Alex.

Wiseman
School of Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics
Flinders University, Adelaide
Room 332 Engineering building
Telephone 12713
[email protected] ENGR 1201
 Table of Contents
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ............................................................................................................................................... 2
Evacuation and Emergency ....................................................................................................................2
First Aid Procedure ................................................................................................................................3
General Laboratory Safety Rules.............................................................................................................3

LECTURE 1 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Selection of the Bonding Method ............................................................................................................6
The Soldering Process ...........................................................................................................................7
Solder & Flux ........................................................................................................................................7
Inspection of Soldered Joints .................................................................................................................9
Classes of Product............................................................................................................................... 12
Acceptability Requirements .................................................................................................................. 12

LECTURE 2 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 25
LEAD FREE ......................................................................................................................................... 26
Fluxes ................................................................................................................................................ 26
Soldering Irons ................................................................................................................................... 27
Desoldering Methods ........................................................................................................................... 29
Soldering tip care and maintenance ...................................................................................................... 29
Standards for Acceptability .................................................................................................................. 30
Fire & Fire safety ................................................................................................................................ 36
Portable Fire Extinguishers ................................................................................................................... 37

LECTURE 3 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 38
Stress Relief in Component Mounting .................................................................................................... 39
Alternative Connection Methods (non soldered) ..................................................................................... 40
Microelectronics .................................................................................................................................. 46
Integrated Circuits .............................................................................................................................. 48

LECTURE 4 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 58
Surface Mount Technology................................................................................................................... 59
Soldering SMTs ................................................................................................................................... 61

LECTURE 5 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 63
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 64
Base Materials .................................................................................................................................... 64
Raw Board Manufacture ...................................................................................................................... 65
The Printed Circuit Board ..................................................................................................................... 65
PCB Manufacture ................................................................................................................................ 66
Printed Circuit Board Layout and Design ............................................................................................... 69
Production Testing, Quality Assurance and Quality Control...................................................................... 73

LECTURE 6 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 75
Power Supplies ................................................................................................................................... 76

WORKSHOP PRACTICE ...................................................................................................................................................... 82

Solder Characteristics .......................................................................................................................... 82
WORKSHOP 1 .................................................................................................................................................................... 85
Through Hole High Reliability Soldering Practice .................................................................................... 85
WORKSHOP 2 .................................................................................................................................................................... 86
Surface Mount Soldering using the point to point method ....................................................................... 86
WORKSHOP 2 & 3.............................................................................................................................................................. 87
Logic probe assembly .......................................................................................................................... 87
WORKSHOP 3 .................................................................................................................................................................... 88
Reflow assembly and soldering............................................................................................................. 88
ENGR 1201 Digital Electronics 1 Workshop Practice lecture notes

Lecture 3

Component Mounting & Stress Relief

Connection methods (non soldered terminations)

Wire wrap
Crimping
Screw terminals
Press fit technology
Insulation displacement
Cable Connectors
Terminal blocks

MICROELECTRONICS Part 1

Processes

Monolithic
Film Technology

Integrated Circuits

Monolithic ICs
Hybrid ICs
Specials
Discrete Chip Parts
Assembly Processes

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ENGR 1201 Digital Electronics 1 Workshop Practice lecture notes

Stress Relief in Component Mounting

Three main causes of solder joint failure have been identified.
1. Stress fracture due to sustained loading.
2. Fast fracture due to impact loading.
3. Fatigue fracture due to cyclic loading.
Correct methods of component mounting will improve the reliability of the solder connections by
reducing the effect of mechanical stress due to vibration and shock. Thermal cycling, which
produces stress due to coefficient of expansion differentials between materials, is the most
common cause of solder joint failure.

Cyclic stress causes metallurgical changes resulting in work hardening or cracking along phase
boundaries. Any solder joint subjected to cyclical stress will fatigue and eventually fail in a finite
time determined by the stress level and number of cycles.

Attention to a number of important factors can greatly improve the expected life of solder joints on
printed circuit boards.

Use of plated through (supported) holes increases solder length.

Use of clinched lead terminations increases solder length.
Proper hole to lead sizing 0.015" to 0.012" clearance is ideal.
Removal of burrs around non plated through holes.
Proper attention to lead forming and component support.
Maintaining pcb at constant temperature. Keeping hot components off board.
Conformal coating or potting of components.

