CA1088282A

CA1088282A - Atttaching leads to integrated-circuit chips

Info

Publication number: CA1088282A
Application number: CA333,383A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Ronald Morino
Original assignee: Kollmorgen Corp
Current assignee: Kollmorgen Corp
Priority date: 1975-06-26
Filing date: 1979-08-08
Publication date: 1980-10-28

Abstract

Abstract Of The Disclosure Coupling of the end portion of a continuous conductive filament to an element mountable at a work station is attained in accordance with the method and apparatus of the instant invention by emplacing the conductive filament from a feed means so that the end portion of the conductive filament is congruent with a predetermined geometric location, and arranging the feed means relative to the work station so that the geometric locus defined by the position of the emplaced conductive filament is predetermined and repeatable.
Advantageously, the continuous conductive filament may be emplaced by pushing or pulling. The end portion is thereafter joined to a predetermined terminal area on an element which is coextensive with the predetermined geometric location.
Preferably, the conductive filament is subsequently joined to a second terminal area then cut or broken to form a permanent or temporary package. Moreover, in the preferred embodiment of the invention a plurality of continuous conductive filaments are initially joined in a gang to predetermined areas of the element and subsequently to predetermined terminal areas of a carrier member to form a permanent or temporary package.

Description

- 1088Z8;~

f: 5 The present invention relates to terminal connector i 6 systems, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for coupling a continuous conductive filament to a predeterm~ned terminal area of an element. The term "terminal area" as used 9 herein includes defined areas of inteprated circuits~ ter~lnat-, ing harnesses, hybr~d circuits, pr~ntet circuits, optical 11 circuits, and fluidic circuits In the pre~erret embodiments, ` ! a plurality ~f continuous conduct~ve filaments are joined ~;,13 to predetermined terminal areas (pads? of an element and -~14 subsequently joined to predetermined terminal-areas of a ~ -carrier mem~er. ~
6 With the aid o advanced technology, the cost of 17 processing integrated circuits has fsllen.- However, in 18 contrast, the assembly of ~ntegrated circuits ha~ rema~ned ~; I19 substantially a manual operation so thst with escalating ~0 wages the cost of assembly has steadily risen.
~21 Generally, w~re bonding has been the most co~monly 22 used t chnique ~or connecting leads ~o integrated circuit ' 23 ' chips. The general approach~to wire bonding has been a 'i24 ~ manual approach to effect a sequerce of bonds one at a t~me.
Gcnerally, in carrying out the manu~l ~ire bonding approach, ~26 nn opera~or~ with the aid of a microscope and manipulàtQr, 27 manually positions a wire and wire bondin~ tool to bond `."", , .
~:: ~'. - 3 - ~
;~ . . , ~ ' .
,~ . . . -- .

.
... . ....

10t~8Z
1 a wire to a pad on an integrated circuit chip and then to a . fis~ger o a lead frame. The wire is then broken. This 3 sequence i9 repeated for each pad on the integrated circui~
4 chip. This manual approach to wire bonding adds appreciably to the cost of a~sembling ~ntegrated c~rcuit packages.
, 6 Additionally, uncontrolled breaking of the b ded wires often s - 7 re~ults in ~racturing of the bonds causing early ~ailure ii, - 8 during use. ,' 9 Attempts to automate the,wire bonding operat~on wit~

~ io programmed tool movement and bonding sequences has resu~ted ,, , ii in somQ improvement over the aforemRntioned manual approach~
~, 12 ~wever, a sequential mode of operation as well as the need , to precisely position the integrated circuit chip relative il 14 to certa~n reference points has prevented any broad ~, 15 acceptance of automatic wire bonders.

16 Various other techniques haYe challenged the ~fore~ -17 ment~oned wire bonding techniques. However, these other - techniques are costly and not readily'adaptable to the large nu~ber of integrated circuit chip geom~tries encauntered. , ' A relatively recent approach to coupli~g lead~ to 21 ~nte8rated circuit chips involves the use of an automated ~,, 22 film-carrier. With the fil~-carrier assembly appro20h, the ,~, 23 film carries a copper lead frame. The inner ends o the 24 1 eads are gang bond~d to pads o~ sn integrat~d circuit chip

2~ by an inner lead bonder. After blankin~ or punchin~ these ;~ 26 leads are e~ctended outwardly in c2ntiLever fashion and are 27 gang bonded to a package, i.e., a dual~l~e, or a ~ ~, . ' '' . :
~"~,,, . :,. . . -.,'~',;, ~' ' ', ~ ~ . . ' ~, ` 10~28Z
flexible or rigid circuit board. Sprocket holes along _ the sides of th~ film are used to enable the drive mechanism ~' for the inner lead bonder to advance the film after the :i '4 ~ntegratea circuit chip has b~en b ded to the film-carrier . and also to register the lead rame over an integrated circuit .
6 ch~p.
7 kn addition to adding significantly to the C05t of .
.~ 8 tha as~embled package, with the fi~-carrier as~em~ly approack, ' . ~he fi~m-carrier must be carefully handled since the film is j 10 sub~ect to d~mensional ~nstability and the leads.are easi~y ' 11 deflected out of position during hantl~ng. . Il ' .12 . Details o t~e aforementioned fi~m-carrier assembl~ ' 13 technique as well a8 other approaches to connecting leads to 14 integrated circuit chips is found in the article entitled ~ ~:
"Film-Carriër Technique Automates The Packaging 0~ IC Ch~ps", 16 by Seephen E. Grossm2n, Electronics, May 16, 1974 issue, pp.
17' ' 8g~95. .
18 It.is an ob~ect of the present inventi to .
19 provide~an improved.method and apparatus for ~oining a .' . 20 continuous conductive fil2ment to 8 predetermlnet terminal ,. 21 area'of an element which overcomes the disadvantages of the "'~
. ~ 22 afor~ .neioned prior art tech~.iques.
;~ 23 ~ It is another object of tbe present invention to ' 24 provide a met~od and apparat~s for reliably positioning the .
~ i~ 25 end o~ a continuous conductive filame~t at a.predetermined'.
: 2~ and repeatable geometric location to enable automa~ic assembLy -~ r 27 of a conduc'tive filament to an element.
~....... ., . . ' ,. , , ' ' ., ,,. , .- . . .

,~ ~ .- .

