ball 101 is formed into a spherical shape. Alternatively, gel ball 101 may be formed into a convex polyhedron such as a hexahedron or a regular dodecahedron. In other words, gel ball 101 is formed into a spherical or convex polyhedral particle. The particle diameter of gel ball 101 is set to 0.5 mm to 5 mm. For example, when gel ball 101 is spherical, the diameter of gel ball 101 is set to 0.5 mm to 5 mm.

For example, gel balls 101 are formed from a self-adhesive elastic material, such as a urethane compound. This allows for more reliable bonding and removal of foreign matter, leaving the surface of image sensor 41 free of residual glue. The surface resistivity of gel balls 101 is set to 3×108 Ω/square or less. This effectively removes static charge from image sensor 41 and more reliably removes foreign matter.

Alternatively, the surface resistivity of gel ball 101 can be increased, thereby charging the surface of gel ball 101. This allows foreign matter to be removed from the surface of image sensor 41 by utilizing electrostatic attraction in addition to adhesive force. For example, the surface resistivity of gel ball 101 can be set to 1×1011 Ω/square or higher. In this case, a voltage can be applied to nozzle 51 to charge gel ball 101. This allows for more reliable removal of foreign matter. In this case, gel ball 101 can be formed, for example, from silicone gel.

Furthermore, for example, the gel balls 101 can be formed from a compound primarily composed of an acrylic polymer containing an alkyl (meth)acrylate or alkyl methacrylate as the main monomer, exhibiting normal adhesion, or pressure-sensitive adhesiveness. The gel percentage can be set to 50% to 95%. The gel percentage is calculated based on the weight change before and after immersion in toluene (20°C) for 24 hours.

The surface of gel ball 101 has the same adhesive strength regardless of its location. Here, the "location" of gel ball 101 refers to an area of a predetermined size on the outer surface. For example, the size of the "location" of gel ball 101 is determined by the area of contact with the image sensor 41 when the gel ball 101 is pressed against the foreign object attached to the image sensor 41 during foreign object removal. Gel ball 101 formed into a spherical or convex polyhedron shape can be used in a manner that varies the location of the foreign object pressed against the image sensor 41. This allows for more reliable foreign object removal and increased use, further reducing costs.

In addition, a core may be provided in the gel ball 101. In this case, the gel ball 101 is formed by wrapping the entire core with an adhesive gel-like elastic body. That is, the core of the gel ball 101 does not protrude from the gel ball 101. The core of the gel ball 101 is set to a spherical shape or a shape similar to the shape of the gel ball 101. The core of the gel ball 101 is formed of a material such as an elastomer that is harder than the adhesive gel-like elastic body on the surface of the gel ball 101. As the material of the core of the gel ball 101, a material that will not scratch the surface of the image sensor 41 is selected. In this way, the gel ball 101 can be easily formed by applying the adhesive gel-like elastic body to the core, etc. Furthermore, when attached to the nozzle 51 or the like, the shape of the gel ball 101 can be maintained.

Next, referring to Figure 4 , we will explain how negative pressure is generated within the suction nozzle 51 for sucking the gel ball 101. The left side of Figure 4 shows a cross-section of the suction nozzle 51 and the gel ball 101. The right side of Figure 4 illustrates the structure for varying the internal pressure within the suction nozzle 51 to any of negative, positive, or atmospheric pressure. As shown in Figure 4 , the suction nozzle 51 is cylindrical, and therefore has a cavity formed within it. Only the lower end of the cavity within the suction nozzle 51 is open, with the rest of the cavity remaining closed. The diameter of the circular opening 51a at the lower end of the suction nozzle 51 is smaller than the diameter of the gel ball 101.

Inside the suction nozzle 51, a vacuum pump 61, valve 63, and valve 64 are connected via piping. The vacuum pump 61 is a pump used to exhaust gas to create a vacuum or negative pressure. The vacuum pump 61 is connected via piping to one port of the valve 63. Valve 63 is a solenoid valve with three ports. Pressurized air (compressed air), or air, is supplied to another port of valve 63. The remaining port of valve 63 is connected via piping to one port of valve 64. Valve 63 connects either the port connected to the vacuum pump 61 or the port supplied with air to the port connected to valve 64. That is, valve 63, under the control of control unit 26, discharges gas from one port of valve 64 to set the pressure at one port of valve 64 to negative pressure, or supplies air to one port of valve 64 to set the pressure at one port of valve 64 to positive pressure.

Valve 64 is a solenoid valve with three ports. Another port of valve 64 is open to the atmosphere. In other words, this port serves as a release port. The remaining port of valve 64 is connected to the interior of suction nozzle 51 via piping. Controlled by controller 26, valve 64 connects the port of valve 63 to the interior of suction nozzle 51 to maintain negative or positive pressure inside suction nozzle 51, or opens the interior of suction nozzle 51 to atmospheric pressure.

In this way, the vacuum pump 61, valve 63, and valve 64 change the internal pressure inside the suction nozzle 51 to either negative pressure or atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, the vacuum pump 61, valve 63, and valve 64 change the internal pressure inside the suction nozzle 51 to either negative pressure, positive pressure, or atmospheric pressure.

Alternatively, pressure regulating valves may be provided between the vacuum pump 61 and the valve 63, and between the supplied air and the valve 63.

Next, the structure of the application site change platform 25 will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 shows the structure of the application site change platform 25. The application site change platform 25 temporarily attracts and holds the gel balls 101, changing the angular position of the adhesive gel-like elastic particles relative to the gel ball processing unit 21. The application site change platform 25 comprises a application site change nozzle 81 (second holding member), a nozzle drive unit 82, a platform 83, and a nozzle drive unit 84.

The nozzle for changing the application site 81 is formed into a cylindrical shape of a predetermined length. For example, the nozzle for changing the application site 81 is formed into a circular cylindrical shape. Alternatively, the nozzle for changing the application site 81 may be formed into a square cylindrical shape. A circular opening 81a (second opening) is formed at the upper end of the nozzle for changing the application site 81. The diameter of the circular opening 81a at the upper end of the nozzle for changing the application site 81 is set to be smaller than the diameter of the gel ball 101. For example, the diameter of the circular opening 81a at the upper end of the nozzle for changing the application site 81 is set to 0.3 mm to 4.8 mm. By setting the internal pressure of the nozzle for changing the application site 81 to negative, the gel ball 101, which is a particle of adhesive gel-like elastic material, is attracted and retained in the opening 81a.