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Alternative Connection Methods (non soldered)

Printed circuit assemblies can be connected to backplanes and into racks and cabinets and these
cabinets can also be connected to other cabinets and systems by means of cables. The growing
use of electronics in so many types of products has made electrical connections an important
technology. The performance of any electronic system depends on the reliability of the individual
connections linking the elements of the system together. There are two basic methods of making
these types of electrical connections.
Pressure connections are electrical connections in which mechanical forces are used to establish
electrical continuity between components. Sometimes called solderless connections they can be
further sub-divided into two groups, permanent and separable.
Permanent connections include crimping, wire wrapping, press fit technology and insulation
displacement.
Separable connections are designed to permit disassembly and reassembly, they are meant to be
connected and disconnected multiple times. When connected they must provide a metal to metal
contact between mating components with high reliability and low electrical resistance. Separable
connection devices are called connectors and they come in a variety of styles to serve many
different applications. Connectors typically have multiple contacts contained in a plastic moulded
housing designed to mate with a compatible connector or with individual wires or terminals.
WIRE WRAP
The wire-wrap process was developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories for the telephone industry in
the United States. They required a joining method that did not need heat, and could be undertaken
by people with few skills, was reversible, could survive at least 50 makes and unmakes, and have
a life of some 40 years.
The joint consists of a solid wire wrapped the correct number of turns around a post. The post must
have the correct radius of curvature and the wire the correct elongation coefficient so that, at the
corners of the wrap, the post bites into the wire to form a gas tight, high-pressure joint, where solid
state diffusion of the metals has occurred. The sharp corners of the post produce high pressure
points resulting in indentations in the wire or the wire and post. There is also a slight torsion (twist)
produced in the terminal post. These forces hold the metal surfaces of wire and terminal together
to make a permanent joint and because the pressure is so great these metals are fused together
and the connection improves with age.
Wire Wrap connections are made by wrapping a specified number of turns of wire, under
tension, around a post having sharp corners.
The posts are normally square in cross section, although rectangular ones require a greater
stripping force. ie. the force needed to pull the wrapped wire off the post. They are made from a
range of materials, such as beryllium copper, phosphor bronze, brass or steel. The hardness of the
post also determines the stripping force. The posts can be plated with gold, silver, or more usually
tin lead. The length of the post determines the number of connections that can be made to it and is
typically in the range 3-5.
The wire used in this joining method is solid and must be capable of 15-20% elongation, to
maintain pressure around the post. Tin-plated copper wire is commonly used, but brass, Kovar and
other materials are sometimes employed. The number of turns wrapped around a post is
dependent upon the gauge of the wire. Wires of 24 AWG and 28 AWG diameter are the most
common and six turns is sufficient. Stranded wire can be wrapped around a post, but must be
soldered for permanency. The preferred insulation for the wire is polyvinylidine fluoride (Kynar) as
it has extremely good abrasive and cut-through resistance, necessary attributes for wires being fed
through a maze of posts. PVC, Nylon and Teflon are used to a lesser extent. Tools available for
making wire-wrap joints can be manual, semi-manual or fully automatic. Hand tools often have an
insulation stripper built into them and a slit in the side to the right depth so that, on wrapping, the
correct number of wire and insulation turns is achieved. Joints can be made and unmade in less
than two seconds. With training and good quality control, joint reliability can be superior to soldered
joints by a factor of 20.

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ENGR 1201 Digital Electronics 1 Workshop Practice lecture notes

There are 3 types of connection.

Regular wrapped joint.
This is an electrical connection between a wire and a terminal in which the wire itself is wrapped
directly around the terminal with controlled tension, the wire indenting and locking on the sharp
corners of the terminal. This type of joint is used for bare wire interconnections and may be used
where the equipment will not be subjected to vibration when installed.
Modified wrapped joint.
This is similar to a regular wrapped joint except that an additional turn of insulated wire is wrapped
around the terminal. This is the preferred method where the equipment is subjected to vibration in
service as the insulation reduces the possibility of fracture at the first indentation.
Bound joint.
An electrical connection between the wire and a sharp edged terminal between which a connecting
wire is laid parallel to the length of the terminal and is then secured to the terminal with several
turns of wrapping wire with controlled tension. Each turn contacts the bound wire producing
deformation and locks on at least two corners of the bound wire. This method is used to connect
components directly to the wire wrap terminals although it is not recommended for general
practice.
Inspection
All wrapped connections should be inspected for correct type of wire and gauge, correct colour and
type of insulation, correct sleeve markers (where fitted), correct type of wire wrap (including the
number of turns), nicks on the wire caused by faulty stripping, unacceptable joints.
Testing
Unwrap test.
A solderless wrapped connection, except for the first and last turn should for each turn exhibit a
gastight area on at least 75% of the corners in contact with the insulated wire. To verify that this
condition is being met and also that the wire tension is not excessive the wrapping wire should be
carefully unwound from the terminal, avoiding any twisting action or radial tension. It should be
possible to unwrap the whole connection without breaking the wire. The gastight areas can be
seen from the indentations on the wire and to a much lesser extent on the terminal post. The
unwrapped wire should not be reused but replaced once the quality of the connection has been
ascertained.
Stripping Test.
A complementary method of verifying the correct tension is by applying a stripping test to indicate
the tightness of the wrap. Connect an adaptor fork to a tension gauge. The adaptor should be
chosen so that the clearance around the post is minimal and that the jaws are not spaced more
than 70% of the wire diameter. On applying a force in an axial direction related to the terminal the
reading on the gauge will show the minimum force required to move the joint along the terminal.
With reference to tables showing the recommended force for a particular wire size a pass or fail is
recorded.