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for reliably joining the conductive filament to a second terminal area to enable the automated assembly of elements to form a permanent or temporary package.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for fully automating the assembly of ; integrated circuit chip packages.
'' It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for connecting leads to integrated circuit chips at greatly reduced cost.
Other objects, aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the specification and the -accompanying drawings.
The present invention is defined as the improvement in an ii, apparatus for coupling the end portion of each of a plurality of continuous conductive filaments to an element mountable at a work station, the improvement which comprises: indivldual translatable guide means for individually guiding each of a plurality of continuous conductive filaments along a fixed path toward the -~
work station; a continuous conductive filament supply means associated with each the translatable guide means; frame means for supporting and guiding each of the guide means along a linear ~., .
path toward the work station; clamp means coupled to the translatable ; guide means at a point remote from the work station for fixedly clamping the continuous conductive filament extending along the fixed path; drive means for driving the translatable guide means a predetermined fixed distance toward the work station to pull the end portion of the clamped continuous conductive filament r ~
~; from the supply means and push the end portion into a stationary and unsupported position over the work station; and ~' ~' ' ' ' joining means for subsequently joining the end portion positioned over the work station to a predetermined terminal area of the element mounted at the work station.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should - be expressly understood that the apparatus of the present invention should not be construed to be limited soleIy to the preferred ~ embodiments. The drawings are as follows:
¦ FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of an apparatus for joining ~ plurality of continuous conductive filaments to predeter-mined terminal areas (pads) of an element (integrated circuit chip) in accordance with the instant invention.
FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line ~, 2-2 of Figure 1 and showing additional components of the apparatus:
s~ FIGUR~ 3 is a partial sectional view similar to 's' ~;, Fig. 2 showing the suspended integrated circuit chip after the ~; continuous conductive filaments are join~d thereto;
.
;
;
$. .
:~.. .

~:~
. !
' ~,~,~ , . . .
: : ' ~
. ~
~ ~ .
~ '1, .~ . .

~.~: . . . . .

. ", , , : . .
,~
~ .

`` 10~828Z

FIGURE 4 is a partial cross-sectional view, with parts broken away, showing a carrier bonding head and a carrier feed means for bonding the integrated circuit chip to a carrier member;
$ FIGURES 5-7 are sectional views similar to Figs.
.' 2-4, showing another embodiment according to the present invention in which the apparatus moves inwardly and out-wardly relative to the work station to deliver continuous conductive filaments to registered integrated circuit chips for joining the filaments thereto and to facilitate subse-quent joining to a carrier member, FIGURE 8 is a top plan view of another apparatus in accordance with the present invention for joining a ~. plurality of continuous conductive filaments to predeter-'~. mined terminal areas (pads) of an element (integrated circuit chip);
FIGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 of Fig. 8 showing a pair of filament guide members in their forwarded position;
~: 20 FIGURE lO is a partial sectional view similar to Fig. 9, with parts broken away, showing the ends of a pair of continuous conductive filaments being joined to an . integrated circuit chip with the filament guide members in ~: their retracted position;

. ,~., J:~
",,.

~; jb/ - 8 -., ~

., : ~

., . :

,.
~, :
.. ,~,i ~ .
, , I 10~8282 , 1 ¦ FIGUREll is a partial sectional view s~m~lar to ,y 2 1 Fig. 9, with parts broken away, showing the filament guide ¦ members in their intermediate position; . .
4 ¦ . FIGURE ~ is a partial sectional view similar to :
I Fig. 9, wi~h parts ~roken away, showing the filament guide 6 I members in their'intermediate position with the carrier ~, .7 ¦ bonding head in con~act with the joined filaments; l ' I FIGURE i3 is an enlarged view of one em~'adimen~ . ............... :
9 . ¦ of the carrier bonding head for introducing a notch into 11 ¦ the ~o~ned filaments; . , , .' , . I , ~IGURE14 is an enlarged view,of another em~odiment , 12 ¦ for introducing a notch into the ioined ~ilEments; and ' 14 ¦ FIGURE l5i5 a partial sectional view s~lar to ~s~"!' I Fig. 9, with parts broken away, showing the joined ~ila~nts .
¦ portions separat,ed f,rom the remainder of the,contlnuous 16 ¦ conducti~e fil2ments and the filament guide me2bers -in their li, ¦ retracted position. ' ' ', ~' `
18 - I ' Referring to Fig.-l, an apparatus ~n accordance with .
19 the ~present invention f~r ~oining continuous conductl~e filamentc to terninal areas of integrated circuit chips is illustrated , ~; 21 generally at 10. Although the apparatus 10 i9 illustrated ~ith ~ 22 ~ire and ~tegrated circuit chips, it sh~uld be unders~ood that.~ ,~ it is not so limited, but may be employed to join conductive .
" .:~ 24 filaments to any of the aforementioned terminal are2s. As previously mentioned the term ~'tenminal areas" as used herein . should be constFued to include fixed areas of integ~ated ~f circuits, terminating harnesses, hybrid circuits, printed ~,~ ................. ' ' ' ' _ g _ . , . ' ' " ` . ? `' ''.: ' ' ` , :.

~ ~ 3282 1 circuits, optical circuits, and fluidic circuits. The ter~
- 2 "join" or "joining" as used herein includes any techni~ue . 3 for providing the desired electrical, optical, or fluidic 4 connection. ~xamples of joining techniques are the~w-compression bonding, ultrasonic bonding, adhesive bonding, soldering, welding, mechanical fastening, and the li~e.
7 . The apparatus 10 includes a plurality of filament ~: 8 feed channels 14A-X corresponding in number to the number of ~:~ g continuo.us conductive filament~, here wire~ 15A-X, to be ~oin¢d to an element, here an integrated circuit chip 12.
1~ As shown in Fig. 1, the apparatus 10 includes 24 filament 12 . feed channel8 14A-X. Generally, the num~er of fllament feed 13 . channels 14 will vary, as desired; 14 to 40 f~lament feed ., 14....... channels 14 are commonly used ~or providing 14 to 40 connections i~: 15 to an ~ntegrated circuit chip 12. Each f~lament eed channel .
16 14A-X includes a supply means, here spools 16A-X of ~ne metaL
'~ 17 wire lSA-X, hitch;feed drives 18A-X for clamping 2nd push~ng 18 - the ine metal wire 15A-X, telescoping tubes l9A-X, conveying ~; 19 tubes 20A-X, and a filament cutter 22 having apertures 23A-X~ .
ZO see Fig. 2. A recessed frl2ment guide plate 24 i~ positioned 21 below ~che fil~m~nt cutter 22. The ~e¢essed ilament guide 22 plate 24 has a pluralfty of machined groo~es 26A-X for . rece~ving the fine w~res l5A-X exiting from the conveying tu~es 20A-X and the ilæment euttec 2~.

26 - .
. . .
-.', 27 ~ : .

.,~ ......................... -,~

1~8Z82 ., : .

~ The machined grooves 26A-X extend along the upper t surface of the recessed filament guide plate 24 to a central aperture or window 28 of the recessed filament guide plate 24.
The shape of the aperture or window 28 of the recessed fila-ment guide plate 24 is generally chosen to conform with the geometry of the integrated circuit chip 12 to which the wires 15A-X are to be joined. As shown in Fig. 1, the window 28 is generally rectangular or square in shape for use with similarly shaped integrated circuit chips 12. However, it should be understood that integrated circuit chips having different geometries may be used with the apparatus 10 by simply changing ~' ~
~ the recessed wire guide plate 24 with a recessed wire guide '~ plate conforming to the configuration of the integrated circuit chips to be used. Advantageously~ the width of the machined grooves 26A-X is slightly greater than the diameter of the fine wire 15A-X, e.g., about .0003~' greater, to ensure that the fine wires 15A-X exiting from the wire cutter 22 pass easily into the machined grooves 26A-X and therethrough to the integrated circuit chip 12.
Referring to ~ig. 2, apparatus 10 is positioned with .
the window 28 overlying a work station 30. Integrated circuit chips 12A-~ are successively registered at the work station 30 prior to joining the end portions of the wires to the integrated circuit chips. It should be understood that the sequence of operation is the same and is occurring simultaneously in each filament feed channel 14A-X. The}efore, for the sake of clarity, only the operation of the two filament feed channels 14A and 14M illustrated in Figs. 2-4 will be described.

