Multi-beam laser sensor for semiconductor lead measurements

Claim 2

A multi-beam sensor for determining the height of each element of a multiple element device of the type having each of its elements nominally disposed in a single horizontal plane, wherein the multiple element device is in motion relative to the multi-beam sensor, the multi-beam sensor comprising: at least one means for providing light; first means for focusing light from the light providing means into a first beam of light having a focal point at the intersection of the horizontal plane and a vertical reference plane and forming an angle beta of between 5 and 25 degrees with the vertical reference plane; second means for focusing light from the light providing means into a second beam of light having a focal point at the intersection of the horizontal plane and the vertical reference plane and forming an angle with the vertical reference plane that is greater than the angle beta; detecting means, located in the path of each of the beams, for detecting the shadow created by occlusion of the first beam by an element edge of the multiple element device and the shadow created by occlusion of the second beam by the element edge; means for receiving data indicating the instantaneous lateral position of the multiple element device as each shadow created by the element edge of the multiple element device is detected by the detecting means; and logic means, connected to the detecting means and to the means for receiving data, for calculating the height of the element edge from the horizontal plane whereby the calculation of the height is based on the instantaneous lateral position of the multiple element device as each shadow is created by the element edge, comprising a means for interpolating the received data to obtain the instantaneous lateral position of the multiple element device.

Claim 3

The multi-beam sensor of claim 1 wherein the means for providing light comprises two laser diodes.

Claim 4

The multi-beam sensor of claim 1 wherein the means for detecting the shadows comprises two photodetectors.

Claim 5

The multi-beam sensor of claim 1 wherein the logic means calculates the element edge height from the horizontal reference plane by determining lateral distance traveled by the element edge between the first beam and the second beam and multiplying by a constant.

Claim 6

The multi-beam sensor of claim 1 wherein the interpolating means comprises a phase-locked loop.

Claim 7

The multi-beam sensor of claim 1 wherein the interpolating means comprises a timing device for performing time interpolation.

Claim 8

The multi-beam sensor of claim 1 wherein a best fit line is defined as the minimization of the sum of the squares deviations of the heights of the leads and the logic means calculates the deviation of the element edge height from the best fit line.

Claim 9

The multi-beam sensor of claim 1 wherein a seating plane is defined as the plane established by the contact points of three or more leads that support the multiple element device when it is placed on top of a planar surface and the logic means calculates the height of the element edge above the seating plane.

Claim 10

The multi-beam sensor of claim 1 wherein means for providing light further comprises a means for switching the beams so that they are alternately turned on and off.

Claim 11

A multi-beam sensor for determining the height of each element of a multiple element device of the type having each of its elements nominally disposed in a single horizontal plane, wherein the multiple element device is in relative motion so that each element has a leading edge and a trailing edge, the multi-beam sensor comprising: a leading edge detection system comprising: at least one leading edge light source; a means for focusing a pair of leading edge beams of light from the leading edge light source to intersect in the horizontal plane of the elements wherein the pair of leading edge beams is occluded by the leading edge of the element; and at least one leading edge detecting means for detecting leading edge shadows created by the occlusion of the pair of leading edge beams by the leading edge of the element; a trailing edge detection system comprising: at least one trailing edge light source; a means for focusing a pair of trailing edge beams of light from the trailing edge light source to intersect in the horizontal plane of the elements wherein the pair of trailing edge beams is occluded by the trailing edge of the element; and at least one trailing edge detecting means for detecting trailing edge shadows created by the occlusion of the pair of trailing edge beams by the trailing edge of the element; and logic means, connected to the leading edge detection system and connected to the trailing edge detection system, for determining the center height of the element above the horizontal plane, wherein the center height is the average of the leading edge height and the trailing edge height, the logic means comprising: means for calculating the height of the leading edge of the element based on data received from the leading edge detection means; and means for calculating the height of the trailing edge of the element based on data received from the trailing edge detection system.

Claim 12

A multi-beam sensor for determining the height of each element of a multiple element device of the type having each of its elements nominally disposed in a single horizontal plane, wherein the multiple element device is in relative motion so that each element has a leading edge and a trailing edge, the multi-beam sensor comprising: a leading edge detection system comprising: at least one leading edge light source; a means for focusing a pair of leading edge beams of light from the leading edge light source to intersect in the horizontal plane of the elements wherein the pair of leading edge beams is occluded by the leading edge of the element; and at least one leading edge detecting means for detecting leading edge shadows created by the occlusion of the pair of leading edge beams by the leading edge of the element; a trailing edge detection system comprising: at least one trailing edge light source; a means for focusing a pair of trailing edge beams of light from the trailing edge light source to intersect in the horizontal plane of the elements wherein the pair of trailing edge beams is occluded by the trailing edge of the element; and at least one trailing edge detecting means for detecting trailing edge shadows created by the occlusion of the pair of trailing edge beams by the trailing edge of the element; and logic means, connected to the leading edge detection system and connected to the trailing edge detection system, for determining the center height of the element above the horizontal plane, wherein the center height is the average of the leading edge height and the trailing edge height, the logic means comprising: means for calculating the height of the leading edge of the element based on data received from the leading edge detection means; and means for calculating the height of the trailing edge of the element based on data received from the trailing edge detection system.

