TWI909076B - Resin sealing device and resin sealing method - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention provides a resin sealing device and a resin sealing method that can suppress the warping of molded articles and improve their quality. The resin sealing device 1 of this invention uses a sealing mold 202 including an upper mold 204 and a lower mold 206 to seal a workpiece W with resin and process it into a molded article Wp. The resin sealing device includes: a plurality of heating chambers 402 for post-curing of the molded article Wp; and a conveying device 102 for moving the molded article Wp into and out of the heating chambers 402 relative to the heating chambers 402. The heating chambers 402 are configured to be individually set to arbitrary indoor temperatures.

Description

Resin sealing device and resin sealing method

This invention relates to a resin sealing device and a resin sealing method.

Examples of resin sealing devices and methods for molding workpieces with electronic components mounted on a substrate by sealing them with a sealing resin (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "resin") are known, including those using transfer molding or compression molding.

The transfer molding method is as follows (refer to Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 5716227): a can is provided to supply a specific amount of resin to the sealing areas (cavities) of the two upper and lower molds of a sealing mold comprising an upper mold and a lower mold; workpieces are respectively arranged at positions corresponding to each sealing area; and resin sealing is performed by clamping the upper and lower molds and injecting resin from the can into the mold cavity. Alternatively, the compression molding method is as follows: a specific amount of resin is supplied to the sealing areas (cavities) of the sealing mold comprising an upper mold and a lower mold; workpieces are arranged in the sealing areas; and resin sealing is performed by clamping the upper and lower molds. As an example, when using a sealed mold with a cavity in the upper mold, techniques are known such as supplying resin to the center of the workpiece simultaneously for molding. On the other hand, when using a sealed mold with a cavity in the lower mold, techniques are known such as supplying a film and resin covering the mold surface containing the cavity for molding.

[Existing technical literature]

[Patent Documents]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 5716227

For example, in the case of resin sealing of plate-shaped workpieces such as wafers, the larger the workpiece, the more easily warping occurs in the sealed (formed) product, making its suppression a problem. To address this problem, in the prior resin sealing apparatus illustrated in Patent 1, resin curing based on heat and pressure is performed within a sealing mold. After the product is removed from the sealing mold, it is placed in a post-curing oven (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "oven") installed within the apparatus for post-curing (also called after-cure), thereby suppressing warping. Furthermore, structures where the oven is located outside the resin sealing apparatus are also known.

Here, the warping of the molded product increases with temperature (decrease), so ideally, post-curing should be performed as quickly as possible after the product is removed from the sealed mold. However, in the post-curing step, which is the next step after the resin sealing step, the temperature begins to decrease from the moment the product is removed from the resin sealing device until the molded product is placed in the oven, thus the temperature continues to decrease, resulting in increased warping. This is especially pronounced when the oven is located outside the resin sealing device.

Furthermore, the post-curing step is not simply about heating the molded product; it's crucial to appropriately set the post-curing conditions (temperature, time, etc.) based on the material and shape of the product.

This invention was made in view of the aforementioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a resin sealing device and a resin sealing method that, by implementing appropriate post-curing corresponding to the molded article, can suppress warping of the molded article caused by a drop in temperature after molding, thereby improving molding quality.

This invention solves the aforementioned problem by means of a solution described below as an embodiment.

The resin sealing device of this invention uses a sealing mold including an upper mold and a lower mold to seal a workpiece with resin, thereby processing it into a molded article. The resin sealing device includes: multiple heating chambers for post-curing of the molded article; and a conveying device for moving the molded article into and out of the heating chambers, wherein each heating chamber is configured to be individually set to an arbitrary internal temperature.

Accordingly, the system includes multiple heating chambers for post-curing of molded parts, each with a separately set temperature. A molded part can be moved into each chamber in a predetermined order and continuously cured for different durations at different temperatures. This allows for finer post-curing, effectively suppressing warping and other defects, thus improving the quality of the molded product.

Alternatively, it is preferable to include one or more ovens, each with multiple heating chambers internally. Accordingly, the temperature can be set on a unit basis for each heating chamber within the oven. Furthermore, since the temperature can also be set uniformly throughout the entire oven, the number of ovens required can be reduced, thereby achieving simplification and miniaturization of the structure based on the commonality of components.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the oven has at least a first heating chamber and a second heating chamber spaced apart from each other as heating chambers, and is configured such that the internal temperature of the first heating chamber and the internal temperature of the second heating chamber can be set to either the same temperature or different temperatures. Accordingly, if multiple heating chambers are set to different internal temperatures, the molded articles can be moved sequentially for fine post-curing, thus improving the quality of the molded articles. On the other hand, if multiple heating chambers are set to the same internal temperature, a large number of molded articles can be post-cured simultaneously.

Furthermore, the resin sealing method of this invention uses a sealing mold including an upper mold and a lower mold to seal a workpiece with electronic components mounted on a substrate using resin, thereby processing it into a molded article. The resin sealing method includes a post-curing step for post-curing the molded article. This post-curing step includes: selecting a first to an nth heating chamber from a plurality of heating chambers according to post-curing conditions pre-set by the molded article, and determining the order in which they are used; adjusting the internal temperature of each of the first to the nth heating chambers to a set temperature; and moving the molded article into, post-curing, and removing it from the first to the nth heating chambers in the stated order, where n is greater than or equal to 2.

