Abstract: An offset measuring mechanism and method used in a bonding apparatus, in which the object plane of a position detection camera is set on a hypothetical bonding working plane, and the image of imaging elements within the imaging plane is projected onto a bonding working plane. Furthermore, the tip end of a bonding tool is aligned with the bonding working plane. The object plane of the offset measuring camera is set on the bonding working plane, and the image on the bonding working plane is projected onto the imaging elements of the imaging plane of the offset measuring camera. The imaging elements detect the projected image of the imaging elements of the position detection camera or the image of the tip end of the bonding tool and output this data to the image position measuring part or tool position measuring section of the control block.

Abstract: For facilitating and making more efficient the setting of the operating parameters of a bonding tool that is used to form a wire loop into a desired shape, when an editing handle is dragged, the loop shape of a wire loop line drawing displayed on a display screen is redrawn as a secondary loop line drawing. The values of the operating parameters corresponding to the loop shape of the drawn or redrawn secondary loop line drawing are calculated, and the results are displayed in a parameter list.

Abstract: In a semiconductor device, each of the leads is provided with guided-surfaces that are inclined surfaces and each of the bumps is provided with a recess that has guide-surfaces formed by inclined surfaces. The leads are smoothly guided toward the centers of the upper surfaces of the bumps with the aides of the inclined surfaces formed on the leads and bumps, so that the attitude of the leads is corrected and the leads are snugly brought into the recess and prevented form falling off of the bump.

Abstract: A wire bonding apparatus having a capillary with a wire passing therethrough; and when the switch of a first direct-current high-voltage power supply is switched ON, a space discharge takes place between the tip end of the wire and a torch electrode, and the tip end of the wire is melted by the discharge, making a ball-form ball base. When the switch of a second high-voltage power supply is switched ON, a space discharge takes place between a pair of dissociated gas forming electrodes made of a coating material whose melting point is lower than that of the wire, so that a dissociated gas containing tin ions is formed. The ball base is positioned inside the dissociated gas, and thus, tin adheres to the surface of the ball base, and an initial ball with a low-melting-point coating material adhering to the surface is formed.

Abstract: A wire bonding apparatus with a bonding head that includes an ultrasonic transducer having a capillary at its tip end, piezo-electric elements that form a pair of complementary action type extension and retraction driving elements which cause the ultrasonic transducer to move with respect to a transducer holder, an impact detection sensor, and a Z motor which drives the transducer holder. The piezo-electric elements are arranged so that when one of them is driven to extend, the other is driven to retract. When the impact detection sensor detects that the capillary is lowered by the Z motor and comes into contact with a bonding object (semiconductor chip), the driving of the Z motor is stopped, and the piezo-electric elements are driven to the directions of extension and retraction in a complementary manner, thus swinging the ultrasonic transducer and moving the capillary upward.

Abstract: In image processing method and device used in, for instance, wire bonding, the amount of positional deviation, which is of between a reference image and a rotated image which is obtained by rotating the reference image by a particular angle, is calculated by pattern matching between such two images, and then a first alignment point is determined based upon the calculated amount of the positional deviation and the rotational angle which is a known quantity. By way of using the first alignment point as a reference, pattern matching is executed between the reference image and an image of a comparative object (a semiconductor device, for instance) that is obtained by imaging the comparative object disposed in an attitude that includes positional deviations in the rotational direction, thus minimizing the error in the detected position of the comparative object.

Abstract: A bonding apparatus including an ultrasonic horn having a capillary, a horn holder holding the ultrasonic horn, a swing arm rotatably supporting the horn holder on horn holder supporting shafts, and auxiliary arms which are rotatably supported by auxiliary arm supporting shafts and rotatably supported by connecting shafts on the horn holder. The horn holder supporting shafts are disposed above a hypothetical center of an imaginary horizontal line extending from the tip end of the capillary, the auxiliary arm supporting shafts are disposed in the back of the horn holder supporting shafts and at the same height as the horn holder supporting shafts, and the connecting shafts are disposed at an intersection of an extension of an imaginary line connecting the tip end of the capillary and the horn holder supporting shafts and an extension of an imaginary line connecting the hypothetical center and the auxiliary arm supporting shafts.