The nozzle for changing the location of the nozzle 81 is formed of metal or resin. For example, the nozzle for changing the location of the nozzle 81 is formed of an aluminum alloy with a non-adhesive surface treatment. For example, the nozzle for changing the location of the nozzle 81 can be formed of a non-adhesive fluororesin.

The nozzle drive unit 82, which includes a motor and a speed reducer, drives the nozzle 81 to tilt about a horizontal axis. More specifically, the nozzle drive unit 82 rotates the nozzle 81 to a predetermined angular position about an imaginary line extending along the plane defined by the X- and Y-axes. The imaginary line extending from the nozzle drive unit 82's rotation axis is aligned with the opening 81a of the nozzle 81. That is, when the nozzle driver 82 rotates the application location change nozzle 81 to tilt it, the position of the opening 81a of the application location change nozzle 81, i.e., its position on the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, does not change, even though the inclination of the application location change nozzle 81 changes.

The carrier 83 is a so-called turntable that supports the use-position-changing nozzle 81 and the nozzle drive unit 82, and is configured to be rotatable around the Z axis. The nozzle drive unit 84 includes a motor and a speed reducer, etc., which rotate the carrier 83. An imaginary straight line extending from the rotation axis of the carrier 83 is connected to the opening 81a of the use-position-changing nozzle 81. That is, when the nozzle drive unit 84 rotates the carrier 83, the angular position of the use-position-changing nozzle 81 around the Z axis (the yaw direction angle ψ centered on the Z axis) changes, but the position of the opening 81a of the use-position-changing nozzle 81, that is, the position on the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis, does not change. For example, when an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the use location change nozzle 81 is the Z-axis direction, the rotation axis of the carrier 83 passes through the center of the circular opening 81a at the upper end of the use location change nozzle 81.

Next, referring to Figure 6 , the generation of negative pressure within the application site change nozzle 81 for adsorbing the gel ball 101 will be described. The left side of Figure 4 shows a cross-section of the application site change nozzle 81. The right side of Figure 6 illustrates the structure for changing the internal pressure within the application site change nozzle 81 to any of negative, positive, or atmospheric pressure. As shown in Figure 6 , the application site change nozzle 81 is cylindrical, and therefore has a cavity formed therein. Only the upper end of the cavity within the application site change nozzle 81 is open, with the rest of the cavity closed. The diameter of the circular opening 81a at the upper end of the application site change nozzle 81 is set to be smaller than the diameter of the gel ball 101.

Inside the nozzle 81, which is used for changing the suction nozzle, are connected via piping to a vacuum pump 91, valve 93, and valve 94. Vacuum pump 91 is a pump used to exhaust gas to create a vacuum or negative pressure. It is connected via piping to one port of valve 93. Valve 93 is a solenoid valve with three ports. Pressurized air (compressed air), or air, is supplied to another port of valve 93. The remaining port of valve 93 is connected via piping to one port of valve 94. Valve 93 connects either the port connected to vacuum pump 91 or the port supplied with air to the port connected to valve 94. That is, valve 93, under the control of control unit 26, discharges gas from one port of valve 94 to set the pressure at one port of valve 94 to negative pressure, or supplies air to one port of valve 94 to set the pressure at one port of valve 94 to positive pressure.

Valve 94 is a solenoid valve with three ports. Another port of valve 94 is open to the atmosphere. In other words, this port serves as a release port. The remaining port of valve 94 is connected to the interior of the nozzle for changing the location of the nozzle 81 via piping. Controlled by the control unit 26, valve 94 connects the port of valve 93 to the interior of the nozzle for changing the location of the nozzle 81 to either negative or positive pressure, or to open the interior of the nozzle for changing the location of the nozzle 81 to the atmosphere and set the interior of the nozzle for changing the location of the nozzle 81 to atmospheric pressure.

In this way, the vacuum pump 91, valve 93, and valve 94 change the internal pressure of the nozzle 81 to either negative pressure or atmospheric pressure. Furthermore, the vacuum pump 91, valve 93, and valve 94 change the internal pressure of the nozzle 81 to either negative pressure, positive pressure, or atmospheric pressure.

Alternatively, pressure regulating valves may be installed between the vacuum pump 91 and the valve 93, and between the supplied air and the valve 93.

Next, the control unit 26 will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the control unit 26. In the control unit 26, which is a computer, a central processing unit (CPU) 201, a read-only memory (ROM) 202, and a random access memory (RAM) 203 are interconnected via a bus 204.

The bus 204 is further connected to an input/output interface 205 . The input/output interface 205 is connected to: an input unit 206 for inputting specified data or signals from the image inspection unit 22, etc.; an output unit 207 for outputting specified instructions and other signals or coordinate values and other data to the workpiece carrier drive unit 24, the gel ball processing unit 21, the valve 63, the valve 64, the image inspection unit 22, the use part change carrier 25, the valve 93 or the valve 94, etc.; a storage unit 208 including a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk or a solid state drive (SSD); a communication unit 209 including a network interface, etc.; and a drive 210 for driving a removable medium 211 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk or a semiconductor memory. In addition, the output unit 207 instructs the aiming camera 82, microscope camera 81, or multi-head camera 61 to shoot and provides control signals.

In the control unit 26 configured as described above, the CPU 201 loads the program stored in the storage unit 208 into the RAM 203 via the input/output interface 205 and the bus 204 and executes it, thereby performing a series of processes described below.

The program executed by the computer (CPU 201) is recorded on a packaged medium such as a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disk (such as a CD-ROM or a DVD), a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, i.e., a removable medium 211, or is provided via a wired or wireless transmission medium such as a local area network, the Internet, or digital satellite broadcasting.

