BONDING WIRE FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

Abstract

A bonding wire for a semiconductor device including a coating layer having Pd as a main component on the surface of a Cu alloy core material and a 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 a metallic element of Group 10 of the Periodic Table of Elements in a total amount of 0.1 to 3.0% by mass, thereby achieving improvement in 2nd bondability and excellent ball bondability in a high-humidity heating condition. Furthermore, a maximum concentration of Au in the skin alloy layer is preferably 15 at % to 75 at %.

Claims

1. A bonding wire for a semiconductor device comprising: a core material having Cu as a main component and containing a metallic element of Group 10 of the Periodic Table of Elements in a total amount of 0.1% by mass or more and 3.0% by mass or less; a coating layer having Pd as a main component provided on a surface of the core material; and a skin alloy layer containing Au and Pd provided on a surface of the coating layer, wherein a concentration of Cu at an outermost surface of the wire is 1 at % or more and 10 at % or less, and the metallic element of Group 10 of the Periodic Table of Elements comprises Ni.

2. The bonding wire for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the metallic element of Group 10 of the Periodic Table of Elements further comprises either or both of Pd and Pt.

3. (canceled)

4. The bonding wire for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the coating layer having Pd as a main component has a thickness of 20 nm or more and 90 nm or less, and the skin alloy layer containing Au and Pd has a thickness of 0.5 nm or more and to 40 nm or less and has a maximum concentration of Au of 15 at % or more and 75 at % or less.

5. The bonding wire for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the core material further contains Au, and the total amount of Ni, Pd, Pt and Au in the core material is more than 0.1% by mass and 3.0% by mass or less.

6. The bonding wire for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the bonding wire further contains one or more of P, B, Be, Fe, Mg, Ti, Zn, Ag and Si, and the total concentration of these elements in the entire wire is in a range of 0.0001% by mass or more and 0.01% by mass or less.

7. The bonding wire for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, an element constituting the core material and an element constituting the skin alloy layer are diffused to the coating layer.

8. The bonding wire for a semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein, when measuring crystal orientations on a cross-section of the core material in a direction perpendicular to a wire axis of the bonding wire, a crystal orientation <100> angled at 15 degrees or less to a wire axis direction has a proportion of 30% or more among crystal orientations in the wire axis direction.

Description

EXAMPLES

[0064] As raw materials of a bonding wire, Cu with a purity of 99.99% by mass or more and Ni, Pd, Pt, Au, P, B, Be, Fe, Mg, Ti, Zn, Ag and Si as additive elements were used for manufacturing a Cu alloy core material; Pd with a purity of 99.99% by mass or more was used for forming a coating layer; and Au with a purity of 99.99% by mass or more was used for forming a skin alloy layer. Cu and the additive elements were weighed as starting raw materials and then were heated and melted in a high vacuum to obtain a copper alloy ingot with a diameter of about 10 mm. The ingot was then forged, rolled, and subjected to wire drawing to manufacture a Cu alloy wire with a diameter of 500 m. Thereafter, electroplating was performed so as to form a Pd coating layer with a thickness of 1 to 3 m on a surface of the Cu alloy wire and to form a Au skin layer with a thickness of 0.05 to 0.2 m on a surface of the coating layer, thus obtaining a multilayer wire. The final thicknesses of the Pd coating layer and the AuPd skin alloy layer are listed in Table 1 and Table 2. The position at which a concentration of Pd is 50 at % was set to be a boundary between the core material and the coating layer, and the position at which a concentration of Au is 10 at % was set to be a boundary between the coating layer and the skin alloy layer. Continuous wire drawing was then performed with a condition of a wire drawing speed of 100 to 700 m/min and a reduction rate in area of die of 8 to 30% to obtain final wire diameters listed in Table 1 and Table 2. The thickness of the skin alloy layer, the maximum concentration of Au, the surface concentration of Cu, and the thickness of the coating layer were controlled by performing heat treatment two or three times during the wire drawing. Conditions therefor were as follows: a temperature of 500 to 700 C. and a speed of 10 to 70 m/min at a wire diameter of 200 to 250 m; a temperature of 450 to 650 C. and a speed of 20 to 90 m/min at a wire diameter of 70 to 100 m; and when the final wire diameter is thin, additionally a temperature of 300 to 500 C. and a speed of 30 to 100 m/min at a wire diameter of 40 to 70 m. Heat treatment was then performed with a condition of a temperature shown in Table 1 and Table 2 and a speed of 30 to 120 m/min at the final diameters. In order to diffuse Cu to the surface, in one of heat treatments, an oxygen concentration in a heat treatment furnace was set to 0.2 to 0.7%, which was higher than a normal concentration. This heat treatment is preferably performed last, if possible; this is because when wire drawing is repeated after Cu is exposed to the surface, oxidation of Cu is likely to occur. In the heat treatment other than that, the oxygen concentration in the heat treatment furnace was set to less than 0.2%, whereby a stable thickness, composition, and the like were controlled while suppressing excessive oxidation of the skin alloy layer. Bonding wires with a diameter of 15 to 25 m were thus obtained.

