Abstract: An ultrasonic horn used in, for instance, a wire bonding apparatus and formed with mounting flanges, including a slit and a cross-sectional shape varying portion; the slit being on the central axis in the horn's longitudinal direction and extending fore and aft relative to the center of the mounting flanges, the length of the slit(s) being equal to or greater than the width direction of a flange region that is between the opposing flanges, and at least a part of the cross-sectional shape varying portion being on the outer surface of the horn at a slit region in which the slit is formed. The stress center point in the cross-section of the ultrasonic horn at the flange region is positioned more to the inside than a straight line joining the stress center points in the cross-sections of the ultrasonic horn at the front and rear end portions of the slit.

Abstract: An ultrasonic horn used in, for instance, a wire bonding apparatus and formed with mounting flanges, including a slit and a cross-sectional shape varying portion; the slit being on the central axis in the horn's longitudinal direction and extending fore and aft relative to the center of the mounting flanges, the length of the slit(s) being equal to or greater than the width direction of a flange region that is between the opposing flanges, and at least a part of the cross-sectional shape varying portion being on the outer surface of the horn at a slit region in which the slit is formed. The stress center point in the cross-section of the ultrasonic horn at the flange region is positioned more to the inside than a straight line joining the stress center points in the cross-sections of the ultrasonic horn at the front and rear end portions of the slit.

Abstract: An ultrasonic horn used in, for instance, a wire bonding apparatus and formed with mounting flanges, including a slit and a cross-sectional shape varying portion; the slit being on the central axis in the horn's longitudinal direction and extending fore and aft relative to the center of the mounting flanges, the length of the slit(s) being equal to or greater than the width direction of a flange region that is between the opposing flanges, and at least a part of the cross-sectional shape varying portion being on the outer surface of the horn at a slit region in which the slit is formed. The stress center point in the cross-section of the ultrasonic horn at the flange region is positioned more to the inside than a straight line joining the stress center points in the cross-sections of the ultrasonic horn at the front and rear end portions of the slit.

Abstract: An ultrasonic horn used in, for instance, a wire bonding apparatus and formed with mounting flanges, including a slit and a cross-sectional shape varying portion; the slit being on the central axis in the horn's longitudinal direction and extending fore and aft relative to the center of the mounting flanges, the length of the slit(s) being equal to or greater than the width direction of a flange region that is between the opposing flanges, and at least a part of the cross-sectional shape varying portion being on the outer surface of the horn at a slit region in which the slit is formed. The stress center point in the cross-section of the ultrasonic horn at the flange region is positioned more to the inside than a straight line joining the stress center points in the cross-sections of the ultrasonic horn at the front and rear end portions of the slit.

Abstract: A hub device for a bicycle includes a hub case which is attached to a center of a wheel for receiving a load exerted from a rim to which a tire is fitted, and formed to have each inner diameter of both end portions larger than a diameter of a center portion, a sleeve with plural slits in a circumferential direction and a cylindrical shape integrally attached to the hub case at the inner diameter side, which serves to transfer the load exerted to the hub case to a shaft, a bearing for receiving the load exerted to the sleeve and rotatably supporting a whole structure of the wheel, a shaft for rotatably supporting the whole structure of the wheel via the bearing, and spherical washers attached to both end portions of the shaft.

Abstract: A bonding apparatus includes: a reference plane; a bonding arm configured to be rotated about a rotation center that is arranged separately from the reference plane and to move a capillary attached at a tip end thereof obliquely toward and away from the reference plane; and an imaging device for optically detecting bonding positions on a semiconductor chip and/or a lead frame, in which an angle between an optical axis being heading for the imaging device from the reference plane and the reference plane is approximately equal to an angle between a motion trajectory of a tip end of the capillary and the reference plane, and thereby the bonding apparatus can have a wide bonding area with a simple mechanism as well as perform high-speed and high-accuracy bonding.

Abstract: A bonding apparatus includes: a reference plane; a bonding arm configured to be rotated about a rotation center that is arranged separately from the reference plane and to move a capillary attached at a tip end thereof obliquely toward and away from the reference plane; and an imaging device for optically detecting bonding positions on a semiconductor chip and/or a lead frame, in which an angle between an optical axis being heading for the imaging device from the reference plane and the reference plane is approximately equal to an angle between a motion trajectory of a tip end of the capillary and the reference plane, and thereby the bonding apparatus can have a wide bonding area with a simple mechanism as well as perform high-speed and high-accuracy bonding.

