Semiconductor wire bonding method

Abstract

An improved method for teaching the location of a bond site on a selected lead finger of a semiconductor leadframe during a wire bonding process is provided. Initially, the location of the lateral edges and terminal edge of a tip portion of the lead finger is sensed by an automated vision system of a wire bonding apparatus. A width (W) and a longitudinal axis of the lead finger are then determined. The bond site is located along the longitudinal axis a predetermined distance of (W/2) from the terminal edge of the lead finger. The improved method allows greater accuracy in the placement of bond sites and precisely controls the length of the bond wire used during the wire bonding process.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. In a wire bonding process, in which a bond wire is bonded to bond pads formed on a semiconductor die and then to a bond site located on a tip portion of a lead finger of a semiconductor leadframe, utilizing an automated wire bonding apparatus, a method for teaching a location of the bond site on the lead finger, said method comprising the steps of: 
       sensing a location of the lateral edge and a terminal edge of the tip portion of the lead finger using an automated vision sensing system of the wire bonding apparatus;  
       determining a location of a longitudinal axis of the tip portion of the lead finger; and then  
       locating the bond site on the lead finger along the longitudinal axis of the lead finger and spaced by a predetermined distance from the terminal edge.  
     
     
       2. The method as recited in claim  1  and wherein the location of the longitudinal axis of the tip portion of the lead finger is determined by determining the width “W” of the lead finger and then dividing by two. 
     
     
       3. The method as recited in claim  2  and wherein the predetermined distance is equal to “W/2”. 
     
     
       4. The method as recited in claim  3  and wherein the wire bonding apparatus is an existing wire bonding apparatus having software modified to determine the location of the longitudinal axis and locate the bond site. 
     
     
       5. A wire bonding method for semiconductor manufacture comprising: 
       providing a semiconductor die having a plurality of bond pads thereon connected to integrated circuits formed on the die;  
       providing a semiconductor leadframe having a plurality of generally rectangular shaped die mounting paddles each surrounded by an arrangement of lead fingers, each of said lead fingers including a tip portion located at a proximal end thereof with a terminal edge of each tip portion generally parallel to a side of a mounting paddle;  
       attaching the die to a mounting paddle;  
       bonding a fine bond wire to a bond pad of the die using a bonding tool of an automated wire bonding apparatus having an automated vision system for sensing a location of the die and lead fingers;  
       determining a width (W) of the tip portion of a selected lead finger and a longitudinal axis of the selected lead finger using the automated vision system;  
       locating a bond site on the tip portion of the selected lead finger generally along the longitudinal axis and spaced from the terminal edge of the selected lead finger by a predetermined distance; and  
       bonding the fine bond wire to the selected lead finger at the bond site using the bonding tool.  
     
     
       6. The bonding method as recited in claim  5  and wherein the predetermined distance is equal to the width (W) of the tip portion of the selected lead finger divided by two (W/2). 
     
     
       7. The bonding method as recited in claim  6  and wherein the wire bonding apparatus includes a computer control system operated by computer software. 
     
     
       8. The bonding method as recited in  7  and wherein the wire bonding apparatus is an existing apparatus and the computer software is modified for determining the width (w) and longitudinal axis of the tip portion of the selected lead finger and for locating the bond site the predetermined distance (W/2) from the terminal edge. 
     
     
       9. In semiconductor manufacture, a method for wire bonding a bond pad on a die to a bond site located on a tip portion of a selected lead finger of a leadframe, said method comprising: 
       providing a semiconductor leadframe having a plurality of generally rectangular shaped die mounting paddles each surrounded by an arrangement of lead fingers, each of said lead fingers including a tip portion located at a proximal end thereof having generally parallel lateral edges and a terminal edge generally parallel to a side of a mounting paddle;  
       sensing the location of the lateral edges and terminal edge of the selected lead finger and determining the location of a longitudinal axis of the selected lead finger; and  
       locating the bond site along the longitudinal axis and spaced from the terminal edge by a predetermined distance.  
     
     
       10. The method as recited in claim  9  and wherein the predetermined distance is equal to the width of the tip portion of the selected lead finger divided by two. 
     
