US 6,789,240 B2Granted

Method of controlling bond process quality by measuring wire bond features

AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated

InventorSreenivasan K. Koduri

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A computerized system and method for inspecting and measuring a ball-shaped wire bond formed by an automated bonder pre-programmed to attach a connecting bond onto a bond pad of an integrated circuit by first obtaining a first image of said bond pad before bond attachment, then determining the coordinates of the center of said pad. Second, the bonder is instructed to attach a ball-shaped wire bond to the center of said pad. Next, a second image of said bond pad is obtained after bond attachment; this second image comprises an image of the ball-shaped portion of the bond and an image of the wire portion of said bond. The coordinates of the center of the ball-shaped portion of the bond are obtained by computer processing of the first and second images. The coordinates of the bond center and the pad center are compared, creating information for quality control of the bonder instruction and the bonding process. Finally, the bond process quality is controlled by inputting new bonder instruction for correcting any identified differences between the center coordinates.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A computerized system for inspecting and measuring a ball-shaped wire bond formed by an automated bonder pre-programmed to attach connecting bonds onto bond pads of an integrated circuit, said bonder having an associated vision system, comprising:

a pre-generated device program file operable to store a master bond program used for said pre-programing;
a retriever, coupled to said device program file, operable to regenerate said master program and to relate said program to alignment coordinates;
a first input data generator, coupled to said vision system associated with said bonder, operable to generate a first image of said bond pad before bond attachment as input information for a first coordinate extractor determining the coordinates of the center of said bond pad;
a first bonder command module, coupled to said retriever, operable to instruct the bonder to place a bond having a ball-shaped portion intended for the pad center according to said pre-program;
a second input data generator, coupled to said vision system associated with said bonder, operable to generate a second image of the bond pad after bond attachment, said second image comprising an image of said ball-shaped portion of said bond and an image of the wire portion of said bond;
a search model generator operable to select a simplified search model for said ball-shaped portion and said wire portion of said bond, respectively;
an image comparator, coupled to said vision system associated with said bonder and to said search model generator, operable to determine the coordinates of the center of said ball-shaped portion of said bond;
a corrector, coupled to said image comparator and said first coordinate extractor, operable to compare said coordinates of said bond center and said pad center and to create information for new bonder instruction having corrected bond center coordinates;
and
a second bonder command module, coupled to said corrector, operable to input said new bonder instruction and to compute a new command of said bonder such that a second, corrected bond is placed in said center of another pad.

7 more elements

A computerized system for inspecting and measuring the mechanical result achieved by an automated machine pre-programmed to perform mechanical action onto an action site of an object, said machine having an associated vision System, comprising:

a pre-generated object program file operable to store a master action program used for said pre-programming;
a retriever, coupled to said object program file, operable to regenerate said master program and to relate said program to alignment coordinates;
a first input data generator, coupled to said vision system associated with said machine, operable to generate a first image of said action site before action as input information for a first coordinate extractor determining the coordinates of the center of said action site;
a first machine command module, coupled to said retriever, operable to instruct the machine to perform said mechanical action intended for the site center according to said pre-program;
a second input data generator, coupled to said vision system associated with said machine, operable to generate a second image of the action site after the mechanical action, said second image comprising an image of the result of said action;
a search model generator operable to select a simplified model for said action result;
an image comparator, coupled to said vision system associated with said machine and to said search model generator, operable to determine the coordinates of the center of said action result;
a corrector, coupled to said image comparator and said first coordinate extractor, operable to compare said coordinates of said action result and said action site and to create information for new machine instruction having corrected result center coordinates;
and
a second machine command module, coupled to said corrector, operable to input said new machine instruction and to compute a new command of said machine such that a second, corrected action is placed in said center of another site.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/335,837Filed 2 Jan 2003 · division
Priority: 6 Sep 2000
Published: US 2003/0098707 A129 May 2003
Granted: 7 Sep 2004
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification15 codes

H10W 72/075
Connecting or disconnecting: of bond wires
H10W 72/07141
Apparatus therefor: means for applying energy, e.g. ovens or lasers
H10W 72/07531
Of bond wires: techniques
H10W 72/07532
Techniques: compression bonding, e.g. thermocompression bonding

Family

Application60/230,396Us provisional application · filed 6 Sep 2000
Application09/921,811Parent of this division · filed 3 Aug 2001
US 2003/0098707 A1Pre-grant publication · published 29 May 2003
US 6,555,401 B2Parent of this division
US 2002/0028524 A1Published application
US 6,789,240 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.