Furthermore, the program can be installed in the computer by installing the removable medium 211 into the drive 210 and storing it in the storage unit 208 via the input/output interface 205. Furthermore, the program can be installed in the computer by receiving it via a wired or wireless transmission medium using the communication unit 209 and storing it in the storage unit 208. Furthermore, the program can be pre-installed in the computer by pre-storing it in the ROM 202 or the storage unit 208.

Figure 8 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration implemented by the control unit 26 executing a program. The control unit 26 executing the program implements a workpiece stage drive control unit 221, a nozzle position and posture control unit 222, a nozzle internal pressure control unit 223, a used part change nozzle position and posture control unit 224, a used part change nozzle internal pressure control unit 225, a determination unit 226, a selection unit 227, a storage control unit 228, a capture control unit 229, an image processing unit 230, a foreign matter removal operation count counter 241, a used part storage unit 242, and a used gel ball position storage unit 243.

The workpiece stage drive control unit 221 controls the workpiece stage drive unit 24, causing it to move the workpiece stage 23 to a specified position in the X-axis or Y-axis directions. The nozzle position and posture control unit 222 controls the nozzle drives 52 and 53 to move the nozzle 51 to a specified position in the Z-axis direction or to rotate it to a specified angle in the roll direction θ or pitch direction φ. The nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 controls valves 63 and 64 to change the internal pressure inside the nozzle 51 to negative pressure, positive pressure, or atmospheric pressure.

The position and posture control unit 224 controls the nozzle driver 82 and the nozzle driver 84 to rotate the nozzle 81 to a predetermined angle. The internal pressure control unit 225 controls the valves 93 and 94 to change the internal pressure of the nozzle 81 to negative pressure, positive pressure, or atmospheric pressure.

The determination unit 226 performs various determinations, such as whether or not foreign matter is present. The selection unit 227 performs various selections, such as selecting the image sensor 41 to remove foreign matter. The storage control unit 228 updates or clears the values stored in the foreign matter removal operation counter 241, the used area storage unit 242, or the used gel ball position storage unit 243.

The imaging control unit 229 controls imaging by the image inspection unit 22. The image processing unit 230 processes the images captured by the image inspection unit 22. The foreign matter removal operation counter 241 counts the number of times a predetermined portion of the gel ball 101 contacts the image sensor 41. The used portion storage unit 242 stores the used portions of the gel ball 101 after foreign matter has been removed. The used gel ball position storage unit 243 stores the positions of used gel balls 101 placed on the tray 31.

Next, the foreign matter removal operation performed by the foreign matter removal device 11 will be described. FIG9 is a flow chart illustrating the foreign matter removal process. Before the execution of the foreign matter removal process, a tray 31 equipped with a plurality of image sensors 41 and a plurality of gel balls 101 is placed at a specified position on the workpiece carrier 23. Before the execution of the foreign matter removal process, the workpiece carrier 23, the gel ball processing unit 21 and the use part changing carrier 25 are arranged at the operation origin position. At this time, the suction nozzle 51 is set to a posture in which an imaginary straight line extending along the long side direction of the suction nozzle 51 is set as the Z-axis direction, and the opening 51a of the suction nozzle 51 is set to the lower side. The opening 51a of the nozzle 51 is positioned higher than the top ends of the image sensor 41, the application site change nozzle 81, and the gel ball 101. The distance from the opening 51a of the nozzle 51 to the top surface of the workpiece stage 23 is set to a predetermined distance. Furthermore, the application site change nozzle 81 is positioned such that an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the application site change nozzle 81 is oriented in the Z-axis direction, with the opening 81a of the application site change nozzle 81 facing upward.

In step S11, the gel ball installation process is performed. Figure 10 is a flowchart illustrating the details of the gel ball installation process. In step S41, the determination unit 226 refers to the used gel ball position storage unit 243 to determine whether there are unused gel balls 101 on the tray 31. If it is determined in step S41 that there are unused gel balls 101 on the tray 31, the process proceeds to step S42, where the selection unit 227 selects the gel ball 101 to be used from the unused gel balls 101 on the tray 31. In step S43, the workpiece stage drive control unit 221 drives the workpiece stage drive unit 24 to displace the workpiece stage 23, thereby moving the selected gel ball 101 under the suction nozzle 51.

In step S44, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle drive unit 53 to lower the nozzle 51 so that the distance between the lower end of the nozzle 51, that is, the opening 51a, and the gel ball 101 is a predetermined distance. For example, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 lowers the nozzle 51 so that the lower end of the nozzle 51 contacts the upper end of the gel ball 101. For example, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 lowers the nozzle 51 so that the distance between the lower end of the nozzle 51 and the upper end of the gel ball 101 is such that the lower end of the nozzle 51 and the upper end of the gel ball 101 are completely in contact or non-contact with each other.

In step S45, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 switches valves 63 and 64 to apply negative pressure to the interior of the nozzle 51. Specifically, by switching valves 63 and 64, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 connects the piping connected to the interior of the nozzle 51 to the vacuum pump 61, creating a negative pressure inside the nozzle 51. This causes the gel ball 101 to be sucked and held in the nozzle 51.

In step S46, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle driver 53 to restore the height of the nozzle 51 (restore its position in the Z-axis direction). In step S47, the storage control unit 228 stores the position of the gel ball 101 attached to the nozzle 51 on the tray 31 in the used gel ball position storage unit 243.

In step S48, the storage control unit 228 clears the used areas of the gel balls 101 stored in the used area storage unit 242. In step S49, the storage control unit 228 clears the number of times the gel balls 101 have come into contact with the image sensor 41, as counted by the foreign matter removal operation counter 241.

If it is determined in step S41 that there are no unused gel balls 101 on the tray 31, the process proceeds to step S50, where the tray 31 placed on the workpiece carrier 23 is replaced with a tray 31 containing unused gel balls 101. The tray 31 can be replaced by the foreign matter removal device 11 or by an operator operating the foreign matter removal device 11.

In step S51, the storage control unit 228 clears the position of the used gel balls 101 on the tray stored in the used gel ball position storage unit 243, and the process returns to step S41.

After step S49, the process returns to step S11 for foreign matter removal.