[0065] The concentration analysis of the coating layer and the skin alloy layer and the concentration analysis of Ni, Pd, Pt and Au in the Cu alloy core material were performed using an AES apparatus while sputtering with Ar ions from a surface of the bonding wire in the depth direction. The thicknesses of the coating layer and the skin alloy layer were determined from an obtained concentration profile in the depth direction (the unit of the depth was in terms of SiO.sub.2). For the observation of element distribution, there was also performed an analysis with using an EPMA, an EDX apparatus, and the like. A region in which a concentration of Pd was 50 at % or more and a concentration of Au was less than 10 at % was determined to be the coating layer, and a region in which a concentration of Au was in the range of 10 at % or more on a surface of the coating layer was determined to be the skin alloy layer. The thicknesses and compositions of the coating layer and the surface alloy layer are listed in Table 1 and Table 2. The concentrations of P, B, Be, Fe, Mg, Ti, Zn, Ag and Si in the bonding wire were measured by an ICP emission spectrometer, an ICP mass spectrometer, and the like.

[0066] For connection of a bonding wire, a commercially available automatic wire bonder was used. A ball was manufactured at a tip of the bonding wire by arc discharge immediately before bonding. The diameter of the ball was selected to be 1.7 times the diameter of the bonding wire. The atmosphere during the manufacture of the ball was nitrogen.

[0067] As objects to be bonded with the bonding wire, Al electrodes with a thickness of 1 m formed on a Si chip, and leads of a lead frame the surface of which is plated with Pd were used. The manufactured ball was ball-bonded to the electrode heated at 260 C., followed by 2nd bonding a base part of the bonding wire to the lead heated at 260 C., and forming another ball, thus successively repeating the bonding. A loop length was two kinds: 3 mm and 5 mm, and a loop height was two kinds: 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm.

[0068] For the 2nd bondability of the bonding wire, a margin, a peeling, a strength and a fishtail symmetry were evaluated. Regarding the margin, 100 pieces of successive bonding were performed on 56 conditions with a load at the time of the 2nd bonding from 20 gf to 90 gf in 10 gf increments and with ultrasonic waves from 60 mA to 120 mA in 10 mA increments, and conditions on which the successive bonding could be performed were counted. The conditions on which the successive bonding could be performed being 40 or more was determined to be a symbol of double circle, being 30 or more and less than 40 was determined to be a symbol of circle, and being less than 30 was determined to be a symbol of cross. Regarding the peeling, 100 bonded parts of the bonding wire being 2nd bonded were observed, and peeled bonded parts were counted as NG. Regarding the fishtail symmetry, 100 bonded parts of the bonding wire being 2nd bonded were observed, and their symmetry was evaluated. The lengths from the center of a fishtail-shaped crimped part to the left end and the right end were measured, and a fishtail-shaped crimped part the difference therebetween of which was 10% or more was counted as NG. Regarding the peeling and the fishtail symmetry, NG being 0 was determined to be a symbol of double circle, being 1 to 10 was determined to be a symbol of circle, and being 11 or more was determined to be a symbol of cross. Regarding the strength, the bonding wire being 2nd bonded was picked up at immediately above the 2nd bonded part, was lifted upward until it broke, and a breakage load obtained at break was read. The strength depends on the wire diameter, and the ratio of the strength/wire tensile strength was used. The ratio being 85% or more was favorable to be marked with a symbol of double circle, being 70 to 85% was determined to be no problem to be marked with a symbol of circle, being 55 to 70% was determined to have the possibility of the occurrence of deficiencies to be marked with a symbol of triangle, and being 55% or less was determined to be faulty to be marked with a symbol of cross in the column 2nd bonding strength of Table 3 and Table 4.

