A semiconductor device has a first semiconductor die including a first protection circuit. A second semiconductor die including a second protection circuit is disposed over the first semiconductor die. A portion of the first semiconductor die and second semiconductor die is removed to reduce die thickness. An interconnect structure is formed to commonly connect the first protection circuit and second protection circuit. A transient condition incident to the interconnect structure is collectively discharged through the first protection circuit and second protection circuit. Any number of semiconductor die with protection circuits can be stacked and interconnected via the interconnect structure to increase the ESD current discharge capability. The die stacking can be achieved by disposing a first semiconductor wafer over a second semiconductor wafer and then singulating the wafers. Alternatively, die-to-wafer or die-to-die assembly is used.

An apparatus includes a substrate for mounting an integrated circuit. The substrate includes a primary layer including a first surface that is a first external surface of the substrate. The substrate includes an inner layer that is located below the primary layer and including a second surface. A portion of the second surface of the inner layer is exposed via an open area associated with the primary layer. The inner layer includes a first multiple of wire bond pads that are exposed via the open area associated with the primary layer.

A bonding film for bonding a semiconductor element and a substrate. The bonding film has an electroconductive bonding layer formed by molding an electroconductive paste including metal fine particles (P) into a film form, and a tack layer having tackiness and laminated on the electroconductive bonding layer. The tack layer includes 0.1% to 1.0% by mass of metal fine particles (M) with respect to the metal fine particles (P) in the electroconductive bonding layer, and the metal fine particles (M) have a melting point of 250° C. or lower.

There is provided a novel Cu bonding wire that achieves a favorable FAB shape and reduces a galvanic corrosion in a high-temperature environment to achieve a favorable bond reliability of the 2nd bonding part. The bonding wire for semiconductor devices includes a core material of Cu or Cu alloy, and a coating layer having a total concentration of Pd and Ni of 90 atomic % or more formed on a surface of the core material. The bonding wire is characterized in that: in a concentration profile in a depth direction of the wire obtained by performing measurement using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) so that the number of measurement points in the depth direction is 50 or more for the coating layer, a thickness of the coating layer is 10 nm or more and 130 nm or less, an average value X is 0.2 or more and 35.0 or less where X is defined as an average value of a ratio of a Pd concentration C.sub.Pd (atomic %) to an Ni concentration C.sub.Ni (atomic %), C.sub.Pd/C.sub.Ni, for all measurement points in the coating layer, and the total number of measurement points in the coating layer whose absolute deviation from the average value X is 0.3X or less is 50% or more relative to the total number of measurement points in the coating layer.

A method of forming a wire loop in connection with a semiconductor package is provided. The method includes the steps of: (1) providing package data related to the semiconductor package to a wire bonding machine; (2) providing at least one looping control value related to a desired wire loop to the wire bonding machine, the at least one looping control value including at least a loop height value related to the desired wire loop; (3) deriving looping parameters, using an algorithm, for forming the desired wire loop; (4) forming a first wire loop on the wire bonding machine using the looping parameters derived in step (3); (5) measuring actual looping control values of the first wire loop formed in step (4) corresponding to the at least one looping control value; and (6) comparing the actual looping control values measured in step (5) to the at least one looping control value provided in step (2).

A method of forming a wire loop in connection with a semiconductor package is provided. The method includes the steps of: (1) providing package data related to the semiconductor package to a wire bonding machine; (2) providing at least one looping control value related to a desired wire loop to the wire bonding machine, the at least one looping control value including at least a loop height value related to the desired wire loop; (3) deriving looping parameters, using an algorithm, for forming the desired wire loop; (4) forming a first wire loop on the wire bonding machine using the looping parameters derived in step (3); (5) measuring actual looping control values of the first wire loop formed in step (4) corresponding to the at least one looping control value; and (6) comparing the actual looping control values measured in step (5) to the at least one looping control value provided in step (2).

Provided is a wire bonding method capable of suppressing the occurrence of wire breakage. One aspect of the present invention provides a wire bonding method for bringing a capillary and a wire 1 inserted through the capillary into pressure contact with a second bonding point 16 of a lead placed on an XY stage to bond the wire to the lead, including moving the XY stage in a state in which the capillary is in pressure contact with the lead to move the capillary along a movement locus including a plurality of arc portions.

An apparatus includes an integrated circuit and a substrate coupled to the integrated circuit. The substrate includes a primary layer having a first surface that is a first external surface of the substrate. The primary layer includes an open area that extends through the primary layer to an inner layer of the substrate. The substrate includes a secondary layer. The inner layer is located between the primary layer and the secondary layer. The inner layer includes a third surface that is orientated approximately parallel to the first surface of the primary layer. A portion of the third surface of the inner layer is exposed via the open area of the primary layer. A first plurality of wire bond pads are disposed on the portion of the third surface of the inner layer that is exposed via the open area of primary layer.

A wire bonding method includes bonding a tip of a wire provided through a clamp and a capillary onto a bonding pad of a chip, moving the capillary to a connection pad of a substrate corresponding to the bonding pad, bonding the wire to the connection pad to form a bonding wire connecting the bonding pad to the connection pad, before the capillary is raised from the connection pad, applying a electrical signal to the wire to detect whether the wire and the connection pad are in contact with each other, changing a state of the clamp to a closed state when the wire is not in contact with the connection pad and maintaining the state of the clamp in an open state when the wire is in contact with the connection pad, and raising the capillary from the connection pad while maintaining the state of the clamp.

A bonding wire for connecting a first pad to a second pad is provided. The bonding wire includes a ball part bonded to the first pad, a neck part formed on the ball part, and a wire part extending from the neck part to the second pad. Less than an entire portion of a top surface of the neck part is covered by the wire part, and the wire part is in contact with the neck part, the ball part, and the first pad.