jb/ - 11 -', :~ . . . ' : `

1~8828Z
Advantageously, the integrated circuit chips 12A-N
may be formed as a wafer 32. The wafer 32 is securely mounted to a carrier plate 33 with an adhesive 36, e.g., wax, having a low melting point. The wafer is then precisely cut into individual chips, e.g., with a diamond saw, and the carrier plate 33 ls positioned on and registered with a suitably controlled X-Y table 34 for registering the inte-grated circuit chips 12A-N at the work station 30. See, e.g., United States Patent 3,706,409 (Lederer) for a discussion of one technique for mounting and cutting a wafer, and positioning the cut chips or pellets at a work station for bonding leads thereto.
, It should be understood that it is also within the scope of the instant invention to orient ind~vidual chips man-uaily or with the assistance of manipulators and a microscope, or automatically with the use of optical recognition and positioning devices. With these latter approaches the wafer can be scribed and individual chips broken therefrom without ~; the need to mount the wafer to an adhesive layer and then cut it into individual chips as described in the aforesaid Lederer patent.
The fine metal wire 15A-X may be bare metal or it may be insulated with heat strippable polyurethane. The metal may be copper, gold plated copper, tinned copper, gold, or aluminum of any desired cross-sectional configuration with a thickness or diameter in the range of about .7 mil to about ~- 4 mils, normally 2 mils. `

jb/

. '~' .

; ~.- : - , : . :
~ . ~: - . - :
. , . . - , . , ' :- :' . ' . .-: , 'S' '7 , ` . ':, :
S ' ,~j .' " .

1~388Z8Z

The machined grooves 26A and 26M of the recessed ~' filament guide plate 24 have their entrant ends enlarged or funnel-shaped to aid in capturing the ends of the wires exiting from the wire cutter 22. The machined grooves 26A and 26M then s guide the ends of the fine wire to the window 28 and precisely s locate or register the wire end portions over the work station 30 closely spaced over or in contact with the terminal areas in the form of pads 37 on the integrated circuit chip 12A
registered at the work station 30. Each integrated circuit chip 12A-N has a number of pads 37 corresponding to the number of fine wires 15 to be joined thereto. The pads 37 are advan-tageously gold topped or topped with solder to facilitate -~
joining of the wire end portions thereto, as will be described ~ below.
s~ The X-Y table 34, the hitch feed drives 18A and 18M, the telescoping tubes l9A and 19M, the conveying tubes 20A and ~; 20M, and the recessed filament guide plate 24 coact to ensure that the end portions of the fine wires are registered over the pads 37.
Each of the hitch feed drives 18A and 18M includes a stationary clamping member 38A and 38M and a movable clamping member 40A and 40M, respectively, which coact to clamp and ;~ pull the fine wire from the spools 16A and 16M, respectively.
~- The length of the wire feed is advantageously adjustable in small increments in accordance with activation of the hitch feed drives 18A and 18M to feed fixed lengths of wire 15A and 15M to the pads 37.
:

~, ~
~~ jb/ -13-. . .
' s ., ?f .-,. : , - . - , .. . . .

., .

~88282 The fLne wire is ed by pneumatically activating the movable clamping members 40A and 40M so that pistons 42A and 42M
clamp tightly the wires 15A and 15M. Pistons 44A and 44M are then pneumatically activated to slide housings 46A and 46M
along guides 48A and 48M. The clamped wires 15A and 15M are pushed through telescoping tubes l9A and l9M which are inter-connected between slidable housings 46A and 46M and stationary piston housings 50A and 50M, respectively. The telescoping tubes l9A and l9M include smaller diameter tubes 52A and 52M, 10 joined at one end to the slidable housings 46A and 46M, respect-ively, and larger diameter tubes 54A and 54M joined at one end to the stationary piston housings 50A and 50M. When the movable clamping members 40A and 40M slide forward on the guides 48A
and 48M, the smaller diameter tubes 52A and 52M telescope within the larger diameter tubes 54A and 54M, respectively.
Arranged on the side of housings 50A and 50M opposite to the telescoping tubes l9A and l9M are conveying tubes 20A
.
` and 20M. The conveying tubes 20A and 20M have one end joined ~ to stationary housings 50A and 50N and their other ends mounted $ 20 within a rotatable support plate 60. The rotatable support plate 60 also includes channels 62A and 62M for receiving the ~ wire exiting from the conveying tubes 20A and 20M. Positioned ¦ below the rotatable support plate 60 is the stationary filament cutter 22. The filament cutter 22 includes enlarged apertures 23A and 23M to receive the fine wires 15A and 15M~ Positioned below the wire cutter 22 and aligned with apertures 23A and 23M
are machine grooves 26A and 26M of recessed filament guide plate 24.

:~
. ~ .

~; jb/ - 14 -: ~
, ,. ~ :

,~ .; ~ :.: : : : : . :
::,, .- : : :

: . : .

~88282 Thus, the fine and flexible wires 15A and 15M are fully supported and guided along a closely confined fixed path from the points of engagement by the movable clamping members 40A and 40M to the window 28. Thereafter, the fine wire 15A
' and 15M is unsupported over an extension of the fixed path for a short distance and extends over the work station 30 with the end portions registered in a stationary position over predeter-mined fixed areas of the work station 30. It has generally been ~i found that the maximum length of the total fixed path from the .- ~
point of engagement of the wires 15A and 15M with the movable f clamping members 40A and 40M to the end portions of the wires 15A and 15M registered over the predetermined fixed areas of the work station 30 is approximately three orders of magnitude greater than the wire diameter, i.e,, lO00 times greater.
Therefore, approximately 2 inches for 2 mil wire. The end portions of the wires 15A and 15M exiting from the recessed filament guide plate 24 are unsupported for a relatively short distance of approximately 10 mils to 30 mils and assume a stationary position over the work station 30 for subsequent joining to predetermined areas or pads 37 of an integrated circuit chip 12A mounted at the work station 30.
~; When the wire end portiona are registered over the pads 37 at the work station 30, a chip bonding head 64, e.g., which may advantageously be continuously or pulse heated, is recipro-S- cated downwardly for simultaneous contact with all the wire end portions registered over the pads 37. The heated chip bonding head 64 effects a thermocompression bond of the wire end portions.
If the integrated circuit chips 12 are conveyed to the work . ~ ~

~ jb/ - 15 -~, .
: ~ , :: . : , .

