• SmartDie™ Handling Overview
• Shipping and Storage

SmartDie Handling Overview

• Gel-Paks
• Tape & Reel
• Reclamation
• ESD Requirements

• User's Guide Table of Contents

Gel-Paks
Gel-Pak vacuum release trays are the preferred low volume method for shipping SmartDie™ products from Intel to customers. Although the die matrix and therefore capacity depends on the die size, all dice are spaced 120 mils apart (See Figure 1). Gel-Paks are four-inch-square, black, conductive, polycarbonate trays that contain one large cavity covered with a proprietary, ultraclean, contaminant free, silicone gel membrane over a screen mesh. During shipping and handling, the gel/die backside contact is at a maximum, and the dice are held in place by surface tension (note:no adhesives are used).

Upon use, the Gel-Pak is placed on a vacuum release station, where a small hole in the bottom of the Gel-Pak tray allows a vacuum to pull the gel membrane down into the screen mesh and reduce the surface tension on the die to about one-half gram, low enough to be pulled off the gel by a vacuum wand (see Figure 2).

Use the largest pick-up tool vacuum line and suction cup, or collet, appropriate for the die size to ensure maximum vacuum (preferably 25 in. Hg or higher) and therefore maximum pick-up force. A soft rubber collet works best to provide an adequate seal and prevent die damage during pick-up. We recommend that you inspect the collets frequently and replace when dirty to reduce die damage caused by embedded foreign material.

Note that tweezers could be used to remove dice from Gel-Paks, but they are not recommended due to the potential for die and gel membrane damage. If the gel membrane is torn, the vacuum leakage will prohibit die removal. In an emergency, a damaged gel membrane can be temporarily repaired with ordinary tape.

When removing, apply minimum downward force on the collet so you don't press the die into the recessed gel membrane. Once the die is engaged by the collet, raise it slowly to prevent separation of the die and collet.

Figure 1: Example of die placement matrix in a Gel-Pak (not to scale).

Normal (shipping) mode Vacuum release mode

Figure 2: Adhesion and vacuum release of die via gel membrane and screen mesh (not to scale).

This video file illustrates the placement of SmartDie Products in the Gel-PAK. GELPAK.AVI (1,036,872 bytes)
Download one of the following .exe files to allow the windows "Media Player" to play the video files. After expanding the file in an empty directory, run the setup.exe which will automatically configure Media Player for .avi files.

If you have Windows 3.1, download this file. It will expand to 1,644,743 bytes IVI16.EXE (1,594,721 bytes)

If you have Windows 95/NT, download this file. It will expand to 1,515,143 bytes IVI32.EXE (689,000 bytes)

Tape & Reel
Tape & reel (T&R) is the preferred high volume method for shipping SmartDie products from Intel to customers. A single tape reel can hold thousands of dice, whereas a single Gel-Pak holds fewer than one hundred (see Figure 3). The high capacity of T&R allows lower customer "Mean Time Between Queue" (MTBQ, or time until a machine must be reloaded with product); higher "Units Per Hour" (UPH), and lower equipment manning ratios.

While Intel currently offers packaged products (e.g. TSOPs, PSOPs, etc.) in T&R, SmartDie T&R is under development and should be available for select high volume products in late 1996. Note that T&R is being developed as an optional supplement to Gel-Paks, not as a replacement.

Reclamation
Intel has initiated a Gel-Pak reclamation program. Intel pays all shipping costs and provides a per-unit reimbursement incentive. By returning Gel-Paks to Micro Plastics for reclamation, customers provide an environmentally conscious alternative to disposal, thereby reducing disposal costs and reducing purchase costs for future products.

The per-unit cost reimbursement incentive to return Gel-Paks after use by customers is based on good, useable Gel-Paks that were actually reclaimed. Gel membranes need to be intact and in overall good condition.

ESD Requirements
ESD requirements for bare dice are exactly the same as for packaged components. Follow standard practices, which include outfitting the workplace with the following items: ESD protective clothing/smocks, electrostatic shielding containers or totes, antistatic or dissipative carriers, dissipative table mats, personal grounding (a wrist strap, heel strap, or ESD cuff), and ESD protective floors or mats. It should be stressed that all equipment should be grounded as well.

Shipping and Storage

• Packing materials and labels
• Shelf life
• Floor life

Packing Materials and Labels
SmartDie are packed in Gel-Paks or T&R, then sealed in a moisture barrier bag (MBB) with a desiccant card, and finally in a cardboard box. Labels on the box, MBB and Gel-Pak or T&R identify the product name, lot number, quantity, seal date, and other data (see Figures 4 and 5).

Fig. 5: Gel-Pak and T&R label.

Shelf Life
The shelf life of SmartDie in MBB's is guaranteed to be at least 12 months when stored at <40oC and <90% relative humidity (RH). Intel recommends keeping the MBB sealed until the dice are used.

Floor Life
Once the MBB is opened, the dice should be used within 48 hours. After 48 hours, unused dice should be stored in a nitrogen purged cabinet to prevent bond pad oxidation. Note that SmartDie, being unencapsulated, are rated at IPC Level 1 (i.e. non-moisture sensitive) per EIA JEDEC Standard JES22-A112.

Dice may be stored in a Gel-Pak up to two years after the seal date on the Gel-Pak. After two years, the adhesive force of the gel membrane "builds" or increases enough to render die removal difficult.