Initial ball forming method for wire bonding wire and wire bonding apparatus

A wire bonding apparatus comprising:

• a capillary through which a wire is passed, said capillary positioning said wire so that said wire is caused to protrude from a tip end of said capillary;
• a torch electrode which faces said wire;
• a first discharge voltage application means which applies a first discharge voltage with said wire set at a plus potential with respect to said torch electrode, thus melting a tip end of said wire and making a ball-form ball base;
• a pair of dissociated gas forming electrodes which are made of a coating material that has a lower melting point than that of said wire;
• and
• a second discharge voltage application means which applies a second discharge voltage across said pair of dissociated gas forming electrodes, thus forming a dissociated gas of said coating material in a manner that causes said ball base to be contained inside said dissociated gas, and causing said coating material to adhere to a surface of said ball base.