Solder reflow apparatus and method of manufacturing electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12420348-B2
Application number	US-202418748513-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2024
Priority date	Jul 24, 2023
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

A solder reflow apparatus includes a vapor generating chamber configured to accommodate a heat transfer fluid and to be filled with saturated vapor generated when the heat transfer fluid is heated; a heater configured to heat the heat transfer fluid to generate saturated vapor; a substrate stage configured to be moved up and down within the vapor generating chamber and configured to support a substrate on which an electronic component is mounted via solder; a cleaning portion installed in an upper portion of the vapor generating chamber, wherein the cleaning portion is configured to spray a cleaning fluid onto the substrate on the substrate stage, wherein the cleaning fluid includes a material the same as the heat transfer fluid; and a guide structure configured to collect the cleaning fluid sprayed onto the substrate on the substrate stage and to direct the cleaning fluid to a reservoir that contains the heat transfer fluid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solder reflow apparatus, comprising:
a vapor generating chamber configured to accommodate a heat transfer fluid and to be filled with saturated vapor generated when the heat transfer fluid is heated;
a heater configured to heat the heat transfer fluid within the vapor generating chamber;
a substrate stage configured to move up and down within the vapor generating chamber and configured to support a substrate on which an electronic component is mounted via solders; and
a cleaning portion disposed in a cooling region of the vapor generating chamber,
wherein the cleaning portion includes a fluid shielding cover that is configured to cover the substrate on the substrate stage when the substrate stage is in the cooling region to form a cleaning space, and a spray nozzle configured to spray a cleaning fluid onto the substrate in the cleaning space.

2. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning portion further includes:
a fluid passage extending to the vapor generating chamber, connecting with the spray nozzle and through which the cleaning fluid flows; and
a fluid supply connected to the fluid passage to supply the cleaning fluid to the fluid passage.

3. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the cleaning portion further includes:
a gas supply connected to the fluid passage and configured to supply a gas into the cleaning space for drying the cleaning fluid in the cleaning space.

4. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the cleaning portion further includes:
a gas exhaust portion configured to collect the gas supplied into the cleaning space and to discharge the gas from the vapor generating chamber to the outside of the vapor generating chamber.

5. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the cleaning portion further includes:
a second heater configured to heat the cleaning fluid in a storage tank of the fluid supply.

6. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the spray nozzle is movable in a horizontal direction in the fluid shielding cover.

7. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fluid shielding cover includes:
an upper shielding portion extending in a horizontal direction to cover the substrate; and
a vertical shielding portion extending in a vertical direction from the upper shielding portion to form the cleaning space.

8. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a guide structure configured to collect the cleaning fluid sprayed onto the substrate on the substrate stage that is in the cooling region and to direct the cleaning fluid to a reservoir that contains the heat transfer fluid.

9. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning fluid includes a fluid the same as the heat transfer fluid.

10. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the cleaning fluid includes a Galden solution.

11. A solder reflow apparatus comprising:
a vapor generating chamber configured to accommodate a heat transfer fluid and to be filled with saturated vapor generated when the heat transfer fluid is heated;
a heater configured to heat the heat transfer fluid to generate saturated vapor;
a substrate stage configured to be moved up and down within the vapor generating chamber and configured to support a substrate on which an electronic component is mounted via solder;
a cleaning portion installed in an upper portion of the vapor generating chamber, wherein the cleaning portion is configured to spray a cleaning fluid onto the substrate on the substrate stage, wherein the cleaning fluid includes a material the same as the heat transfer fluid; and
a guide structure configured to collect the cleaning fluid sprayed onto the substrate on the substrate stage and to direct the cleaning fluid to a reservoir that contains the heat transfer fluid.

12. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the cleaning portion includes:
a fluid shielding cover configured to cover the substrate on the substrate stage that is in the upper portion of the vapor generating chamber to form a cleaning space; and
a spray nozzle configured to spray the cleaning fluid onto the substrate within the cleaning space.

13. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the cleaning portion further includes:
a fluid passage extending within the vapor generating chamber, connected to the spray nozzle and through which the cleaning fluid flows; and
a fluid supply connected to the fluid passage to supply the cleaning fluid to the fluid passage.

14. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the cleaning portion further includes:
a gas supply connected to the fluid passage, and configured to supply a gas into the cleaning space for drying the cleaning fluid in the cleaning space.

15. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the cleaning portion further includes:
a gas exhaust portion configured to collect the gas supplied into the cleaning space and to discharge the gas from the vapor generating chamber to the outside of the vapor generating chamber.

16. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the cleaning portion further includes:
a second heater configured to heat the cleaning fluid in a storage tank of the fluid supply to a preset temperature range.

17. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the spray nozzle is movable in a horizontal direction in the fluid shielding cover.

18. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the fluid shielding cover includes:
an upper shielding portion extending in a horizontal direction to cover the substrate; and
a vertical shielding portion extending in a vertical direction from the upper shielding portion to form the cleaning space.

19. The solder reflow apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the upper shielding portion includes a contact portion that makes contact with at least a portion of an upper surface of the substrate when the substrate stage is raised and positioned within the cleaning space of the fluid shielding cover, and
wherein the upper shielding portion is spaced apart from the upper surface of the substrate to form an outlet portion where the cleaning fluid sprayed on the substrate flows out to the guide structure.

20. A solder reflow apparatus, comprising:
a vapor generating chamber configured to accommodate a heat transfer fluid and to be filled with saturated vapor generated when the heat transfer fluid is heated;
a heater configured to heat the heat transfer fluid;
a substrate stage configured to be moved up and down within the vapor generating chamber and configured to support a substrate on which an electronic component is mounted via solders;
a fluid shielding cover provided in a cooling region of the vapor generating chamber, wherein the fluid shielding cover includes an upper shielding portion extending in a horizontal direction to cover the substrate on the substrate stage in the cooling region and a vertical shielding portion extending in a vertical direction from the upper shielding portion to form a cleaning space; and
a spray nozzle configured to spray a cleaning fluid onto the substrate within the cleaning space.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Youngja
• Kang Sunwon

Classifications

• H10W72/07236

  Soldering or alloying · CPC title

• H10W72/0711

  Apparatus therefor · CPC title

• H10W72/252

  comprising solid metals or solid metalloids, e.g. PbSn, Ag or Cu · CPC title

• B23K1/0016

  Soldering of electronic components · CPC title

• B23K2101/40

  Semiconductor devices · CPC title