Abstract: A workpiece retainer used in, for instance, a bonding apparatus for holding a workpiece during bonding being provide with plate springs that are driven towards the workpiece. Before the workpiece is pressed by the retainer, the end portions of plate springs protrude further toward the workpiece than the retaining surface of the workpiece retainer. When the workpiece is pressed by the retainer, the plate springs undergo elastic deformation and are pulled in the direction opposite from the workpiece so that the workpiece is pressed against a heat block by the retaining surface of the workpiece retainer; and when the workpiece is conveyed, the workpiece retainer is separated from the workpiece by a predetermined distance so that the plate springs undergo elastic recovery, thus preventing the workpiece from contacting the workpiece retainer.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for suction-holding a semiconductor pellet on a positioning stage of a bonding apparatus without causing the pellet to be misaligned after positioning thereof including a suction force control device. The suction force control device comprises a suction-switching electromagnetic valve, a suction force-adjusting electromagnetic valve, a vacuum source, a compressed air source and a throttle valve so that a semiconductor pellet is held on a positioning stage by a suction force that is weak enough that a positioning claw can move the semiconductor pellet for positioning; and upon completion of the positioning, the semiconductor pellet is held to the positioning stage by a suction force that is stronger than the weak suction force used for positioning.

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: A tension mechanism that applies a back tension to a wire in a bonding apparatus including: a first nozzle which has a through-hole through which the wire passes, second and third nozzles which have diameters that are larger than the diameter of the through-hole of the first nozzle and which are disposed above and below the first nozzle, a first air passage formed in the joining surfaces of the first nozzle and second nozzle, and a second air passage formed in the joining surfaces of the second nozzle and third nozzle. A compressed air supply device is connected to the tension mechanism and supplies compressed air to the first air passage from an air supply source, and a vacuum suction device is also connected to the tension mechanism and applies vacuum suction to the second air passage from a vacuum supply source.

Abstract: In a wire bonding apparatus in which a wire is passed through a capillary that is provided at one end of a bonding arm and a clamper that holds the wire is disposed directly above the capillary, the distance between the upper surface of the capillary and the undersurface of the clamper is set as a very short distance as 1.5 mm or less.

Abstract: A bonding apparatus that includes a bonding tool through which a wire passes and which performs bonding on a workpiece, a position detection camera which takes images of the workpiece, a reference member which is disposed in a specified position, and an optical assembly which conducts the image of the tool and reference member to the position detection camera. A lens used in the position detection camera and a lens installed in the optical assembly are arranged so that such lenses construct an afocal optical system.

Abstract: A method for forming pin-form wires or bumps on, for instance, an electrode pad of an electronic circuit element, in which a ball is formed on a tip end of a wire that passes through a capillary, the wire is then extended from the lower end of the capillary, a notch is formed in the portion of the wire between the ball and the capillary by a cutter, the ball is bonded to the electrode pad using the capillary, and the capillary is raised, thus pulling the wire and cutting the wire at the notch to form a pin-form wire or bump on the electrode pad.

Abstract: A wire bonding method in which conductive patterns that are electrically connected at one end to pads are formed on the surface of a wafer on which a plurality of pads have been formed, and bumps used as connecting points located on the other ends of the conductive patterns are connected to the connecting terminals of a substrate. A disposition of bumps that differs from the disposition of the pads is obtained by the conductive patterns, thus eliminating and adjusting mismatching between the disposition of the pads and the disposition of the connecting terminals.

Abstract: A conveyor apparatus for conveying, for instance, dies, comprising: an X-axis moving block movable in an X-axis direction that is a lead frame conveying direction, a Y-axis moving block installed on the X-axis moving block and moved in a Y-axis direction that is perpendicular to the X-axis direction, a nozzle holder installed on the Y-axis moving block so as to be movable upward and downward, a Z-axis guide rail installed on the X-axis moving block and has an inclined part that rises from a die pick-up position side toward a die bonding position side, a Z-axis moving plate moved upward and downward along the Z-axis guide rail and is connected to the nozzle holder, and a suction chucking nozzle that holds the dies by vacuum suction and is installed so as to be moved upward and downward on the nozzle holder and together with the nozzle holder.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer used in a bonding apparatus, comprising a first hollow section, which communicates with a rear end opening formed in a base end of a horn body of the transducer, and an inner unit, which is installed inside the first hollow section. The inner unit comprises a vibrator assembly and a pressing block, and the pressing block pushes and fastens in place the vibrator assembly in the first hollow section. A through-hole is formed in the central portion of the inner unit, and a second hollow section and third hollow section are further formed in the horn body. Signal wires are connected to the vibrator assembly through the rear end opening.

Abstract: A bonding method and apparatus that uses a position detection camera which takes images of a workpiece and a light path conversion device which directs the image of an area near the lower end of a capillary to the position detection camera. The image acquired by the position detection camera is processed, and an execution is made so as, for instance, to measure the diameter of a ball formed on a wire extending from the lower end of the capillary, to measure the tail length extending from the lower end of the capillary, to measure the ball position from the undersurface of the capillary, to observe the bending of the tail of the wire, to inspect the external appearance of the capillary, and to measure the amplitude of vibration of the capillary when an ultrasonic vibration is applied to the capillary.

Abstract: A wire bonding apparatus including a bonding tool that performs bonding on a bonding part, a position detection camera which has a lens barrel and images the bonding part, a light source which emits illuminating light downward through the lens barrel, and a light path conversion device that directs an image of an area near the lower end of the tool to the position detection camera. The light path conversion device includes a wavelength-selective filter that is provided so as to be within a light path of the image of the area near the lower end of the tool. The wavelength-selective filter allows illuminating light of the light path conversion device to pass therethrough but prevents the illuminating light from the lens barrel side from passing therethrough.

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: So as to obtain a pin-form wire having a stable high-quality shape without being affected by the back tension in a bonding wire, a capillary of the bonding apparatus, with the formed pin-form wire inside the capillary, is move along a curved path has a shape of a bent wire to be formed after forming the pin-form wire by a wire bonding apparatus.

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 transducer for, for instance, a flip-chip bonding apparatus. The transducer has a passage that communicates between a piping attachment and a suction holding port that suction-holds an object to be processed (bonded); and in this transducer, an air pressure piping used for the suction is fastened to the piping attachment with a connecting member in between, and this connecting member made of foam styrol suppresses effects of reaction force of the air pressure piping.

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: In die bonding in which good dies are bonded to good bonding portions of a bonding object (substrates, tapes, etc) and bad dies are bonded to bad bonding portions of the bonding object, dies on a wafer are successively detected and discriminated by a die detecting camera, dies are classified into good dies and bad dies on the basis of the results of this detection and discrimination, dies are registered on a wafer good/bad status map, and dies registered on the wafer good/bad status map are picked up by a die-transporting nozzle, transferred and bonded according to whether good dies or bad dies are requested based upon detection of bonding portions of the bonding object.

Abstract: So as to achieve accurate detection of the bonding tool position in, for instance, a wire bonding apparatus, the positional relationship between a position detection camera and a reference hole formed in, for instance, a clamper is measured by imaging the reference hole by the position detection camera. The position detection camera and a bonding tool are moved by an XY table, and the tip end of the bonding tool is inserted into the reference hole. Then, the bonding tool is moved in the X and Y directions, and the contact of the bonding tool to an edge of the reference hole is detected based upon changes in the waveform of the ultrasonic vibrations applied to the bonding tool, thus measuring the positional relationship between the tool and the reference hole. The offset amount between the position detection camera and the bonding tool is then determined based upon the measured values and the amounts of movement of the bonding tool between the locations for such measured values.

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.