Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the position, size and/or shape of a ball formed on a pad of a semiconductor chip when a wire is bonded between the pad and a lead of a lead frame. The ball is detected in at least three directions from the center of the ball towards the edge of the ball.

Abstract: This method and apparatus for wire bonding allows easy checking and correction of bonding point coordinates in which upon the registration of the coordinates of fixed points used for alignment in a fixed point standard pattern storage memory and the subsequent registration of the coordinates of bonding points in a bonding point coordinate memory, the coordinates of bonding points and the images of pads or leads obtained by a camera at the time of the registration of the coordinates are both registered in an image data storage memory, so that the registered images are displayed on a monitor in cases where bonding point coordinates are checked or corrected at a later time.

Abstract: A device for conveying a wafer ring between a wafer ring container and a pellet pick-up device. A pair of guide rails which guide both side edges of a wafer ring that is conveyed by a wafer ring conveying assembly are installed pivotally in a vertical direction near the wafer ring cassette. The guide rails are pivoted so as to take a horizontal position when the conveying of the wafer ring is performed and take a vertical position when the pellet pick-up device is in operation. Thus, the operation of the pellet pick-up device is not hindered by the guide rails.

Abstract: An apparatus for conveying a wafer to wafer work suction-holding stage and then discharging a worked wafer from the wafer work suction-holding stage, including a loader side elevator device, a wafer position correcting stage, a wafer work suction-holding stage, a wafer carrying table and an unloader side elevator device which are successively disposed in this order; and the apparatus further including a conveyor which conveys a wafer inside a loader side magazine carried on the loader side elevator device to a point above the positional correction suction-holding stage, a stopper which positions the wafer conveyed by the conveyor to the wafer position correcting stage, and a feeding pawl moving device which operates after the wafer position correcting stage and wafer work suction-holding stage have been moved vertically so that the upper surface of the wafer position correcting stage is at substantially the same height as the upper surface of the stopper and so that the upper surface of the wafer work suction

Abstract: A device for picking up, via suction, a lead frame from a lead frame magazine and placing it on a guide rail so that the lead frame is fed to a bonding machine. This device includes a plurality of lead frame suction nozzles disposed in at least two parallel rows such that one row of the two parallel rows of the lead frame suction nozzles is movable toward and away from an other row of the lead frame suction nozzles. In addition, the lead frame suction nozzles in each of the two rows can be moved closer to and away from each other within each of the rows.

Abstract: A bonding apparatus provided with a clamping device for holding a workpiece such as a tab tape, comprising an upper clamper and a lower clamper which are respectively divided into two sections. The upper and lower clampers are respectively mounted on an upper clamper holding plate and a lower clamper holding plate so that the gaps between facing surfaces of the respective sections of the clampers can be adjusted.

Abstract: A lead frame pusher device for feeding lead frames in and out of a lead frame magazine including: a pusher mount installed between a pair of lead frame supply guide rails so that the pusher mount can travel along the supply guide rails, a pusher driver which moves the pusher mount along the supply guide rails, a first pusher fastened to the pusher mount so as to project upward from the pusher mount, a second pusher fastened to the pusher mount so as to be located below the first pusher and extends toward the magazine, and a pusher driver for vertically moving the pusher mount so that the first and second pushers are moved to a lead frame conveying path level of the lead frame supply guide rails.

Abstract: A device for transporting a die from a die pick-up position to a die placement position in the process of manufacturing, for instance, semiconductor devices, including a slider which is vertically movable, a suction holding nozzle installed on the slider, a feeder screw which causes a horizontal movement of the slider, a transport guide shaft which guides the slider so as to make its horizontal movement, a pair of pivotal swing levers respectively installed above the die pick-up position and the die placement position so as to guide the slider to ascend and descend, and driving cams which cause the pivot motions of the swing levers.

Abstract: A bonding tool used in a bonding apparatus for bonding, for example, pellet and leads of a lead frame including a tool attachment part to which a tool member is mounted. The tool member has four inclined surfaces, and the tool attachment part includes two fixed guide members and two detachable guide members fastened to the tool attachment part by bolts. Inclined surfaces that position two adjacent inclined surfaces of the tool member are formed on the fixed guide members, and inclined surfaces that position the other two inclined surfaces of the tool member are formed on the detachable guide members. The tool member is mounted on and dismounted from the tool attachment part by merely removing the detachable guide members.

Abstract: A device for conveying a wafer ring between a wafer ring container and a pellet pick-up device. The wafer ring having a wafer sheet with semiconductor pellets adhered on it is held at its one end by a pair of claws that is equipped with a sensor for detecting the wafer ring held by the claws. After determining the presence of the wafer ring held by the pair of claws, the claws carry the wafer ring onto the pellet pick-up device and then carries the wafer ring back to the wafer ring container. The sensor can be installed on either one of the pair of the claws.