Returning to Figure 9 , when the gel ball mounting process is complete, the process proceeds to step S12, where the selection unit 227 selects the image sensor 41 on the tray 31 from which foreign matter is to be removed. In step S13, the workpiece stage drive control unit 221 drives the workpiece stage drive unit 24 to displace the workpiece stage 23, thereby moving the image sensor 41 from which foreign matter is to be removed below the image inspection unit 22. In step S14, the imaging control unit 229 causes the image inspection unit 22 to capture the surface (top surface) of the image sensor 41 from which foreign matter is to be removed. In step S15, the image processing unit 230 processes the image captured by the image inspection unit 22 to identify foreign matter on the surface (top surface) of the image sensor 41 and obtain the location of the foreign matter.

In step S16, the determination unit 226 refers to the image processing results in step S15 to determine whether a foreign object is present on the surface (upper surface) of the image sensor 41. If a foreign object is determined to be present in step S16, the process proceeds to step S17, where the selection unit 227 selects the foreign object to be removed from the surface (upper surface) of the image sensor 41. In step S18, the workpiece stage drive control unit 221 drives the workpiece stage drive unit 24 to move the foreign object below the gel ball 101 held by the suction nozzle 51. In step S19, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle drive unit 53 to lower the nozzle 51, pressing the gel ball 101 held by the nozzle 51 against the foreign object, causing the foreign object to adhere to the gel ball 101.

For example, in step S19, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle drive unit 53 to lower the nozzle 51 so that the gel ball 101 held by the nozzle 51 contacts the surface of the image sensor 41 with a force below a predetermined level.

For example, the optimal pressing distance for adhesively removing foreign matter is pre-determined. In step S19, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle driver 53 to lower the nozzle 51 so that the distance between the lower end of the gel ball 101 held by the nozzle 51 and the surface of the image sensor 41 is the optimal pressing distance for adhesively removing the foreign matter. More specifically, for example, outside the foreign object removal device 11, a camera unit is used to identify the position of the tip of the foreign object removal jig and the position of the image sensor surface. The amount of foreign objects that can be removed with a difference in pressing distance of 0.1mm, 0.2mm, or 0.3mm is quantified, and the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 lowers the nozzle 51 based on this data.

In step S20, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle drive unit 53 to restore the height of the nozzle 51 (restoring its position in the Z-axis direction). This causes the foreign matter to adhere to the gel ball 101 and be removed from the surface (top surface) of the image sensor 41. In step S21, the storage control unit 228 increments the number of times the foreign matter removal operation counter 241 has contacted the image sensor 41.

In step S22, the determination unit 226 refers to the foreign matter removal operation counter 241 to determine whether the number of contacts with the image sensor 41 has reached a predetermined number (predetermined threshold). If it is determined in step S22 that the number of contacts with the image sensor 41 has reached the predetermined number, the process proceeds to step S23 to change the location of the gel ball to be used. If it is determined in step S22 that the number of contacts with the image sensor 41 has not reached the predetermined number, the process skips step S23.

Figure 11 is a flowchart detailing the process of changing the intended location of a gel ball. In step S71, the determination unit 226 reads the used location of the gel ball 101 held by the nozzle 51 from the used location storage unit 242. In step S72, the determination unit 226 refers to the read location to determine whether the gel ball 101 held by the nozzle 51 has any unused location. If it is determined in step S72 that the gel ball 101 held by the nozzle 51 has any unused location, the process proceeds to step S73.

In step S73, the selection unit 227 selects the part of the gel ball 101 to be used from among the unused parts of the gel ball 101 held by the suction nozzle 51. In step S74, the workpiece stage drive control unit 221 drives the workpiece stage drive unit 24 to move the use part changing stage 25 below the suction nozzle 51. More specifically, in step S74, the workpiece stage drive control unit 221 drives the workpiece stage drive unit 24 to move the use part changing nozzle 81 below the suction nozzle 51. As a result, the opening 51a at the lower end of the suction nozzle 51 and the opening 81a at the upper end of the use part changing nozzle 81 face each other, sandwiching the gel ball 101. In step S75, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle drive unit 53 to lower the nozzle 51 so that the distance from the lower end of the gel ball 101 to the opening 81a at the upper end of the application site change nozzle 81 becomes a predetermined distance.

Figures 12(A) through 12(F) illustrate the operation of changing the application site of a gel ball. For example, in step S75, as shown in Figure 12(A), the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 lowers the nozzle 51 so that the lower end of the surface of the gel ball 101 contacts the opening 81a at the upper end of the application site change nozzle 81. For example, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 lowers the nozzle 51 so that the distance from the lower end of the surface of the gel ball 101 to the opening 81a at the upper end of the application site change nozzle 81 is such that the upper end of the application site change nozzle 81 and the lower end of the surface of the gel ball 101 can completely intersect, either in contact or not.

In step S76, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 switches valves 63 and 64 to apply positive pressure to the interior of the nozzle 51. Specifically, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 supplies air to the interior of the nozzle 51 by switching valves 63 and 64, thereby creating a positive pressure inside the nozzle 51. Furthermore, in step S76, the location change nozzle internal pressure control unit 225 switches valves 93 and 94 to apply negative pressure to the interior of the location change nozzle 81. Specifically, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 225 switches valves 93 and 94, connecting the pipe connected to the interior of the nozzle 81 to the vacuum pump 91, thereby creating a negative pressure inside the nozzle 81. This allows the gel ball 101 to be attracted and retained by the nozzle 81.

Alternatively, in step S76, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 may switch valves 63 and 64 to remove the pressure inside the nozzle 51 and return it to atmospheric pressure. Specifically, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 switches valve 64 to open the interior of the nozzle 51 to the atmosphere, thereby returning the interior of the nozzle 51 to atmospheric pressure.

In step S77, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle drive unit 53 to raise the nozzle 51 (restoring its position in the Z-axis direction). As shown in Figure 12(B), the gel ball 101 leaves the nozzle 51 and is sucked and held by the use site change nozzle 81.