[0069] For the 1st bondability (ball bondability) of the bonding wire, a HAST test, a ball shape, a FAB shape and a chip damage were evaluated. In order to evaluate the soundness of a ball bonding part in the HAST test, a semiconductor device in which bonding has been performed was left in a high-temperature, high-humidity furnace with a temperature of 130 C., a relative humidity of 85% RH, and 5 V, and the device was taken out every 48 hours and was evaluated. Electric resistance was measured as a method of evaluation, and a semiconductor device the resistance of which increased was determined to be NG. A time until NG is determined being more than 480 hours was determined to be a symbol of double circle, being 384 hours or more and less than 480 hours was determined to be a symbol of circle, and being less than 384 hours was determined to be a symbol of cross.

[0070] Regarding the ball shape, 100 ball bonding parts were observed with an optical microscope. A ball bonding part being near a perfect circle was determined to be OK, being like a petal was determined to be NG, and their numbers were counted. Regarding the FAB shape, 100 FABs were manufactured on the lead frame and were observed with a SEM. A FAB being perfectly spherical was determined to be OK, being eccentric or having a shrinkage cavity was determined to be NG, and their numbers were counted. Regarding the ball shape and the FAB shape, NG being 0 was determined to be a symbol of double circle, being 1 to 5 was determined to be a symbol of circle, being 6 to 10 was determined to be a symbol of triangle, and being 11 or more was determined to be a symbol of cross. Symbols of double circle and circle are passing, whereas a symbol of triangle is passing but somewhat faulty in quality.

[0071] In the evaluation of the chip damage, 20 ball bonded parts were section-polished, and a crack occurring in the electrode was determined to be faulty. Faulty ball bonding parts being four or more was marked with a symbol of cross, being three or less was marked with a symbol of triangle, being one or two was marked with a symbol of circle, and observing no crack was determined to be good to be marked with a symbol of double circle in the column chip damage in Table 3 and Table 4. Symbols of double circle and circle are passing, whereas a symbol of triangle is passing but somewhat faulty in quality.

[0072] Concerning the evaluation of the leaning, after performing bonding, 100 loops of the respective samples, for a loop length of 3 mm and 5 mm and a loop height of 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm, were observed with an optical microscope. A case in which faulty leaning was observed in only zero to two loops was determined to be good to be marked with a symbol of double circle, a case in which faulty leaning was observed in only three to four loops was determined to be a level of practically no problem to be marked with a symbol of circle, a case of five to seven loops was marked with a symbol of triangle, and a case in which faulty leaning was observed in eight or more loops was determined to be inferior to be marked with a symbol of cross in the column leaning in Table 3 and Table 4. Symbols of double circle, circle and triangle are passing.

[0073] The orientation proportion of the crystal orientation <100> angled at 15 degrees or less to the wire longitudinal direction was observed on the perpendicular section of the core material, and the orientation proportion is calculated by observing crystal orientations on an observation surface by EBSD. For the analysis of EBSD measurement data, a dedicated software (OIM analysis manufactured by TSL, for example) was used. In the calculation, the entire region of the bonding wire was selected, and three fields of view were observed for each sample. The orientation proportion of the crystal orientation <100> angled at 15 degrees or less to the wire longitudinal direction on the perpendicular section of the core material is listed in the column crystal orientation <100> of perpendicular section in Table 3 and Table 4.

