Specific Process Knowledge/Back-end processing/Wire Bonder/TPT HB 100 wire bonder: process details

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The TPT HB100 Wire Bonder is a versatile semi-automatic system designed for research, prototyping, and small-scale production in microelectronics packaging. It supports multiple bonding methods including wedge–wedge, ball–wedge, and bump bonding. While a single bond head can accommodate all modes, each bonding method requires its own dedicated needles/capillary, or ribbon clamp, which must be mounted before use.

The system is supplied with wires and standard accessories, and at the moment the tool can be configured for either 25 µm diameter gold wire or 33 µm diameter aluminum wire. For changing the wires or needle, users should contact the responsible tool owner.click here

The system is equipped with motorized X, Y, Z axes and bond head rotation, the HB100 ensures precise and flexible operation. The integrated TPT software provides a library of recipe templates, allowing users to quickly create and customize process recipes according to bonding method and wire type.

Note: Height variations greater than 100 µm can lead to bonding failures due to incorrect force and ultrasonic coupling.

Important understanding: The height uniformity across the chip and the PCB has a significant impact on wire bonding performance. When the local surface height varies by more than ~100 µm, the bonder’s programmed bond force and ultrasonic energy may no longer be applied correctly at each pad. Because the tool approaches every bond location using a reference Z-height, a sudden height difference results in either:

Insufficient bond force or ultrasonic coupling (if the pad is lower than expected), leading to weak or missing bonds, or

Excessive tool impact (if the pad is higher than expected), increasing the risk of pad damage or tool wear.

This issue becomes even more pronounced when the chip is glued onto a PCB, as adhesive thickness variations can easily introduce local warpage or tilt. For reliable bonding, all bonding pads on the chip must lie in the same plane, and similarly, the PCB bonding pads should not exhibit large step differences greater than 100 µm can compromise bond quality.

Maintaining flatness of the chip compared to the PCB/substrate are therefore critical to achieve consistent, high-quality wire bonds across the entire device.

Figure: Effect of Height Variation on Wire Bonding

Images generated in ChatGPT

Key specifications are summarized below:

**HB100 Full Technical Specifications**
Bonding Specifications	Bonding Methods	Wedge–Wedge, Ball–Wedge & Ribbon bonding
	Bond Head Capability	One head for Wedge & Ball bonding (needle change only)
	Speed	1 wire in ~3 sec
	Wire Change Time	~10 min
	Bond Method Change Time	~5 min
Wire & Ribbon Handling	Gold Wire Diameter	12–75 µm (0.5–3 mil)
	Aluminium Wire Diameter	17–75 µm (0.7–3 mil)
	Ribbon Size	Max. 25 × 250 µm (1 × 10 mil)
Ultrasonic & Bonding Parameters	Ultrasonic Frequency	63.3 kHz Transducer PLL control (110 kHz option)
	Ultrasonic Power	0–10 W
	Bond Time	0–5 sec
	Bond Force	10–200 cN
	Bonding Tool Size	Ø 1.58 mm × 19 mm (0.0624″ × 0.750″)
	Wire Termination	Bond Head Tear or Clamp Tear
Mechanics & Motion Control	Z-Drive / Resolution	Lead screw motor / 0.5 µm
	Motorized Z Travel	100 mm (3.9″)
	X–Y Drive / Resolution	Linear motors / 0.1 µm
	Motorized X–Y Travel	100 mm (3.9″)
	Max. Component Width	400 mm (15.7″)
	Rotation Drive Accuracy	±0.5°
Control & Interface	Axis Control	Joystick
	Screen Size	21″ touchscreen
	Software Environment	Industrial PC with Windows
	Safety Features	C+ Crash Prevention, Data Backup, Password Protection
Camera & Optics	Camera System	Dual camera (detail & overview)
	Magnification	Up to 150×
	View Mode	Simultaneous detail & overview
Heater Stage	Size	90 mm Ø surface (mechanical & vacuum clamping; other sizes available)
	Temperature Range	Up to 200 °C ±1 °C
	Temperature Controller	Integrated digital controller
	Clamping	Mechanical & vacuum
General	Electrical Requirements	100–240 V ±10%, 50/60 Hz, max. 10 A
	Dimensions (W × D × H)	620 × 750 × 680 mm (24.4″ × 29.5″ × 26.7″)
	Weight	72 kg net

For detailed information on compatible wires and bonding tools for the HB100, visit the TPT Wires & Tools page.

HB100 Bonding Parameters – 25 µm Gold Wire

The bonding parameters can vary depending on the substrate type, the contact pad materials, chip height, and metal thickness. The ranges listed in the table below were tested using gold wire on both aluminum and gold contact pads. These values can serve as a reference, but process parameters may need to be optimized to ensure reliable bonding performance for different material combinations and device geometries.


