Wire bonding inspection equipment

• US 5,156,319 A
• Filed: 09/12/1991
• Issued: 10/20/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyahara, Yuichi, Shibasaka, Mitsusada
• Primary Examiner(s): Seidel, Richard K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Knapp, Jeffrey T.
• Application Number:
  US07/758,110
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• Field of Search: 228/4.5, 228/9, 228/56.5, 228/104, 228/105
• US Class Current: 228/9
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 22/20 Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/54473 for use after dicing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/451 with a principal constituent of the material being a metal or a metalloid, e.g. boron (B), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te) and polonium (Po), and alloys thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/78 Apparatus for connecting with wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/859 involving monitoring, e.g. feedback loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/544 Marks applied to semiconductor devices or parts, e.g. registration marks, alignment structures, wafer maps test patterns for characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes H01L22/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/45 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/78 Apparatus for connecting with wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/85 using a wire connector wire bonding in general B23K20/004
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01074 Tungsten [W]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01082 Lead [Pb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 Integrated circuits

Abstract

Wire bonding inspection equipment includes a judging unit for judging whether or not wire bonding of a semiconductor device is acceptabe and for producing a defect signal when the semiconductor device is judged to be defective. In response to the defect signal wires of the defective semiconductor device are broken by a breaking unit, and a defect mark is applied on the defective semiconductor device by a defective mark putting unit in response to the defect signal, the defect mark applying unit applying the defect mark on an area other than an area to be covered with sealing material.

Claims

1. Wire bonding inspection equipment which is used in a wire bonding step for wire bonding a semiconductor device to a surrounding member, and which is used in a sealing step for sealing said semiconductor device, comprising:

judging means for judging whether or not wire bonding is acceptable and for producing a defect signal when said semiconductor device is judged to be defective;

breaking means, responsive to said defect signal, for breaking wires of a defective semiconductor device; and

defect mark applying means for applying a defect mark on said defective semiconductor device in response to said defect signal, said defect mark applying means applying said defect mark on an area of said defective semiconductor device other than an area designated to be covered with sealing material.

2. Wire bonding inspection equipment as recited in claim 1, wherein

said defect mark applying means applies said defect mark after said breaking means breaks said wires.

3. Wire bonding inspection equipment as recited in claim 1, wherein said breaking means comprises:

a pressing plate member for breaking all bonded wires of said defective semiconductor device; and

means for moving said pressing plate member relative to said defective semiconductor device for breaking all wires of said defective semiconductor device.

4. Wire bonding inspection equipment as recited in claim 1, wherein said breaking means comprises:

a motor;

a disk, rotated by said motor, said disk having wires fixed thereto for breaking bonded wires of said defective semiconductor device; and

means for moving said disk relative to said bonded wires of said defective semiconductor device for breaking said bonded wires of said defective semiconductor device.