[0074] In Table 2, values out of the range of the present invention are attached with underlines.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Additive Additive Wire element 1 element 2 Additive element 3 diameter Ni Pd Pt Au P B Be Fe Mg No. m % by mass % by mass % by mass Working 1 15 0.1 0.0001 Example 2 18 0.6 0.3 0.005 0.001 3 20 1.1 0.0005 4 25 3.0 0.0006 0.0004 5 18 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.001 6 20 1.2 0.6 7 18 0.4 0.7 8 20 1.0 0.4 9 18 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.003 0.002 10 20 0.9 0.4 0.6 0.003 0.004 0.003 11 18 0.7 12 20 1.5 13 20 1.7 0.5 14 23 1.6 0.5 15 25 1.5 0.6 0.6 16 15 1.8 0.0008 17 15 1.8 0.4 0.006 0.0005 18 18 1.1 0.1 19 18 1.0 1.0 0.003 0.0004 0.0007 20 18 1.1 0.01 21 18 2.5 0.3 0.0007 0.0005 22 18 0.5 0.005 0.0006 23 20 1.5 0.7 0.005 24 20 1.3 0.0001 25 20 1.3 0.5 0.0006 26 23 0.1 0.0002 27 23 0.8 0.0065 28 23 3.0 29 25 2.2 0.2 0.002 30 25 0.4 0.0011 0.0011 31 25 0.5 1.2 0.0008 0.0024 32 25 1.1 33 25 2.1 0.4 34 25 1.8 35 25 2.0 0.4 Thickness of Cu concentrated coating layer Skin alloy layer part Heat Additive element 3 Pd maximum Au maximum Outemost surface treatment Ti Zn Ag Si Thickness concentration Thickness concentration concentration temperature No. % by mass nm at % nm at % at % C. Working 1 74 100 9 40 1.3 465 Example 2 56 100 10 50 2.7 485 3 60 100 14 52 3.5 490 4 52 100 18 56 2.1 475 5 0.001 50 99 8 30 6.4 485 6 0.002 0.002 65 100 7 25 4.5 480 7 0.005 0.0005 38 100 1 15 2.2 475 8 0.002 0.001 0.001 88 97 6 34 5.1 510 9 64 92 10 38 9.5 525 10 22 100 20 60 1.5 485 11 65 100 5 35 3.5 500 12 45 94 7 33 9.8 515 13 88 100 12 46 2.5 480 14 30 100 6 38 1.2 480 15 82 100 10 50 1.5 490 16 48 100 11 55 2.8 485 17 62 100 13 50 3.3 490 18 0.0015 0.0015 55 100 18 55 1.3 480 19 0.0008 54 100 7 30 1.4 520 20 39 99 3 22 6.5 485 21 0.0008 87 100 5 37 4.4 480 22 0.0004 66 100 6 34 2.2 475 23 0.003 0.0015 20 100 9 48 1.6 490 24 66 98 22 61 5.2 510 25 48 100 12 44 3.6 500 26 90 100 4 18 3.5 510 27 0.002 45 92 0.5 15 9.2 525 28 0.003 73 100 26 60 1.3 485 29 0.002 27 100 40 75 3.3 500 30 30 90 4 27 10 515 31 0.002 84 100 7 21 2.2 480 32 39 100 9 35 1.1 480 33 56 100 8 33 1.1 405 34 60 100 10 38 1.2 480 35 39 100 12 32 1.4 490