Abstract: A method for cleaning a bonding tool of a bonding apparatus includes a step of positioning a tip portion of the bonding tool between a pair of discharge electrodes, which are primarily used for removing a covering that covers a bonding wire, and a step of causing an electrical discharge across the discharge electrodes by applying a high voltage, such as of 3500 V, by connecting the discharge electrodes to positive and negative poles of a discharge power source, respectively. The electrical discharge is performed with the bonding wire kept inside the bonding tool so as not to project out of the bonding tool or after the bonding wire is removed from the bonding tool.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inspecting bends in wires bonded between, for instance, pads of semiconductor chips and leads of lead frames using detection ranges established within imaging ranges in which images of bends are taken. Imaging range areas are established by dividing the distance between a first bonding point and a second bonding point of a target wire by the width of the detection range, and the wire bend is then detected in the respective imaging range areas.

Abstract: In a wire-bonding machine and method that uses a covered wire, discharge electrodes comprise a pair of discharge electrodes for covering-film removal, in which the upper and lower surfaces of electromagnetic parts used as discharge terminals are held by two insulating parts, and a discharge electrode for ball formation, which is movable together with one of the pair of discharge electrodes for covering-film removal.

Abstract: A die push-up assembly used in a bonding machine, such as a die bonding or a tape bonding device, is provided on a die-push-up assembly adjustment device including an X-direction adjustment plate which has a pivot shaft, a Y-direction adjustment plate which is mounted on the X-direction adjustment plate so as to be movable in the Y-direction, an X-direction adjustment screw which allows the X-direction adjustment plate to pivot in the X direction about the pivot shaft, an eccentric shaft which allows the Y-direction adjustment plate to move in the Y direction, a first fastening screw which fastens the X-direction adjustment plate to the bonding apparatus, and a second fastening screw which fastens the Y-direction adjustment plate to the X-direction adjustment plate. The die push-up assembly is mounted on the Y direction adjustment plate so as to be adjusted in the horizontal direction.

Abstract: To assure that a loop height remains constant even if the wiring distance should vary and no slack is generated in the hypotenuse of the bonded wire: the length of the covered wire required for a next wiring operation is set by a formula which combines a first-order function of a wiring distance, a first-order reciprocal function of the wiring distance and a constant; the covering-film at the corresponding position is removed; and the exposed-core portion of the covered wire from which the covering-film has been removed is bonded to the lead of a lead frame with the loop height fixed even if the wiring distance should change.

Abstract: Workpieces in which, for example, wire bonding has been performed are inspected to determine if they are defective or not by an inspection device. Workpieces which have been found to be defective are conveyed to one workpiece magazine and workpieces which have been found to be defect-free are conveyed to another workpiece magazine, thus defective and non-defective workpieces are separated immediately after inspection.

Abstract: A die push-up device used in a bonding machine for semiconductor devices, etc. including a wafer sheet suction assembly and a wafer push-up needle which are moved up and down independently by a suction assembly raising-and-lowering cam and a push-up needle raising-and-lowering cam which are respectively rotated by a suction assembly raising-and-lowering motor and a push-up needle raising-and-lowering motor.

Abstract: A lead frame magazine fastening structure used with, for instance, a semiconductor bonding machine including raising-and-lowering shafts passing through a magazine setting plate of an elevator device and a positioning assembly comprising pins and a vacuum suction pad provided in the magazine setting plate. A lead frame magazine for accommodating lead frames in a stacked fashion is comprised of a bottom plate and vertical side bars along with a magazine supporting plate placed on the bottom plate and is placed on the magazine setting plate of the elevator device. When the elevator device is actuated, the raising-and-lowering shafts raise only the magazine supporting plate on which the lead frames are placed while the bottom plate of the magazine is held on the magazine setting plate of the elevator device by the positioning assembly.

Abstract: A clamping device used in, for instance, a bonding machine, using a piezo-electric element for opening and closing a pair of clamping claws for holding, for instance, bonding wires in between. The clamping device includes a pressure adjustment screw which applies a preparatory pressure to the piezo-electric element via a contact plate, and the contact plate is connected, via flexible sections which are capable of expansion and contraction, to a screw attachment with which the pressure adjustment screw is screw-engaged.

Abstract: In a lead frame detection device used between a bonding machine and a lead frame storage magazine, a lead frame contacting probe is provided on a pivotal contact assembly so that the pivotal movement of the contact assembly that is caused, via the contacting probe, by the thickness of the lead frame(s) is detected by sensors, thus determining the existence or absence of the lead frame(s) on the lead frame guide rails, and, in the case of existence, the number of lead frames on the guide rails.