Get Stable Connections in Wire Bonding

Are your bond pads and electrodes ready for wire bonding?

The detachment of ball or wedge connections, i.e. the loosening of a connected wire from a bond pad, is one of the main causes of failures in electronic circuits. This is critical as the defects are often latent and only appear after some time due to environmental or operational stresses. Invisible chemical changes on the surface of bond pads and electrodes – e.g. due to oxidation or organic layers – are mainly responsible for non-stick-on-pad (NSOP) and long-term instability of the connections.

Use wettability to check surface readiness

The wetting of a drop of water on a material, measured by the contact angle, is sensitive to changes in the surface and is therefore ideal for detecting invisible films. It has been shown that the water contact angles of silver and copper electrodes decrease by up to 80-90% after cleaning by plasma treatment, demonstrating that the effect is clearly measurable.