~.

lV8~82 station 30 in wafer form, the heat generated by the bonding head 64 also melts the wax 36 and frees the individual inte-grated circuit chip 12A from the carrier plate 33.
After the wire end portions are bonded to the pads 37, the stationary clamping members 38A and 38M are pneumati-cally activated and pistons 66A and 66M grip the wires 15A and 15M. Pistons 42A and 42M, and 44A and 44M are then deactivated and the housings 46A and 46M, along with attached smaller dia-meter tubes 52A and 52M, return to the position showr in Fig.2 under influence of return springs (not shown~ coupled to slid-able housings 46A and 46M.
The chip bonding head 64 is then reciprocated upwardly and to the right, and the X-Y table 34 and recessed filament guide plate 24 are reciprocated downwar~ly and to ;~ the right, see Fig. 3. Thus, when the X-Y table 34 and ,si recessed filament guide plate 24 are moved away from the ~ integrated circuit chip 12A, the integrated circuit chip 12A -is effectively held suspended by the bonded wire portions, see Fig. 3. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a carrier feed member 67, which carries a permanent or temporary carrier member or lead frame 68, is mechanically coupled to the X-Y table 34 and moved therewith via a shuttle 70. The shuttle 70 moves .
5 ~` the carrier member 68 into registration with the bonded integrated circuit chip 12A at the work station 30.
(Alternatively, the bonded integrated circuit chip 12A
, ~ ~ may be conveyed to a second work station, above the ~1, .'`
` :
I~ jb/ - 16 -~;
~,~
,;,~' ", . 7 .~ . . . . . . .

~^~ 1~8828Z'...................... . - I
carr~er feed member 67, as desired.). The shuttle 70 m~y ~e 2 dri~e~ by a suitable servomotor to alternate b position the X-Y

3 ~able 34 tinteorated circuit chips) and the carrier feed me~ber 5 66 (carrier members) at the wo~k stat~on 30.
~s shown in Fig. 4, the carrier feed member 67 ~ .
6 m4ves to the right znd upwardly to engage and support the 8 suspended integrated cirCuit chip 12~ at the work station 30.
~, 9 While the pistons 66A and 66~1 are still grippi~g the wires 10 lSA and lSM, a carrier bonding head 78 is reciprocated 11 do~nwardiy into contzct with predeter~ned portions o~
12 the fine wires 15A 2nd 1~ to bond the predeter~ined w~re .
~" 13 portions to the carrier me~er 68. Heat Day be genera~ed 14 i~ the carrier bond~ng he~d 78 by 2n electric current or -i the ca~ ier member 68 is a temporary thermoplast~c carrier :~ . . ultras~nic heating may be advantageously employed. . 16 Tkffj integrated c~rcuit ch~ps 1~A-N m2~ be -17 .. .
ad~antag20usly joined to per22nent frf~mes, such as a f 18 . ............ . . .
. IP ~Dual-In-Line-Pack2ge) lead fsa~es, or to t~porary 19,. ~ . ~
~0arrier fra~es. Advantageously, heav~er wires ~y ~e used f 21!for jo~ning the inte~r~ted circuit chips to ~ne~pensi~e t~ ~ 22sprock^ted film having apertures for accom$odat~g the 23~tegra~ed circuit chips 2na leads e~tending outwardly ::
~'24 therefrom. Subsequentl~ ~he o~ter ends of the ~res may 25 be directly jo~ed to termi~al areas on h~hrid circuits or 26 pri~ted circuits, ~s desised. . . - :
,i~ 27 ~ - .
~: : -: - 17 - -- : ~ .: ~. . . .. ~ .. :
f .. . .. . . . . -.

., , . . . .. . ~

1~882~3Z
,, While the carrier bonding head 78 i9 in contact with the flne wires 15A and 15M, as shown in Fig. 4, the ~, rotatable support plate 60 i9 rotated, e.g., 3 to 4~, relative to the stationary filament cutter 22 to shear or cut Ç the bonded wire portions 74A and 74M from the remaining fine wire portions 76A and 76M. The wire portions 74A and 74M
includes short stubs 72A and 72M which protrude slightly ~; upward from their point of jointure with the carrier member 68.
It should be understood that in some applications it may be desirable to cut the wires prior to bonding them to the carrier member 68.
Referring to Figs. 5-7, elements similar to those appearing in Figs. 1-4 are similarly numbered, However, in this embodiment the support plate 60 is fragmented into a number of support elements 83A-X corresponding with the number of wires 15A-X, and the filament guide plate 24 is eliminated. Moreover, support elements 83A and 83M include elongate channels 62A' and 62M' and the conveying tubes 20A
and 20M are eliminated. Additionally, filament cutter 22, ` 20 which was positioned below rotatable support plate 60 in Figs. 1-4, is replaced with cutter members 80A and 80M
,~ .~
; mounted on the upper surface of support elements 83A and 83M
and having cutter elements 82A and 82M positioned above corresponding exit orifices 84A and 84M of channels 62A' and 62M'.
~.
;~
~ jb/ - 18 -i~:
~,~

'i: ' - ~ ` .: ~ ` `
~ . .. . .
: ,,S;

¦ Referring specifically to Fig. 5, preferably after an integrated circuit chip 12Ais positioned at the work station 30, support elements 83A and 83M are driven inwardly by pneumatically activated pistons 86A and 86M to position exit orifices 84A and 84M in closely spaced relationship with the work station 30 and at a fixed distance from pads 37. A fixed length of the wires 15A and lSMis then pushed or projected from the exlt orifices 84A and 84M and moves along an unsupported ~ fixed path so that the wire end portions register over the pads P; 10 37. Subsequently, chip bonding head 64is operated as described with reference to Figs. 2 and 3, Return springs (not shown) ~ -couple the support elements 83A and 83M to a stationary frame 90 -;?
~` to return the support elements 83A and 83M to the position shown `~
in Fig. 6 after bonding is completed and the pistons 86A and 86M
', are deactivated. The inward movement of support elements 83A
and 83Mis controlled by stops 88A and 88M, see Fig. 5, and the outward movement of the support elements 60A and 60Mis con-trolled by stops 89A and 89M, see Fig. 6.
~; Referring to Fig, 6~ subsequent to the gang bonding '.~ 20 operation of Fig. 5, the bonding head 64is -moved upwardly and to the right (see arrow), and the X-Y table 34is moved downwardly and to the right (see arrow), and the pistons 86A and 86M are deactivated to return the support elements 83A and 83M to the position shown in Fig. 6, thereby exposing -~k ~ predetermined lengths of wires 92A and 92M. The gang bonded integrated circuit chip 12A remains suspended as ~.

; ,, .: .
,,J.

~ jb/ - 19 -.. , )~,, .
~_v : ,.: . .

I ~',8Z8,'~ -~ Idescribed with reference to Fig. 3. ''rhe~ the shuttle 70 2 -r~ositions ~he carrier feed member 67 at the work statio~ 30 3 for support~ng the integrated circuit ch~p 12A 2nd reg~stering

4 the carrier mem~er 68 with the wires 92A 2nd 9~I, see Fig. 7.-'The predetermI~ed lengths of wires 92A and 92~ are then :
6 ~,"ondea to the ca~rier ~em~er 68 by carrler bonding head 78. .
7 Positi~ned adjacent to the outer surface of the b~nding head 8 78 gnd in contac~ therewith via bear~ngs 91 is 8 rec~procata~,le g member 94 which is moved downwardly to engagè cutter memb~ers 8QA and 80M and depress cutter elements 82A End 80M for : . .
ii cutting the wire portions 9~ 2nd 92M while ~he fra~e 12. bon~ing head 78 is ~n contact therewith.

