Improved Bond Strength in Au Wire Bonding Through Process Parameter Optimization and Argon Plasma Cleaning

This article reports on the optimization of Au wire bonding for GaAs chips. The effects of bonding parameters on ball size were evaluated by measuring both the average diameter and its standard deviation. Using the parameter set with the smallest deviation, argon plasma cleaning was applied to the pads while maintaining the unchanged bonding conditions. Although the average pull strength remained nearly constant, the standard deviation decreased from 1.1 to 0.61, indicating an improvement in process consistency. These results demonstrate that plasma-assisted surface treatment provides a more consistent and reliable wire bonding process in GaAs packaging applications.