In step S78, the nozzle position and posture control unit 224 controls the nozzle driver 82 to tilt the nozzle 81 about the horizontal axis, or controls the nozzle driver 84 to rotate the stage 83 about the Z axis, changing the position and posture of the nozzle 81 so that the portion of the gel ball 101 facing the intended site of application is located on the lower side of the nozzle 51. Alternatively, in step S78, the nozzle position and posture control unit 224 can also control the nozzle driver 82 and the nozzle driver 84.

For example, in step S78, when the nozzle driver 82 is driven by the workpiece position control unit 224, the workpiece position change nozzle 81 is tilted about the horizontal axis, as shown in FIG12(C). Furthermore, in step S78, the workpiece stage driver control unit 221 may also drive the workpiece stage driver 24 to displace the workpiece stage 23, thereby changing the position of the lower end of the nozzle 51 relative to the upper end of the workpiece position change nozzle 81.

In this way, the nozzle position and posture control unit 224 controls the nozzle driver 82 to drive the nozzle 51 or the nozzle 81 to change the relative angular position between the opening 81a of the nozzle 81 and the opening 51a of the nozzle 51. Furthermore, the nozzle position and posture control unit 224 controls the nozzle driver 82 to drive the nozzle 81 to change the angle between an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical nozzle 51 and an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical nozzle 81.

Furthermore, the nozzle position and posture control unit 224 controls the nozzle driver 84 to drive the nozzle 81 so as to change the rotation angle, with a virtual straight line passing through the center of the opening 81a of the nozzle 81 and extending along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical nozzle 81 as the central axis.

In step S79, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle drive unit 53 to lower the nozzle 51 so that the distance between the lower end of the nozzle 51, that is, the opening 51a, and the gel ball 101 is a predetermined distance. For example, in step S79, as shown in Figure 12(D), the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 lowers the nozzle 51 so that the opening 51a at the lower end of the nozzle 51 contacts the upper end of the surface of the gel ball 101. For example, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 lowers the nozzle 51 so that the distance from the lower end of the nozzle 51 to the upper end of the surface of the gel ball 101 is such that the lower end of the nozzle 51 and the upper end of the surface of the gel ball 101 can completely intersect, either in contact or not.

In step S80, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 switches valves 63 and 64 to apply negative pressure to the interior of the nozzle 51. Specifically, by switching valves 63 and 64, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 connects the piping connected to the interior of the nozzle 51 to the vacuum pump 61, thereby setting the interior of the nozzle 51 to negative pressure. Furthermore, in step S80, the location change nozzle internal pressure control unit 225 switches valves 93 and 94 to apply positive pressure to the interior of the location change nozzle 81. Specifically, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 225 supplies air to the interior of the nozzle 81 by switching valves 93 and 94, thereby creating a positive pressure inside the nozzle 81. The gel ball 101 is held by suction in the nozzle 51.

Furthermore, in step S80, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 225 may also switch valves 93 and 94 to remove the pressure inside the nozzle 81 and return it to atmospheric pressure. Specifically, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 225 opens the interior of the nozzle 81 to the atmosphere by switching valve 94, thereby returning the interior of the nozzle 81 to atmospheric pressure.

In step S81, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle driver 53 to raise the nozzle 51 (restoring its position in the Z-axis direction). As shown in Figure 12(E), the gel ball 101 is attracted and held by the nozzle 51, leaving the intended location and changing the nozzle. 81

In step S82, the nozzle position and posture control unit 224 drives the nozzle driver 82 or the nozzle driver 84 to restore the position and posture of the nozzle 81. For example, as shown in FIG12(F), the nozzle 81 is restored so that its opening 81a faces upward and its longitudinal direction is along the Z axis.

In step S83, the storage control unit 228 updates the used area of the gel ball 101 stored in the used area storage unit 242.

If it is determined in step S72 that there is no unused portion of the gel ball 101 held by the nozzle 51, the process proceeds to step S84. In step S84, the gel ball disposal process is performed. Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating the details of the gel ball disposal process.

In step S101, the workpiece stage drive control unit 221 drives the workpiece stage drive unit 24 to displace the workpiece stage 23, thereby moving the waste bin below the suction nozzle 51. In step S102, the suction nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the suction nozzle drive unit 53 to lower the suction nozzle 51, allowing the lower end of the gel ball 101 to enter the waste bin.

In step S103, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 switches valves 63 and 64 to apply positive pressure to the interior of the nozzle 51. Specifically, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 supplies air to the interior of the nozzle 51 by switching valves 63 and 64, thereby maintaining a positive pressure inside the nozzle 51. This causes the gel balls 101 to be placed in the waste bin.

In step S104, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle driver 53 to restore the height of the nozzle 51. This completes the gel ball disposal process, and the process returns to step S84, where the location of the gel ball to be used is changed.

Returning to Figure 11 , after the gel ball disposal process in step S84, the process proceeds to step S85 to perform the gel ball installation process described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 10 . After step S85 , the process returns to step S23 of Figure 9 , which is the foreign matter removal process.

After step S83, the process returns to step S23 of the foreign object removal process in Figure 9. The process then proceeds to step S24, where the determination unit 226 refers to the image processing results of step S15 to determine whether any foreign objects remain on the surface (top surface) of the image sensor 41. If a foreign object is determined to still exist in step S24, the process returns to step S17, repeating the above process to remove the next foreign object.

If it is determined in step S24 that no foreign matter is present, the process proceeds to step S25, where the determination unit 226 references the stored list of image sensors 41 from which foreign matter has been removed to determine whether any image sensors 41 from which foreign matter has not been removed exist. If it is determined in step S25 that any image sensors 41 from which foreign matter has not been removed exist, the process returns to step S12 and repeats the aforementioned process to remove the foreign matter from the next image sensor 41.

If it is determined in step S16 that there is no foreign object, there is no need to remove the foreign object from the image sensor 41 that has captured the surface, so the process proceeds to step S25.

If it is determined in step S25 that there is no image sensor 41 that has not yet removed any foreign matter, the foreign matter removal process is terminated.

Next, we will explain another method for changing the site where the gel balls are to be used.

