Fine wire bonding tool

Claim 1

A BONDING TOOL FOR THERMOCOMPRESSIVELY SECURING FINE WIRE TO SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS COMPRISING A FRAME, A LEVER ARM OF RECTANGULAR CROSS-SECTION HORIZONTALLY EXTENDNG FROM SAID FRAME AND PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS THEREIN SO THAT AT LEAST ONE VERTICAL SURFACE OF SAID LEVER ARM WILL DEFINE A REFERENCE PLANE PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF PIVOTAL ROTATION, A BLOCK HAVING A RECTANGULAR GROOVE THEREIN COMPLEMENTARY WITH SAID RECTANGULAR LEVER ARM AND SLIDABLY SUPPORTED THEREON SO THAT A VERTICAL FACE OF SAID BLOCK WILL BE A REFERENCE PARALLEL TO THE VERTICAL REFERENCE SURFACE OF SAID LEVER ARM, MEANS TO CLAMP SAID BLOCK ON SAID LEVER ARM, A RECTANGULAR SLOT IN THE VERTICAL REFERENCE FACE OF SAID BLOCK DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE OF 45* WITH THE HORIZONTAL AXIS OF SAID LEVER ARM AND HAVING AN INTERNAL WALL PARALLEL TO THE VERTICAL REFERENCE FACE, A BONDING NEEDLE HAVING LONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDING PLANE SIDES RECTANGULARLY DISPOSED WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER AND COMPLEMENTARY WITH SAID SLOT, A FLAT HIGHLY-POLISHED PLANE FACET AT ONE END OF SAID NEELDE INTERSECTING THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND ONE PAIR OF OPPOSED SIDES THEREOF AT SUBSTANTIALLY A 45* ANGLE AND DISPOSED PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANES OF THE SECOND PAIR OF OPPOSED SIDES TO FORM A CUNEIFORM POINT HAVING AN APICAL EDGE COEXTENSIVE WITH ONE OF THE FIRST MENTIONED PAIR OF SIDES, A CONVEX CYLINDRICAL SURFACE GENERATED ON SAID EDGE FROM A RADIAL AXIS PARALLEL THERETO, A SECOND HIGHLY POLISHED PLANE FACET AT THE END OF SAID NEEDLE PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANES OF THE FIRST MENTIONED PAIR OF SIDES, INTERSECTING ONE OF THE SECOND PAIR OF SIDES AT SUBSTANTIALLY A 45* ANGLE, AND CUTTING ACROSS SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACE, SAID NEEDLE BEING DETACHABLY MOUNTED IN SAID SLOT WITH SAID CUNEIFORM POINT PROJECTING BELOW THE BOTTOM OF SAID BLOCK SO THAT A PLANE BISECTING THE ANGLE OF SAID CUNEIFORM POINT IS PERPENDICUALAR TO THE LONGITUDINALLY AXIS OF SAID LEVER ARM, AND A SCREW IN THREADED ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BLOCK ADJACENT SAID SLOT AND HAVING A HEAD ABUTTING AGAINST THE OUTWARDLY FACING SIDE OF SAID NEEDLE WHEREBY SAID NEEDLE MAY BE EASILY AND RAPIDLY SECURED WITHIN SAID BLOCK IN ACCURATELY REFERENCED POSITION SO THAT SAID CYLINDRICAL SURFACE WILL MAKE LINE CONTACT WITH WIRE TO BE BONDED TO THE SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENT, THE CUNEIFORM POINT OF SAID NEEDLE DEFINING AN ARROW FOR PRECISELY POSITIONING SAID NEEDLE AT THE POINT AT WHICH THE BOND IS TO BE MADE, AND THE LINE CONTACT BEING ADAPTED TO BE ORIENTED PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF THE WIRE IN TWO PLANES WITHOUT DIRECTLY TOUCHING THE SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENT.