In semiconductor manufacturing processes, wire bonding plays an important and critical role. Wire bonding is the method that provides electrical paths for power and signal distribution between a component, such as a die, and leads, such as lead frames for the die.
A wire bonding machine electrically and mechanically connects a wire between two locations to form a wire bond between the two locations. The wire is typically very thin and the locations are extremely small, so the wire bonding machine has to be very precise. One area of the wire bonding machine requiring precision is a capillary from which the wire is fed from the wire bonding machine. If the capillary is not positioned correctly within the wire bonding machine, the wire bonds will not be correct, which may cause failure of the devices in which the wire bonds are located.
Presently, capillaries are placed within the wire bonding machines by hand. For example, a user removes a capillary from a vial and positions it within the wire bonding machine using tweezers or similar devices. The user secures the capillary into the wire bonding machine while maintaining it in position with the tweezers. The result is that many capillaries are not positioned correctly within the wire bonding machines or they are damaged, which results in the above-described incorrect wire bonds.