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Additive Additive Additive Wire element 1 element 2 element 3 diameter Ni Pd Pt Au P B Be Fe Mg No. m % by mass % by mass % by mass Com- 1 18 0.5 0.005 parative 2 18 1.9 0.5 0.0012 0.0012 Example 3 20 0.05 0.007 4 20 1.1 0.5 0.005 0.005 5 23 0.8 0.007 0.005 6 20 7 20 0.05 0.007 Thickness Cu concentrated Additive of coating layer Skin alloy layer part Heat element 3 Pd maximum Au maximum Outemost surface treatment Ti Zn Ag Si Thickness concentration Thickness concentration concentration temperature No. % by mass nm at % nm at % at % C. Com- 1 125 100 24 58 0 505 parative 2 5.6 100 10 48 0 505 Example 3 0.007 10 98 3 17 8.8 485 4 75 100 55 83 0 500 5 33 98 4 17 14.4 485 6 50 100 11 53 3.2 490 7 0.008 10 99 4 18 9.1 490

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 2nd bonding HAST Fishtail 130 C.-85% RH- FAB No. Margin Peeling Strength symmetry 5 V Ball shape shape Working 1 Example 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Perpendicular Leaning section Height of 0.3 mm Height of 0.5 mm Crystal orientation Chip Length of Length of Length of Length of <100> No. damage 3 mm 5 mm 3 mm 5 mm % Working 1 56 Example 2 51 3 41 4 47 5 39 6 31 7 34 8 68 9 56 10 39 11 45 12 55 13 37 14 44 15 52 16 52 17 43 18 48 19 40 20 33 21 70 22 55 23 38 24 30 25 38 26 44 27 34 28 62 29 47 30 44 31 63 32 38 33 36 34 40 35 44

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 HAST 2nd bonding 130 C.- Fishtail 85% RH- Ball FAB No. Margin Peeling Strength symmetry 5 V shape shape Com- 1 X X parative 2 X X Example 3 X X X 4 X X 5 X X X 6 X X 7 X X X Perpendicular Leaning section Height of 0.3 mm Height of 0.5 mm Crystal orientation Chip Length of Length of Length of Length of <100> No. damage 3 mm 5 mm 3 mm 5 mm % Com- 1 33 parative 2 48 Example 3 42 4 33 5 22 6 55 7 45

[0075] Working Examples 1 to 35 achieved passing level quality records in all the evaluated quality indicators.

[0076] In Comparative Example 1, the peeling and the fishtail symmetry of the 2nd bonding were faulty since the concentration of Cu at an outermost surface of the wire was less than the lower limit, and the chip damage and the FAB shape were passing but somewhat faulty in quality since the thickness of the coating layer exceeded the upper limit of the preferable range. In Comparative Example 2, the peeling and the fishtail symmetry of the 2nd bonding were faulty since the concentration of Cu at an outermost surface of the wire was less than the lower limit, and the FAB shape was passing but somewhat faulty in quality since the thickness of the coating layer was less than the lower limit of the preferable range. In Comparative Examples 3 and 7, the ball bondability in the high-humidity heating condition (the HAST evaluation) was faulty, and furthermore, the margin and the strength of the 2nd boding were faulty since the amount of an additive element 1 as an essential element was less than the lower limit, and the FAB shape was passing but somewhat faulty in quality since the thickness of the coating layer was less than the lower limit of the preferable range. In Comparative Example 4, the peeling and the fishtail symmetry of the 2nd bonding were faulty since the concentration of Cu at an outermost surface of the wire was less than the lower limit, and the FAB shape was passing but somewhat faulty in quality since the thickness and the maximum concentration of Au of the skin alloy layer exceeded the upper limits of the preferable ranges.

[0077] In Comparative Example 5, the margin and the strength of the 2nd bonding and the FAB shape were faulty since the concentration of Cu at an outermost surface of the wire exceeded the upper limit of the present invention.

[0078] In Comparative Example 5, the crystal orientation <100> was out of the preferable range of the present invention, whereby the result of the leaning was a symbol of triangle, which was in the range of passing but somewhat low in performance.

[0079] Comparative Example 6, in which a Cu core material with high purity (4N or more) was used and the amount of the additive element 1 as the essential element was less than the lower limit, was faulty in the peeling and the fishtail symmetry of the 2nd bonding.