Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
312 words
An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein a bonding wire of copper or copper alloy is looped between an electrode pad of a semiconductor element and and an outer lead of a lead frame, comprising: a convey path for conveying the lead frame along a convey direction, said convey path being provided with a wire bonding portion and a postbonding portion which are separated from each other along the convey direction; ball forming means for heating the bonding wire at said wire bonding portion and forming balls at both ends of the bonding wire, said ball forming means including a double-structure burner having an inner tube and an outer tube outside said inner tube, wherein a first gas mixture of an H 2 gas and an O 2 gas in a mixing ratio of 2:1 H 2 to O 2 is blown from said inner tube to form an oxyhydrogen torch, and a second gas mixture of an O 2 gas and an N 2 gas is blown from a space between said outer tube and said inner tube to form an air curtain around the oxyhydrogen torch; bonding wire feeding means for feeding the bonding wire to said wire bonding portion and compressing the ball of the bonding wire on the electrode pad; compressing means for compressing the ball of the bonding wire on the outer lead at said postbonding portion; and gas supply means for supplying a reducing gas to said wire bonding portion and said postbonding portion and surrounding the bonding wire and the balls by a reducing gas atmosphere to prevent the balls from being oxidized; wherein the mixing ratio of N 2 gas to O 2 gas in said second gas mixture is selected to maintain said oxyhydrogen torch in a stable state while maintaining said reducing gas atmosphere surrounding the bonding wire and the balls.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
312 words
An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein a bonding wire of copper or copper alloy is looped between an electrode pad of a semiconductor element and and an outer lead of a lead frame, comprising: a convey path for conveying the lead frame along a convey direction, said convey path being provided with a wire bonding portion and a postbonding portion which are separated from each other along the convey direction; ball forming means for heating the bonding wire at said wire bonding portion and forming balls at both ends of the bonding wire, said ball forming means including a double-structure burner having an inner tube and an outer tube outside said inner tube, wherein a first gas mixture of an H 2 gas and an O 2 gas in a mixing ratio of 2:1 H 2 to O 2 is blown from said inner tube to form an oxyhydrogen torch, and a second gas mixture of an O 2 gas and an N 2 gas is blown from a space between said outer tube and said inner tube to form an air curtain around the oxyhydrogen torch; bonding wire feeding means for feeding the bonding wire to said wire bonding portion and compressing the ball of the bonding wire on the electrode pad; compressing means for compressing the ball of the bonding wire on the outer lead at said postbonding portion; and gas supply means for supplying a reducing gas to said wire bonding portion and said postbonding portion and surrounding the bonding wire and the balls by a reducing gas atmosphere to prevent the balls from being oxidized; wherein the mixing ratio of N 2 gas to O 2 gas in said second gas mixture is selected to maintain said oxyhydrogen torch in a stable state while maintaining said reducing gas atmosphere surrounding the bonding wire and the balls.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising heating means, provided at each of said wire bonding portion and said postbonding portion, for heating the lead frame.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said heating means heats the lead frame to about 300° C.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reducing gas is kept at a temperature not lower than 200° C.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the reducing gas supplied by said gas supply means comprises a gas mixture of an H 2 gas and an N 2 gas wherein the mixing ratio of H 2 gas to N 2 gas is 1:19 to 1:14.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
48 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said bonding wire feeding means urges the ball of the bonding wire against the electrode pad so that a diameter of a bonding region of the ball and the electrode pad becomes not less than twice that of the bonding wire.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
43 words
An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said bonding wire feeding means urges the ball of the bonding wire against the electrode pad so that a part of the ball extends into the electrode pad to a depth of 0.4 to 3 μm.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said bonding wire feeding means applies a load of 50 to 100 g to the bonding wire.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
41 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said compressing means urges the ball of the bonding wire against the outer lead so that a part of the ball extends into the outer lead to a depth of 20 to 50 μm.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said compressing means applies a load of 300 to 500 g to the bonding wire.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said convey path comprises a die bonding portion before said wire bonding portion along the convey direction.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
An apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising semiconductor element mounting means for supplying a semiconductor element to said die bonding portion and mounting the element on the lead frame.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said convey path comprises a cover, and a portion of said cover corresponding to said wire bonding portion includes a window for supplying the bonding wire to said convey path therethrough.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
45 words
An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said window has a variable opening area, and the opening area of said window may be decreased such that the ball is surrounded by the reducing gas when said burner melts the bonding wire to form the ball.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
299 words
An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein a bonding wire of copper or copper alloy is looped between an electrode pad of a semiconductor element and an outer lead of a lead frame, comprising: a convey path for conveying the lead frame along a convey direction, said convey path being provided with a wire bonding portion and a postbonding portion which are separated from each other along the convey direction, said convey path comprising a cover, a portion of said cover corresponding to said wire bonding portion including a window for supplying the bonding wire to said convey path therethrough; ball forming means for heating the bonding wire at said wire bonding portion and forming balls at both ends of the bonding wire, said ball forming means including a double-structure burner having an inner tube and an outer tube outside said inner tube, wherein a first gas mixture of an H 2 gas and an O 2 gas in a mixing ratio of 2:1 H 2 to O 2 is blown from said inner tube to form an oxyhydrogen torch, and a second gas mixture of an O 2 gas and an N 2 gas is blown from a space between said outer tube and said inner tube to form an air curtain around the oxyhydrogen torch; bonding wire feeding means for feeding the bonding wire to said wire bonding portion and compressing the ball of the bonding wire on the electrode pad; compressing means for compressing the ball of the bonding wire on the outer lead at said postbonding portion; and gas supply means for supplying a reducing gas to said wire bonding portion and said postbonding portion and surrounding the bonding wire and the balls by a reducing atmosphere to prevent the balls from being oxidized.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
