Method for populating a substrate with electronic components

1. A method for populating a substrate with electronic components, the method which comprises:

providing a wafer holding frame with a perforated film clamped in the wafer holding frame and formed with passage openings arranged in individual rows and columns, and a plurality of electronic components of a semiconductor wafer separated into electronic components disposed under the passage openings of the film;

providing a substrate with predetermined positions for placement of the electronic components;

supplying the wafer holding frame into a positioning wafer holding device and supplying the substrate into a positioning substrate holding device and horizontally orienting the positioning wafer holding device and the positioning substrate holding device in an X direction and a Y direction relative to one another in a predetermined position for positioning a respective electronic component of the electronic components of the semiconductor wafer on the substrate;

moving a vacuum forceps with a vacuum forceps holding device, while monitoring with a component position identification device, from a rest position vertically in a Z direction through a respective passage opening of the film while carrying along the electronic component, from a preliminary position, and carrying the electronic component into a mounting position on the substrate with rotation about the Z axis and fine adjustment of the vacuum forceps in the X direction and the Y direction.

2. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises heating the substrate for connecting external contacts of the electronic component to contact pads of the substrate after exact positioning.

3. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises, before the semiconductor wafer is separated into electronic components, applying the as yet unseparated semiconductor wafer to a side of the film coated with adhesive and thereby aligning rows and columns of the electronic components with rows and columns of the passage openings of the perforated film.

4. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises, after the semiconductor wafer has been separated into electronic components, clamping the film with the electronic components into the wafer holding frame.

5. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises, before the wafer holding frame is supplied into the wafer holding device of the placement system, carrying out a functional test of each electronic component and marking non-functioning electronic components as such.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each electronic component is provided with markings for positioning in the placement system and for detection by the component position identification device during a placement operation, for enabling a correct positioning of each component.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a ceramic plate populated with uncovered contact pads on a top side thereof.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a panted circuit board populated with uncovered contact pads on a top side thereof.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a multilayer printed circuit board or multilayer ceramic plate populated with uncovered contact pads on a top side thereof.