According to this invention, appropriate and meticulous post-curing can be performed on the molded article. Therefore, warping of the molded article caused by temperature drop after molding can be suppressed, thereby improving molding quality.

1: Resin sealing device

100A:Transfer unit

100B: Workpiece Feeding Unit

100C: Resin Supply Unit

100D: Pressing Unit

100E: Post-curing unit

100F: Molded Parts Storage Unit

100G: Control Unit

102: Conveying Device

104: Guide Rail

106: Base section

108: Maintaining Mobility (Multi-Joint Robot)

108A: Vertical Moving Part

108a: Adsorption pores

108B: Horizontal Rotating Unit

108b, 230a, 230b, 230c, 240a: Suction path

108C: Hands

110: Workpiece Memory

112: Molded Product Storage Container

150: Control Department

152: Operations Department

202: Sealing Mold

204: Upper mold

204a: Mold Surface

205: Workpiece Holding Part

206: Lower mold

208: Mold Cavity

210: Transfer Loader

222:On the board

224: Lower plate

226: Cavity Insert

228: Clamping Device

232: Force-applying components

234: Sealing Components

236: Holding Plate

250: Membrane suppliers

252: Rollout Section

254: Rolled Section

312: Distributor

314: Syringe

316: Syringe Supply Department

400: Oven

400A: First Oven

400B: Second Oven

402: Heating Chamber

402Aa: First heating chamber

402Ab: Second Heating Chamber

402Ba: First Heating Chamber

402Bb: Second heating chamber

410: Molded article holding section

412: Inner Gate

412a: Opening section

414: Baffle

F: Release membrane (membrane)

W: Workpiece (the part to be formed)

Wa: Substrate (glass or metal tray)

Wb: Electronic components

Wp: Molded product

Figure 1 is a plan view showing an example of a resin sealing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side view showing an example of the retaining movement mechanism of the resin seal device of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view showing an example of the hand-holding mechanism of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the sealing mold for the resin sealing device of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of an example oven with the resin sealing device of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of an example oven with the resin sealing device of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the post-curing conditions in the resin sealant of Figure 1.

(Overall structure)

The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a plan view (schematic view) showing an example of the resin sealing device 1 of the present embodiment. Furthermore, for ease of explanation, arrows are sometimes used in the figures to indicate the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions of the resin sealing device 1. Additionally, in all the figures used to explain each embodiment, components with the same function are labeled with the same symbols, and sometimes repeated descriptions are omitted.

This embodiment of the resin sealing device 1 is a device for sealing a workpiece (molded article) W with resin using a sealing mold 202 including an upper mold 204 and a lower mold 206. Hereinafter, a compression molding device will be used as an example to describe the resin sealing device 1. The compression molding device holds the workpiece W using the lower mold 206, and covers the mold cavity 208 (including a portion of the mold surface 204a) provided in the upper mold 204 with a release film (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "film"). A clamping action is performed between the mold surface 204a of the upper mold 204 and the mold surface 206a of the lower mold 206, thereby sealing the workpiece W with resin.

First, the workpiece W, the object of forming, includes the following structure: multiple electronic components Wb are matrix-mounted on a substrate Wa. More specifically, examples of the substrate Wa include: resin substrates, ceramic substrates, metal substrates, carrier plates, lead frames, wafers, and other plate-shaped components formed in rectangular, circular, or other shapes. Examples of electronic components Wb include semiconductor chips, microelectromechanical system (MEMS) chips, passive components, heat sinks, conductive components, spacers, etc. However, it is not limited to these.

Examples of methods for mounting electronic components Wb on a substrate Wa include wire bonding and flip chip mounting. Alternatively, in cases where the self-molded part Wp is peeled off from the substrate Wa (a glass or metal tray) after resin sealing, the following methods can be used: attaching the electronic component Wb using heat-peelable adhesive tape or UV-curable resin that is cured by UV irradiation.

On the other hand, as an example of a resin, a liquid thermosetting resin (e.g., an epoxy resin containing fillers) can be used. Furthermore, the resin is not limited to the aforementioned state and can be in granular (used as a general term for granules, pulverized, powdered, etc.), plate-like, flake-like, or other states (shapes), and can also be a resin other than an epoxy thermosetting resin.

Furthermore, as an example of membrane F, membrane materials with excellent heat resistance, ease of peeling, flexibility, and extensibility can be preferably used, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) (a polytetrafluoroethylene polymer), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), fluorinated glass cloth, polypropylene, and polyvinylidene chloride. In this embodiment, a roller-shaped membrane can be used as membrane F. Furthermore, as another example, a structure using a short strip-shaped membrane (not shown) can also be used.

