Abstract: A ball forming device and method used in a bonding apparatus, including a bonding arm, a capillary attached to the bonding arm, an electronic flame off prove for forming a ball at the tip of a wire passing through the capillary, and a gas atmosphere forming unit for bringing the vicinity of the tip end of the wire into a gas atmosphere. The gas atmosphere forming unit is made of an inner wall element and an outer wall element with a hollow space section in between. The bonding arm side of the inner wall element has an inside open space which is wider than the portion of the bonding arm where the capillary is attached, and gas ejection ports are formed in the inner wall element. A gas supply pipe is connected to the outer wall element to supply, for instance, a reducing gas into the hollow space section.

Abstract: A ball forming device and method used in a bonding apparatus, including a bonding arm, a capillary attached to the bonding arm, an electronic flame off probe for forming a ball at the tip of a wire passing through the capillary, and a gas atmosphere forming unit for bringing the vicinity of the tip end of the wire into a gas atmosphere. The gas atmosphere forming unit is made of an inner wall element and an outer wall element with a hollow space section in between. The bonding arm side of the inner wall element has an inside open space which is wider than the portion of the bonding arm where the capillary is attached, and gas ejection ports are formed in the inner wall element. A gas supply pipe is connected to the outer wall element to supply, for instance, a reducing gas into the hollow space section.

Abstract: A ball forming device and method used in a bonding apparatus, including a bonding arm, a capillary attached to the bonding arm, an electronic flame off probe for forming a ball at the tip of a wire passing through the capillary, and a gas atmosphere forming unit for bringing the vicinity of the tip end of the wire into a gas atmosphere. The gas atmosphere forming unit is made of an inner wall element and an outer wall element with a hollow space section in between. The bonding arm side of the inner wall element has an inside open space which is wider than the portion of the bonding arm where the capillary is attached, and gas ejection ports are formed in the inner wall element. A gas supply pipe is connected to the outer wall element to supply, for instance, a reducing gas into the hollow space section.

Abstract: A ball forming device and method used in a bonding apparatus, including a bonding arm, a capillary attached to the bonding arm, an electronic flame off prove for forming a ball at the tip of a wire passing through the capillary, and a gas atmosphere forming unit for bringing the vicinity of the tip end of the wire into a gas atmosphere. The gas atmosphere forming unit is made of an inner wall element and an outer wall element with a hollow space section in between. The bonding arm side of the inner wall element has an inside open space which is wider than the portion of the bonding arm where the capillary is attached, and gas ejection ports are formed in the inner wall element. A gas supply pipe is connected to the outer wall element to supply, for instance, a reducing gas into the hollow space section.

Abstract: An initial ball forming method for wire bonding wire and wire bonding apparatus that uses: a capillary through which a wire is passed; a torch electrode made of a low-melting-point material that contains, for instance, tin; and a direct-current high voltage power supply. When the direct-current high voltage power supply is turned ON, a space discharge occurs between the tip end of the wire and the torch electrode, resulting in that the wire tip end melts and is formed into a ball and that the tin of the torch electrode is also heated to a high temperature and diffused into space, so that ionized plus tin ions are attracted to the tip end of the melted wire, thus causing tin to adhere to the surface of the ball-shaped tip end of the wire, and forming an initial ball that has a low-melting-point coating material adhered to its surface.

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: An initial ball forming method for wire bonding wire and wire bonding apparatus that uses: a capillary through which a wire is passed; a torch electrode made of a low-melting-point material that contains, for instance, tin; and a direct-current high voltage power supply. When the direct-current high voltage power supply is turned ON, a space discharge occurs between the tip end of the wire and the torch electrode, resulting in that the wire tip end melts and is formed into a ball and that the tin of the torch electrode is also heated to a high temperature and diffused into space, so that ionized plus tin ions are attracted to the tip end of the melted wire, thus causing tin to adhere to the surface of the ball-shaped tip end of the wire, and forming an initial ball that has a low-melting-point coating material adhered to its surface.

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 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 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 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 fixed type discharge electrode system employed for forming a ball on a bonding wire, a magnet is provided on, for instance, the discharge electrode so as to apply a magnetic field that causes the portion of an electric spark facing the bonding wire to be bent and positioned beneath the bonding wire.

Abstract: In a fixed type discharge electrode system employed for forming a ball on a bonding wire so that a discharge electrode is provided near the tip end of a bonding wire, a gas, such as air, is blown to the spark discharged between the discharge electrode and the tip end of the bonding wire in the direction from the discharge electrode so as to bend the discharged spark and the discharged spark that faces the bonding wire is positioned beneath the bonding wire.