Abstract: An ultrasonic horn used in a wire bonding apparatus and includes a horn main body that has a capillary, which is at one end of the horn main body and through which a wire is passed, and a vibrator, which is at another end of the horn main body; and the horn main body being formed with at least two grooves that extends along the central axis of the horn main body. The cross-sectional shape of the portion of the horn main body where the grooves are formed is, for instance, left-right symmetry, top-bottom symmetry, or left-right and top-bottom symmetry; and the cross section of the portion of the horn main body where the grooves are formed, for instance, a cruciform shape, X shape, Y shape or H shape.

Abstract: A bonding apparatus that makes correction &Dgr;X=(Xn−X) in positioning of bonding tool and substrate where the imaging center of first camera shows deviation +Xc with respect to the imaging center of second camera, and deviation +Xn occurs when bonding tool moves from height Z1 to height Z2. A target is disposed at height Z1 in a correcting position, and a correction camera is disposed beneath the target. The correction amount &Dgr;X=(Xn−Xc)=X3−(X2+X1) is determined based upon first positional deviation X1 which is the position of a chip 10d at height Z1 seen from the target, second positional deviation X2 which is the position of the target seen from the imaging center of the second camera, and third positional deviation X3 which is the position of the chip 10u at height Z2 seen from the imaging center of the first camera.

Abstract: A wire bonding method that connects a first bonding point and a second bonding point by a wire, the method including a step that press-bonds a ball formed on a tip end of a wire to a first bonding point, thus forming a press-bonded ball; a step that slightly raises a capillary, moves the capillary toward a second bonding point and then lowers the capillary by an amount that is smaller than an amount in which the capillary was raised, and a step that raises the capillary to allow the wire to be paid out of the capillary and moves the capillary toward a second bonding point, thus connecting the wire to the second bonding point.

Abstract: A straight rod form discharge electrode used in a wire bonding apparatus. The electrode core material is covered, except for its tip end, by an alumina film that has been subjected to a pore sealing treatment. The alumina film subjected to the pore sealing treatment is formed by a two-stage process. In the first-stage, an alumina film having a porous structure is formed on the surface of the electrode core material for the thickness of approximately 6 &mgr;m by plasma flame coating method or anodic oxidation method; and in the second-stage, the porous structure is subjected to a pore sealing treatment in which an alumina film is caused to adhere to the porous structure by laser PVD or a pore sealing treatment is performed with a resin.

Abstract: In measuring the position of a bonding tool accurately in offset correction in a bonding apparatus, the tool is moved to approach a reference member, the tool is illuminated with a reference pattern by a laser diode, and the deviation between the reference member and tool in one horizontal direction is measured based upon the image of the reference pattern projected on the tool. A position detection camera images the tool in another horizontal direction, thus measuring the deviation of the tool and reference member. The position detection camera is moved to approach the reference member, and the deviation between the position detection camera and the reference member is measured by the position detection camera. The accurate offset amounts between the position detection camera and the tool are determined based upon these measured values and amounts of movement of the position detection camera and the tool.

Abstract: A bonding apparatus including, on a supporting stand 12, two linear motors 130 and 140 and a bonding head supporting stage 114 which supports the bonding head 120 by means of fluid pressure so that the bonding head 120 is movable in the horizontal plane. The linear motors 130 and 140 respectively include driving sections 132 and 142 and movable coil assemblies 134 and 144. An arm 136 extending from the movable coil assembly 134 of the first linear motor 130 is fastened to the bonding head 120, and an arm 146 extending from the movable coil assembly 144 of the second linear motor 140 is engaged with the bonding head 120. A driving force aimed at the center of gravity of the bonding head 120 is applied to the bonding head 120 via the arms 136 and 146, so that the bonding head 120 is moved.

