A wire bonding device for performing a wire bonding process includes: a bonding tool for inserting a wire; an ultrasonic vibrator; a drive mechanism for moving the bonding tool; and a control part. The control part performs: a bonding step of bonding the wire to a bonding point; a tail feeding out step of feeding out a wire tail from the wire bonded to the bonding point; a tension applying step of raising the bonding tool to apply tension to the wire while the wire is clamped; a tension release step of lowering the bonding tool to release the tension applied to the wire; and after performing a series of steps including the tension applying step and the tension release step at least once, a tail cutting step of raising the bonding tool to cut the wire tail from the wire.

A method of forming a wire interconnect structure includes the steps of: (a) forming a wire bond at a bonding location on a substrate using a wire bonding tool; (b) extending a length of wire, continuous with the wire bond, to a position above the wire bond; (c) moving the wire bonding tool to contact the length of wire, at a position along the length of wire, to partially sever the length of wire at the position along the length of wire; and (d) separating the length of wire from a wire supply at the position along the length of wire, thereby providing a wire interconnect structure bonded to the bonding location.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: a wire tail forming step of forming a wire loop 130 between a first bonding point and a second bonding point with a bonding tool 40, and then cutting a portion of a wire 42 extending from a tip of the bonding tool 40 to thereby form a wire tail 43 at the tip of the bonding tool 40; and a wire tail bending step of bending the wire tail 43 so as to direct a tip 43a of the wire tail 43 upward by descending the bonding tool 40 toward the second bonding point with the wire loop 130 formed thereat and pressing the wire tail 43 against a portion of the wire loop 130 located above the second bonding point. Thus, the wire tail can be bent easily and efficiently.

The present disclosure provides a wire bonding apparatus, a wire bonding method and a semiconductor device. The wire bonding apparatus includes: a wire tube for containing the wire and including a wire exit; a wire heating assembly located at a side of the wire exit; and a pre-shaping assembly located at a side of the wire tube and including a wire pre-pressing face; the pre-shaping assembly having a first state in which the wire pre-pressing face of the pre-shaping assembly is configured to abut the wire tube and a second state in which the pre-shaping assembly is configured to disengage from the wire tube. The wire bonding apparatus, the wire bonding method and the semiconductor device as provided in the present disclosure can reduce or eliminate the cratering effect.

In a general aspect, a wire bonding apparatus can include a supply of bond wire, a wire bonding head, and an electrical continuity tester. The wire bonding head can including a wire cutter. The wire cutter can be electrically conductive. The electrical continuity tester can be coupled between the supply of bond wire and the wire cutter.

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided. A bonding tool with a wire tail extending out of the tip thereof is lowered to bring the tip of the wire tail into contact with a bonding surface of the semiconductor device. Next, the bonding tool in a direction intersecting with the axial direction of the bonding tool (Z direction) is moved to bend the wire tail with the tip of the wire tail in contact with the bonding surface. Then the bonding tool is lowered to form the wire tail into a predetermined shape such that the tip of the wire tail points upward. And then, a wire looping step, a second bonding step and a wire cutting step are performed. This allows the wire tail to be formed easily and efficiently into a predetermined shape.

A wire bonding apparatus includes: a bonding tool 40 into and through a wire 42 passes; a control unit 80 that performs a movement process of the bonding tool 40 for cutting the wire 42 after forming a wire loop 90 between first and second bonding points of a bonding target 100; and a monitoring unit 70 that supplies a predetermined electric signal between the wire 42 through the bonding tool 40 and the bonding target 100, and monitors whether the wire 42 is cut or not based on an output of the supplied electric signal. The control unit 80 continues the movement process of the bonding tool 40 while the wire 42 is determined not to be cut, and stops the movement process of the bonding tool 40 when the wire 42 is determined to be cut, based on a monitoring result from the monitoring unit 70. This can shorten the operation time of the wire bonding, and improve the process efficiency of the wire bonding.

A semiconductor device manufacturing method which enhances the reliability of a semiconductor device. The method includes a step in which a source wire is connected with a semiconductor chip while jigs are pressed against a die pad. The jigs each have a first support portion with a first projection and a second support portion with a second projection. Using the jigs thus structured, the first projection is made to contact with a first point on the front surface of the die pad and then the second projection is made to contact with a second point on the front surface of the die pad located closer to a suspension lead than the first point.

An electrically conductive lead is formed using a bonding tool. After bonding the wire to a metal surface and extending a length of the wire beyond the bonding tool, the wire is clamped. Movement of the bonding tool imparts a kink to the wire at a location where the wire is fully separated from any metal element other than the bonding tool. A forming element, e.g., an edge or a blade skirt provided at an exterior surface of the bonding tool can help kink the wire. Optionally, twisting the wire while tensioning the wire using the bonding tool can cause the wire to break and define an end. The lead then extends from the metal surface to the end, and may exhibit a sign of the torsional force applied thereto.

A semiconductor device manufacturing method includes: raising and moving a bonding tool, while paying out a wire, in a direction from a second toward a first bonding point to form in the wire a cut portion bent in a vicinity of the second bonding point; lowering and moving a tip of the bonding tool to the cut portion; lowering the bonding tool vertically to thin the cut portion; raising the bonding tool while paying out the wire; and moving the bonding tool in a direction away from the first and second bonding points and along a wire direction connecting the first and second bonding points and then cutting the wire at the cut portion to form a wire tail. This allows the length of the wire tail to be adjusted easily and efficiently to be constant.