Abstract: In plastics-encapsulated semiconductor devices, for example surface-mount power devices, aluminium corrosion due to ingress or generation of moisture within the encapsulation (150) is avoided by bonding at least one sacrificial additional wire (24, 25, 26, 27) of substantially pure aluminium to a bond pad (11, 13, 14) and/or terminal area (101, 110) of the device. The actual connection wires (21, 22, 23) of the device are of an alloyed aluminium material, such as nickel-doped aluminium, that is more resistant to corrosion by moisture than is the sacrificial additional wire (24, 25, 27). The sacrificial additional wire (24, 25, 27) serves as a corrodible getter of the moisture within the encapsulation (150). The bond pads (11, 12, 13, 14) may be of an aluminium alloy, for example an aluminium-silicon alloy, or even of relatively pure aluminium.

Abstract: In plastics-encapsulated semiconductor devices, for example surface- mount power devices, aluminium corrosion due to ingress or generation of moisture within the encapsulation (150) is avoided by bonding at least one sacrificial additional wire (24, 25, 26, 27) of substantially pure aluminium to a bond pad (11, 13, 14) and/or terminal area (101, 110) of the device. The actual connection wires (21, 22, 23) of the device are of an alloyed aluminium material, such as nickel-doped aluminium, that is more resistant to corrosion by moisture than is the sacrificial additional wire (24, 25, 27). The sacrificial additional wire (24, 25, 27) serves as a corrodible getter of the moisture within the encapsulation (150). The bond pads (11, 12, 13, 14) may be of an aluminium alloy, for example an aluminium-silicon alloy, or even of relatively pure aluminium.