Abstract: In an bonding apparatus, a piezoelectric element 4 being built into the vicinity of the capillary attachment portion of a bonding arm 1 so that the capillary 3 can be caused to vibrate in the axial direction of the bonding arm 1. The preparatory pressure application device that applies a preparatory pressure to the piezoelectric element 4 includes two wedge-form attachment bases 5 and 6 which are disposed to the rear of or behind the piezoelectric element 4, and a preparatory pressure bolt 7 which is screwed into the wedge-form attachment base 6 from the outside of the bonding arm 1; and a preparatory pressure is applied to the piezoelectric element 4 by the movement of the wedge-form attachment base 5 in the axial direction of the bonding arm 1 caused by the rotation of the preparatory pressure bolt 7.

Abstract: A hydrostatic guide system including a guide table, a transfer table, a floating amount sensor attached to the transfer table, and a control unit. The transfer table has an inner portion, in which a magnetic attraction unit including a yoke and an electromagnet is embedded, and an outer shell portion, which covers the side surface and the upper surface of the inner portion. After the inner portion houses the yoke and the electromagnet, a gap around the yoke and the electromagnet is filled with a material having appropriate strength, so that the inner portion is integrated with the outer shell portion, and the transfer surface is flattened as whole. A surrounding groove is provided around the transfer table, and pressurized fluid supplied into the groove is jetted out to the guide table.

Abstract: A bonding arm swinging type bonding apparatus that has a rotational center 13 of the bonding arm 1 beneath the bonding arm. The rotating shaft parts 11 of circular arc form rotary motors 10 that rotate about the rotational center 13 of the bonding arm 1 are attached to the bonding arm 1, and the rotating shaft parts 21 of circular arc form air bearings 20 that rotate about this rotational center 13 are provided so that the rotating shaft parts of the circular arc form air bearings 20 are rotatable as a unit with the rotating shaft parts 11 of the rotary motors 10.

Abstract: A tip end portion and an outer surface of a capillary (or of a wedge tool) used in, for instance, a wire bonding apparatus and method, being covered by a diamond layer with a heating element attached to the outer surface thereof. The inside of the capillary is formed by alumina ceramics, having a tapered hole. The tip end of the capillary is formed by the diamond layer, and a face portion and an inner chamfer portion are formed at the tip end to make a wire heating portion. Heat is transferred from the heating element to the wire heating portion through a heat supply path formed by the diamond layer, and a bonding surface formed by a wire and a pad is heated.

Abstract: A bonding apparatus including a front link whose lower end is rotatably connected to a bonding arm and upper portion is rotatably connected to bonding head, and a rear link whose lower end is rotatably connected to the rear end of the bonding arm and upper portion is rotatably connected to the bonding head; and a hypothetical rotational center of capillary of the bonding arm is on a bonding surface and set to be the intersection of a line that connects upper and lower rotational centers of the front link and a line that connects upper and lower rotational centers of the rear link, wherein the immovable element of motor is fastened to the bonding head, and the rotational element of the motor is attached to the upper end of the rear link so that the rotational element rotates about the upper rotational center of the rear link.

Abstract: An ultrasonic horn used in, for instance, a wire bonding apparatus and formed with mounting flanges, including a slit and a cross-sectional shape varying portion; the slit being on the central axis in the horn's longitudinal direction and extending fore and aft relative to the center of the mounting flanges, the length of the slit(s) being equal to or greater than the width direction of a flange region that is between the opposing flanges, and at least a part of the cross-sectional shape varying portion being on the outer surface of the horn at a slit region in which the slit is formed. The stress center point in the cross-section of the ultrasonic horn at the flange region is positioned more to the inside than a straight line joining the stress center points in the cross-sections of the ultrasonic horn at the front and rear end portions of the slit.

Abstract: A wire bonding apparatus that include a piezoelectric element 4 provided near the capillary attachment portion of a bonding arm 1 so that a capillary 3 vibrates in the axial direction of the bonding arm 1, the piezoelectric element 4 being driven by a piezoelectric element driving power source 11. The wire bonding apparatus further includes a detector 15 and a bonding arm control circuit 16, wherein the detector 15 detects the voltage or current generated by the piezoelectric element 4 when the capillary 3 is lowered and contacts the object of bonding, and the bonding arm control circuit 16 controls the lowering motion of the bonding arm 1 in accordance with the changes in the voltage or current detected by this detector 15.