Figure 14 is a flowchart detailing the process of changing the area where the gel balls are to be used. The process from steps S121 to S123 is identical to the process from steps S71 to S73 in Figure 11 , and therefore their description will be omitted.

In step S124, the workpiece stage drive control unit 221 drives the workpiece stage drive unit 24 to move the use location change stage 25 below the suction nozzle 51. More specifically, in step S124, the workpiece stage drive control unit 221 drives the workpiece stage drive unit 24 to move the use location change nozzle 81 below the suction nozzle 51. As a result, the opening 51a at the lower end of the suction nozzle 51 and the opening 81a at the upper end of the use location change nozzle 81 face each other, sandwiching the gel ball 101. Figures 15 (A) to 15 (G) are diagrams illustrating the change of the use location of the gel ball. For example, in step S124, as shown in FIG12(A), the workpiece stage drive control unit 221 drives the workpiece stage drive unit 24 to move the location change nozzle 81 below the nozzle 51.

In step S125, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle driver 52 to tilt the nozzle 51 so that the portion of the gel ball 101 held by the nozzle 51, where it will be used, is located downward. For example, in step S125, as shown in FIG12(B), the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle driver 52 to tilt the nozzle 51 so that the right side of the gel ball 101 in FIG12(A) is located downward.

In this way, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 causes the nozzle drive unit 52 to drive the nozzle 51 to change the usage location and change the relative angular position of the opening 81a of the nozzle 81 and the opening 51a of the nozzle 51.

In step S126, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle drive unit 53 to lower the nozzle 51 while maintaining its tilt, so that the distance from the lower end of the surface of the gel ball 101 to the opening 81a at the upper end of the application site change nozzle 81 reaches a predetermined distance.

For example, in step S126, as shown in FIG15(C), the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 lowers the nozzle 51 while maintaining its tilt, so that the lower end of the surface of the gel ball 101 contacts the opening 81a at the upper end of the application site change nozzle 81. For example, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 lowers the nozzle 51 so that the distance from the lower end of the surface of the gel ball 101 to the opening 81a at the upper end of the application site change nozzle 81 is such that the upper end of the application site change nozzle 81 and the lower end of the surface of the gel ball 101 can completely intersect, either in contact or not.

In step S127, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 switches valves 63 and 64 to apply positive pressure to the interior of the nozzle 51. Specifically, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 supplies air to the interior of the nozzle 51 by switching valves 63 and 64, thereby setting the interior of the nozzle 51 to a positive pressure. Furthermore, in step S127, the location change nozzle internal pressure control unit 225 switches valves 93 and 94 to apply negative pressure to the interior of the location change nozzle 81. Specifically, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 225 switches valves 93 and 94 to connect the piping connected to the interior of the nozzle 81 to the vacuum pump 91, creating a negative pressure inside the nozzle 81. This allows the gel ball 101 to be attracted and held in the nozzle 81.

Alternatively, in step S127, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 may switch valves 63 and 64 to remove the pressure inside the nozzle 51 and return it to atmospheric pressure. Specifically, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 switches valve 64 to open the interior of the nozzle 51 to the atmosphere, thereby returning the interior of the nozzle 51 to atmospheric pressure.

In step S128, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle driver 53 to raise the nozzle 51 while maintaining its tilt (restoring its position in the Z-axis direction). As shown in Figure 15(D), the gel ball 101 leaves the nozzle 51 and is held by the workpiece change nozzle 81. Furthermore, in step S128, the workpiece stage driver control unit 221 can also drive the workpiece stage driver 24 to displace the workpiece stage 23, thereby changing the position of the lower end of the nozzle 51 relative to the upper end of the workpiece change nozzle 81.

In step S129, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle driver 52 to position the nozzle 51 vertically. In step S129, as shown in FIG15(E), the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle driver 52 to position the nozzle 51 vertically so that an imaginary straight line along the longitudinal direction of the nozzle 51 is along the Z axis.

In step S130, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle drive unit 53 to lower the nozzle 51 so that the distance between the lower end of the nozzle 51, that is, the opening 51a, and the gel ball 101 is a predetermined distance. For example, in step S130, as shown in FIG15(F), the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 lowers the nozzle 51 so that the opening 51a at the lower end of the nozzle 51 contacts the upper end of the surface of the gel ball 101. For example, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 lowers the nozzle 51 so that the distance from the lower end of the nozzle 51 to the upper end of the surface of the gel ball 101 is such that the lower end of the nozzle 51 and the upper end of the surface of the gel ball 101 can completely intersect, either in contact or not.

In step S131, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 switches valves 63 and 64 to apply negative pressure to the interior of the nozzle 51. Specifically, by switching valves 63 and 64, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 223 connects the piping connected to the interior of the nozzle 51 to the vacuum pump 61, thereby creating a negative pressure inside the nozzle 51. Furthermore, in step S131, the location change nozzle internal pressure control unit 225 switches valves 93 and 94 to apply positive pressure to the interior of the location change nozzle 81. Specifically, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 225 switches valves 93 and 94 to supply air to the interior of the nozzle 81, creating a positive pressure inside the nozzle 81. This allows the gel ball 101 to be attracted and held by the nozzle 51.

Furthermore, in step S131, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 225 may also switch valves 93 and 94 to remove the pressure inside the nozzle 81 and return it to atmospheric pressure. Specifically, the nozzle internal pressure control unit 225 opens the interior of the nozzle 81 to the atmosphere by switching valve 94, thereby returning the interior of the nozzle 81 to atmospheric pressure.

In step S132, the nozzle position and posture control unit 222 drives the nozzle drive unit 53 to raise the nozzle 51 (restoring its position in the Z-axis direction). As shown in Figure 15(G), the gel ball 101 is sucked and held by the nozzle 51 and moves away from the use site to change the nozzle 81.

In step S133, the storage control unit 228 updates the used areas of the gel balls 101 stored in the used area storage unit 242.

If it is determined in step S122 that there are no unused portions of the gel ball 101 held by the nozzle 51, the process proceeds to step S134. In step S134, the gel ball disposal process described with reference to the flowchart in FIG13 is performed. In step S135, the gel ball installation process described with reference to the flowchart in FIG10 is performed. After step S135, the process returns to step S23 of FIG9 for the foreign matter removal process.

