Angled wire bonding tool and alignment method

An improvement in ultrasonic wire bonding machines of the type having a support structure, a workpiece holder platform having a generally flat upper surface adapted to hold a workpiece thereon, said workpiece having metallic bonding sites substantially parallel to said platform surface, an ultrasonic force generator mechanically coupled to an ultrasonic wire bonding tool having a working tip adapted to move perpendicularly downwards into contact with a bonding site and transmit transversely directed ultrasonic bond-forming energy waves, and means for moving said workpiece relative to said bonding tool tip so as to bring different desired bonding sites into alignment with the normally directed line of action of said tool tip relative to said workpiece, said improvement comprising an ultrasonic wire bonding tool having an elongated straight body, a tip section having a lower working thee inclined at an angle of at least about 100 degrees to the longitudinal axis of said body and oriented parallel to said platform and adapted to transmit transverse ultrasonic wave energy to said bonding sites on said workpiece, said body having an upper end mechanically coupled to said ultrasonic force generator, said body being angled obliquely from said working face to said ultrasonic force generator, whereby said contact point of said tip with said bonding site may be viewed normally along said line of action of said tool tip, thereby permitting direct and continuous visual alignment of said tool tip with said bond site.

A tool for ultrasonic ball wire bonders comprising an elongated hollow body having a straight upper shank portion and having through said body a capillary bore, and an inverted conically-shaped tip section having through the center thereof an exit opening communicating with the lower part of said bore for dispensing bonding wire, said tip section having adjacent said exit opening a flattened working face, inclined at an oblique angle to the longitudinal axis of said elongated straight tube section, said tool including coupling means for coupling thereto ultrasonic acoustic energy waves from an ultrasonic transducer having a longitudinally disposed force output member oriented substantially parallel to working face of said tip section, said coupling means being adapted to match the acoustic input impedance of said tip section in moving transversely to effect wire bond formation with a horizontally disposed workpiece bonding site, to the impedance of said transducer, said coupling means comprising an impedance matching acoustic horn including a longitudinally elongated body having an input end adapted to mechanically couple to said transducer three producing member, and an output end including output coupling means to couple acoustic energy to the upper end of said tool shank, said output coupling means including a bore through the front end portion of said body for holding the shank of said tool, said bore lying in a vertical plane of said horn body and being inclined to the longitudinal axis of said body at approximately the same oblique angle existing between said working face and said longitudinal axis of said shank, said oblique angles between said longitudinal axis of said shank of said tool, said longitudinal axis of said transducer body, and sold horn body being at least about 100 degrees.

A method for aligning the impact location of the working face of an elongated ultrasonic bonding tool with a desired bonding site of a workpiece on a workpiece holder, said tool tip having a line of action from a spaced apart non-bonding position to a workpiece contacting position that is oriented normal to said workpiece, said method comprising;

• a. inclining the longitudinal axis of said tool with respect to its said line of action,
• b. viewing with an optical imaging device said workpiece holder normally along a line of sight coincident with said line of action of said tool tip,
• c. moving said tool tip along its line of action to impact a point on a test workpiece on said workpiece holder,
• d. calibrating a target pattern within the field of view of said optical imaging device with said test impact point,
• e. removing said test workpiece from said work holder and replacing it with a production workpiece,
• f. moving said production workpiece relative to said target pattern so as to bring said target pattern into coincidence with a desired bonding tool tip impact point on said production workpiece,
• g. moving said bonding tool tip down along its line of action into contact with said prospective bonding site, and
• h. applying ultrasonic energy to said tool to form a bond at said site.