Next, a general description of the resin sealing device 1 of this embodiment will be given. As shown in Figure 1, the resin sealing device 1 includes the following components as its main structure: a conveying unit 100A, mainly for conveying the workpiece W and the molded product Wp; a workpiece feeding unit 100B, mainly for feeding the workpiece W; a resin feeding unit 100C, mainly for feeding resin; a pressing unit 100D, mainly for processing the molded product Wp while performing resin sealing on the workpiece W; a post-curing unit 100E, mainly for post-curing the molded product Wp after resin sealing; a molded product storage unit 100F, mainly for storing the post-cured molded product Wp; and a control unit 100G, mainly for controlling each mechanism and each step.

In this embodiment, the conveying unit 100A is positioned at the center of the device, and each unit is arranged to surround the conveying unit 100A. Specifically, a workpiece supply unit 100B, a resin supply unit 100C, and a molded product storage unit 100F are arranged on the front side of the conveying unit 100A. A pressing unit 100D is arranged on the rear side of the conveying unit 100A. A post-curing unit 100E is arranged on the right and right front side of the conveying unit 100A. A control unit 100G is arranged on the right rear side of the conveying unit 100A. However, the structure is not limited to the described structure.

Furthermore, the resin sealing device 1 can have its overall structure modified by changing the structure of its units. For example, the structure shown in Figure 1 is an example with two pressing units 100D, but it can also be configured with only one pressing unit 100D or with three or more pressing units 100D. Additionally, it is also possible to add other units (not shown).

(Transportation Unit)

First, the conveying unit 100A included in the resin sealing device 1 will be explained.

The conveying unit 100A includes a conveying device 102 for conveying workpieces W and molded products Wp. As an example, the conveying device 102 includes the following components: a guide rail 104, a base portion 106 that moves back and forth along the guide rail 104 in a specific direction (for example, left-right), and a holding and moving mechanism 108 fixed to the base portion 106 for holding and moving the workpiece W and molded product Wp. Thus, it is possible to hold the workpiece W or the molded product Wp, and to perform inter-unit conveying and conveying into and out of various mechanisms.

In this embodiment, a multi-joint robot is included as a holding and moving mechanism 108. As shown in FIG2, the holding and moving mechanism 108 includes: a vertical moving part 108A capable of moving in the vertical direction; a horizontal moving rotating part 108B capable of moving and rotating in the horizontal plane; and a hand 108C disposed at the front end of the horizontal moving rotating part 108B for holding the workpiece W and the shaped article Wp. Furthermore, a servo motor (not shown) or similar device can be used to drive the vertical moving part 108A and the horizontal moving rotating part 108B.

Additionally, as shown in Figure 3, the hand 108C includes the following structure: it has an adsorption hole 108a and a suction path 108b communicating with it, which adsorbs and holds the workpiece W and the molded article Wp on one side (e.g., the lower surface). However, it is not limited to this; it can be configured with a chuck to clamp and hold the workpiece W and the molded article Wp, etc. (not shown). Furthermore, the hand 108C can also be configured to rotate relative to the horizontally moving rotating part 108B (either rotation around a vertical axis or rotation around a horizontal axis, or one of both) (not shown).

Furthermore, the motion-holding mechanism 108 is not limited to the multi-joint robot described above, but may also include known loading devices (not shown).

(Workpiece supply unit)

Next, the workpiece supply unit 100B included in the resin sealing device 1 will be described.

The workpiece supply unit 100B includes a work stocker 110 for accommodating workpieces W. As an example, the work stocker 110 may use a known stack magazine, slotted magazine, or similar material to accommodate multiple workpieces W simultaneously. The multiple workpieces W are then moved out one by one by a carrying and moving mechanism 108.

Furthermore, the workpiece supply unit 100B may also be equipped with the following structure: an inspection mechanism for visually inspecting workpiece W, or a workpiece heater for preheating workpiece W, etc. (neither shown in the figure).

In this embodiment, the workpiece W is transported to the unit where the next step is to be performed (here, the resin supply unit 100C) by the conveying device 102.

(Resin Supply Unit)

Next, the resin supply unit 100C included in the resin sealing device 1 will be described. In this resin supply unit 100C, resin is supplied (loaded) onto the workpiece W that is transported in from the workpiece supply unit 100B via the conveying device 102.

The resin supply unit 100C comprises the following components: a pair of dispensers 312 for spraying and supplying resin (here, liquid resin) from syringes 314 onto the workpiece W; and a revolver-type syringe supply unit 316 that holds multiple interchangeable syringes 314 rotatably between the pair of dispensers 312. Each dispenser 312 is configured to receive interchangeable syringes 314 sequentially from the shared syringe supply unit 316 while simultaneously spraying resin.

In this embodiment, the structure is configured such that resin is supplied to the workpiece W while it is held in the hand 108C of the holding and moving mechanism 108. However, this is not a limitation; the structure could also be configured such that the workpiece W is moved from the hand 108C to a dispensing table, and resin (not shown) is supplied to the workpiece W in that state. Furthermore, the resin is not limited to liquid resin; for example, the structure could also include, in the case of using granular resin, known granular resin reservoirs and granular resin dispensers (both not shown).