14 . Generally, the sequence of operation of the e~fodimenSs o the present in~ention in accordance with Figures 1-7 is as 16 follows~
r: ' An integrated circuit chip 12A is reg~stered at the wor ;
18 statian 30. Remotely positioned fine wire is pulled from spools ~ 16A-X by energizing the hitch feed drives 18A-X and the wire J 20 end portions travel along predetermined fixed paths for 21 - registration oves the work station 30, speci~ically over pads 37 ~` 22 ~f the ~eg~stered ~ntegrated ~,~ircui~ ch~p 12A. The wire end 23 port;ons are then joined in a gang to the pads 37 by the chip 24 bonding head 64, which is then mov,ed away from the work stati~n ~, 25 30. While the wax 36 ~nder the integrated circuit chip 12 is 26- in the molten state, the X-Y table 34 and the portiQns o the 4 27 predetermined ~ixed paths (filament guide plates 24 or support ,., ~ ', ' . ' ~

~, . - 20 -~; . .
:~, :' .. ~ , 101~328'~

elements 83) adjacent the work station 30 are removed there-from, so that the bonded integrated circuit chip 12A is SU8-pended at the work station 30. The carrier feed member 67 t:arrying a carrier member 68 is then moved into position at the work station 30 to support the integrated circuit chip 12 and register the carrier frame 68 with predetermined portions of the lengths of fine wires bonded to the integrated circuit chip 12A. The carrier bonding head 78 is then moved into contact with the predetermined portions for bonding the predetermined portions in a gang to the carrier member 68.
While the carrier bonding head 78 is engaging the fine wire portions, a filament cutter 22 or 80 is activated to simul~
taneously shear or cut predetermined lengths of the bonded -wires. The bonded integrated circuit chip 12A and carrier member 68, the carrier bonding head 78, and carrier feed s member 67 are then removed from the work station 30 and the X-Y table 34 is reactivated for registering another integrated s~ circuit chip at the work station 30. The above-mentioned ?I; sequence of operation is then repeated continuously to ! 20 produce completed integrated circuit packages. ~
Thus, gang bonding of the end portions of fine ~' , wires to pads 37 on an integrated circuit chip 12A (inner bond) and subsequently gang bonding of other predetermined ~' portions of the bonded fine wires to a carrier member 68 (outer bond) is rapidly and reliably achieved with an Js expected capability of providing in excess of 1000 completed integrated circuit packages per hour.
,':~ ~ ,~' `' ~, jb/ - 21 -~ 8Z8Z

!~ Referring to Fig. 8, an apparatus in accordance ~-with the present invention for ~oining continuous conductive filaments to terminal areas of integrated circult chips is illustrated generally at 100.
Although the apparatus 100 is shown in use with wire llSA-X and an lntegrated circuit chip 112, it should be under-stood that it is not so limited, but may be employed to join continuous conductive filaments to any of the aforementioned terminal areas. The apparatus 100 includes a plurality of filament or wire guide members 114A-X corresponding in number to the number of continuous conductive filaments, here wires , 115A-X, to be joined to an element ? here an integrated circuit chip 112. As shown in ~ig. 8, the apparatus 100 includes 24 filament guide members 114A-X. Generally, the number of ~; filament guide members 114 will vary, as desired, As pre-viously mentioned, usually 14 to 40 filament guide members ;~ will be used for providing 14 to 40 connections to an inte-..
grated circuit chip 112. Each filament guide member 114A-X -includes a supply means, here spools 116A-X of fine metal 20 wire 115A-X, stationary elements 118A-X, translatable guide portions 119A-X, filament guide channels 120A-X, having exit apertures 122A-X, and clamping means 123A-X for engaging portions of the filaments in the filament guide channels 120A-X remote from their end portions and pulling fixed lengths of the filaments from the spools 116A-X. The filament guide members 114A-X are circumferentially spaced about a work station 124.

jb/ - 22 -.i~ , .
..
. ~

"' ' -$ . .

As shown in Fig. 8, the integrated circuit chip 112 i.S generally rectangular or square in shape. However, it should be understood that integrated circuit chips having clifferent geometries may be used with the apparatus 100 simply eliminating the use of some of the filament guide members 114A-X, adding additional filament guide members and/or rearranging the spacing therebetween, as appropriate.
Advantageously, the width of the filament guide channels 120A-X is slightly greater than the diameter of the fine wires 115A-X, e.g., about .0003" greater, to closely confine the movement of the wires 115A-X therein and ensure that the fine wires 115A-X exiting from the spools 116A-X pass easily therethrough.
Referring to Fig. 9, apparatus 100 is shown positioned at the work station 124. Integrated circuit chips .,~ ' ~, 112A-N are successively registered at the work station 124 ,~ prior to joining the end portions of the wires 115A-X to i~ the integrated circuit chips 112A-N. It should be understood ~7'' that the sequence of operation is the same and is occurring~:`
simultaneously in each filament guide member 114A-X. There-fore, for the sake of clarity, or,ly the operation of the t,~
filament guide members 114A and 114M will be described.
; Aduantageously, the integrated circuit chips 112A-N
may be formed as a wafer 126~ The wafer 126 securely mounted to a carrier plate 128 with an adhesive 130, e.g., wax, having a low melting point. The wafer is then precisely cut into individual chips, e.g., with a diamond saw, and the carrier ~' ~ plate 128 is positioned on and registered with a suitably ,~, ~ jb/ - 23 -:. ",. . :
, .: . : :
;~ .. , .. ` : . :
. j ~ ` ~

1~8828Z

controlled X-Y table 132 for registering the integrated circuit chips 112A-N at the work station 124. For example, see United States Patent 3,706,409 (Lederer), previously referred to, for a discussion of one technique for mounting and cutting a wafer, and positioning f~he cut chips or pellets at a work station for bonding leads thereto.
~ It should be understood that, as previously men-;~ tioned, with reference to Figs. 1-7, it is also within the scope of the instant invention to orient individual chips man-~' ually, or with the assistance of manipulators and a mlcro-scope, or automatically with the use of optical recognition and positioning devices. With these latter approaches the wafer can be scribed and individual chips broken therefrom without the need to mount the wafer to an adhesive layer and then cut into individual chips as described in the afore-mentioned Lederer patent.
~; '~ The fine metal wires 115A-X may be bare metal or they may be insulated with heat strippable polyurethane.
~, ~ The metal may be copper, gold plated copper, tinned copper, 0 20 gold, or aluminum of any desired cross-sectional configura-tion with a thickness or diameter in the range of about .7 ~ ~, ,.
c~ ~ mil to about 4 mils, normally about 2 mils.
Advantageously, filament guide channels 120A and 120M of the translatable guide portions ll9A and ll9M have their entrant ends enlarged or funnel-shaped to aid in capturing the ends of the wires 115A and ll5M exiting from ,~. ~' `~ receiving apertures 133A and 133M in stationary members 118A
and 118M. The filament guide channels 120A and 120M then jb/ - 24 -.-,-~

'I ~' ' ' .' ' `' ', ', . ', ' ., iO8~3282 , ~uide the end portions of the fine wires 115A and 115Meoward the exit apertures 122A and 122M. Initially, for each new spool of wire, the wires ll5A and 115M may be nnanually threaded through the filament guide channels 120A
andl20Mso that the end portions of the wires 115A and 115M
extend a predetermined fixed distance from the exit apertures 122A and 122M a positlon adjacent the work station 124.
Thereafter, the operation is automatic until the spools of wire are exhausted.
Each integrated circuit chip 112A-N has a number of pads 134 corresponding to the number of fine wires 115 , .
to be joined thereto. The pads 134 are advantageously gold .-topped or topped with solder to facilitate joining of the . wire end portions thereto, as will be described below.
The X-Y table 132, the translatable guide portions ll9A and .
ll9M, and clamping means 123A and 123M coact to ensure that the end portions of the fine wires 115A and 115M are regis- ~
tered over the pads 134, assuming a stationary and unsuppor- :~ -ted position over the pads 134.
Initially, the translatable guide portions ll9A
and 119M are in a retracted position relative to the work . station 124, with the end portions of the wires 115A and ~; 115M extending outwardly a predetermined fixed distance from .~ the exit apertures 122A and 122M, see Fig, 15. The clamping means 123A and 123M are positioned remote from the end por-tions of the wires 115A and 115M for engaging a portion of the wires 115A and 115M extending through filament guide channels 120A and 120M. Preferably, the clamping means 123A
.~ , :~`
jb/ - 25-:~j; . .

:' .. .: -: : - : . "
i~ ~ ; . . -.
, ~ : ., " : , , - ~-:
,i , , ~ : "

;~ .:
~r, .:

~88282 , and 123M are positioned approxlmately midway along the length ~ of the filament guide channels 120A and 120M and advantageously j include diaphragm clamps. The clamping means 123A and 123M
are pneumatically activated from a remote source (not shown) ~! to fixedly clamp and unclamp the wires 115A and 115M, as desired.
The clamped fine wires 115A and llSM are translated or moved into a forward position at the work station 24, see Fig. 9, by pneumatically activating horizontally arranged , pistons 136A and 136M. A pressure of 70 psig is adequate.
The pneumatically activated pistons 136A and 136M push or move translatable guide portions ll9A and ll9M radially inwardly toward the work station 124 with the translatable guide portions ll9A and ll9M sliding along the bases 138A
and 138M of stationary members 118A and 118M, Movement of the translatable guide portions ll9A and ll9M pulls a fixed length of clamped wires 115A and 115M from spools 116A and 116M. This fixed length is proportional to the distance through which the translatable guide portions ll9A and ll9M
are moved. A limit OII the forward movement of the translat-able guide portions ll9A and ll9M is provided by adjustable forward stops 140A and 140M coupled between the translatable guide portions ll9A and ll9M and the stationary members ',G
118A and 118M. In the most forward position, the wire ends 115A and 115M assume a stationary and unsupported position at the work station 124 and over the pads 134, see Fig, 9.
.
.
:~
jb/ - 26 -~, . ~

I -- - 10~828Z
}~ Thus, the fine and flexible wires~SA ~nd~SM
2 are fully supported and guided along a closely confined 3 fixed path from the points of engagement by the clamp~ng 4 means ~3A and ~3M to the exit apertures122A and ~2M.
Thereafter, the fine wiresll5A and~5M are unsupported 6 for a short distance, e.g., lO to 30 mils, 7 with the end portions being registered in a stationary 8 and unsupported position over the work stationl24. It ha 9 generally been found that the max~mum length of the total fixed path fro~ the point at wh~ch the wiresll5A and ~5M
are clamped to the end portions of the wires ~5A andl~5M
l2 is approximately three orders of magnitude greater than the ~ -13 wire diameter, i.e., lOOO times greater. Therefore, 14 approximately 2 inches for 2 m~l wires. -t ~L5 ~ When the wire end portions are registered over the 16 padsl34 at the work stationl24, a ~hip bonding headl42, e.g., -17 which may be advantageous~y continuously or pulse heated, is 18 ~ reciprocated downwardly for simultaneous contact with all the 19 wire end portions reOistered over the pads ~4. The heated 2Q bonding head ~2 provides thermocompression bonding of all ~1 the Wi# end portions to the pads ~4. I the integrated 22 ~ c rcuit chips ~2A-~ ~re conveyed to the w~ork stationl24 in -23 wafer form, the heat generated by the bonding headl42 also -24 ~ melts the wax ~0 and frees the individual integrated circu~t chipllaA from the carrier platel28.
26 After the wire end portions are bonded to the pads 27 134, the horizontaL pistons~6A and ~6~ and clamping means :
~ . ... . . .
28~ 123A andl2~ are deactivated enabling the trænslatable &ui~a ld~8Z82 portions ll9A and ll9M to be returned to their retracted position, see Fig. 10, under the influence of return springs 144A and 144M coupled between the translatable guide portions ll9A and 119M and stationary members 118A and 118M. Rearward stops 145A and 145M limit the rearward movement or retraction of the translatable guide portions ll9A and ll9M.
The chip bonding head 142is then reciprocated upwardly and tothe right, and the X-Y table 132is reciprocated downwardly and to the right, see Fig. 11. Thus, when the X-Y table 132 is moved away from the integrated circuit chip 112A, the integrated circuit chip 112Ais effectively held suspended by the bonded wires, see Fig. 11. The clamping means 123A and 123M are then pressurized to clamp the wires 115A and 115M and the translatable guide portions ll9A and ll9M are moved to an intermediate position (between the retracted and forward posi-tions) by applying low pressure, e.g., 30 psig, to the hori-zontal pistons 136A and 136M. The force of the horizontal pistons 136A and 136M combine with a spring force resulting ; from bias springs 146A and 146M to overcome the spring force exerted on the translatable guide portions ll9A and ll9M by~
return springs 144A and 144M to move the translatable guide portions ll9A and ll9M to a predetermined intermediate position.
In this intermediate position the force of horizontal pistons 136A and 136M and the force of the bias springs 146A and 146M
which urge the translatable guide portions ll~A and ll9M
, toward the work station 124 are in equilibrium with the force of the return springs 144A and 144M which urges the translatable guide portions ll9A and ll9M to a fully retracted position.

-jb/ -28-.r~

. ~ . ' ~ ` ' "
. ' ~ .' ~ ' ' ' ~ ' ' ''' '' . ~
/, . ~

lV1~828Z

The movement from the retracted position to the intermediate posltion with the clamping means 123A and 123M pressurized introduces slack into the bonded wires 115A and 115M adjacent their end portions, see Fig. 11, The presence of this slack in the wires 115A and 115M tends to compensate for thermo- ; -expansion, neutralizing or eliminating potentially detri-mental effects on the bonded wire portions resulting from differentials in thermoexpansion of the integrated circuit chip 112A and its temporary or permanent carrier member.
Referring to Fig. 12, after slack is introduced into the wires 115A and 115M, and while the translatable guide portions ll9A and ll9M are still in the intermediate position, carrier feed member 148, carrying a permanent or ~ temporary carrier member or lead frame 149, mechanically '~ co~pled to the X-Y table 132 is moved into contact with the integrated circuit chip 112A to provide support thereto via -a shuttle 150. (Alternatively, the bonded integrated circuit chip 112A and filament guide members 114A and 114M may be conveyed to a second work station, above the carrier feed member 148, as desired), The shuttle 150 may be driven by 3 a suitable servomotor to alternately position the X-Y table 132 (integrated circuit chips) and the carrier feed member 148 (carrier members) at the work station 124.
As een by the arrows in Fig. 12, t~le carrier feed member 148 moves to the right and upwardly to engage and support the suspended integrated circuit chip 112A at ~;`` ~.
~1:

jb/

.. - : , .