Furthermore, after step S133, the process returns to step S23 of the foreign matter removal process in FIG9 .

This allows for more reliable removal of foreign matter with a simpler structure while further reducing costs.

The entire surface of the gel ball 101 can be used to remove foreign matter. There is no need to attach a rod to the gel ball 101.

When removing foreign matter from the surface of the image sensor 41, there is no need to tilt the suction nozzle 51, thus avoiding interference with surrounding components of the image sensor 41.

Since the gel balls 101 only need to be arranged on the tray 31, there is no need for complicated mechanisms such as replacing gel sticks, and this can be achieved inexpensively with a simple structure.

Used gel balls 101 can be easily recycled.

Furthermore, the case where the foreign matter removal device 11 removes foreign matter from the image sensor 41, which is a solid-state imaging device, as an example of a semiconductor device has been described. However, the device is not limited to this and can be used to remove foreign matter from various semiconductor devices, such as memory or signal processing integrated circuits, digital or analog integrated circuits, or power semiconductor devices.

Furthermore, the foreign matter removal device 11 can target optical parts such as lenses, glass filters, mirrors, or objects that are sensitive to minute foreign matter and remove foreign matter from the target objects.

Furthermore, the gel balls 101 are described as being arranged on a tray 31, but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be housed in a container such as a cassette, for example, a container with a lid.

Furthermore, while the workpiece stage drive unit 24 has been described as driving the workpiece stage 23 to change its position in the X-axis or Y-axis directions, the present invention is not limited thereto. A drive unit may also be provided to displace the gel ball processing unit 21 and the image inspection unit 22 in the X-axis or Y-axis directions.

Moreover, the workpiece carrier 23 is driven by the workpiece carrier 23 to change the position of the workpiece carrier 23 along the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction. However, this is not limited to the above. The workpiece carrier 23 can also be driven to change the position of the workpiece carrier 23 along the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction or the Z-axis direction. For example, in step S19, step S44, step S75, step S79, step S102, step S126, or step S130, the workpiece stage drive control unit 221 may drive the workpiece stage drive unit 24 to raise the position of the workpiece stage 23 relative to the suction nozzle 51. Furthermore, in step S20, step S46, step S77, step S81, step S104, step S128, or step S132, the workpiece stage drive control unit 221 may drive the workpiece stage drive unit 24 to lower the position of the workpiece stage 23 relative to the suction nozzle 51.

Furthermore, the description describes a case where the location of the gel ball 101 to be applied is changed when the number of times the gel ball 101 contacts the image sensor 41 reaches a predetermined number. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, the adhesion force of the gel ball 101 to the image sensor 41 may be detected, and the location of the gel ball 101 to be applied may be changed when the adhesion force becomes weaker than a predetermined value.

In this way, the foreign matter removal device 11 removes foreign matter adhering to the surface of a target object, such as a semiconductor device or optical component. The suction nozzle 51 is cylindrical with a circular opening 51a formed at its lower end. By setting the internal pressure to a negative relative to atmospheric pressure, a gel ball 101, an example of particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic material, is attracted and held in the opening 51a. The workpiece stage 23 holds the image sensor 41, an example of a target object. The nozzle driver 53 drives the suction nozzle 51, pressing the gel ball 101 held in the nozzle 51 against the foreign matter. The workpiece carrier drive unit 24 drives the workpiece carrier 23 to press the gel ball 101 held by the suction nozzle 51 against the foreign matter.

The vacuum pump 61, valve 63, and valve 64 change the internal pressure of the suction nozzle 51 to either negative pressure or atmospheric pressure.

Furthermore, foreign matter removal device 11 removes foreign matter by pressing gel balls 101, an example of particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic body, against the surface of an object such as a semiconductor device or optical component. Suction nozzle 51 is cylindrical with a circular first opening at its lower end. By maintaining negative internal pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, gel balls 101, an example of particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic body, are attracted to and retained in the first opening. The nozzle for changing the use site 81 is formed into a cylindrical shape with a circular second opening formed at the upper end. By setting the internal pressure to a negative pressure relative to the atmospheric pressure, the gel balls 101, which are an example of particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic body, are adsorbed and retained at the second opening. The nozzle drive unit 53 drives the nozzle 51 or the nozzle for changing the use site 81 so that the second opening of the nozzle for changing the use site 81 approaches or moves away from the first opening of the nozzle 51. The nozzle drive unit 52 drives the nozzle 51 to change the relative angular position of the second opening of the nozzle for changing the use site 81 and the first opening of the nozzle 51. The nozzle drive unit 82 or the nozzle drive unit 84 drives the use position change nozzle 81 to change the relative angular position between the second opening of the use position change nozzle 81 and the first opening of the nozzle 51.

The nozzle driving unit 53 can drive the nozzle 51 to press the gel ball 101 held in the nozzle 51 against the foreign matter.

The nozzle driver 53 drives the nozzle 51 to press the gel ball 101 held by the nozzle 51 against foreign matter, and the workpiece stage driver 24 drives the workpiece stage 23 to change its position relative to the position of the nozzle 51.

The nozzle driving unit 52 can drive the nozzle 51 so as to change the angle between an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical nozzle 51 and an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical usage location change nozzle 81.

The workpiece stage drive unit 24 drives the workpiece stage 23 to change the position of the workpiece stage 23 relative to the position of the suction nozzle 51.

The nozzle drive unit 82 can drive the location change nozzle 81 to change the angle between an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical nozzle 51 and an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical location change nozzle 81.

The tray 31 holds gel balls 101, which are an example of adhesive gel-like elastic particles. The suction nozzle 51 suctions and holds the gel balls 101, which are an example of adhesive gel-like elastic particles placed on the tray 31, at the opening 51a.

The nozzle drive unit 84 can drive the location change nozzle 81 to change the rotation angle about an imaginary straight line passing through the center of the second opening and extending along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical location change nozzle 81.

