Mercury process gold ballbond removal apparatus

A method for removing gold ball bonds on the pads of a semiconductor device comprising the steps of:

• providing an environmentally sealed enclosure having a door for loading, said enclosure having an upper and lower chamber;
• said upper chamber environmentally sealed from said lower chamber;
• providing a transport mechanism in said upper chamber;
• positioning a slide on said transport mechanism;
• providing a first tank containing mercury;
• providing a second tank containing a mercury dissolving liquid, said second tank recirculating said mercury dissolving liquid through a first filter for collecting elemental mercury and back into said second tank or out to a first waste line;
• providing a third tank containing a rinsing liquid, said third tank filtering used rinse water through a second filter for collecting elemental mercury and directing the filtered rinse water out to a second waste line;
• mounting the semiconductor chip onto said slide positioned on said transport mechanism in the upper chamber;
• then in sequence, moving and lowering said slide into the first tank containing mercury to immerse said semiconductor chip to a first depth and removing the slide from the first tank containing mercury;
• repositioning and lowering the slide into said second tank containing the mercury dissolving liquid to immerse said semiconductor chip to a second depth in said mercury dissolving liquid and rotating the slide in a reciprocating motion to dislodge droplets of mercury into the mercury dissolving liquid, removing the semiconductor chip from the second tank containing the mercury dissolving liquid;
• repositioning and lowering said slide into said third tank containing the rinsing liquid to immerse the semiconductor chip to a third depth in the rinsing liquid and rotating said slide in a reciprocating motion to dislodge droplets of mercury into the rinsing liquid, removing the slide from the third tank containing the rinsing liquid;
• and
• removing said slide and said semiconductor chip from said enclosure.