Granted Patent B2

US 12,528,135 · App. 18/086,065 · Granted Jan 20, 2026

Inventors: Andreas Unger (Verl, DE); Frank Walther (Paderborn, DE); Michael Broekelmann (Delbrueck, DE); Matthias Hunstig (Paderborn, DE)

B23K20/004B23K20/10B23K20/14

Abstract

Claims (36)

1 . A wire guide module for an ultrasonic wire bonder, the wire guide module comprising:

a body made of a thermally stable metallic and/or ceramic material;

an elongated wire feed-through channel provided in the body, the wire feed-through channel having a wire inlet opening and a wire outlet opening; and

a guide tube arranged in the wire feed-through channel,

wherein, with respect to a feed-through direction of a bond wire in the wire feed-through channel, a downstream distal end of the guide tube terminates upstream of the wire outlet opening, and

wherein the body has an installation recess, the installation recess being an opening that is provided in addition to the wire inlet opening and the wire outlet opening and that exposes a part of the wire feed-through channel to aid with installation of the guide tube in the wire feed-through channel.

2 . The wire guide module according to claim 1 , wherein a clamping part is provided that is inserted in the installation recess and is fixed in the installation recess, wherein the clamping part is in direct contact with the guide tube in order to secure and/or fix and/or position the guide tube in the wire feed-through channel.

3 . The wire guide module according to claim 1 , wherein an inert gas channel having an inert gas inlet opening is provided in the body for feeding an inert gas.

4 . The wire guide module according to claim 3 , wherein the inert gas channel opens into the wire feed-through channel and/or wherein the inert gas channel is routed to the wire feed-through channel at an acute angle such that inert gas flows toward the wire outlet opening due to an inclination of the inert gas channel in a region of an opening.

5 . The wire guide module according to claim 3 , wherein a mount is provided for interlocking positioning of the wire guide module on an attachment element of a bonding head of the ultrasonic wire bonder or wherein a longitudinal guide is provided on the body as a mount for installing the body on a correspondingly shaped attachment element of the bonding head of the ultrasonic wire bonder, the longitudinal guide being formed as a dovetail guide.

6 . The wire guide module according to claim 5 , wherein the wire inlet opening is provided in a region of the mount and/or is surrounded thereby, or wherein the wire outlet opening is opposite the mount.

7 . The wire guide module according to claim 1 , wherein the body has a first flat side surface and a second flat side surface opposite the first flat side surface, as well as a circumferential connecting surface that connects the first flat side surface to the second flat side surface, wherein the installation recess is formed on the first flat side surface or in a region of the first flat side surface and the connecting surface, and wherein the wire inlet opening and/or the wire outlet opening and/or the inert gas inlet opening are provided in the connecting surface.

8 . The wire guide module according to claim 7 , wherein a groove-shaped outlet contour, which the wire feed-through channel opens into and/or which adjoins the wire outlet opening, is formed as part of the connecting surface.

9 . A wire guide module for an ultrasonic wire bonder, the wire guide module comprising:

a body made of a thermally stable metallic and/or ceramic material;

an elongated wire feed-through channel provided in the body, the wire feed-through channel having a wire inlet opening and a wire outlet opening; and

a guide tube arranged in the wire feed-through channel,

wherein, with respect to a feed-through direction of a bond wire in the wire feed-through channel, a downstream distal end of the guide tube terminates upstream of the wire outlet opening,

wherein an inert gas channel having an inert gas inlet opening is provided in the body for feeding an inert gas, and

wherein the guide tube has a through opening on a lateral surface, and wherein the guide tube is arranged in the wire feed-through channel and associated with the inert gas channel such that inert gas fed through the inert gas channel enters the guide tube through the through opening.

10 . An ultrasonic wire bonder comprising:

a linearly and/or rotationally movable bonding head, wherein a bonding tool that is adapted to be excited into ultrasonic vibrations via an ultrasonic transducer is replaceably held on the bonding head;

a thermal generator for heating the bonding tool and/or the bond wire and/or a substrate; and

a wire guide module that is formed as part of the bonding head for feeding the bond wire to the bonding tool,

wherein the wire guide module comprises:

a body made of a thermally stable metallic and/or ceramic material;

an elongated wire feed-through channel provided in the body, the wire feed-through channel having a wire inlet opening and a wire outlet opening; and

a guide tube arranged in the wire feed-through channel,

wherein, with respect to a feed-through direction of a bond wire in the wire feed-through channel, a downstream distal end of the guide tube terminates upstream of the wire outlet opening,

wherein the bonding tool is provided in addition to the wire quide module, and

wherein, from the wire inlet opening to the wire outlet opening, the wire feed-through channel is configured so as to circumferentially surround the bond wire.

11 . The ultrasonic wire bonder according to claim 10 , wherein, the guide tube is flexible and is made of a plastic with a melting temperature of more than 175° C.

12 . The ultrasonic wire bonder according to claim 10 , wherein the body is made of a cast aluminum alloy or a cobalt chromium tungsten alloy and/or wherein the body is made of aluminum oxide.

13 . The ultrasonic wire bonder according to claim 10 , wherein the guide tube is flexible, and/or wherein the guide tube is made of a plastic with a melting temperature of more than 175° C., and/or wherein the guide tube is made of PTFE.

14 . The ultrasonic wire bonder according to claim 10 , wherein the guide tube has a clearance in the wire feed-through channel.

15 . The ultrasonic wire bonder according to claim 10 , wherein the wire feed-through channel tapers toward the wire outlet opening.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (27)

Cited By (1)

US 12,638,125