Furthermore, the resin supply unit 100C can also be equipped with the following structure: including a resin heater for preheating the resin, etc. (not shown).

In this embodiment, the workpiece W (containing resin) is transported by the conveying device 102 to the unit where the next step will be performed (here, the pressing unit 100D).

(Pressure unit)

Next, the pressing unit 100D included in the resin sealing device 1 will be described. In this pressing unit 100D, the workpiece W (containing resin) transported from the resin supply unit 100C by the conveying device 102 is resin-sealed.

The pressing unit 100D includes a sealing mold 202, which has a pair of molds that can be opened and closed (e.g., assembled from multiple mold blocks, mold plates, mold pillars, etc.). It also includes a conveying loader 210 for loading and unloading workpieces W and molded products Wp. This conveying loader 210 receives workpieces W from the conveying device 102 and conveys and transfers them to the sealing mold 202, and also receives molded products Wp from the sealing mold 202 and conveys and transfers them to the conveying device 102. Furthermore, known holding mechanisms (e.g., structures with holding claws for clamping, structures with suction holes communicating with a suction device for adsorption, etc.) can be used to hold the workpieces W and molded products Wp (not shown).

Additionally, the transfer loader 210 includes a heater (not shown) for heating the workpiece W and the molded article Wp. As an example, a known heating mechanism (e.g., an electric heating wire heater, an infrared heater, etc.) can be used for the heater. This allows for preheating before the workpiece W is transferred into the sealing mold 202 and heated. Furthermore, it helps to prevent temperature drop during the period before the molded article Wp is removed from the sealing mold 202 and handed over to the transfer device 102. Alternatively, a structure without a heater may also be used.

Furthermore, the sealing mold 202 of this embodiment includes an upper mold 204 on the upper side and a lower mold 206 on the lower side as a pair of molds in the vertical direction. The mold is configured to close and open by the upper mold 204 and the lower mold 206 approaching and moving away from each other. That is, the vertical direction (up and down direction) is the mold opening and closing direction.

Furthermore, the sealing mold 202 is opened and closed by a known mold opening and closing mechanism (not shown). For example, the mold opening and closing mechanism comprises: a pair of pressure plates, multiple connecting mechanisms (tie bars or columns) for mounting the pair of pressure plates, a drive source (e.g., an electric motor) for mobilizing (lifting) the pressure plates, and a drive transmission mechanism (e.g., a ball screw or toggle link) etc. (all not shown).

Here, the sealing mold 202 is disposed between a pair of pressure plates of the mold opening and closing mechanism. In this embodiment, the upper mold 204, which serves as the fixed mold, is assembled to the fixed pressure plate (fixed to the connecting mechanism), and the lower mold 206, which serves as the movable mold, is assembled to the movable pressure plate (a pressure plate that moves up and down along the connecting mechanism). However, the structure is not limited to this.

Next, the upper mold 204 of the sealing mold 202 will be described in detail. As shown in Figure 4, the upper mold 204 includes an upper plate 222, a mold cavity insert 226, a clamping device 228, etc., and is assembled from these parts. In this embodiment, a mold cavity 208 is provided on the lower surface of the upper mold 204 (the surface on the side of the lower mold 206).

More specifically, the cavity insert 226 is fixedly assembled relative to the lower surface of the upper plate 222. On the other hand, the clamp 228 is configured in a ring shape surrounding the cavity insert 226, and is assembled away from (floating) relative to the lower surface of the upper plate 222 and capable of vertical movement via a force-applying member 232. The cavity insert 226 forms the inner part (bottom) of the cavity 208, and the clamp 228 forms the side of the cavity 208. Furthermore, in this embodiment, one cavity 208 is provided on one upper mold 204. However, the structure is not limited to this; multiple cavities may also be provided side-by-side in the left-right (or front-back) direction.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, an adsorption mechanism is provided to draw and hold the membrane F supplied by the membrane supply mechanism 250 (described later) in the upper mold 204. As an example, this adsorption mechanism is connected to a suction device (not shown) via suction paths 230a and 230b passing through the clamp 228, and suction path 230c passing through the upper plate 222 and the mold cavity insert 226. Moreover, a sealing member 234 (e.g., an O-ring) is provided between the inner circumferential surface of the clamp 228 and the outer circumferential surface of the mold cavity insert 226.

Thus, by providing a film F covering the inner surface of the mold cavity 208 and a portion of the mold surface 204a of the upper mold 204, the resin portion on the upper surface of the molded article Wp can be easily peeled off, allowing the molded article Wp to be easily removed from the sealed mold 202 (upper mold 204).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, an upper mold heating mechanism is provided to heat the upper mold 204 to a specific temperature. This upper mold heating mechanism includes a heater (e.g., an electric heating wire heater), a temperature sensor, a power supply, etc. (all not shown), and heating is controlled by a control unit 150. As an example, the heater is configured as a mold base (not shown) built into the upper plate 222 or housing these parts, primarily applying heat to the entire upper mold 204 and the resin (described later). This adjusts and heats the upper mold 204 to a specific temperature (e.g., 100°C to 200°C).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a film supply mechanism 250 is provided, which feeds (supplyes) a roller-shaped film F without openings (holes) on its sheet surface into the sealing mold 202. The film supply mechanism 250 is configured such that unused film F is fed from the winding section 252 to the opened sealing mold 202, and after being used for resin sealing by the sealing mold 202, the used film F is wound by the winding section 254. Furthermore, the winding section 252 and the winding section 254 can also be arranged oppositely in the left-right direction (not shown).