Advantages of Wire Wrapping

1. High density point to point wiring. 7. No heat involved.
2. Manual or automatic application. 8. Simple testing.
3. Reliable or gastight connection. 9. May be computer aided.
4. Low cost. 10. Skill easily developed.
5. Mechanically or electrically stable. 11. Environmentally stable.
6. Easily modified.

Disadvantages of Wire Wrapping

1. Solid wire must be used.
2. Probing may ruin connection.
3. Control of material is critical.
4. Testing is destructive.
5. Terminal has limited reusability.
6. Not good for most HF uses.

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Crimping
This is a method of joining where compression of the parts results in a uniform, gas tight, metal-to-
metal bond. Both wire and insulation are crimped to give a very robust connection. There are
numerous styles of crimp joints to satisfy a wide variety of applications. In the assembly of
electronic cards, crimping is often used to make interconnections from the board to some other
part of the system. Ring, spade, pigtail, and other terminal styles are used.
The wire used in the connection is not critical. Both copper and aluminium can be employed, either
solid or stranded, the latter being most common. Terminals are also available in a range of
materials, including brass, copper, nickel, stainless steel, aluminium, beryllium copper, and bronze.
With some terminals the wire must have the insulation stripped off for a set length while, for others,
the crimping action thrusts a spike through the insulation to make the electrical connection. The
pressure exerted by the crimping tool (either manual or assisted) is critical. Too little pressure
produces an electrically intermittent joint and too much pressure produces a joint that is
mechanically weak. Most manual crimping tools are restricted to a particular terminal wire size and
have either a simple stop to ensure excessive pressure is not applied or a stop with a racket
operation so that the crimped terminal cannot be removed until the correct pressure has been
applied.
The reliability of crimped joints is extremely high. This is fortunate as they cannot be repaired.
Joints can be tested by either inspection or tensile strength tests. The latter is a destructive test in
which the force is measured to break the wire or crimped joint. When inspecting a joint, points to
watch for are correct wire and terminal sizes, correct indentation, wire strands protruding past the
crimped area, and whether the insulation is correctly positioned and crimped.

Screw joint
Although the oldest of the electrical joining methods, the screw joint is still employed on laminated
boards, mainly in the electrical and automotive industries. Star and other slip proof washers are
sometimes added to prevent the screw from turning.

Press Fit Technology

Press fit for electrical connections is similar to that in mechanical assembly but the part
configurations are different. Press fit technology is widely used in the electronics industry to
assemble terminal pins into metal-plated through holes in large printed circuit boards. In that
context a press fit involves an interference fit between the terminal pin and the plated hole into
which it has been inserted. There are two categories of terminal pins: (a) solid and (b) compliant.
Within these categories, pin designs vary among suppliers. The solid pin is rectangular in cross
section and is designed so that its corners press and cut into the metal of the plated hole to form a
good electrical connection. The compliant pin is designed as a spring-loaded device that conforms
to the hole contour, but presses against the walls of the hole to achieve electrical contact.

Insulation Displacement
Insulation displacement is a method of making a permanent electrical connection in which a sharp.
prong-shaped contact pierces the insulation and squeezes against the wire conductor to form an
electrical connection. The method is commonly used to make simultaneous connections between
multiple contacts and flat cable. The flat cable commonly called ribbon cable consists of a number
of parallel wires held in a fixed arrangement by the insulation surrounding them. It is often
terminated in multiple pin connectors. This is a common type of assembly arrangement for
connecting sub-assemblies in electronics. A press tool is used to force a plastic header strip
against the flat cable which drives the connector contacts through the insulation and against the
metal wires.

