US 12,390,839 B2
Cleaning systems for wire bonding tools, wire bonding machines including such systems, and related methods
Peter Klaerner, Corona, CA (US); Jose de Jesus Lozano de Alva, Lake Forest, CA (US); Jason Fu, Long Beach, CA (US); and Masih Mahmoodi, Irvine, CA (US)
Assigned to Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc., Fort Washington, PA (US)
Filed by Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc., Fort Washington, PA (US)
Filed on Jan. 30, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/262,761.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/624,037, filed on Jan. 30, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2019/0237427 A1, Aug. 1, 2019
Int. Cl. B08B 1/12 (2024.01); B08B 1/20 (2024.01); B08B 1/34 (2024.01); B08B 3/02 (2006.01); B08B 7/00 (2006.01); B23K 37/00 (2025.01); H01L 23/00 (2006.01)
CPC B08B 1/12 (2024.01) [B08B 1/20 (2024.01); B08B 1/34 (2024.01); B08B 3/02 (2013.01); B08B 7/0028 (2013.01); B08B 7/0035 (2013.01); B08B 7/0042 (2013.01); B23K 37/00 (2013.01); H01L 24/78 (2013.01); H01L 2224/7801 (2013.01); H01L 2224/78343 (2013.01); H01L 2224/78621 (2013.01); H01L 2224/78756 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of cleaning a tip of a wire bonding tool on a wire bonding machine, the method comprising the steps of:
(a1) performing a bond off process at a bond off station of the wire bonding machine to bend an end portion of a wire away from a working surface of the wire bonding tool, the wire being engaged with a bond head assembly of the wire bonding machine, the bond off process including steps of (i) ultrasonically bonding the end portion of the wire to a bond off substrate of the bond off station, and (ii) tearing the wire from a bonded portion of the end portion of the wire by moving the bond head assembly to bend the end portion of the wire away from the wire bonding tool while tearing the wire;
(a2) moving the end portion of the wire further away from the working surface of the wire bonding tool through the action of a moveable wire guide assembly of the bond head assembly such that the tip of the wire bonding tool is accessible to a cleaning station of the wire bonding machine;
(b) cleaning at least a portion of the tip of the wire bonding tool with the cleaning station after step (a1) and step (a2), wherein the cleaning station includes at least one brush, the cleaning of step (b) being automatically triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event;
wherein, during step (b), while the tip of the wire bonding tool is in contact with the at least one brush, the bond head assembly of the wire bonding machine follows a predetermined motion profile for moving the tip of the wire bonding tool with respect to the at least one brush; and
(c) realigning the end portion of the wire with a realignment station such that the end portion of the wire is realigned with a groove of the tip of the wire bonding tool after step (b).