Next, the lower mold 206 of the sealing mold 202 will be described in detail. As shown in Figure 4, the lower mold 206 includes a lower plate 224, a retaining plate 236, etc., and is assembled from these parts. Here, the retaining plate 236 is fixedly assembled relative to the upper surface of the lower plate 224 (the side surface of the upper mold 204).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a workpiece holding part 205 is provided, which holds the workpiece W at a specific position on the lower surface of the holding plate 236. As an example, the workpiece holding part 205 is connected to a suction device (not shown) via a suction path 240a that passes through the holding plate 236 and the lower plate 224. Alternatively, it can be configured with a holding claw (not shown) that clamps the outer periphery of the workpiece W, arranged parallel to the structure including the suction path 240a.

In this embodiment, the workpiece holding part 205 is provided in a lower mold 206, corresponding to the structure of the upper mold 204 (a structure with a mold cavity 208), to simultaneously seal the workpieces W with resin. However, this configuration is not limited to the above structure.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a lower mold heating mechanism is provided to heat the lower mold 206 to a specific temperature. This lower mold heating mechanism includes a heater (e.g., an electric heating wire heater), a temperature sensor, a power supply, etc. (all not shown), and heating is controlled by a control unit 150. As an example, the heater is configured as being built into the lower plate 224 or a mold base (not shown) that houses these parts, primarily applying heat to the lower mold 206 as a whole and the workpiece W. This adjusts and heats the lower mold 206 to a specific temperature (e.g., 100°C to 200°C).

In this embodiment, the resin-sealed molded article Wp is transported by the conveying device 102 to the unit where the next step is performed (here, the post-curing unit 100E).

(Post-curing unit)

Next, the post-curing unit 100E included in the resin sealing device 1 will be described. In the post-curing unit 100E, the molded article Wp, which is conveyed into the self-pressing unit 100D, is post-cured by the conveying device 102.

The post-curing unit 100E includes multiple heating chambers 402, each containing a molded article Wp conveyed by the conveying device 102, which is then post-cured by heating at a set temperature. These multiple heating chambers 402 are configured to be individually set to arbitrary internal temperatures. With this structure, including multiple heating chambers 402, each with a different set temperature, a molded article Wp can be conveyed into each heating chamber 402 in a predetermined sequence, and post-curing can be performed continuously at different temperatures for different durations. Therefore, fine post-curing can be achieved, particularly suppressing warping and other defects, thus improving the quality of the molded product.

As described above, when multiple heating chambers 402 are provided, it is preferable to configure an oven (post-curing oven) 400 comprising one or more ovens 400 each having multiple heating chambers 402. According to this structure, the temperature can be set on a unit basis for each heating chamber in the oven 400. Furthermore, if necessary, the temperature can also be set uniformly throughout the entire oven. In addition, compared to the structure of an oven using multiple heating chambers in one chamber, the simplification and miniaturization of the structure due to the commonality of parts can be achieved.

In this embodiment, the structure includes multiple (two in one example) ovens 400, each having multiple (two in one example) heating chambers 402. Specifically, the first oven 400A has a first heating chamber 402Aa and a second heating chamber 402Ab spaced apart from each other. The second oven 400B has a first heating chamber 402Ba and a second heating chamber 402Bb spaced apart from each other. Furthermore, the number of ovens 400 is not limited to two, and the number of heating chambers 402 in each oven 400 is not limited to two. As shown in Figure 1, the multiple ovens include a first oven 400A with multiple heating chambers arranged in a row and a second oven 400B with multiple heating chambers arranged in a row. The heating chambers of the first oven 400A are located at one end of the guide rail 104, and the heating chambers of the second oven 400B are arranged in a row along a direction that intersects the direction in which the heating chambers of the first oven 400A are arranged.

Here, the structure of the oven 400 will be explained using Figure 5 (cross-sectional view along line V-V of Figure 1) and Figure 6 (cross-sectional view along line VI-VI of Figure 5). Furthermore, the structure of the first oven 400A will be used as an example for explanation, but the structure of the second oven 400B is the same. As described above, the first oven 400A has two mutually spaced heating chambers 402 (first heating chamber 402Aa, second heating chamber 402Ab). The basic structure of each heating chamber 402 is the same, and within each chamber, narrow-slit molded article holding portions 410 are arranged at specific intervals in the vertical direction. Additionally, a heater (not shown) is provided that can adjust the temperature of the chamber to a specific temperature (for example, a range of 50°C to 250°C). In this way, the molded article holding part 410 can hold the molded article Wp that has been moved into the chamber and heat it at a specific temperature (post-curing). For example, six molded article holding parts 410 are provided in each heating chamber 402. Furthermore, known heating mechanisms (e.g., electric heating wire heaters, armored heaters, etc.) can be used for the heater. However, it is not limited to these structures.

In addition, each heating chamber 402 is provided with an inner door 412 for moving the molded article Wp in and out. Corresponding to the molded article holding part 410, multiple (six in this case) openings 412a, each with an area allowing the molded article Wp to pass through, are formed within the inner door 412. Furthermore, a rotary baffle 414 is provided to open and close each opening 412a. According to this structure, by opening and closing the baffles 414 individually, the molded article Wp can be moved in and out of the heating chamber 402. Therefore, heat dissipation from the openings 412a can be suppressed, preventing a drop in temperature within the heating chamber 402.

In this embodiment, the first oven 400A is configured to set the indoor temperature of the first heating chamber 402Aa and the indoor temperature of the second heating chamber 402Ab to either the same temperature or a different temperature. Similarly, the second oven 400B is configured to set the indoor temperature of the first heating chamber 402Ba and the indoor temperature of the second heating chamber 402Bb to either the same temperature or a different temperature.

Based on this structure, various post-curing conditions can be set. Specifically, by setting multiple heating chambers 402 (four heating chambers in the example: first heating chamber 402Aa, second heating chamber 402Ab, first heating chamber 402Ba, and second heating chamber 402Bb) to different chamber temperatures, the molded product Wp can be moved sequentially for fine post-curing, thus improving the molding quality. On the other hand, by setting multiple heating chambers 402 to the same chamber temperature, a large number of molded products Wp can be post-cured at once. If multiple one-chamber ovens are to be used for the heating chambers, it is impossible (extremely difficult) to adjust the chamber temperature to be exactly the same for all the ovens, resulting in variations in molding quality. Regarding this point, based on the structure of this embodiment, it can be implemented in multiple heating chambers 402 located within the same oven 400, thus enabling identical temperature adjustments and preventing deviations in molding quality. Furthermore, examples of specific control methods (setting methods) will be described later.

In this embodiment, the post-cured molded article Wp is transported to the unit for the next step (here, the molded article storage unit 100F) by the conveying device 102.

(Molded Product Storage Unit)

Next, the molded article storage unit 100F included in the resin sealing device 1 will be described. In this molded article storage unit 100F, molded articles Wp, which are transferred from the post-curing unit 100E by the conveying device 102, are stored.

The molded article storage unit 100F includes a molded article storage container 112 for accommodating molded articles Wp. As an example, the molded article storage container 112 can use known stacking bins, narrow-gauge bins, etc., capable of accommodating multiple molded articles Wp simultaneously. These multiple molded articles Wp are then moved in one by one by a holding and moving mechanism 108.

Furthermore, the molded article storage unit 100F can also be equipped with the following structure: including an inspection mechanism for performing appearance inspection of the molded article Wp (not shown).

(Control Unit)

Next, the control unit 100G included in the resin sealing device 1 will be described. This control unit 100G comprises the following components: an operation unit 152 for the operator to input operating conditions of the resin sealing device 1; and a control unit 150 for controlling the operation of each mechanism in the resin sealing device 1 according to the operating conditions input by the operator and pre-stored operating conditions. Furthermore, the operation unit 152 is not limited to a structure disposed within the control unit 100G, and may also be disposed within other units or in an adjacent location.

The resin sealing device 1 of this embodiment is particularly characterized in its method for controlling the post-curing of the molded article Wp in the post-curing step, which will be described in detail in the "Resin Sealing Operation" section below.

(Resin sealing action)

Next, the resin sealing operation (i.e., the resin sealing method of this embodiment) using the resin sealing device 1 will be described. Here, the following structure is given as an example: a set of mold cavities 208 is provided on an upper mold 204, and a workpiece W is disposed on a lower mold 206 for resin sealing to obtain a molded article Wp. However, the structure is not limited to this; it can also be configured to resin seal multiple workpieces W simultaneously.

As a preparatory step, a heating step is implemented in which the upper mold 204 is adjusted and heated to a specific temperature (e.g., 100°C to 200°C) using an upper mold heating mechanism (upper mold heating step). Additionally, a heating step is implemented in which the lower mold 206 is adjusted and heated to a specific temperature (e.g., 100°C to 200°C) using a lower mold heating mechanism (lower mold heating step). Furthermore, the following step (film supply step) is implemented: the film F is conveyed (delivered) from the winding section 252 to the winding section 254 by the film supply mechanism 250, supplying the film F to a specific position in the sealing mold 202 (the position between the upper mold 204 and the lower mold 206).

Next, the process involves using the conveying device 102 to individually remove workpieces W from the workpiece storage 110 and convey them to the resin supply unit 100C.

Next, the following steps are performed: the workpiece W is transported by the conveying device 102 with the workpiece W positioned directly below the syringe 314 of the dispenser 312, and a prescribed amount of resin is supplied (sprayed) from the syringe 314 onto the upper surface of the workpiece W. In this step, the resin in the syringe 314 is heated (preparatory heating) by a resin heater (not shown). The heating temperature is set to a temperature at which the resin does not harden (e.g., 60°C to 80°C). Alternatively, the preparatory heating step can be omitted.