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Cable connectors
Cable connectors are devices that are permanently connected to cables (one or both ends) and
are designed to be plugged into a mating connector. A power cord that plugs into a wall receptacle
is a familiar example.

Terminal Blocks
Terminal blocks consist of a series of evenly spaced receptacles that allow connections between
individual terminals or wires. The terminals or wires are often attached to a block by means of a
screw or other mechanical fastening mechanisms to permit disassembly.

Sockets
A socket in electronics refers to a connection device mounted on a printed circuit board into which
IC packages or other components can be inserted. Sockets are permanently attached to the pcb
by soldering and or press fitting but they provide a separable connection for the components for
which they can be added or replaced in the pcb assembly.

Connectors with Low and Zero Insertion Force

Insertion and withdrawal forces can be a problem in the use of pin connectors and pcb sockets.
These forces increase in proportion to the number of pins involved. Possible damage can result
when components with many contacts are involved. This problem has motivated the development
of low insertion force (LIF) or zero insertion force (ZIF) in which special mechanisms have been
devised to eliminate the forces required to push the connectors together and to disconnect them.

Chemical bonding
Bonding containing silver-loaded epoxies is used when components are heat sensitive. The epoxy
can be a two-part mixture of resin and hardener, which cures at room temperature or a ready
mixed epoxy requiring an elevated curing temperature that may be as high as 150C and take two
hours to cure. The resulting joint resistance is high when compared to all the other joining
methods. The epoxies have a defined shelf life, and to prevent ageing are normally stored under
refrigerated conditions. The material can be applied by one of several methods, including
screening, pneumatic syringe dispensing, and pin mass transfer.

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ENGR 1201 Digital Electronics 1 Workshop Practice lecture notes

Microelectronics
Three major forms of microelectronic technology can be classified as Monolithic (includes ICs,
medium scale integration and large scale integration), thin film hybrid technology and thick film
hybrid technology.
During the late 1950's and 60's there was a great deal of interest in hybrid microelectronics. The
industry was in search of a new approach to miniaturisation which could lead to low cost, reliable
and small electronic systems of high complexity. Hybrid and monolithic technologies were being
actively pursued to meet the above needs. As these fields developed it became evident that
monolithic ICs were vastly superior in meeting the desired goals. As a result the activity in hybrid
technology diminished.
As monolithic technology matured performance limitations became evident leading to renewed
interest in hybrid microcircuits. The new activity was directed toward the utilisation of hybrid circuits
as a complimentary approach rather than as a competitor to monolithic technology.
Hybrid technology is pursued as a packaging approach to take advantage of all the available active
and passive components to achieve optimum circuit performance and environmental protection.
Monolithic
The two most common materials used in the production of semiconductor devices are crystalline
germanium and silicon, although silicon dominates the market. These two materials are neither
good conductors or insulators hence the name semiconductor. The making of a silicon chip first
starts with growing of a single crystal ingot of silicon. A seed crystal is placed at the end of a rod
and dipped into molten silicon. The rod is slowly withdrawn from the vat, the crystals cool and the
ingot grows.
Ingots are sawn into wafers (.008" thick) and each wafer is lapped flat then chemically etched and
polished to final thickness. Pure crystals of silicon cannot be used in electronic circuit components
because there are no free electrons to move in the crystal (all outer valence electrons are shared).
The process of altering the structure to one which is suitable is called doping. By implanting with
other materials which have an excess of electrons (electron donors) the structure is altered so that
electrons are now free to travel around the lattice. When silicon material is implanted with this
material it is said to be n-type materials which give this characteristic are phosphorous, antimony
and arsenic. Other materials which require electrons from the stable silicon atoms are called
acceptors creating p-type silicon and these include boron, gallium and aluminium.
In the manufacture of integrated circuits wafers of P-type silicon are fired at 1200C to allow the
oxidation to produce a stable compound of silicon dioxide. A photo engraving stage is done next to
remove portions of silicon dioxide. During the fabrication of the monolithic structure repeated
alignment and exposure of the precision masks are required. Wafers are then placed in a furnace
under carefully controlled conditions. Boron in the gaseous state is allowed to diffuse into the
silicon forming the p-n junctions. These photo engraving steps are repeated a number of times in
order to build up the structure of the part desired. When the structure is complete the diffused
devices are interconnected by an aluminium film which is vacuum deposited over the wafer and
then etched to define the interconnection patterns. The wafer is then probe tested. Any defect is
inked out and the remaining units are diamond scribed from the wafer. The scribed units are called
dice. After the dice have been sorted out they are mounted in a package. Individual wires are then
added to each bonding pad. The devices are inspected, sealed and tested.
Film Technology
Film Technology is the construction of electronic components and devices by layering of films on a
substrate by vacuum deposition and etching, screening and a combination of these methods. In
general only passive devices such as resistors, capacitors and inductors are created by film
technology, although there are some thin film transistors. It must be noted that these components
are not connected by leads or other separate methods as interconnections are an integral part of
this type of process. There are two types of film technology thin and thick films, thin films are
usually applied under vacuum while thick films are printed and fired. Thin films offer the highest
precision and reliability but costs in producing thick films are much lower.

