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.

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.

A method of determining a bonding status between a wire and at least one bonding location of a workpiece is provided. The method includes the steps of: (a) bonding a portion of a wire to a bonding location of a workpiece using a bonding tool of a wire bonding machine; (b) determining a motion profile of the bonding tool for determining if the portion of the wire is bonded to the bonding location, the motion profile being configured to result in the wire being broken during the motion profile if the portion of the wire is not bonded to the bonding location; and (c) moving the bonding tool along the motion profile to determine if the portion of the wire is bonded to the bonding location. Other methods of determining a bonding status between a wire and at least one bonding location of a workpiece are also provided.