Wire bonding is a key process in semiconductor production. Extremely fine wires with diameters of 15 to 75 micrometers are used to create tiny electrical connections between a semiconductor chip and other components. The distances between the bond wires are often less than 100 micrometers. Any deviation, however small, can lead to connection errors. Wire bonding therefore requires the highest precision and forms the basis for the production of high-performance electronics, which are used in many different applications. F&S BONDTEC Semiconductor GmbH from Braunau, Austria, relies on image processing technology with industrial cameras from IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH for the precise determination of wire positions and for quality assurance.

For each bonding process, parameters such as ultrasonic amplitude, force, time or the movement sequence for setting up the bonding bridges must also be programmed in advance. The camera’s image feed is also used when creating these programs. For example, you can drag a wire in the live image and change its position. The axes can also be adjusted by clicking on the image.

On the software side, the Austrian company relies on a specially developed image recognition library that works with position/pixel mapping, greyscale recognition, and edge detection, for example.

Between one and seven industrial cameras are used per system. Depending on the type, these can be particularly compact and cost-effective uEye XCP models. At just 29 x 29 x 17 millimeters, they are the smallest housed IDS cameras with C-mount and have a completely enclosed die-cast zinc housing. Their screw-type USB micro-B connection and compatibility with the Vision Standard (U3V / GenICam) simplify integration. F&S Bondtec also uses uEye CP cameras. These tiny powerhouses offer maximum functionality with extensive pixel pre-processing and are also perfect for multi-camera systems thanks to the internal 120 MB image memory for buffering image sequences. Users can choose from a large number of modern CMOS sensors. They also score points with a compact housing measuring just 29 x 29 x 29 millimeters.

The small design of the models and the large number of different sensors were important criteria when selecting the camera, as was the low thermal expansion. However, the free IDS peak software development kit with all the programming interfaces and software tools required for operating and programming the cameras was also crucial. Easy-to-understand convenience functions ensure an intuitive programming experience and quick and simple commissioning of the industrial cameras.

The wire bonders from F&S Bondtec ensure stable connections in semiconductor production. With the help of integrated image processing, the manufacturing quality and productivity of the systems can be further increased and rejects avoided. At the same time, the cameras make work easier for the operators. In addition to standard products, the company develops special machines and customized software solutions that also use AI models.