Image inspection unit 22 captures the surface of image sensor 41, an example of an object. Image processing unit 230 detects the location of foreign matter adhering to the surface of image sensor 41, an example of an object, based on the captured image. Nozzle driver 53 presses gel ball 101, an example of a particle, held by nozzle 51 to the location of the foreign matter detected by image processing unit 230.

A vacuum pump 61, a valve 63, and a valve 64 may be provided to change the internal pressure of the suction nozzle 51 to either negative pressure or atmospheric pressure.

The diameter of the circular opening 51a of the suction nozzle 51 can be made smaller than the diameter of the particles.

The vacuum pump 61, valve 63, and valve 64 change the internal pressure of the suction nozzle 51 to either negative pressure, positive pressure, or atmospheric pressure.

A vacuum pump 91, valve 93, and valve 94 may be provided to change the internal pressure of the nozzle 81 to either negative pressure or atmospheric pressure.

The vacuum pump 91, valve 93, and valve 94 change the internal pressure of the nozzle 81 to negative pressure, positive pressure, or atmospheric pressure.

Furthermore, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to the above-described implementation, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

21: Gel ball processing unit

51: Nozzle

41: Image sensor

101: Gel Ball

X, Y, Z: Axes

Claims (11)

A foreign matter removal device removes foreign matter by pressing particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic material against the surface of an object such as a semiconductor device or optical component. The device comprises: a first holding member having a cylindrical shape with a first circular opening formed at a lower end, wherein the internal pressure is set to negative relative to atmospheric pressure, thereby adsorbing and retaining the particles of the adhesive gel-like elastic material at the first opening; a second holding member having a cylindrical shape with a second circular opening formed at an upper end, wherein the internal pressure is set to negative relative to atmospheric pressure, thereby adsorbing and retaining the particles of the adhesive gel-like elastic material at the second opening; A first driving component drives the first retaining component or the second retaining component to move the second opening of the second retaining component closer to or farther away from the first opening of the first retaining component; and a second driving component drives the first retaining component or the second retaining component to change the relative angular position of the second opening of the second retaining component and the first opening of the first retaining component. The foreign matter removal device of claim 1, wherein: The first driving member drives the first retaining member to press the particles retained by the first retaining member toward the foreign matter. The foreign body removal device according to claim 1, wherein the second driving member drives the first holding member to change the angle between an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the first cylindrical holding member and an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the second cylindrical holding member. The foreign body removal device according to claim 1, wherein the second driving member drives the second holding member to change the angle between an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the first cylindrical holding member and an imaginary straight line extending along the longitudinal direction of the second cylindrical holding member. The foreign body removal device according to claim 1, wherein the second driving member drives the second retaining member to change the angle of rotation about an imaginary straight line extending through the center of the second opening and along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical second retaining member as a central axis. The foreign body removal device according to claim 1, wherein the internal pressure changing member changes the internal pressure inside the first retaining member to either negative pressure or atmospheric pressure. The foreign body removal device of claim 6, wherein: The internal pressure changing member changes the internal pressure inside the first retaining member to any one of negative pressure, positive pressure, or atmospheric pressure. The foreign body removal device of claim 1, wherein the internal pressure changing member changes the internal pressure inside the second retaining member to either negative pressure or atmospheric pressure. The foreign body removal device of claim 8, wherein the internal pressure changing member changes the internal pressure inside the second retaining member to any one of negative pressure, positive pressure, or atmospheric pressure. A foreign body removal method is performed using a foreign body removal device, the foreign body removal device comprising: a first holding member formed into a cylindrical shape with a circular first opening formed at a lower end portion, wherein the internal pressure inside the cylindrical shape is set to a negative pressure relative to the atmospheric pressure, thereby adsorbing and retaining particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic body at the first opening; a second holding member formed into a cylindrical shape with a circular second opening formed at an upper end portion, wherein the internal pressure inside the cylindrical shape is set to a negative pressure relative to the atmospheric pressure, thereby adsorbing and retaining the particles of the adhesive gel-like elastic body at the second opening; a first driving member driving the first driving member A first holding member or a second holding member is used to move the second opening of the second holding member closer to or farther from the first opening of the first holding member; and a second driving member is used to drive the first holding member or the second holding member to change the relative angular position of the second opening of the second holding member and the first opening of the first holding member. The foreign matter removal device presses the particles of the adhesive gel-like elastic body against foreign matter attached to the surface of an object such as a semiconductor device or an optical component to remove the foreign matter. The foreign matter removal method includes the following steps: The particles held by the adhesive gel-like elastic material on the first holding member are then held by the second holding member; the relative angular position of the second opening of the second holding member and the first opening of the first holding member is changed; and the particles held by the adhesive gel-like elastic material on the second holding member are then held by the first holding member. A non-transitory storage medium capable of being read by a computer and storing a program for causing the computer controlling a foreign matter removal device to execute a process. The foreign matter removal device comprises: a first holding member formed in a cylindrical shape with a first circular opening formed at a lower end, wherein the internal pressure is set to negative relative to atmospheric pressure, thereby adsorbing and retaining particles of an adhesive gel-like elastic body at the first opening; a second holding member formed in a cylindrical shape with a second circular opening formed at an upper end, wherein the internal pressure is set to negative relative to atmospheric pressure, thereby adsorbing and retaining the particles of the adhesive gel-like elastic body at the second opening; and a first driving member that drives the first holding member to move the first holding member. The foreign matter removal device comprises a first holding member or a second holding member for moving the second opening of the second holding member closer to or farther from the first opening of the first holding member; and a second driving member for driving the first holding member or the second holding member to change the relative angular position of the second opening of the second holding member and the first opening of the first holding member, wherein the foreign matter removal device presses the particles of the adhesive gel-like elastic body against foreign matter attached to the surface of an object such as a semiconductor element or an optical component to remove the foreign matter. The treatment includes the following steps: Causing the particles, which are held by the adhesive gel-like elastic material adsorbed on the first holding member, to be adsorbed on the second holding member; Changing the relative angular position of the second opening of the second holding member and the first opening of the first holding member; and Causing the particles, which are held by the adhesive gel-like elastic material adsorbed on the second holding member, to be adsorbed on the first holding member.