Next, the process involves conveying the workpiece W (with resin loaded on it) to the pressing unit 100D via the conveying device 102, and then handing it over to the conveying loader 210.

Next, a step is implemented in which the workpiece W is transported into the sealing mold 202 by the transfer loader 210. In this step, after the workpiece W is preheated by the heater installed on the transfer loader 210, the workpiece W, which has been transported into the sealing mold 202 by the transfer loader 210, is placed in the workpiece holding part 205 of the lower mold 206. This allows for preheating before the workpiece W is transported into the sealing mold 202 and heated, thereby improving the molding quality. Furthermore, the preheating step can also be omitted.

Next, the workpiece W is sealed with resin by closing the sealing mold 202 and clamping it with the upper mold 204 and lower mold 206 (resin sealing step). At this time, the mold insert 226 descends relative to the workpiece W within the mold cavity 208, and the resin is heated and pressurized. This thermosetting of the resin achieves resin sealing (compression molding), forming the molded article Wp.

Next, the sealed mold 202 is opened, and the molded article Wp is removed from the sealed mold 202 by the transfer load 210. In this step, the removed molded article Wp is heated by a heater installed on the transfer load 210 (post-molding heating). This prevents temperature drop of the molded article Wp before it is removed from the sealed mold 202 and transferred to the transfer device 102. Furthermore, the post-molding heating step can be omitted.

Next, the procedure is implemented in which the molded article Wp is received by the conveying device 102 from the self-conveying loader 210 and conveyed to the rear curing unit 100E.

Parallel to (or subsequently thereof), a step is performed to deliver the used membrane F by conveying it from the unwinding section 252 to the winding section 254 using the membrane supply mechanism 250.

Next, the molded article Wp is transported into a specific oven 400 by the conveying device 102 for post-curing (post-curing heating) (post-curing step). Here, a specific example of the control performed by the control unit 150 in the post-curing step is shown. First, for each molded article (i.e., corresponding to the type, shape, material, etc. of the molded article Wp), the first to the nth heating chamber (n≧2) to be used are selected from multiple heating chambers 402 according to the preset post-curing conditions, and the order in which they are used is determined. Then, the indoor temperature of the first to the nth heating chamber is adjusted to the set temperature. Next, the molded article Wp is continuously transferred into the first through nth heating chambers in the aforementioned sequence, heated for a set time (post-curing), and then removed. Furthermore, the selection of the heating chamber 402 includes both cases based on the operator's decision and cases based on the decision of the control unit 150.

As an example, in the post-curing step of the resin sealing device 1 of this embodiment, which uses four heating chambers 402 (specifically, first heating chamber 402Aa, second heating chamber 402Ab, first heating chamber 402Ba, and second heating chamber 402Bb), the indoor temperature of each heating chamber 402 is adjusted to a different set temperature. Accordingly, by setting the multiple heating chambers 402 to different indoor temperatures, a fine post-curing process can be achieved. For example, as shown in Figure 7(a), all four heating chambers 402 (first heating chamber 402Aa, second heating chamber 402Ab, first heating chamber 402Ba, and second heating chamber 402Bb) can be selected for use in this order. The first heating chamber 402Aa is set to an indoor temperature of 200°C and a heating time of 60 minutes. The second heating chamber 402Ab is set to an indoor temperature of 150°C and a heating time of 60 minutes. The third heating chamber 402Ba is set to an indoor temperature of 120°C and a heating time of 60 minutes. The fourth heating chamber 402Bb is set to an indoor temperature of 100°C and a heating time of 10 minutes. This is an example of post-curing the molded article Wp after it has been removed from the self-sealing mold 202 by gradually reducing the set temperature. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 7(b), three of the four heating chambers 402 (first heating chamber 402Aa, second heating chamber 402Ab, and first heating chamber 402Ba) can be used in sequence, with the first heating chamber 402Aa set to an internal temperature of 150°C and a heating time of 30 minutes, the second heating chamber 402Ab set to an internal temperature of 180°C and a heating time of 30 minutes, and the third heating chamber 402Ba set to an internal temperature of 120°C and a heating time of 60 minutes (the second heating chamber 402Bb is not used). This is an example of a case where, after the molded article Wp is removed from the self-sealing mold 202, the set temperature is gradually increased, and then decreased for post-curing. In this way, since multiple heating chambers 402 can be set to appropriate chamber temperatures and heating times according to the type of molded article Wp, fine post-curing can be performed. Therefore, compared with existing devices, the effect of suppressing warping and other defects can be significantly improved, resulting in improved molding quality. Furthermore, it is also possible to set several of the multiple heating chambers 402 to the same chamber temperature.

Alternatively, as another example, in the post-curing step, the internal temperature of each heating chamber 402 is adjusted to a different set temperature. Accordingly, by setting all heating chambers 402 to the same internal temperature, post-curing of a large number of molded parts Wp can be performed simultaneously.

