An electrical interconnection includes a wire loop having a first end bonded to a first bonding site using a first bonding portion, and a second end bonded to a second bonding site using a second bonding portion. The second bonding portion includes a folded portion having a wire that extends from the second end of the wire loop and is folded on the second bonding site. The folded portion includes a first folded portion connected to the second end of the wire loop and extending toward the first bonding site, a second folded portion provided on the first folded portion, and a tail protruding from a portion of the second folded portion. An interface is formed between the first and second folded portions. A top surface of the second folded portion includes an inclined surface recessed toward the first folded portion.

Embodiments of packaged semiconductor devices and methods of making thereof are provided herein, which include a semiconductor die having a plurality of pads on an active side; a dummy die having a plurality of openings that extend from a first major surface to a second major surface opposite the first major surface, wherein the plurality of openings are aligned with the plurality of pads; and a silicone-based glue attaching the dummy die to the active side of the semiconductor die, wherein a plurality of bondable surfaces of the semiconductor die are exposed through the plurality of openings of the dummy die.

A ball forming device includes a first current control circuit to control discharge current arranged between a leading end of a wire and one electrode of a discharge continuing power source for causing discharge current to flow after dielectric breakdown, a second current control circuit to control shunting of discharge current arranged between a discharge electrode and the other electrode of the discharge continuing power source, and a fixed resistor connected to the second current control circuit in parallel as a shunt and controls current flowing through the second current control circuit, thereby a discharge voltage value is adequately changed.

A discharge examination device for examining discharge of a wire-bonding apparatus that applies a voltage between a torch electrode and a wire to procure the discharge therebetween includes a current detection unit, a timer unit and a discharge determination unit. The current detection unit detects a discharge current flowing through the wire. The timer unit measures discharge detection time after application of the voltage before detection of the discharge current. The discharge determination unit determines whether or not the discharge is abnormal based on the discharge detection time. With this, a discharge examination device, a wire-bonding apparatus, and a discharge examination method that are capable of detecting abnormality of discharge are provided.

Embodiments of packaged semiconductor devices and methods of making thereof are provided herein, which include a semiconductor die having a plurality of pads on an active side; a dummy die having a plurality of openings that extend from a first major surface to a second major surface opposite the first major surface, wherein the plurality of openings are aligned with the plurality of pads; and a silicone-based glue attaching the dummy die to the active side of the semiconductor die, wherein a plurality of bondable surfaces of the semiconductor die are exposed through the plurality of openings of the dummy die.

A semiconductor device includes a single lead frame, a semiconductor element, and a mold material. The semiconductor element is joined onto one main surface of the lead frame. The lead frame includes a die-attach portion, a signal terminal portion, and a ground terminal portion. The die-attach portion, the signal terminal portion, and the ground terminal portion are disposed directly below the mold material so as to be arranged in a direction along one main surface. A groove portion is provided by partially removing the lead frame so as to allow the groove portion to pass therethrough, the groove portion being provided between the die-attach portion and the ground terminal portion adjacent to each other in the lead frame and between the signal terminal portion and the ground terminal portion adjacent to each other in the lead frame.

There is provided a bonding wire for a semiconductor device including a coating layer having Pd as a main component on a surface of a Cu alloy core material and a skin alloy layer containing Au and Pd on a surface of the coating layer, the bonding wire further improving 2nd bondability on a Pd-plated lead frame and achieving excellent ball bondability even in a high-humidity heating condition. The bonding wire for a semiconductor device including the coating layer having Pd as a main component on the surface of the Cu alloy core material and the skin alloy layer containing Au and Pd on the surface of the coating layer has a Cu concentration of 1 to 10 at % at an outermost surface thereof and has the core material containing either or both of Pd and Pt in a total amount of 0.1 to 3.0% by mass, thereby achieving improvement in the 2nd bondability and excellent ball bondability in the high-humidity heating condition. Furthermore, a maximum concentration of Au in the skin alloy layer is preferably 15 at % to 75 at %.

There is provided a bonding wire for a semiconductor device including a coating layer having Pd as a main component on a surface of a Cu alloy core material and a skin alloy layer containing Au and Pd on a surface of the coating layer, the bonding wire further improving 2nd bondability on a Pd-plated lead frame and achieving excellent ball bondability even in a high-humidity heating condition. The bonding wire for a semiconductor device including the coating layer having Pd as a main component on the surface of the Cu alloy core material and the skin alloy layer containing Au and Pd on the surface of the coating layer has a Cu concentration of 1 to 10 at % at an outermost surface thereof and has the core material containing either or both of Pd and Pt in a total amount of 0.1 to 3.0% by mass, thereby achieving improvement in the 2nd bondability and excellent ball bondability in the high-humidity heating condition. Furthermore, a maximum concentration of Au in the skin alloy layer is preferably 15 at % to 75 at %.

There is provided a novel Cu bonding wire that achieves a favorable FAB shape and achieve a favorable bond reliability of the 2nd bonding part even in a rigorous high-temperature environment. 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, 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, and the bonding wire satisfies at least one of following conditions (i) and (ii): (i) a concentration of In relative to the entire wire is 1 ppm by mass or more and 100 ppm by mass or less; and (ii) a concentration of Ag relative to the entire wire is 1 ppm by mass or more and 500 ppm by mass or less.

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.