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Thin Films
The choice of materials is not as clear cut as the monolithic process. A much wider range of
materials can be used to perform the specific electrical functions required. Typical substrate
materials are glass and polished glazed ceramic. In the fabrication of thin films passive elements
and conductors are either evaporated or sputtered onto a substrate. The desired patterns are
achieved by either deposition through a metal mask or photo resist and preferential etching.
In a typical process flow, a silicon monoxide undercoat provides a smooth undercoat for
subsequent layers. The silicon monoxide is evaporated from a crucible at 300C under vacuum
and deposited on the substrate. Photo masking and etching is the same as for monolithic
technology. In deposition through a metal mask, a thin sheet of metal usually electroformed nickel
is utilised to mask the substrate and define the desired pattern by means of openings etched in the
metal. The mask is placed in contact with the substrate. Nichrome is usually used as the resistor
material by evaporation and sublimation. Resistors are vacuum baked for one hour to stabilise at
300C. Similar processes are used to deposit other passive components: aluminium or chrome-
gold for the conductor layers and capacitor plates, silicon monoxide for capacitors and cross over
insulation. After the passive circuitry is complete the active devices are mounted and bonded to the
circuit using die mounting or wire bonding equipment. RC networks can be fabricated in thin film
using sputtered hafnium (same family as tantalum). Thin film manufacturing is very precise.

Thick Films
In thick film technology layers of specially formulated resistive, dielectric and conductive inks are
deposited on a ceramic substrate. The deposition process similar to the silk screen process
employs a fine mesh screen to define the pattern for the various films. The pattern is produced by
photographic means and the holes in the mesh are blocked by an emulsion whenever the paste
deposit is not made. High purity alumina substrates are cleaned and then screened with a
conductive paste to provide interconnections, resistor terminations, bonding pads, die attach areas
and capacitor electrodes. After drying in a closely controlled environment the conductor film is fired
at temperatures up to 950C. Subsequent screening and firing provide resistors, capacitors, cross
over insulation and encapsulation. The formulation of the ink varies for each of the components to
be deposited. Resistors and conductor pastes consist of finely divided conductive paste mixed with
resins, solvents and wetting agents. Capacitors have compositions which are similar but with
dielectric material in a finely divided glass base material.
The paste contains the necessary poly crystalline solids to produce the desired electrical
characteristics - metals, powders for conductors, high dielectric glasses for capacitors etc. Active
devices are attached to the substrate after firing.

Resistor Trimming
Most film resistors although designed carefully and processed with close controls must be trimmed
to a specified tolerance during production since the inaccuracy (+/- 15%) inherent in the fabrication
process cannot be tolerated in most circuit designs.

Laser trimming
Specifically designed for trimming resistor elements and are computer controlled. Laser trimming
permits high circuit density design because of the fine spot diameter of the laser beam (0.001 to
0.01 mil). Systems have been developed to achieve maximum trimming speeds for high circuit
throughput and to provide for sophisticated functional trimming.

Abrasive trimming
Trimming by blasts of fine alumina particles. Older method but still popular in the hybrid micro-
circuit industry. It is reliable, relatively cheap, achieves adequate accuracy's (0.5%) and avoids the
formation of micro-cracks in the substrate which may occur with a laser.

