A noble metal-coated silver bonding wire suppresses corrosion at the bonding interface under severe conditions of high temperature and high humidity, and the noble metal-coated silver bonding wire can be ball-bonded in the air. The noble metal-coated silver wire for ball bonding is a noble metal-coated silver wire including a noble metal coating layer on a core material made of pure silver or a silver alloy, wherein the wire contains at least one sulfur group element, the noble metal coating layer includes a palladium intermediate layer and a gold skin layer, the palladium content relative to the entire wire is 0.01 mass % or more and 5.0 mass % or less, the gold content relative to the entire wire is 1.0 mass % or more and 6.0 mass % or less, and the sulfur group element content relative to the entire wire is 0.1 mass ppm or more and 100 mass ppm or less.

The present disclosure provides a package structure, including a mounting pad having a mounting surface, a semiconductor chip disposed on the mounting surface of the mounting pad, wherein the semiconductor chip includes: a first surface perpendicular to a thickness direction of the semiconductor chip, a second surface opposite to the first surface and facing the mounting surface, and a third surface connecting the first surface and the second surface, a magnetic device disposed in the semiconductor chip, a first magnetic field shielding at least partially surrounding the third surface, a second magnetic field shielding, including a top surface facing the second surface of the semiconductor chip, and a molding surrounding the semiconductor chip, wherein the entire top surface of the second magnetic field shielding is in direct contact with the molding.

The present disclosure provides a package structure, including a mounting pad having a mounting surface, a semiconductor chip disposed on the mounting surface of the mounting pad, wherein the semiconductor chip includes: a first surface perpendicular to a thickness direction of the semiconductor chip, a second surface opposite to the first surface and facing the mounting surface, and a third surface connecting the first surface and the second surface, a magnetic device disposed in the semiconductor chip, a first magnetic field shielding at least partially surrounding the third surface, a second magnetic field shielding, including a top surface facing the second surface of the semiconductor chip, and a molding surrounding the semiconductor chip, wherein the entire top surface of the second magnetic field shielding is in direct contact with the molding.

A wafer uniting method includes a thermocompression bonding step of causing a thermocompression bonding sheet having a size comparable to or greater than a size and a shape of a wafer and a front surface of the wafer to face each other, and pressing them against each other while applying heat to thermocompression bond the thermocompression bonding sheet to the front surface of the wafer. The thermocompression bonding sheet thermocompression bonded to the wafer in the thermocompression bonding step includes at least a first thermocompression bonding sheet and a second thermocompression bonding sheet.

A performance of a semiconductor device is improved. The semiconductor device according to one embodiment includes a wire that is bonded to one bonding surface at a plurality of parts in an opening formed in an insulating film of a semiconductor chip. The semiconductor device includes also a sealer that seals the semiconductor chip and the wire so that the sealer is in contact with the bonding surface. An area of a part of the bonding surface, the part not overlapping the wire, is small.

A circuit element is formed on a substrate made of a compound semiconductor. A bonding pad is disposed on the circuit element so as to at least partially overlap the circuit element. The bonding pad includes a first metal film and a second metal film formed on the first metal film. A metal material of the second metal film has a higher Young's modulus than a metal material of the first metal film.

The method of the present invention improves quality and reliability of resin mold-type semiconductor devices. The method includes the steps of placing a lead frame such that cavities of a mold match with device formation regions of the lead frame, respectively, and forming encapsulation bodies that encapsulate semiconductor chips by flowing encapsulating resin into the cavities. The mold with an upper mold half and a lower mold half clamped together has a plurality of first gates that allow the cavities to communicate with a runner, and a dummy-cavity gate that allows a dummy cavity to communicate with the runner. During a resin molding process, from the time when the resin starts flowing into the mold to the time when the encapsulation bodies are formed, an orifice of each cavity gate is larger in size than an orifice of the dummy-cavity gate.

The method of the present invention improves quality and reliability of resin mold-type semiconductor devices. The method includes the steps of placing a lead frame such that cavities of a mold match with device formation regions of the lead frame, respectively, and forming encapsulation bodies that encapsulate semiconductor chips by flowing encapsulating resin into the cavities. The mold with an upper mold half and a lower mold half clamped together has a plurality of first gates that allow the cavities to communicate with a runner, and a dummy-cavity gate that allows a dummy cavity to communicate with the runner. During a resin molding process, from the time when the resin starts flowing into the mold to the time when the encapsulation bodies are formed, an orifice of each cavity gate is larger in size than an orifice of the dummy-cavity gate.

Provided is a wire bonding apparatus for electrically connecting an electrode and an aluminum alloy wire to each other by wire bonding. The apparatus includes a wire feeding device which feeds the wire. The wire has a diameter not less than 500 m and not greater than 600 m. The apparatus includes a heating device heats the wire to a temperature that is not lower than 50 C. and not higher than 100 C. The apparatus further includes a pressure device which presses the wire against the electrode. The apparatus further includes an ultrasonic wave generating device which generates an ultrasonic vibration that is applied to the wire that is pressed by the pressure device.

A noble metal-coated silver bonding wire suppresses corrosion at the bonding interface even under severe conditions of high temperature and high humidity in automobiles and does not cause energization failure in a semiconductor device in which electrodes of a semiconductor chip and electrodes of lead frames or the like are connected by the bonding wire. The noble metal-coated silver wire for ball bonding wire includes a noble metal coating layer on a core material made of pure silver or a silver alloy, wherein the wire contains at least one sulfur group element, the noble metal coating layer includes at least one palladium layer, the total palladium content relative to the entire wire is 0.01 mass % or more and 5.0 mass % or less, and the total sulfur group element content relative to the entire wire is 0.1 mass ppm or more and 100 mass ppm or less.