Multilayer Bonding Wire Grain Structure for Lean Failure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional bonding wires face challenges in reducing leaning failure and spring failure, particularly in fine pitch bonding and stacked chip bonding, where the wire length and loop height variations lead to issues like leaning of the upright portion of the ball and spring failure, which are difficult to address with existing materials and designs.

Innovation Solution

A multilayer-structured bonding wire is developed with controlled crystal grain textures in the skin layer and core material, where the average size ratio of crystal grains in the skin layer to the core material is optimized to improve leaning failure and spring failure, and the skin layer is composed of materials like Pd, Pt, or Ag, while the core material is made of Cu or Au with specific alloy additions, along with an intermediate metal layer and diffusion layer to enhance adhesion and mechanical properties.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a copper-based bonding wire is used to reduce material cost and improve electrical conductivity, then cost and conductivity are improved, but bonding strength is lowered due to oxidation and wire surface corrosion occurs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebonding strengthVSAvoidoxidation and corrosion
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs a composite wire structure with a copper core material and a skin layer containing a corrosion-resistant metal (such as Pd, Pt, Ru, or Ag). This composite structure allows the copper core to provide excellent electrical conductivity and cost-effectiveness, while the skin layer protects against oxidation and corrosion, thereby maintaining bonding strength and reliability in harsh environments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Strength

If alloying elements are added to gold to enhance strength and bonding properties, then mechanical properties are improved, but bondability degradation and increased electrical resistance occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewire strengthVSAvoidbondability and electrical resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by concentrating alloying elements (such as Pd, Pt, Ru, or Ag) in the skin layer rather than uniformly distributing them throughout the wire. This allows the core material to maintain its excellent electrical conductivity and bondability, while the skin layer provides the necessary mechanical strength and corrosion resistance, thus avoiding the trade-offs associated with bulk alloying.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Length of moving object

If wire length and loop height are increased to achieve certain bonding configurations, then bonding reach is improved, but leaning failure and spring failure increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewire length and loop heightVSAvoidleaning failure and spring failure
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent optimizes the crystal grain structure parameters of both the core material and skin layer, controlling the average crystal grain size ratio to be 0.5 or less. This parameter optimization enhances the wire's mechanical properties, including elasticity and resistance to deformation, thereby reducing leaning failure and spring failure even when the wire length and loop height are increased for complex bonding configurations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The multilayer wire effectively reduces leaning failure and spring failure, stabilizes loop linearity, and enhances bonding performance, making it suitable for advanced semiconductor mounting technologies such as fine pitch, three-dimensional mounting, and stacked chip bonding.

Implementation Method 1

a multilayer-structured bonding wire in which a skin layer and a core material have different crystal grain textures

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCrystal grain texture:

Implementation Method 2

The tip of a bonding wire is heated and melted by arc heat input, thereby forming a ball by surface tension

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectArc heating: Electric Arc

Implementation Method 3

The tip of a bonding wire is heated and melted by arc heat input, thereby forming a ball by surface tension

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSurface tension: Surface Tension

Implementation Method 4

thermocompression bonding with the aid of ultrasound

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectUltrasonic vibration: Ultrasonic Vibration

Implementation Method 5

the ball portion thus formed is compressively bonded onto an electrode

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCompression: Compression

Data Source

PatentEP2239766B1Bonding wire for semiconductor device
Publication Date: 2013.03.20 NIPPON MICROMETAL CORPORATION
  • EP2239766B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2239766B1 patent drawingFigure 2(a)~2(c)
  • EP2239766B1 patent drawing

AI summary

An object of the present invention is to provide a high-performance bonding wire that is suitable for semiconductor mounting technology, such as stacked chip bonding, thinning, and fine pitch mounting, where wire lean (leaning) at an upright position of a ball and spring failure can be suppressed and loop linearity and loop height stability are excellent. This bonding wire for a semiconductor device includes a core material made of a conductive metal, and a skin layer formed on the core material and containing a metal different from the core material as a main component; wherein a relationship between an average size (a) of crystal grains in the skin layer on a wire surface along a wire circumferential direction and an average size (b) of crystal grains in the core material on a normal cross section, the normal cross section being a cross section normal to a wire axis, satisfies an inequality of a/b ≤ 0.7.