Abstract: A bonding apparatus including a front link whose lower end is rotatably connected to a bonding arm and upper portion is rotatably connected to bonding head, and a rear link whose lower end is rotatably connected to the rear end of the bonding arm and upper portion is rotatably connected to the bonding head; and a hypothetical rotational center of capillary of the bonding arm is on a bonding surface and set to be the intersection of a line that connects upper and lower rotational centers of the front link and a line that connects upper and lower rotational centers of the rear link, wherein the immovable element of motor is fastened to the bonding head, and the rotational element of the motor is attached to the upper end of the rear link so that the rotational element rotates about the upper rotational center of the rear link.

Abstract: A bonding arm swinging type bonding apparatus that has a rotational center 13 of the bonding arm 1 beneath the bonding arm. The rotating shaft parts 11 of circular arc form rotary motors 10 that rotate about the rotational center 13 of the bonding arm 1 are attached to the bonding arm 1, and the rotating shaft parts 21 of circular arc form air bearings 20 that rotate about this rotational center 13 are provided so that the rotating shaft parts of the circular arc form air bearings 20 are rotatable as a unit with the rotating shaft parts 11 of the rotary motors 10.

Abstract: In an bonding apparatus, a piezoelectric element 4 being built into the vicinity of the capillary attachment portion of a bonding arm 1 so that the capillary 3 can be caused to vibrate in the axial direction of the bonding arm 1. The preparatory pressure application device that applies a preparatory pressure to the piezoelectric element 4 includes two wedge-form attachment bases 5 and 6 which are disposed to the rear of or behind the piezoelectric element 4, and a preparatory pressure bolt 7 which is screwed into the wedge-form attachment base 6 from the outside of the bonding arm 1; and a preparatory pressure is applied to the piezoelectric element 4 by the movement of the wedge-form attachment base 5 in the axial direction of the bonding arm 1 caused by the rotation of the preparatory pressure bolt 7.

Abstract: A wire bonding apparatus that include a piezoelectric element 4 provided near the capillary attachment portion of a bonding arm 1 so that a capillary 3 vibrates in the axial direction of the bonding arm 1, the piezoelectric element 4 being driven by a piezoelectric element driving power source 11. The wire bonding apparatus further includes a detector 15 and a bonding arm control circuit 16, wherein the detector 15 detects the voltage or current generated by the piezoelectric element 4 when the capillary 3 is lowered and contacts the object of bonding, and the bonding arm control circuit 16 controls the lowering motion of the bonding arm 1 in accordance with the changes in the voltage or current detected by this detector 15.

Abstract: A wire bonding apparatus with a bonding head that includes an ultrasonic transducer having a capillary at its tip end, piezo-electric elements that form a pair of complementary action type extension and retraction driving elements which cause the ultrasonic transducer to move with respect to a transducer holder, an impact detection sensor, and a Z motor which drives the transducer holder. The piezo-electric elements are arranged so that when one of them is driven to extend, the other is driven to retract. When the impact detection sensor detects that the capillary is lowered by the Z motor and comes into contact with a bonding object (semiconductor chip), the driving of the Z motor is stopped, and the piezo-electric elements are driven to the directions of extension and retraction in a complementary manner, thus swinging the ultrasonic transducer and moving the capillary upward.

Abstract: A wire bonding apparatus with a bonding head that includes an ultrasonic transducer having a capillary at its tip end, piezo-electric elements that form a pair of complementary action type extension and retraction driving elements which cause the ultrasonic transducer to move with respect to a transducer holder, an impact detection sensor, and a Z motor which drives the transducer holder. The piezo-electric elements are arranged so that when one of them is driven to extend, the other is driven to retract. When the impact detection sensor detects that the capillary is lowered by the Z motor and comes into contact with a bonding object (semiconductor chip), the driving of the Z motor is stopped, and the piezo-electric elements are driven to the directions of extension and retraction in a complementary manner, thus swinging the ultrasonic transducer and moving the capillary upward.