299 words
An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein a bonding wire of copper or copper alloy is looped between an electrode pad of a semiconductor element and an outer lead of a lead frame, comprising: a convey path for conveying the lead frame along a convey direction, said convey path being provided with a wire bonding portion and a postbonding portion which are separated from each other along the convey direction, said convey path comprising a cover, a portion of said cover corresponding to said wire bonding portion including a window for supplying the bonding wire to said convey path therethrough; ball forming means for heating the bonding wire at said wire bonding portion and forming balls at both ends of the bonding wire, said ball forming means including a double-structure burner having an inner tube and an outer tube outside said inner tube, wherein a first gas mixture of an H 2 gas and an O 2 gas in a mixing ratio of 2:1 H 2 to O 2 is blown from said inner tube to form an oxyhydrogen torch, and a second gas mixture of an O 2 gas and an N 2 gas is blown from a space between said outer tube and said inner tube to form an air curtain around the oxyhydrogen torch; bonding wire feeding means for feeding the bonding wire to said wire bonding portion and compressing the ball of the bonding wire on the electrode pad; compressing means for compressing the ball of the bonding wire on the outer lead at said postbonding portion; and gas supply means for supplying a reducing gas to said wire bonding portion and said postbonding portion and surrounding the bonding wire and the balls by a reducing atmosphere to prevent the balls from being oxidized.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
14 words
An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said window has a variable opening area.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
229 words
An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein a bonding wire formed of copper or a copper alloy is bonded onto an electrode pad of a semiconductor element, comprising: a convey path for conveying the semiconductor along a convey direction, said convey path being provided with a wire bonding portion; ball forming means for heating the bonding wire at said wire bonding portion and forming a ball at one end of the bonding wire, said ball forming means including a double-structure burner having an inner tube and an outer tube outside said inner tube, wherein a first gas mixture of an H 2 gas and an O 2 gas in a mixing ratio of 2:1 H 2 to O 2 is blown from said inner tube to form an oxyhydrogen torch, and a second gas mixture of an O 2 gas and an N 2 gas is blown from a space between said outer tube and said inner tube to form an air curtain around the oxyhydrogen torch; bonding wire feeding means for feeding the bonding wire to said wire bonding portion and compressing the ball of the bonding wire on the electrode pad; and gas supply means for supplying a reducing or inert gas to said wire bonding portion and surrounding the bonding wire and the ball by the reducing gas to prevent the ball from being oxidized.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
229 words
An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, wherein a bonding wire formed of copper or a copper alloy is bonded onto an electrode pad of a semiconductor element, comprising: a convey path for conveying the semiconductor along a convey direction, said convey path being provided with a wire bonding portion; ball forming means for heating the bonding wire at said wire bonding portion and forming a ball at one end of the bonding wire, said ball forming means including a double-structure burner having an inner tube and an outer tube outside said inner tube, wherein a first gas mixture of an H 2 gas and an O 2 gas in a mixing ratio of 2:1 H 2 to O 2 is blown from said inner tube to form an oxyhydrogen torch, and a second gas mixture of an O 2 gas and an N 2 gas is blown from a space between said outer tube and said inner tube to form an air curtain around the oxyhydrogen torch; bonding wire feeding means for feeding the bonding wire to said wire bonding portion and compressing the ball of the bonding wire on the electrode pad; and gas supply means for supplying a reducing or inert gas to said wire bonding portion and surrounding the bonding wire and the ball by the reducing gas to prevent the ball from being oxidized.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
226 words
A bonding method comprising the steps of: preparing a bonding wire made of copper or a copper alloy; conveying a lead frame in a convey direction along a convey path, the convey path being provided with a wire bonding portion and postbonding portion which are separated from each other along the convey direction; heating one end of the bonding wire to form a ball at the end of the bonding wire by using a double-structure burner having an inner tube and outer tube outside the inner tube, said heating step including a blowing a first gas mixture of an H 2 gas and an O 2 gas in a mixing ratio of 2:1 O 2 to N 2 from the inner tube to form an oxyhydrogen torch and blowing a second gas mixture of O 2 gas and N 2 gas from a space between the outer tube and the inner tube to form an air curtain around the oxyhydrogen torch; feeding the bonding wire so that the ball of the bonding wire contacts the electrode pad; compressing the ball of the bonding wire onto the electrode pad; and supplying a reducing or inert gas to the ball of the bonding wire at the wire bonding and post bonding portions to surround the bonding wire by the reducing gas, thereby preventing the ball from being oxidized.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
226 words
A bonding method comprising the steps of: preparing a bonding wire made of copper or a copper alloy; conveying a lead frame in a convey direction along a convey path, the convey path being provided with a wire bonding portion and postbonding portion which are separated from each other along the convey direction; heating one end of the bonding wire to form a ball at the end of the bonding wire by using a double-structure burner having an inner tube and outer tube outside the inner tube, said heating step including a blowing a first gas mixture of an H 2 gas and an O 2 gas in a mixing ratio of 2:1 O 2 to N 2 from the inner tube to form an oxyhydrogen torch and blowing a second gas mixture of O 2 gas and N 2 gas from a space between the outer tube and the inner tube to form an air curtain around the oxyhydrogen torch; feeding the bonding wire so that the ball of the bonding wire contacts the electrode pad; compressing the ball of the bonding wire onto the electrode pad; and supplying a reducing or inert gas to the ball of the bonding wire at the wire bonding and post bonding portions to surround the bonding wire by the reducing gas, thereby preventing the ball from being oxidized.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
20 words
The bonding method according to claim 18, wherein the reducing gas flows along the bonding wire toward the electrode path.