Abstract: In a single-point bonding apparatus that connects the end portions of leads or the cut end portions of leads to pads respectively by pressing such end portions of leads or cut end portions of leads with a tool, a cleaning stage that is used to clean the tool is additionally provided, and a cleaning chip is disposed on the surface of the cleaning stage.

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: An image processing of an object to be detected in bonding system for manufacturing, for instance, semiconductor devices including a step of calculation of a difference value between a reference image inputted beforehand and a rotated image obtained by rotating the reference image for a plurality of reference points within the reference image, a step of mask pattern production based upon the difference values for the plurality of reference points, and a step of position detection for a position of an object of detection by pattern matching by way of using an image of the object of detection obtained by imaging the object of detection, the reference image and the mask pattern.

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 die holding mechanism comprising a connecting wire receiving shaft which is movable up and down, a pair of die holding levers which have die holding sections for holding the die and are installed so that these levers are free to open and close, and opening-and-closing levers that open and close the die holding levers. A die formed with connecting wires on its upper surface is pushed up by a die push-up device and the wires of the die come into contact with the connecting wire receiving shaft of the die holding mechanism. When the connecting wire receiving shaft is raised by a given amount by the upward movement of the die, the die holding levers are closed so that the die holding sections of the die holding levers are positioned beneath the undersurface of the die. Afterward, the push-up needles of the die push-up device are lowered, resulting in that the die is held by the die holding levers.

Abstract: A wire bonding apparatus comprising: a spool motor rotates a spool around which a wire is wound, a tension-applying device that is disposed beneath the spool, a wire pay-out sensor disposed away from a gas-jet-out side of the tension-applying device so as to sense that the supply of the wire is insufficient, a wire-end detection sensor disposed on the gas-jet-out side of the tension-applying device so as to sense that the supply of the wire from the spool has stopped, and a control device controls so that the spool motor is rotated by a predetermined fixed amount when the wire is sensed by the wire pay-out sensor.

Abstract: A transducer vibrated by a vibrator and used in a bonding apparatus, the transducer including holding portions provided so as to protrude at at least two locations that correspond to the nodes of vibration of a transducer main body, and connecting portions each connecting the tip ends of two protruding holding portions to each other. The transducer main body, holding portions and connecting portions are integrally formed from a single material member.

Abstract: A wire bonding apparatus equipped with a chip heating assembly which is installed above a heater block that contains heaters so as to heat the chip portion of a device such as a semiconductor device, and a cooling pipe which is installed in the heater block so as to cool the heater block. The temperature of the bonding surface of the device is maintained by the chip heating assembly at a temperature that allows bonding to be executed while the heater block is cooled by cooling water or a cooling air draft that flows through the cooling pipe so that the temperature of the heater block is maintained at a low temperature that cause no softening of the resin substrate of the device.

Abstract: A wire bonding apparatus equipped with a capillary through which a wire is passed, a torch electrode which is installed in a substantially horizontally movable manner so as to be positioned beneath the capillary, and a torch electrode driver which drives the torch electrode, in which the torch electrode is directly coupled to an output shaft of a pulse motor which is driven by a high-resolution angle control circuit, so that a resolution of the pulse motor obtained by the high-resolution angle control circuit is 30,000 parts per revolution or greater.

Abstract: So as to perform high-precision position detection without performing pattern matching in the direction of rotation even when the object of detection involves a positional deviation in the direction of rotation, pattern matching between a reference image and a rotated image obtained by rotating this reference image is performed during registration, and then the difference between the measured value of the position obtained following rotation and the theoretical value of the position of the rotated image is retained as a calibration amount corresponding to the known angle of rotation. Upon detection, the measured value is detected by pattern matching between an image of the object of detection, which is detected by imaging the object of detection disposed in an attitude that includes a positional deviation in the direction of rotation, and a reference image; and this measured value is corrected by the calibration amount.

Abstract: A wafer ring supplying and returning apparatus including a magazine that accommodates wafer rings, a jig holder that holds the wafer rings, a drier that causes contraction of the wafer sheets on used wafer rings, and a wafer chucking member that chucks and conveys the wafer rings, and the apparatus further including buffer sections having two (upper and lower) wafer supporting grooves that support wafer rings and a wafer pushing member disposed on or below the wafer chucking member so as to push the wafer rings. The wafer chucking member is disposed so as to face one of the wafer supporting grooves of the buffer sections, and the wafer pushing member is disposed so as to face another one of the wafer supporting grooves.

Abstract: A wire bonding method and apparatus, in which after the tail of a wire extends out of a capillary, the capillary moves to a measurement position above a tail length measuring member; the capillary descends so that the end of the tail contacts the tail length measuring member; a position of the capillary or a distance by which the capillary is lowered at the time that electrical continuity is established with the tail length measuring member is detected; and the tail length is calculated based upon a height level of the tail length measuring member, the position of the capillary before being lowered for measuring the tail, and the position of the capillary when the wire contacts the tail length measuring member, or upon the height of the capillary above the tail length measuring member before lowering the capillary for measuring the tail, and a distance the capillary is lowered.

Abstract: Wire bonding method and apparatus in which axial center of a bonding tool is brought to a reference member, and light-emitting diodes are sequentially lit so that images of the reference member and bonding tool in the X and Y directions are acquired by an offset correction camera. In this way, the amount of deviation between the bonding tool and the reference member is measured. Then, a position detection camera is caused to approach the reference member, and the amount of deviation between the optical axis of the position detection camera and the reference member is measured by the position detection camera. The accurate offset amount are determined on the basis of these measured values and the amounts of movement.

Abstract: A wire bonding apparatus equipped with a chip heating assembly which is installed above a heater block that contains heaters so as to heat the chip portion of a device such as a semiconductor device, and a cooling pipe which is installed in the heater block so as to cool the heater block. The temperature of the bonding surface of the device is maintained by the chip heating assembly at a temperature that allows bonding to be executed while the heater block is cooled by cooling water or a cooling air draft that flows through the cooling pipe so that the temperature of the heater block is maintained at a low temperature that cause no softening of the resin substrate of the device.

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 and method in which an axial center of a bonding tool is moved to the vicinity of a near reference member, laser diodes are sequentially lit, images of the reference member and bonding tool in the horizontal directions are acquired by a position detection camera, and amounts of deviation between the tool and the reference member are measured. Then, the position detection camera is caused to approach the reference member, and amounts of deviation between the optical axis of the position detection camera and the reference member are measured by the position detection camera. The accurate offset amounts are determined from the measured values and amounts of movement. Image light of the tool and reference member is conducted to the position detection camera by prisms and half-mirror, without a camera for detecting the amount of deviation between the tool and reference member.

Abstract: A die pickup method and apparatus that uses a tape peeling stage which supports a portion of an adhesive tape that corresponds to a die to be picked up, and a suction holding stage in which suction holding holes that, with vacuum suction, holds areas of the adhesive tape that surround the die to be picked up, thus separating the die from the adhesive tape by forming an air layer between the die and the adhesive tape, and then picking up the die. The air layer is formed, with the die being held via vacuum suction by a suction nozzle provided above the suction holding stage, by raising the tape peeling stage and then by moving the tape peeling stage horizontally in a direction away from the die.

Abstract: In a bonding method and apparatus, a position-detecting camera is moved to a point above reference marks, and the positional relationship between the reference marks and the optical axis of the position-detecting camera is measured by the position-detecting camera, a bonding tool is moved to a point above the reference marks in accordance with an amount of offset stored in memory beforehand, the positional relationships between the reference marks and the tool are measured by an offset-correcting camera, and an accurate amount of offset is determined by correcting the mount of offset stored in memory beforehand based upon such a measurement result.

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 spool holder structure used in, for instance, a bonding apparatus and equipped with a spool holder that holds a spool around which a wire is wound, a holder shaft which is fastened to the inner circumference of the spool holder, a holder fastening shaft made of an insulating material and fastened to the inner circumference of the holder shaft, and a motor that has an output shaft fastened to the holder fastening shaft, in which the holder shaft is fastened to an attachment plate of, for instance, the bonding apparatus via a conductive bearing so that the holder shaft is rotatable, and the conductive bearing is grounded.