Machine Vision Products: Designing the Future’s Inspection Machines
by Paul Groome, Machine Vision Products Published in US-Tech in February 2018
When Machine Vision Products, Inc., (MVP) was founded 25 years ago, cell phones were in their infancy and portable electronics simply didn’t exist. The majority of manufacturing was through-hole, the i486 was the main computing platform and Windows 3.1 was flashy and new. Dr. George T. Ayoub built the company when no one had seen a smartphone, flatscreen TV, mp3 player, solid state drive, GPS system, hybrid car, digital photograph, and many other technologies ubiquitous today. And, who could foresee the impact that the Internet would have?
In 1993, cell phone usage in the U.S. had risen to 11 million users, whereas by 2017, 81 percent of the population, approximately 265 million people, had cell phones. At the time, the Sparc processor — MVP’s original computer of choice — had 0.8 million transistors. Today, the Xeon processor used in MVP’s systems contains up to 7.2 billion transistors. When the company was founded, there were only 50 Internet (www) servers worldwide. Now, more than 50 percent of the world’s population has access to the web.
The rate of change in technology and manufacturing in the electronics industry has been exponential. Famous for his prediction of the doubling of the number of transistors in ICs approximately every two years, Intel’s former president, Gordon Earle Moore, should be proud.
New Challenges Ahead
MVP has always endeavored to provide innovations, solutions and capabilities to meet the needs of the rapidly-changing market. These include statistical process control (SPC) for AOI, SPI and 3D AOI, multi-spectral lighting, multi-camera inspection, wire bond inspection, and die metrology. In the early 1990s, a system with 1 to 2 mil (25 to 50 μm) resolution may have been suitable to inspect a 486 motherboard. In 2017, 0.4 to 0.6 mil (10 to 15 μm) resolution was enough for basic componen assembly. But, moving forward, resolutions in the single-digit micron range will be required for key electronic hardware.
The next generation of chip components are challenging SMT inspection with geometries of 5\ mil (125 μm) and solder fillets below 1 mil (25 μm). Even thermal expansion on a board can change the position of these components dramatically, so special registration techniques will be required. MVP, with its 2020, 850, Spectra, Supra, and Ultra platforms, is well-positioned to deliver the solutions for this next level of integration.
Into the 2020s
Key goals for any manufacturer are to increase quality at the most critical stages of manufacturing, increase yields and decrease costs. Although the 10 times rule for the cost of identifying a defect at each stage is less accurate as time goes on, the concept is still true.
Using the automotive industry as an example, finding a defect at the lead frame process may cost less than $1. Finding one during SMT assembly may cost between $10 and $300. Finding a defect in the field can cost between $1,000 and $3,000.
Finding defects as early as possible is critical to providing the highest possible quality at the lowest cost. This is true for all aspects of electronics manufacturing. The 10x rule varies by market and while 10x may be accurate for consumer electronics, high-rel products may be 100x and mil/aero 1,000x.
Looking toward the next decade, MVP has expanded its range of systems to meet the future’s new and challenging inspection requirements. The company offers front-end semiconductor process inspection, including wafer, die and post-dice inspection. Back-end semiconductor processes include lead-frame and wirebond inspection, die placement metrology, surface and substrate inspection, packaging inspection, and hybrid and MCM inspection. For SMT assembly, the company offers backplane, solder paste, post-placement, post-reflow, and conformal coat inspection.
Front-End Processes. The latest series of 850 platforms provide fully-automated handling of wafers in film frames for surface and post dicing inspection. Surface damage, FM and edge damage can be identified. These systems can be configured for cleanrooms up to Class 100. The company offers fully-automated handling for wafers in ring frames, top/bottom side inspection, defect marking, and defect mapping.
Back-End Processes. The company’s offering for back-end processes are split between two platforms: the 850 and its latest platform, the 2020. These processes cover wirebond, die, edge, surface, FM, eutectic, lead frame, BGA, bump, flux, and paste inspection.
Each solution offers high-resolution tele-centric optics, 3D laser inspection, confocal, or 3D projector imaging. This makes these platforms extremely flexible. In addition, the systems provide capable registration tools, allowing dice, wires and substrates to be registered on the fly, with inspection requirements calculated on a part-by-part basis.
SMT Assembly. For SMT assembly, the company provides solutions to meet nearly any need in the industry. Built on the experience of the company in the front-end and back-end semiconductor markets, MVP can now provide the same techniques, resolutions, and 3D tools to SMT manufacturers.
The company faces new designs, techniques and challenges regularly. Working with customers, the company identifies trends in manufacturing and uses them to find the best place for its defect detection systems. This development strategy is enabling the company to offer solutions for today, tomorrow and the decades to come.