~,;, ' ' ` . :

I 10~38Z8Z
1 ¦ the work station ~4. A carrier bondLng headl52 is then t reciprocated downwardly into contact with predetermined 3 ¦portions of the fine wiresll5A and ~5M to bond these pre-4 ¦determined wire portions to the carrier memberl49. Heat S ¦may be generated in the carrier bonding head ~2 by an .
6 ¦electric current or if the carrier memberl49 is a 7 I temporary thermoplastic carrier, ultrasonic heating may be 8 ¦ advantageously employed.

9 ¦ -For example, the integrated circuit chips ~2A-N
io ¦ may be advantageously joined to permane~e frames, such as . ¦ DIP (Dual-In-Line-Package) lead frames, or to temporary ¦carrier frames. Advantageously, heavler wires may be used ~3 ¦for ~oining the integrated circuit chips to inexpensive sprocketed films having apertures for accomcodating the 15 ¦lntegrated circuit chips and leads extending outwardly -therefrom. Subsequently,the outer ends o the leads m y be directly joined to terminal areas on hybrid circu~ts or ~18 printed cir~uits, as desired. -.: Advantageously, as the carrier bonding headl52 engages :~ ~ 20 and, bonds the fine wires ~5A andll5M, see Fig.l2, notch or t2 .indentation is made in the f~ne wires ~5A and ~5M, ~jace~t the ~ 23 outer bond to provide a predictable break for subsequently !'~ 24 separating he b~ded wire portions ~rom the remainder of the continuo~s wiresll5A andll5M, see Figs.13 and 14.

26 .

. . . . -- ~ - . . .
~ . . - . i . ;~

.
.
,, ~ . . :
t, ~)88'Z8Z

As shown in Fig. 13 the carrler bonding head 152 may include an integrally formed cutter portion 154. Alternately, a separate cutting element 156 may be arranged clrcumjacent the ;~
carrier bonding head 152, see Fig. 14. The cutting elements 154 or 156 are reciprocated into contact with the wires 115A
and 115M formlng notches therein.
Referrlng to Fig. 15, while the clamping means 123A
and 123M are pressurized and the carrier bonding head 152 is ~;
in contact with the bonded wires 115A and 115M, the hori7ontal pistons 136A and 136M are deactivated~ The deactivation of the horizontal pistons 136A and 136M causes retraction of the translatable wire guides ll9A and ll9M undér influence of the -~
return springs 144A and 144M, thereby applying a force to the ~`
wires 115A and 115M clamped between the carrier bonding head 152 and the clamping means 123A and 123M, Thus, the wires 115A and 115M break predictably at the notches, see Fig, 15, .-~ with the result that a fixed length of wlre extends outwardly -~
`;~ from exit apertures 122A and 122M for joining to the next ~,~ integrated circuit chip 112B~ The carrier bonding head 152 and carrier feed member 148 are then reciprocated away from ~ ~ ~
the work station 124 and the shuttle 150 registers the next ~ `
integrated circuit chip 112B at the work station 124 Although in the embodiment shown in Figs~ 8-15, notches are introduced into the Joined wires and the ~oined wire portions are separated by breaklng ? it should be under-stood that the wires may be cut if desired as illustrated in the embodiments shown in Figs. 1~7.

jb/ 31 -' ~J. "' " ` . ' ' ' ' . ' ~ ' ~
.. . .

Generally, the preferred sequence of operation of the embodiment of the present invention in accordance with Figs. 8-15 is as follows:
An integrated circuit chip 112A is registered at the work station 124, To commence operation, with the translat-; able guide portions ll9A-X in the retracted position, the wires ~:.
115A-X are manually threaded through the fllament guide -members 114A-X with the end portions of the wires 115A-X
: extending outwardly from the exit apertures 122A-X a predeter-mined distance, as previously described. The remotely posi~
tioned fine wires 115A-X are then clamped by pressurizing clamp- -ing means 123A-X and the horizontal pistons 136A-X are pressur-ized to move the translatable guide portions ll9A-X forward, ~.
thereby simultaneously pulling fixed lengths of wires 115A-X
from the spools 116A-X for positioning the end portions of the .. wires 115A-X over the pads 134 of an integrated circuit chip ;
. 112A registered at the work station 124. The wire end portions are then contacted by the chip bonding head 142 and the wire enc portions are simultaneously or gang bonded to the pads 134~
The clamping means 123A-X and horizontal pistons 136A-X are ~ -~x` depressurized and the translatable guide portions ll9A-X are returned to their normal or retracted position. With the wax 130 under the integrated circuit chip 112 in the molten state, the X-Y table 132 and the chip bonding head 142 are retracted, so that the bonded integrated circuit chip 112A is - ~:
suspended at the work station 124, The clamping means 123A-X --~
~, is then pressurized and the horizontal pistons 136A-X partially ;~ pressurized to moye the translatable guide portions 119A-X to .
., ~ jb/ - 32 -~'`' .: ,' ,- , . : . . ' ~: . :. . :
$ . : :~. : :: ;:. , . .- .

,x .

1~88;~82 an intermediate position introducing slack into the wires 115A-X.
The carrier feed member 148 carrying a carrier member 149 is then moved into position at the work station 124 to support the integrated circuit chip 112A and register the carrier member 149 with predetermined portions of the fine wires bonded to the integrated circuit chip 112A. The carrier bonding head 152 is moved into contact with the predetermined portions for bonding these predetermined portions in a gang to the carrier member 149.
Simultaneously or subsequently, as desired, a notch is intro-duced into the wires 115A-X adjacent the outer bonds while the carrier bonding head 152 is still engaging the wire. The hori-zontal pistons 136A-X are then depressurized to fully retract the translatable guide portions ll9A-X, exerting forces on the bonded wires 115A-X thereby allowing the bonded wires 115A-X
; to undergo predictable breaks at the notches. The bonded inte-grated circuit chip 112A and the carrier member 149, the carrier bonding head 152, and carrier feed member 148 are then removed from the work station 124 and the X-Y table 132 registers another integrated circuit chip 112B at the work station 124.
~: 20 The above-mentioned sequence of operation is then "~;
repeated continuously to produce completed integrated circuit packages (inner and outer bonds). Advantageously, the cycle time to complete a package is expected to be between about 1.5 and 3 seconds which approximates the time required with the ~.
'i film carrier method to obtain only inner bonds. Moreover, if No. 43 AWG wire is used the width of the ends of the translat-able guide portions ll9A-X at the exit apertures 122A-X is only about 5.5 mils.
.
,~
f jb/ - 33 -., . . - .

