The challenge of testing ultra fine pitch wire bonds

History and industrial road maps clearly show an ever-decreasing pitch between wire bonds. Until recently, the challenges of meeting this demand have fallen on other processes more than the science of bond testing. With industrial bonding at 50 /spl mu/m becoming common place, this is no longer the case. Wire bonding at 25 /spl mu/m and below is proven in laboratories, including the shear and pull testing of these wires. Although it is possible to use existing testers at these geometry's their ease of use and accuracy is being pushed to, if not beyond, their limits.Ultra Fine Pitch wire bonding is proposed as the next generation bond tester to meet the growing demand.