Ever wonder how the nanochips you see in pictures wind up covered in plastic on a printed circuit board and how they connect nanometer scale lines to the big wires in the electronics you buy? The secret is called wire bonding. These are amazing machines that attach very small wires to the chips, make a very low loop, and connect them to the leads in a package. The wire bonder makes such low loops by whipping the wire around like a cowboy doing rope tricks.
This video takes you inside the package to show how they are made. It shows the most advanced technology available, circa 2006. This includes the wire bonding of many chips stacked inside a package with wires bonded on the edge of chips with an overhang that makes them look like a diving board. The images in this video are stunning, making simple gold and copper wires look like they are part of Egyptian temples.
Copyright © 2006 by Kulicke & Soffa. Reproduced with the verbal and implied permission of the Copyright Owner.