Claim 13

The multi-beam sensor of claim 10 wherein colinearity is a measure of how well the heights of the leads on one side of an integrated circuit fit a best fit line defined as a line wherein the sum of the squares deviations of the leads are minimized and the logic means further comprises a means for determining colinearity of the elements based on the heights of the leading edge and trailing edge.

Claim 14

The multi-beam sensor of claim 10 wherein a seating plane is a plane formed by the contact points of three of more leads on a planar surface and the logic means further comprises a means for determining the seating plane of the elements on a multiple element device.

Claim 15

The multi-beam sensor of claim 10 wherein both light sources comprise laser diodes and a means for controlling the activation and deactivation of the leading edge and trailing edge beams.

Claim 16

The multi-beam sensor of claim 10 wherein the relative motion velocity of the multiple element device is constant and wherein the logic means further comprises a means for determining the relative distance traveled by the multiple element device between the beams of light by multiplying elapsed time traveled by the velocity.

Claim 17

The multi-beam sensor of claim 10 wherein instantaneous lateral position is the position of the multiple element device at the time of detection and further comprising a means for receiving the instantaneous lateral position of the multiple element device.

Claim 18

The multi-beam sensor of claim 15 wherein the receiving means receives lateral position information from an encoder and the receiving means further comprises a means for interpolating the lateral position of the multiple element device to increase the resolution of the encoder.

Claim 19

The multi-beam sensor of claim 16 wherein the interpolating means performs a straight line interpolation.

Claim 20

The multi-beam sensor of claim 15 wherein the receiving means further comprises a phase-locked loop to increase the resolution of the encoder.

Claim 21

A four beam sensor for determining the height of each element of a multiple element device of the type having each of its elements nominally disposed in a single horizontal plane, wherein the multiple element device is in motion relative to the four beam sensor, the four beam sensor comprising: first, second, third, and fourth light providing means; first focusing means for focusing light from the first light providing means into a first beam of light wherein a focal point of the first beam is at the intersection of the horizontal plane and a vertical reference plane and the first beam forms an angle beta of between 5 and 25 degrees with the vertical reference plane; second focusing means for focusing light from the second light providing means into a second beam of light wherein a focal point of the second beam is at the intersection of the horizontal plane and the vertical reference plane and the second light beam forms an angle with the vertical reference plane that is greater than the angle beta; third focusing means for focusing light from the third light providing means into a third beam of light wherein a focal point of the third beam is at the intersection of the horizontal plane and the vertical reference plane and the third beam forms an angle of negative beta with the vertical reference plane so that the third beam forms an angle of 2 beta with the first beam; fourth focusing means for focusing light from the fourth light providing means into a fourth beam wherein a focal point of the fourth beam is at the intersection of the horizontal plane and the vertical plane and the fourth beam forms an angle that is greater than two beta with the first beam; first detecting means, located in the path of the first and second beams, for detecting the shadow edges created by occlusion of the first beam by an element edge of the multiple element device and the shadow created by occlusion of the second beam by the element edge; second detecting means, located in the path of the third and fourth beams, for detecting the shadow created by unblocking of the third beam by an element edge of the multiple element device and the shadow created by unblocking of the fourth beam by the element edge; means for receiving data indicating the instantaneous lateral position of the multiple element device as each shadow edge created by the element edges of the multiple element device is detected by the first and second detecting means; and logic means, connected to the first and second detecting means and to the means for receiving data, for calculating the height of the element edge from the horizontal plane whereby the calculation of the height is based on the instantaneous lateral position of the multiple element device as each shadow edge is created by the element edges.

Claim 22

A four beam sensor for determining the height of each element of a multiple element device of the type having each of its elements nominally disposed in a single horizontal plane, wherein the multiple element device is in motion relative to the four beam sensor, the four beam sensor comprising: first, second, third, and fourth light providing means; first focusing means for focusing light from the first light providing means into a first beam of light wherein a focal point of the first beam is at the intersection of the horizontal plane and a vertical reference plane and the first beam forms an angle beta of between 5 and 25 degrees with the vertical reference plane; second focusing means for focusing light from the second light providing means into a second beam of light wherein a focal point of the second beam is at the intersection of the horizontal plane and the vertical reference plane and the second light beam forms an angle with the vertical reference plane that is greater than the angle beta; third focusing means for focusing light from the third light providing means into a third beam of light wherein a focal point of the third beam is at the intersection of the horizontal plane and the vertical reference plane and the third beam forms an angle of negative beta with the vertical reference plane so that the third beam forms an angle of 2 beta with the first beam; fourth focusing means for focusing light from the fourth light providing means into a fourth beam wherein a focal point of the fourth beam is at the intersection of the horizontal plane and the vertical plane and the fourth beam forms an angle that is greater than two beta with the first beam; first detecting means, located in the path of the first and second beams, for detecting the shadow edges created by occlusion of the first beam by an element edge of the multiple element device and the shadow created by occlusion of the second beam by the element edge; second detecting means, located in the path of the third and fourth beams, for detecting the shadow created by unblocking of the third beam by an element edge of the multiple element device and the shadow created by unblocking of the fourth beam by the element edge; means for receiving data indicating the instantaneous lateral position of the multiple element device as each shadow edge created by the element edges of the multiple element device is detected by the first and second detecting means; and logic means, connected to the first and second detecting means and to the means for receiving data, for calculating the height of the element edge from the horizontal plane whereby the calculation of the height is based on the instantaneous lateral position of the multiple element device as each shadow edge is created by the element edges.

