Systems for improved efficiency of ball mount cleaning and methods for using the same

Abstract

An embodiment system, configured to clean a semiconductor package assembly, may include a sprayer device including a plurality of nozzles configured to direct a pressurized cleaning fluid toward the semiconductor package assembly; a conveyor configured to move the semiconductor package assembly relative to the sprayer device along a first direction; and a dryer spatially displaced from the sprayer device and configured to direct a pressurized gas flow toward the semiconductor package assembly to remove cleaning fluid introduced by the sprayer device. Each of the plurality of nozzles may be displaced from one another along a second direction to thereby generate respective separate spray distribution patterns. Adjacent nozzles may be further displaced from one another along a third direction to thereby a reduce an overlap of adjacent spray distribution patterns relative to a configuration in which the adjacent nozzles are not displaced from one another along the third direction.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system configured to clean a semiconductor package assembly, comprising:
 a sprayer device comprising a plurality of nozzles configured to direct a pressurized cleaning fluid toward the semiconductor package assembly;   a conveyor configured to move the semiconductor package assembly relative to the sprayer device along a first direction; and   a dryer spatially displaced along the first direction from the sprayer device and configured to direct a pressurized gas flow at the semiconductor package assembly to remove cleaning fluid introduced by the sprayer device,   wherein each of the plurality of nozzles are displaced from one another along a second direction to thereby generate respective separate spray distribution patterns, and wherein adjacent nozzles are displaced from one another along a third direction perpendicular to the second direction to thereby a reduce an overlap of adjacent spray distribution patterns relative to a configuration in which the adjacent nozzles are not displaced from one another along the third direction.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sprayer device further comprises:
 a fluidic conduit extending along the second direction and configured to supply the pressurized cleaning fluid to the plurality of nozzles,   wherein the plurality of nozzles are attached, and fluidically coupled, to the fluidic conduit.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the fluidic conduit comprises a cylindrical tube with a longitudinal axis that is oriented along the second direction,
 wherein a first plurality of nozzles are aligned with one another along a radial direction, of the cylindrical tube, the radial direction being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis,   wherein a second plurality of nozzles are located between adjacent ones of the first plurality of nozzles, and   wherein the second plurality of nozzles are displaced along a direction perpendicular to the radial direction relative to the first plurality of nozzles.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the conveyor is configured to position the semiconductor package assembly at a distance from the plurality of nozzles that is in a range from approximately 0 mm to approximately 50 mm. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of nozzles has an asymmetric shape such that each spray distribution pattern has a first spatial extent along the first direction that is lesser than a second spatial extent along the second direction. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein a spatial extent of the each spray distribution pattern subtends an angle that is in a range from approximately 95 degrees to approximately 110 degrees. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of nozzles is configured to generate a flow rate of the pressurized cleaning fluid that is a range from approximately 4 liters/min to approximately 6 liters/minute. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the dryer is configured as a jet air knife configured to generate the pressurized gas flow having a pressure in a first range from approximately 0.02 MPa to approximately 0.08 MPa at a distance from the semiconductor package assembly that is in a second range from approximately 0 mm to approximately 20 mm. 
     
     
         9 . A system configured to clean a semiconductor package assembly, comprising:
 a sprayer device comprising a plurality of fluidic nozzles configured to direct a pressurized cleaning fluid at the semiconductor package assembly;   a conveyor configured to move the semiconductor package assembly relative to the sprayer device along a first direction; and   a dryer spatially displaced from the sprayer device along the first direction and configured to direct a pressurized gas flow toward the semiconductor package assembly to remove cleaning fluid introduced by the sprayer device,   wherein the dryer is configured as a jet air knife configured to generate the pressurized gas flow having a pressure in a third range from approximately 0.02 MPa to approximately 0.08 MPa at a distance from the semiconductor package assembly that is in a range from approximately 0 mm to approximately 20 mm.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the dryer has a gas nozzle that has an aperture having a length and a width, wherein the length is larger than the width, and
 wherein the aperture is oriented such that a lengthwise extension of the aperture is aligned with a second direction.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the length of the aperture is greater than or equal to approximately 150 mm. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the dryer further comprises a housing that is configured to allow a position of the gas nozzle to be adjusted such that an angle of the gas nozzle may be adjusted by rotating the gas nozzle about an axis parallel to the second direction. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the housing is configured to allow the position of the gas nozzle to be adjusted along the second direction and along a third direction that is perpendicular to the first direction and to the second direction. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the conveyor further comprises a conveyor belt and a plurality of rollers that are configured to move the conveyor belt along the first direction, and
 wherein the conveyor is configured such that the semiconductor package assembly may be positioned on the conveyor belt and may be moved along with the conveyor belt relative to the sprayer device and the dryer.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the conveyor belt further comprises a mesh material having a first portion and a second portion such that the semiconductor package assembly may be sandwiched between the first portion and the second portion. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein each of the plurality of fluidic nozzles are displaced from one another along the second direction to thereby generate separate respective spray distribution patterns, and wherein adjacent fluidic nozzles are displaced from one another along a direction perpendicular to the second direction to thereby reduce an overlap of adjacent spray distribution patterns relative to a configuration in which the adjacent fluidic nozzles are not displaced from one another along the direction perpendicular to the second direction. 
     
     
         17 . A sprayer device for a semiconductor package assembly cleaning system, comprising:
 a plurality of fluidic nozzles configured to direct a pressurized cleaning fluid toward a semiconductor package assembly as the semiconductor package assembly is moved along a first direction relative to the sprayer device,
 wherein each of the plurality of fluidic nozzles are displaced from one another along a second direction, 
 wherein the plurality of fluidic nozzles comprises a first plurality of fluidic nozzles and a second plurality of fluidic nozzles that are located between adjacent ones of the first plurality of fluidic nozzles, and 
 wherein the second plurality of fluidic nozzles are further displaced from the first plurality of fluidic nozzles along a direction perpendicular to the second direction. 
   
     
     
         18 . The sprayer device of  claim 17 , wherein each of the plurality of fluidic nozzles has an asymmetric shape that generates a spray distribution pattern having a first spatial extent along the first direction that is smaller than a second spatial extent along the second direction. 
     
     
         19 . The sprayer device of  claim 18 , wherein the second spatial extent of each spray distribution pattern subtends an angle that is in a range from approximately 95 degrees to approximately 110 degrees. 
     
     
         20 . The sprayer device of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a fluidic conduit comprising a cylindrical tube to which the plurality of fluidic nozzles are attached and to which the plurality of fluidic nozzles are fluidically coupled,
 wherein the first plurality of fluidic nozzles are aligned with one another along a radial direction of the cylindrical tube, the radial direction being perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the cylindrical tube, and 
 wherein the direction along which the second plurality of fluidic nozzles are displaced is further perpendicular to the radial direction.