Efficient Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on Chip Trays

Discover our easy and efficient way of implementing OCR solution for chip trays and IC trays, where challenging characters are deciphered correctly every time, overcoming low contrast and variable working distances in fast-paced production environment.

Why chip trays need OCR?

In semiconductor manufacturing, accurate identification and traceability of chip trays and IC trays is crucial for quality control and inventory management over the manufacturing process. Trays and individual chips are marked with unique identifiers that need to be reliably read in challenging conditions, such as poor lighting, inconsistent markings, variable working distances and high throughout requirement. Accurate chip trays OCR prevents mix-ups, ensures traceability, and maintains production integrity, avoiding downtime, recalls, and regulatory issues.

The key challenges in OCR for chip/IC trays

Low contrast IC trays with raised characters- a challenging OCR task

OCR for chip/IC trays face several technical challenges due to variable readout conditions. Characters are often marked on tray edges with minimal contrast against the background, leading to poor grey level differentiation. Additionally, the variation in height of raised characters and small font sizes further complicates readability, particularly in fast-paced production environments. These factors make it difficult for traditional OCR systems to deliver consistent and accurate performance.

Unlocking OCR success: from chip trays to complex applications

To achieve reliable OCR results on chip trays and IC trays, starting with a well-focused, high-contrast image is essential for robust character recognition. The low contrast of raised characters on chip trays can be effectively managed with professional lighting setups, while Basler’s in-camera autofocus solution ensures seamless handling of variable working distances for consistently sharp images.

On the software side, the pylon vTool OCR accurately reads text with minimal setup required, making it easy to integrate and highly effective. For more complex OCR applications beyond chip trays-such as those involving variable positioning, distorted characters, or cluttered backgrounds-our upcoming AI-based OCR solution excels at tackling these challenges, ensuring reliable performance in any environment.

Get expert help for your OCR project today!

Chip/IC tray OCR with pylon vTools (recipe and results) — Effortless recipe creation with drag-and-drop simplicity—accurately reading text on the tray without any programming required.

OCR solution benefits

Reliability: consistent, accurate OCR results ensure dependable performance.
Need-Specific: our OCR solutions aim to solve your exact pains-with smart lighting, or autofocus, and cost-effective pylon vTool OCR software.
Ease of deployment: quick field deployment without the need for programming expertise or extensive vision knowledge.

For smaller vision teams or those with limited OCR expertise, our solution offers exceptional value. It simplifies deployment and integration, providing a cost-effective option that requires minimal resources and technical know-how.

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Products for this solution

Looking to implement a comparable solution? These products will help you.

AI-based OCR
Intelligent text recognition under difficult and changing readout conditions.
pylon AI for image analysis
Image analysis with AI delivers precise results for computer vision applications such as object detection, OCR, segmentation, and classification without any programming effort.
pylon vTools for image processing
Quickly and easily design functions like intelligent structure recognition, micrometer-precise object positioning, or robust code recognition. Flexibly integrate everything you need into your own application.
pylon Software for image acquisition
pylon offers certified drivers for many camera interfaces, as well as simple programming interfaces and practical tools for camera setup.
LED illumination
LED lights ensure consistent image quality in vision applications. We offer a fully coordinated Basler Lights portfolio.
Area scan cameras
Basler area scan cameras include a wide variety of offerings, all known for exceptional quality and image results in industrial applications.
Lenses
Lenses are a decisive factor for image quality. The appropriate optics strike a good balance between desired imaging performance and price.
Accessories
Everything from a single source: carefully selected accessories that complete your vision system.

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