.
.
'~

~08~Z8Z

Thus, gang bonding of the end portions of the fine wires 115A-X to pads 134 on an integrated circuit chip 112A
(inner bond) and subsequently gang bonding of predetermined portions oE the bonded fine wires to a carrier member 149 (outer bond) is rapidly and reliably achieved and is expected to provide in excess of 1000 completed integrated circuit packages per hour.
In accordance with the preferred embodiments of the present invention, accurate positioning of the wire end portions over the pads 37 or 134 (terminal areas) of an inte-grated circuit chip 12A or 112A (element) is attained by:
1. Mounting a wafer 32 or 126 of integrated circuit chips 112A-N and its carrier plate 33 or 128 on an :.
X-Y table 34 or 132, the relative position of each integrated circuit chip within the wafer 32 or 126 '~ being intrinsically accurate so that each successive integrated circuit chip can be accurately positioned at a work station 30 or 124.
2. Utilizing filament feed channels 14A-X, with or without the filament guide plate 24, or translatable ~:
guide portions ll9A-X to provide predetermined paths -~
for accurately positioning the wires 15A-X or 115A-X
adjacent the work station 30 or 124 and registering . the end portions of the wires 15A-X or 115A-X with predetermined terminal areas at the work station 30 or 124.

".
~ .

~ jb/ - 34 -, r ~ ,. .. .

~' ~ , ' ' ' . .. . .
.~. ~ . . ' . , .
'' ~ .. .. '. . . .. .. . . . . .
-. ~ ', , ' , ',, . ' ' ' ' ' ` ' . . .' ' , ' , ~'~ ~' ' ' . , ' ~' ` ' ., , ' .' . '' ' .
.
r ~' ' ' '' ' ' .' . :, ~,~88282 3. Controlling the length of feed of the fine wires 15A-X or 115A-X in small increments to position fixed lengths of wire over predetermined terminal areas at the work station 30 or 124, In summary, the present invention provides a method and associated apparatus for coupling the end portions of one or more continuous conductive filaments to one or more terminal areas on an element mountable at a work station by emplacing the conductive filaments from feed means so that their end portions are congruent with predetermined geometric locations and arranging the feed means relative to the work station so that the geometric loci defined by the positions of ~;
the emplaced conductive filaments are predetermined and repeatable.
It should be understood that various modifications may be made in the sequence employed in carrying out the present invention and in the specific apparatus illustrated therein.
For example, the element (integrated circuit) may be regis-tered at the work station subsequent to feeding the end por-tions of the wires to the work station as well as beforehand, as desired. Additionally, the joining or bonding steps may take place at the same work station or at different work stations.
It should also be understood that various drive feed means may be employed for feeding the wire, including pneumatic diaphragm clamps and piston type wire clamps and the hitch feed drive 1:!;
~ means may be substituted by a programmable capstan-roller feed .~

., ~ jb/ - 35 ~ . , , ' ,.........

i~ . ~ . : , ~ ' ;: : ~ ':"' ' . :
f . ~: :

1 means. Moreo~er, the horizontal pistons may be replaced by . solenoids, cams, lead screws, and the like. Various types of 3 joining or bonding heads may also be used, e.g., those heated 4 ~Itenmittently or continuously. Also, the integrated circuit chips may be maintained at ambient temperature or preheated S to a suitable base temperature, as desired.
It should also be understood that the size and 8 cross-sectional configuration of the fine wire, its 9 composition, and any insulation thereon may vary and arc dependent upon the specific application. Fine gold wire, 11 e.g., .7 mils or 1 mil m~y be used. A ~are copper wire, 12 tinned or gold plated, if desired, having a di~meter of 13 .0022 inches (No. 43 AWG) is suitable for thermocompression 14 bonding or similar ioining app}ications. Copper wire, tinned if desired, and having heat strippable polyurethane insulation 16 may be used to obtain eutectic solder reflow ~oints, 17 particularly when long wire leads are desired for complex 18 interconnection requirements. Aluminum leads may also be Ig employed for ultrason~c bonding directly to an integrated ~0 circuit chip.
21 It;~hould also be understood that the apparatus~
2~ - of th~ pre~ent invention may be use~ with a number o~ sim~lar apparatus ~o transfer and connect integrated circuit chips 24 from a wafer direc~ly to the interconnection circuit in an assem~ly line type operation. 1088282 . , , . .
~, - . . ..
.: .. -. ~-. , . ~
- : .

1088Z8;~
1 It should be further understood by those skilled in .
the art that various m~difications may be mate in the present 3 invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, ~:
4 as described in the specification and defined in the 6 nppend cl-ims.

8 . ; `
9 . . ;
. . . ' '' ' '' ' ' .
11 . - ' " - . ' . . .

I ~ ~ ~

21: . ~ : ~

" 1 ~ : ~
....... . - . ~ - . . . . - : -.. -.-- , . . . ~ , . `
~:. `., .. . ~. .
. ., ~. -- . - . -- ~- . . . .
... .. . . ..
.s . : . :- : . .. .
~, . . . ~ - .. -.
~, ~. . . . - . . .
, . , . ~ . .
-,. . . . . . ..

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. In an apparatus for coupling the end portion of each of a plurality of continuous conductive filaments to an element mountable at a work station, the improvement which comprises:
individual translatable guide means for individually guiding each of a plurality of continuous conductive filaments along a fixed path toward the work station;
a continuous conductive filament supply means associated with each said translatable guide means;
frame means for supporting and guiding each of said guide means along a linear path toward the work station;
clamp means coupled to said translatable guide means at a point remote from the work station for fixedly clamping the continuous conductive filament extending along the fixed path;
drive means for driving said translatable guide means a predetermined fixed distance toward the work station to pull the end portion of the clamped continuous conductive filament from said supply means and push said end portion into a stationary and unsupported position over the work station; and joining means for subsequently joining the end portion positioned over the work station to a predetermined terminal area of the element mounted at the work station.

2. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein:
said translatable guide means closely confines the movement of the continuous conductive filament.

3. The apparatus recited in claim 2, wherein:
said translatable guide means includes an exit aperture from which the end portion of the continuous conductive filament extends.

4. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein:
the maximum length of the fixed path is approximately three orders of magnitude of the thickness of the continuous conductive filament.

5. The apparatus recited in claim 1, including:
means for registering the element with the work station subsequent to activation of said drive means.

6. The apparatus recited in claim 1, wherein:
said joining means includes a thermocompression bonding head for bonding said end portion of the conductive filament to the predetermined terminal area of the element.

7. The apparatus recited in claim 1, including:
positioning means for effecting registration between a predetermined portion of the joined continuous conductive filament and a second predetermined terminal area;
joining means for joining the predetermined portion to the second predetermined terminal area.

8. The apparatus recited in claim 7, including:
notching means for notching the continuous conductive filament adjacent to the predetermined filament portion to provide a predictable break point for the continuous conductive filament;
and force inducing means for exerting a force on the continuous conductive filament during deactivation of said drive means to break the continuous conductive filament at the break point.

9. The apparatus recited in claim 7, including:
shuttle means for effecting relative movement between said translatable guide means and the work station prior to acti-vation of said positioning means.