Abstract: A ball-bond arrangement comprising a bond pad of a semiconductor device and a wire ball-bonded to the bond pad, wherein the wire extending from the bonded ball has a diameter of 15 to 50 ?m, and comprises a silver-based wire core with a surface, the wire core having a coating layer superimposed on its surface, wherein the coating layer is a double-layer comprised of a 1 to 40 nm thick inner layer of palladium or nickel and an adjacent 20 to 500 nm thick outer layer of gold, and wherein the surface of the bonded ball has a gold coverage of 70 to 100%.

Abstract: A round wire comprising a wire core with a surface, the wire core having a coating layer superimposed on its surface, wherein the wire core itself is a silver-based wire core, wherein the coating layer is a double-layer comprised of a 1 to 100 nm thick inner layer of palladium or nickel and an adjacent 1 to 250 nm thick outer layer of gold, wherein the outer layer of gold exhibits at least one of the following intrinsic properties A1) and A2): A1) the average grain size of the crystal grains in the outer layer of gold, measured in longitudinal direction, is in the range of 0.1 to 0.8 ?m; A2) 60 to 100% of the crystal grains in the outer layer of gold are oriented in <100> direction, and 0 to 20% of the crystal grains in the outer layer of gold are oriented in <111> direction.

Abstract: A wire comprising a silver-based wire core having a double-layer coating comprised of an inner layer of palladium or nickel and an adjacent outer layer of gold, wherein the wire exhibits at least one of the intrinsic properties A1) to A3): A1) the average grain size of the crystal grains in the wire core, measured in longitudinal direction, is in the range of from 0.7 to 1.1 ?m; A2) the fraction of twin boundaries, measured in longitudinal direction of the wire, is in the range of from 5 to 40%; and, A3) 20 to 70% of the crystal grains of the wire core are oriented in <100> direction, and 3 to 40% of the crystal grains of the wire core are oriented in <111> direction, each % with respect to the total number of crystal grains with orientation parallel to the drawing direction of the wire.

Abstract: A wire comprising a silver-based wire core having a double-layer coating comprised of an inner layer of palladium or nickel and an adjacent outer layer of gold, wherein the wire exhibits at least one of the intrinsic properties A1) to A3): A1) the average grain size of the crystal grains in the wire core, measured in longitudinal direction, is in the range of from 0.7 to 1.1 ?m; A2) the fraction of twin boundaries, measured in longitudinal direction of the wire, is in the range of from 5 to 40%; and, A3) 20 to 70% of the crystal grains of the wire core are oriented in <100> direction, and 3 to 40% of the crystal grains of the wire core are oriented in <111> direction, each % with respect to the total number of crystal grains with orientation parallel to the drawing direction of the wire.