Temperature
First Bond	Ultrasonic Power (US)	160 - 200
	Bond Time	80-200
	Bond Force	250-300
Second Bond	Ultrasonic Power (US)	200-250
	Bond Time	80-200
	Bond Force	200-300
Wire	Wire Diameter	25 µm (Gold)
Wire	Wire Detect	First Bond: 20 / Second Bond: 0
Loop	Loop Height	500-2500
Loop	Tail Mode (Clamp Feed Length)	500
Temperature	Stage (°C)	50-120
Bond Positions	First Bond (X1, Y1)	Teach first bond
Bond Positions	Second Bond (X2, Y2)	Teach second bond

Bond test with Bond plan

Figures: Bond program setup and execution on the TPT HB100 wire bonder: After defining the package and chip dimensions, a bond plan was created with varying wire lengths, loop heights, and bond directions. The top image shows the number of bond plans made (look under wire) and the bond parameters used, while the bottom image illustrates the completed gold wire connections between chip pads, demonstrating successful automated wire bonding using the defined recipe.

Overview image of the bonding on chip to package	Gold ball bonding on the aluminum contact pad on the silicon chip.
Gold wedge bonding on the gold pad of the carrier.	Gold ball bonding on the gold pad of the silicon chip.

HB100 Bump Parameters – 25 µm Gold Wire

This bond program is designed to form gold bump (stud) structures using 25 µm Au wire on metallized pads. The process employs a Ball-on-Pad (BOP) bonding sequence, in which a free-air ball (FAB) is first formed at the capillary tip by a negative electronic flame-off (EFO) discharge that melts the wire tail into a spherical shape. The tail length is fixed at 450 µm to maintain a consistent ball diameter of approximately three times the wire diameter, ensuring stable and repeatable bump formation. Once the FAB is generated, it is bonded directly onto the pad surface using ultrasonic energy (80 %), a bond force of 250 mN, and a bond time of 150 ms at a stage temperature of 50 °C, with wire detection enabled at 20 % to confirm pad contact. This step creates a solid Au–Au metallurgical interface with controlled deformation. Following the initial bond, the wire is automatically torn off in a second-bond stage using identical ultrasonic and force settings, with wire detection disabled and a loop height of 300 µm to provide clearance for proper wire breakage. The resulting structure is a gold stud bump with a measured foot of 125-140 µm, and 10x repeat for foot and stud height analysis serving as a reliable baseline for further optimization and flip-chip bonding development.


Temperature
First Bond	Ultrasonic Power (US)	80 - 150
	Bond Time	50-150
	Bond Force	200-300
Second Bond	Ultrasonic Power (US)	80
	Bond Time	50-150
	Bond Force	200-300
Wire	Wire Diameter	25 µm (Gold)
Wire	Wire Detect	First Bond: 20 / Second Bond: 0
Loop	Loop Height	200
Loop	Tail Mode (table tear)	450
Temperature	Stage (°C)	25
Bond Positions	First Bond (X1, Y1)	Teach first bond
Bond Positions	Second Bond (Angle)	90°

Bond program

Loop program parameters must be adjusted according to bond length because variations in loop height and span directly influence wire deformation, mechanical stress distribution, and loop stability; optimizing these parameters ensures proper wire trajectory, prevents sagging or breakage, and maintains the electrical and mechanical reliability of the bond.

Bond inspection

Pitch 100 µm – Shorting occurs already at the first bond, as the ball bond diameter is ~100 µm.	Pitch 150 µm – Safest choice for reliable bonding. Lower pitch is possible, but wire bending depends on bond length and loop profile.
Representative bond morphology under standard bonding conditions.	Wedge footing quality – Ideal footing achieved at low force. High force or high ultrasonic power can create gold craters around the wedge.
Long wire bonds (>1500 µm) – Wire bending due to accumulated stress. Requires optimized loop settings.	Additional example showing loop stability and bond integrity.

25 µm Au wire pull force distribution and acceptance criteria.

The pull test evaluation of 25 µm Au wire bonds formed using Loop Program 8 demonstrates a mean peak pull force of 5.91 gf with a standard deviation of 1.54 gf across 50 samples. The measured distribution spans from approximately 2.3 gf to 8.8 gf, indicating a relatively broad mechanical response. Using a fixed lower specification limit of 5.0 gf, 78% of the bonds met the acceptance criterion, while 22% failed. The coefficient of variation (26.1%) reflects moderate-to-high process variability, which is expected in a research bonding environment where substrate type, pad metallization, and thermal characteristics differ between devices.

The majority of pull values cluster between 5.5 and 7.5 gf, suggesting that under typical conditions the bond interface achieves adequate metallurgical strength. However, the presence of low-force outliers below 4 gf indicates occasional interfacial weakness, potentially related to surface condition, ultrasonic coupling efficiency, or local geometry variations within the 1000–2000 µm bond length window. Higher-force measurements above 7 gf imply that failure likely occurred in the wire or neck region, which is mechanically desirable.

Au Bump program

Bond program parameters – example 1.	Bond program parameters – example 2.

Au Bump Formation and Coining

Figure 1 – As-bonded Au bump before coining.	Figure 2 – Bump height depends on ball formation and bonding force. Excessive wire feed leads to larger ball size.
Figure 3 – Coining using higher force. Produces flatter bumps but increases overall bump diameter.

HB100 Bonding Parameters – 33 µm Aluminum Wire

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