Abstract: A plate-form member conveying apparatus that includes an upper claw and a lower claw for clamping a plate-form member in between from above and below and conveying the plate-form member, in which each of the upper claw and the lower claw is formed by a clamping plate made of an elastic material and brought into contact with an upper or lower surface of the plate-form member, and a claw holding plate and a claw counter plate that sandwich the clamping plate; and the clamping plate and claw holding plate are detachably fastened by bolts to the claw counter plate.

Abstract: A ball forming method and device used in a wire bonding apparatus in which a discharge is caused to occur by applying a high voltage between an electric torch and a tip end of a wire that extends out of a lower end of a capillary so as to form a ball at a tip end of the wire, and an insulating member is provided so as to cover the electric torch with a space between the vicinity of a discharge portion of the electric torch and the insulating member, a heater being further provided on the insulating member so as to heat such a space.

Abstract: A wire bonding method including the steps of forming a bump by performing ball bonding of a ball by wire on a second conductor, raising a capillary to a height that is equal to or lower than the height of a ball portion that rises into a through-hole of the capillary during formation of the bump, moving the capillary in a direction that is opposite from the first conductor, lowering the capillary so as to form an inclined wedge on the bump, cutting the wire, performing the primary bonding on the first conductor, and making a loop with the wire with respect to the bump from the first conductor, thus performing the secondary bonding on the inclined wedge on the bump.

Abstract: Bump formation method and wire bonding method including a step of forming a ball on the tip end of a wire that passes through a capillary and joining this ball to an electrode pad so as to make a press-bonded ball. In the next step, the capillary is raised and moved horizontally so that the bottom flat portion of the capillary faces the press-bonded ball. Then, the capillary is lowered and the press-bonded ball is pressed, thus forming a first bump. Next, the capillary is raised and moved horizontally in a direction that is opposite from the previous horizontal-direction, thus positioning the flat portion of the capillary to face the first bump. Then, the capillary is lowered, and the wire is bent and pressed against the surface of the first bump so as to form a second bump. The wire is then cut from the second bump.

Abstract: A wire bonding apparatus including a capillary, which allows a tip end of a bonding wire to protrude from the bottom, and a discharge electrode, which generates a spark between the electrode and the tip end of the wire by an electrical discharge; and auxiliary electrodes being disposed so as to surround the area between the tip end of the wire and the tip end of the discharge electrode. The end portion of the spark on the wire side is guided onto the axial line of the portion of the wire that protrudes from the capillary by the electric fields from the auxiliary electrodes, and the end portion of the spark on the discharge electrode side is guided onto the axial line of the discharge electrode. Dissociated ions are adsorbed on the auxiliary electrodes, preventing the discharge electrode from being contaminated.

Abstract: A die bonding method and apparatus that performs bonding position detection and bonding inspection without lowering the productivity, in which after a bonding head has bonded a semiconductor chip to an island, the bonding head is moved to a wafer to pick up a semiconductor chip and is returned to the island; and during this period, an island used for bonding inspection (that is the island on which bonding has just been performed) and an island used for position detection (that is the island on which bonding is to be done next) are imaged by a camera in the same visual field, and inspection of the bonding conditions of the island used for inspection and detection of the position of the island used for position detection are performed based on the acquired image data.

Abstract: A transducer vibrated by a vibrator and used in a bonding apparatus, the transducer including holding portions and connecting portions. The holding portions are provided so as to protrude at at least two locations that correspond to the nodes of vibration of a transducer main body, and the connecting portions each connects the tip ends of two protruding holding portions to each other. The external force applied to one of the holding portions is thus dispersed in each of the respective holding portions connected by the connecting portions, deformation of the holding portions is prevented, and the respective holding portions can be formed extremely thin in the axial direction of the transducer main body.