Picoliter Solder Droplet Dispensing for Electronics Manufacturing

本研究通过一种新的灵活方法解决了印刷电路板和其他基板上的焊料应用问题，该方法可用于许多应用，使用喷墨印刷技术直接应用熔融焊料液滴。喷墨印刷系统利用喷射出的微小墨滴来产生图像。该设备产生高度可重复和可控的液滴，因此液滴可以根据数字存储的图像数据在特定位置打印。这项研究可能会发展出几种不同的应用。这些包括：(1)表面贴装返工站，用于更换坏的或不正确组装的组件，该组件包含高精度和自动化焊锡滴点胶系统；(2)自动在线焊锡工艺，将一种或多种焊锡和助焊剂分配到电子印刷电路板焊盘上，用于粘合高引脚数，细间距表面贴装元件；(3)用于特殊应用的系统，例如在倒装芯片键合上点焊液滴，胶带自动键合（TAB）的凸起，以及柔性电路互连的焊盘。

This research addresses solder application to printed circuit boards and other substrates with a new flexible approach that can be employed in numerous applications, directed application of molten solder droplets, using ink-jet printing technology. Ink-jet printing systems use the ejection of tiny drops of ink to produce an image. The devices produce highly reproducible and controllable drops, so that a drop may be printed at a specific location according to digitally stored image data. Several distinct applications could evolve from this research. These include: (1) A surface mount rework station for replacement of bad, or improperly assembled components that incorporates a highly accurate and automated solder droplet dispensing system; (2) An automated in-line solder process that would dispense one or more types of solder, and flux, onto electronic printed circuit board pads for bonding of high pin count, fine pitch surface mount components; and (3) Systems for special applications, such as dispensing solder droplets onto Flip Chip bonds, bumps for Tape Automated Bonding (TAB), and solder pads for flex circuit interconnects.