Claim 23

The four beam sensor of claim 19 comprising a means for multiplexing the light beams.

Claim 24

The four beam sensor of claim 19 comprising an interpolating means for more accurately determining the lateral position of the multiple element device.

Claim 25

The four beam sensor of claim 19 wherein the multiple element device is in motion and the four beam sensor is stationary.

Claim 26

The four beam sensor of claim 19 wherein the multiple element device's movement profile is known prior to calculations.

Claim 27

The four beam sensor of claim 19 wherein the first and second detecting means only detect the bottom edges of the leads.

Claim 28

The four beam sensor of claim 19 wherein a seating plane is a plane formed by the contact points of three of more leads on a planar surface and further comprising a means for determining the seating plane of the elements.

Claim 29

The four beam sensor of claim 19 wherein the twist of the lead is a measure of the angular disposition of a lead and the logic means further comprises means for calculating the twist of the lead.

Claim 30

The four beam sensor of claim 19 wherein the width of a lead is defined as the distance from one edge of the lead to the other edge and the logic means further comprises a means for calculating the width of the lead.

Claim 31

The four beam sensor of claim 19 wherein the thickness of a lead is the distance from the top edge of the lead to the bottom edge of the lead and the logic means further comprises a means for calculating the thickness of the lead.

Claim 32

The four beam sensor of claim 19 wherein colinearity is a measure of how well the heights of the leads on one side of an integrated circuit fit a best fit line defined as a line wherein the sum of the squares deviations of the leads are minimized and the logic means further comprises a means for determining the colinearity of a set of leads.

Claim 33

The four beam sensor of claim 19 wherein coplanarity is a measure of how well the heights of the leads of an integrated circuit fit a plane defined by the nominal position of the leads and the logic means further comprises a means for determining the coplanarity of a set of leads.

Claim 34

The four beam sensor of claim 19 wherein the first and second detecting means only detect the top edges of the leads.

Claim 37

The method of claim 32 further comprising the step of calculating a center lead height by averaging the height calculated for a leading edge of the lead and the height calculated for a trailing edge of the lead.

Claim 38

The method of claim 32 wherein the step of measuring the lateral distance traveled includes time interpolation.

Claim 39

The method of claim 32 further comprising the step of multiplexing of the two laser beams.

Claim 40

The method of claim 32 wherein colinearity is a measure of how well the heights of the leads on one side of an integrated circuit fit a best fit line and further comprising the step of calculating colinearity of a set of leads.

Claim 41

The method of claim 32 wherein a seating plane is a plane formed by the contact points of three of more leads on a planar surface and further comprising the step of locating the seating plane.

Claim 42

The method of claim 32 further comprising the step of receiving the instantaneous lateral position of the multiple lead device.

Claim 43

The method of claim 32 further comprising detecting a third state change and a fourth state change caused by a trailing edge unblocking the laser beams.

Claim 46

The method of claim 40 wherein colinearity is a measure of how well the heights of the leads on one side of an integrated circuit fit a best fit line and further comprising calculating the colinearity of the elements based on the center height of the elements.

Claim 47

The method of claim 40 wherein a seating plane is a plane formed by the contact points of three of more leads on a planar surface and further comprising calculating the seating plane of the elements.

Claim 48

The method of claim 40 further comprising multiplexing of the four beams.

Claim 49

The method of claim 40, wherein the multiple element device's relative motion is at a known velocity and wherein the step of ascertaining trailing edge shadows further comprises determining time traveled between the beams of light, further comprising measuring the distance traveled by the multiple element device.

Claim 50

The method of claim 40 further comprising receiving the instantaneous lateral position of the multiple element device, between the beams of light by multiplying the time traveled by the known velocity of the multiple element device.

Claim 51

The method of claim 45 wherein the instantaneous lateral position is received from an encoder, the method further comprising interpolating the position of the multiple element device to increase the resolution of the encoder.

Claim 52

The method of claim 46 wherein the interpolation is a straight line interpolation.

Claim 53

The method of claim 45 further comprising the step of creating of additional lateral position data with a phase locked loop.

Claim 54

The method of claim 40 wherein the height of the leading edge is determined by the formula ##EQU2## where D equals the lateral distance traveled between the leading edge beams, the angle beta equals the angle between of the leading edge beams and the vertical reference plane, and the angle alpha equals the angle between the leading edge beams.

Claim 55

The method of claim 40 further comprising the step of determining occlusion of beams of light caused by bumpers located on the multiple element device.