Kulicke & Soffa Industries has filed a patent for a method of monitoring gas byproducts in a bonding system. The method involves connecting multiple bonding systems to a monitoring device and monitoring the composition of the gas byproducts. GlobalData’s report on Kulicke & Soffa Industries gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
Smarter leaders trust GlobalData
According to GlobalData’s company profile on Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Under-screen biometric identification was a key innovation area identified from patents. Kulicke & Soffa Industries's grant share as of September 2023 was 47%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Method for monitoring gas byproducts of a bonding system
A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230260953A1) describes a method and system for monitoring gas byproducts in a bonding system. The method involves providing multiple bonding systems, each equipped with a reducing gas delivery system and configured to exhaust gas byproducts. These bonding systems are connected to a monitoring device through individual gas delivery paths. The monitoring device is responsible for monitoring the composition of the gas byproducts.
The reducing gas delivery system in each bonding system includes a reducing gas that consists of a carrier gas and an acid. The acid can be formic acid or acetic acid. Additionally, the reducing gas can be a saturated vapor gas. The bonding systems also feature a bond head, which is used with a bonding tool to carry a semiconductor element with electrically conductive structures. The reducing gas is delivered to these conductive structures, as well as the second electrically conductive structures on the substrate, through a manifold integrated with either the bond head or the support structure.
The monitoring device used in this system can be a binary gas analyzer, a Fourier-transform infrared spectroscope (FTIR) gas analyzer, a mass spectrometer gas analyzer, or a mass spectrometer combined with a gas chromatograph. It is capable of monitoring the composition of the gas byproducts to determine the concentration of the acid compound present.
The method also includes the step of transferring the reducing gas from the bonding area to an abatement system using a vacuum system integrated with either the bond head or the support structure. Furthermore, a machine exhaust system is operated to remove the reducing gas from the operational area of the bonding system.
The monitoring system described in the patent includes multiple bonding systems, each equipped with a reducing gas delivery system and capable of exhausting gas byproducts. These bonding systems are connected to a monitoring device through connecting structures that provide gas delivery paths. The reducing gas delivery system in each bonding system is configured to provide a reducing gas consisting of a carrier gas and an acid, with formic acid or acetic acid being potential options. The monitoring device can be any of the aforementioned gas analyzers.
Similar to the method, the bonding systems in the monitoring system also feature a bond head and a support structure, with the reducing gas being delivered to the electrically conductive structures through a manifold integrated with either the bond head or the support structure. The system allows for the transfer of the reducing gas from the bonding area to the abatement system using a vacuum system integrated with either the bond head or the support structure. Additionally, each bonding system includes a machine exhaust system to remove the reducing gas from the operational area.
The gas delivery paths between the bonding systems and the monitoring device are equipped with valves, enabling the monitoring device to selectively monitor the composition of the gas byproducts from any of the bonding systems.
To know more about GlobalData’s detailed insights on Kulicke & Soffa Industries, buy the report here.
Data Insights
From
The gold standard of business intelligence.
Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors.
GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