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ENGR 1201 Digital Electronics 1 Workshop Practice lecture notes

Integrated Circuits
Monolithic ICs
As electronic products became more complex, integrated circuits came into being to reduce the
size of circuits, but more important, to reduce the number of interconnections that are required in a
circuit. A primary cause of circuit failures is defective connections, so a reduced number of
interconnections dramatically increases circuit reliability. A good example of improved reliability
can be seen in the single-chip circuit J-K flip-flop (see handout sheet). This single flip-flop, if
assembled with discrete circuit components would require 40 separate discrete circuit elements
200 connections, 40 hermetic and 300 separate processing operations. Each component or
connection is a source of failure. When integrated onto one chip, the device requires approximately
fourteen connections and all interconnections are created by a method known as vapour
metallization. Instead of 40 hermetic seals there is only one, and the 300 processes are reduced to
about 30. This results in taking up about 1/l000 the area that is required when made solely from
discrete circuits.
Hybrid ICs
Hybrid ICs make use of all the techniques discussed so far. A hybrid circuit is normally composed
of one or more monolithic ICs and includes many components using thick film and thin-film
techniques. All components and chips are assembled into a relatively small enclosure, or package.
The package contains an insulating substrate, with deposited networks, usually conductors and
resistors, to which semiconductor devices, ICs, and passive elements are attached in chip form.
The most popular substrate is alumina, because it can easily withstand the high firing temperature
required for thick-film processing, it has good surface quality and can be easily obtained in a wide
variety of sizes and forms.
Analog and microwave circuits are generally made in hybrid form.

Discrete Chip Devices

A variety of discrete active and passive components generally in chip form are available in
HYBRID microcircuit application and are used to provide functions difficult to achieve in film form or
to improve circuit layout efficiency.
Active Devices - Most active devices are available from semiconductor manufacturers in wafer or
chip form. Of continuing concern to the hybrid manufacturer is reduction in damage to the chips
during handling and the achievement of realistic circuit yields as the number, type and complexity
of the devices increases.
Resistors - Discrete chip resistors are only used where special conditions exist. Where there is a
need for very low or high values or perhaps to conserve some circuit area or eliminating the need
for an additional printing sequence.
Capacitors - Limited availability of capacitance per unit area of the thick and thin film techniques
and the difficulty in printing thick film capacitors to close tolerance, make chip capacitors attractive
for hybrid microcircuit applications. Capacitor types include silicon, MOS porcelain, ceramic,
tantalum and glass.

ASSEMBLY
The mechanical and electrical bonding of dice or chips and other discrete devices is a basic
process in the assembly of the hybrid microcircuit, following the fabrication of the thick and thin
films components. If an IC chip is to be useful in an electronic circuit the chip has input/ output lines
that must be accessed by that circuit. The interface between the chip and the surrounding circuit
occurs at the chip I/O pads. Bonding may include eutectic alloys, solder, epoxy, wire or tape.
Epoxy bonding is the most common and eutectic bonding is the most widely used mechanical
attachment process. Wire bonding is the most widely used electrical interconnect process.

Eutectic Bonding
Essentially any type of semiconductor chip can be back bonded to the substrate by this method.
The technique uses silicon from the chip and gold on the substrate to form a silicon-gold eutectic
alloy at about 370C. For heat sensitive devices a lower temperature (280C) gold-tin is used.

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ENGR 1201 Digital Electronics 1 Workshop Practice lecture notes

Epoxy Bonding
As the complexity of the hybrid circuit increases it is desirable to keep the substrate at a lower
temperature during device mounting to avoid degradation of the devices during assembly. Epoxies
are available as conductive or non conductive with gold or silver fillers.
Wire Bonding
After the chip has been bonded to the substrate fine aluminium or gold wires are used to make
electrical contact between the metallised pads and the conductive network on the substrate. The
wire is 1.0 mil. Wires are bonded one at a time. Techniques include thermo-compression (pressure
and heat), ultrasonic bonding (friction of the wire results in melting and alloying of wire) and
thermo-sonic bonding ( a combination of the two processes).
Poor physical connections and chemical reactions between the wire and the thin film pads on the
die and between the wire and the areas on the substrate can occur with improper bonding controls.
This makes the wire bonding the weakest parts of the hybrid microcircuit assembly process.

Hermetic Packages
A hermetic package is the most effective means for protecting the circuits from moisture and the
effects of harsh environments. The most common package is made of metal and uses glass to
metal feed throughs for electrical connections to other elements. Sealing of these packages is
typically done by soldering or welding.

Remember this :

Thick/ Thin Film ICs Conductive paths and resistive or dielectric film layers are
deposited on a substrate to create passive electronic components.

Monolithic ICs The entire circuit is formed within the monolithic body of a silicon
chip (also known as a die) and can include both active and passive circuit components.

Hybrid ICs These circuits incorporate at least one component from both the film
and the monolithic IC categories.

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