     
       11. A semiconductor device wire bonding method, comprising: 
       
         providing a semiconductor die having a plurality of bond pads thereon connected to integrated circuits formed on the semiconductor die;  
       
       
         providing a semiconductor leadframe strip having a plurality of die mounting sites, each mounting site having an associated arrangement of lead fingers including tip portions;  
       
       
         attaching the semiconductor die to the semiconductor leadframe strip at a mounting site;  
       
       
         bonding a fine bond wire to a bond pad of the semiconductor die;  
       
         determining a previously unverified width  ( W )  at the tip portion of a selected lead finger and determining a longitudinal axis of the tip portion of the selected lead finger;    
         locating a bond site on the tip portion of the selected lead finger generally along the longitudinal axis and spaced from a terminal edge of the selected lead finger by a distance determined as a function of width  ( W )  as determined; and    
       
         bonding the fine bond wire to the selected lead finger substantially at the bond site. 
       
     
     
       12. The bonding method as recited in claim  11  and wherein the distance by which the bond site is spaced from the terminal edge of the selected lead finger is equal to the width ( W )  of the tip portion of the selected lead finger as determined divided by two  ( W/ 2   ). 
     
     
       13. In a wire bonding process, in which a bond wire is bonded to bond pads formed on a semiconductor die and then to a bond site located on a tip portion of a lead finger of a semiconductor leadframe, utilizing an automated wire bonding apparatus, a method for teaching a location of the bond site on the lead finger, said method comprising the steps of: 
       
         sensing a location of lateral edges and a terminal edge of the tip portion of the lead finger using an automated vision sensing system of the automated wire bonding apparatus;  
       
       
         determining a location of a longitudinal axis of the tip portion of the lead finger by determining a width “W” of the lead finger and then dividing by two; and then  
       
       
         locating the bond site on the lead finger along the longitudinal axis of the lead finger and spaced by a predetermined distance equal to “W/ 2 ” from the terminal edge. 
       
     
     
       14. The method as recited in claim  13  and wherein the automated wire bonding apparatus is an existing wire bonding apparatus having software modified to determine the location of the longitudinal axis and locate the bond site. 
     
     
       15. In semiconductor manufacture, a method for wire bonding a bond pad on a die to a bond site located on a tip portion of a selected lead finger of a leadframe, said method comprising: 
       
         providing a semiconductor leadframe having a plurality of generally rectangular shaped die mounting paddles each surrounded by an arrangement of lead fingers, each of said lead fingers including a tip portion located at a proximal end thereof having generally parallel lateral edges and a terminal edge generally parallel to a side of a mounting paddle;  
       
       
         sensing the location of the lateral edges and terminal edge of the selected lead finger and determining the location of a longitudinal axis of the selected lead finger; and  
       
       
         locating the bond site along the longitudinal axis and spaced from the terminal edge by a predetermined distance equal to the width of the tip portion of the selected lead finger divided by two. 
       
     
     
       16. A process for bonding a wire to a bond site located on a tip portion of a lead finger of a semiconductor leadframe, comprising: 
       
         sensing a location of lateral edges and a terminal edge of the tip portion of the lead finger;  
       
       
         determining a location of a longitudinal axis of the tip portion of the lead finger by determining a width “W” of the lead finger and then dividing by two;  
       
       
         locating the bond site on the lead finger along the longitudinal axis and spaced by a distance equal to “W/ 2 ” from the terminal edge; and  
       
       
         bonding the wire to the lead finger substantially at the bond site. 
       
     
     
       17. A method for bonding a wire to a bond site located on a tip portion of a selected lead finger of a leadframe, comprising: 
       
         providing a semiconductor leadframe having at least one die mounting site with an associated arrangement of lead fingers, said lead fingers including tip portions having generally parallel lateral edges and a terminal edge;  
       
       
         sensing the location of the lateral edges and a terminal edge of the selected lead finger and determining the location of a longitudinal axis of the selected lead finger tip portion;  
       
       
         locating the bond site along the longitudinal axis and spaced from the terminal edge by a distance equal to a width of the tip portion of the selected lead finger divided by two; and  
       
       
         bonding a bond wire to the selected lead finger substantially at the bond site. 
       
     
     
       18. A process for bonding a wire to a bond site located on an end portion of a conductor of a carrier for a semiconductor die, comprising: 
       
         sensing a location of lateral edges and a terminal edge of the end portion of the conductor;  
       
       
         determining a location of a longitudinal axis of the end portion of the conductor;  
       
       
         locating the bond site on the conductor along the longitudinal axis of the conductor end portion and spaced by a distance from the terminal edge equal to a width of the end portion of the conductor divided by two; and  
       
       
         bonding the wire to the conductor substantially at the bond site. 
       
     
     
       19. The method as recited in claim  18 , further comprising: 
       
         bonding the wire to a bond pad on said semiconductor die.