Abstract: A wire bonding method and apparatus are provided for electronic components to enable PR processing and wire bonding to be carried out substantially concurrently. The apparatus comprises a bond head carrying a bonding tool for performing wire bonding and a rotary motor coupled to the bond head that is configured to change an angular orientation of the bonding tool relative to an electronic component to be bonded. There are first and second carriers for respectively mounting electronic components for wire bonding, and an optical system is arranged and configured to view bonding points on an electronic component mounted on the first carrier when the bonding tool is located over an electronic component mounted on the second carrier to perform wire bonding.

Abstract: Wedge wire bonding apparatus are disclosed with an improved configuration in which the transducer axis lies on a line that bisects the XY axes, and the operator views the bonding process by looking directly along the axis of the transducer. The result is a shorter bonding cycle time as time is saved as the bonding head moves from a first to a second bonding position while at the same time the operator is placed in the best possible position for viewing the bonding operation, which facilitates in particular any necessary alignment and set-up steps.

Abstract: The present invention provides a bonding head for a wedge wire bonding apparatus in which the bonding force of the transducer assembly, and also the clamping force of the wire clamping assembly are provided by permanent magnet motors including a coil formed as part of the transducer assembly and the wire clamping assembly respectively and with the coils located between magnets fixed to a bond head bracket member. The use of permanent magnet motors to provide the bonding and clamping forces results in apparatus in which the bonding and clamping forces can be controlled with high accuracy and reliability.