Wire Bonding

Past, Present, Future…

Wire bonding is a process for creating electrical interconnections in the semiconductor industry and has evolved since the 1950s. AmTECH supports various processes like Au ball, Au wedge, Al wedge, ball bumping (stud bumping), and ribbon bonding for both fine and large wire diameters. For high-reliability applications, Au ball and Au wedge are preferred due to their superior corrosion resistance, excellent electrical conductivity, and performance at high temperatures. Al wedge is suitable for cost-sensitive, and room-temperature applications. Large diameter wire bonding is crucial for power electronics and automotive applications.

Gold ball wire bonding, also known as ball-to-wedge (stitch) bonding, is a thermosonic bonding process interconnecting die to substrates or packages, utilizing force, power, time, ultrasonic energy, and temperatures up to 150°C.

Aluminum wedge wire bonding utilizes and ultrasonic bonding process at room temperature 25°C, while gold wedge wire bonding is a thermosonic bonding process that uses temperatures up to 125°C.

Heavy Wire Bonding, specifically aluminum wedge-to-wedge bonding, utilizes a fully automated ultrasonic process to connect 75um to 500um (3 mil to 20 mil) diameter wires for applications in power electronics, automotive, and other industries.

Ribbon bonding is often preferred in high-frequency applications because its wider cross-section and larger surface area lead to lower resistance, inductance, and signal loss compared to round wire bonding, resulting in stronger interconnects and improved signal integrity.

Plasma cleaning using argon for mild cleaning and oxygen for more aggressive cleaning, is a common practice before die bonding and wire bonding to remove organic contaminants, ensuring better adhesion and preventing issues like no-stick-on-pad (NSOP).