TABLE OF CONTENTS G.Yang and B.J.Nelson
This chapter gives a general introduction to automated microassembly systems for MEMS packaging. Although any such system must use some forms of microscope optics and micromanipulators to automatically perform microassembly operations, the actual configuration of each system is highly dependent on the packaging and interconnection techniques implemented. This chapter focuses on the development of such systems by addressing their common design factors, functional units and supporting techniques from the perspective of robotic systems and automation.
Assembly is often required in macroscale product manufacturing in order to reduce the complexity and cost of the manufacturing process. Assembly makes it possible to build complex products from relatively simple parts and to integrate incompatible manufacturing processes. It also makes maintenance and replacement possible. The extension of assembly techniques into micro/mesoscale [1] is driven by the development of modern design and manufacturing technologies in the pursuit of miniaturisation and function integration, especially by the development of IC fabrication techniques. Although assembly plays a similar role in IC manufacturing, its form and meaning at this scale is often significantly different from that at macroscale. Over the past four decades, a wide range of IC packaging (e.g. moulded plastic, laminated ceramic, BGA) and interconnection techniques (e.g. wire bonding, die bonding, flip chip bonding) have been developed [1]. The availability of reliable, efficient and economical automatic assembly systems is crucial to the remarkable commercial success of these packaging techniques.
Another major...
