Wire bonding: Present and future trends

Gold wire thermosonic bonding remains the primary means of electrically connecting the silicon chip to the outside world. To keep up with the increasing interconnect density required by the ever shrinking die and with the need for package compactness, both wire and wire bonder manufacturers have made many improvements in technology. If the miniaturization trend continues at the current rate, the physical and process limits will ultimately be reached. The other possible technologies such as gold wedge bonding, tape automated bonding (TAB), and flip-chip offer some potential attractive interconnection solutions. These techniques also have their own inherent disadvantages. Until such drawbacks are resolved, the capabilities of thermosonic bonding will continue to be pushed as far as possible.<>