Following the post-curing step, the molded article Wp is removed from the heating chamber 402 of the last-use oven 400 and transferred to the molded article storage unit 100F using the conveyor device 102. Then, the molded articles Wp are individually transferred into the molded article storage unit 112 using the conveyor device 102.

The above describes the main actions of resin sealing using resin sealing device 1. However, the order of these steps is only one example; the order can be changed or they can be performed in parallel, provided it does not impede this process. For example, in this embodiment, since it includes a structure with two pressing units 100D, performing these actions in parallel allows for efficient forming of the molded article.

As explained above, the resin sealing device and method according to the present invention can perform appropriate and meticulous post-curing on the molded article. Therefore, it can suppress warping of the molded article caused by a drop in temperature after molding, thereby improving the molding quality.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, liquid thermosetting resins have been used as an example of sealing resins, but the invention is not limited to this; it is also applicable to structures using granular, pulverized, powdered, plate-like, or flake-like resins. Additionally, the number of workpieces formed by a single pressing is not limited to one.

Furthermore, while the embodiment described herein uses a compression molding apparatus with a cavity in the upper mold as an example, it is also applicable to compression molding apparatuses with a cavity in the lower mold. Additionally, it is also applicable to resin sealing devices using transfer molding.

1: Resin sealing device

100A:Transfer unit

100B: Workpiece Feeding Unit

100C: Resin Supply Unit

100D: Pressing Unit

100E: Post-curing unit

100F: Molded Parts Storage Unit

100G: Control Unit

102: Conveying Device

104: Guide Rail

106: Base section

108: Maintaining Mobility (Multi-Joint Robot)

110: Workpiece Memory

112: Molded Product Storage Container

150: Control Department

152: Operations Department

202: Sealing Mold

210: Transfer Loader

250: Membrane suppliers

252: Rollout Section

254: Rolled Section

312: Distributor

314: Syringe

316: Syringe Supply Department

400: Oven

400A: First Oven

400B: Second Oven

402: Heating Chamber

402Aa: First heating chamber

402Ab: Second Heating Chamber

402Ba: First Heating Chamber

402Bb: Second heating chamber

F: Release membrane (membrane)

W: Workpiece (the part to be formed)

Wp: Molded product Molded product

Claims (5)

A resin sealing device uses a sealing mold including an upper mold and a lower mold to seal a workpiece with resin to process it into a molded article. The resin sealing device is characterized by comprising: multiple heating chambers for post-curing of the molded article; a conveying device for moving the molded article into and out of the heating chambers; and multiple ovens having multiple heating chambers inside, the conveying device having a retaining and moving mechanism that moves back and forth along guide rails in a specific direction. The oven includes a first oven having a plurality of heating chambers arranged in a row and a second oven having a plurality of heating chambers arranged in a row. The plurality of heating chambers of the first oven are disposed at one end of the guide rail, and the plurality of heating chambers of the second oven are arranged in a row in a direction that intersects the direction in which the plurality of heating chambers of the first oven are arranged in a row. The heating chambers in the first oven and the second oven are configured to be individually set to arbitrary indoor temperatures. The resin sealing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the oven has at least a first heating chamber and a second heating chamber spaced apart from each other as the heating chamber, and is configured to be able to set the indoor temperature of the first heating chamber and the indoor temperature of the second heating chamber to either the same temperature or a different temperature. The resin sealing device as described in claim 1 or claim 2 further includes a control unit that controls the post-curing step of the molded article. The control unit adjusts the indoor temperature of the first to the nth heating chambers selected from the plurality of heating chambers to a set temperature according to the post-curing conditions preset by the molded article, and controls the molded article to be moved into, post-cured, and moved out of the first to the nth heating chambers in a set order by means of the conveying device, wherein n is greater than or equal to 2. A resin sealing method uses a sealing mold including an upper mold and a lower mold to seal a workpiece with electronic components mounted on a substrate using resin to process it into a molded article. The resin sealing method is characterized by utilizing a resin sealing device having the following structure: the resin sealing device includes multiple ovens with multiple heating chambers for post-curing of the molded article inside, and a conveying device for moving the molded article into and out of the heating chambers. The conveying device has a retaining and moving mechanism that moves back and forth along guide rails in a specific direction. The multiple ovens include a first oven with multiple heating chambers arranged in a row and a second oven with multiple heating chambers arranged in a row. The multiple heating chambers of the first oven are provided with... The heating chambers of the second oven are arranged in a row along a direction intersecting the direction in which the heating chambers of the first oven are arranged in a row, and the resin sealing method includes a post-curing step for post-curing the molded article. The post-curing step includes: selecting a first to an nth heating chamber from the plurality of heating chambers according to post-curing conditions pre-set by the molded article and determining the order in which they are to be used; adjusting the indoor temperature of the first to the nth heating chambers to a set temperature respectively; and moving the molded article into, post-curing, and removing it in the order relative to the first to the nth heating chambers, where n is greater than or equal to 2. The resin sealing method as described in claim 4, wherein the post-curing step includes adjusting the indoor temperature of the first heating chamber to the nth heating chamber to different set temperatures.