Bonding Wires and Ribbons
The Business Unit Bonding Wires produces bonding wires, bonding ribbons and solder foils. The increasing miniaturization in electronics has resulted in bonding wires becoming important constituents of the electronics industry. Bonding wires of gold, aluminum, copper and palladium are used for the electrically conducting connection from the connection pad to the system carrier. Fine and ultra-fine wires of precisely doped and alloyed metals having diameters ranging from 8 µm to 500 µm are used for this purpose. Highest demands are made on the reliability and quality of these bonding wire connections.
Depending on their chemical composition and specific properties, the bonding wires are adapted to the bonding technique selected and to automatic bonding machines as well as to the various production conditions.
Precious and non-precious metal bonding ribbons are used for electrical connections when dimensional accuracy, good heat dissipation and a low apparent resistance (impedance) are required with sufficiently large connector surfaces. Very pure precursor metals (99,999 %) and special dopant additions form the basis for ribbons of high precision with good processing qualities. The ribbons display a homogeneous chemical composition, stable mechanical properties and clean, smooth surfaces.
Due to their corrosion resistance and other positive aspects, aluminum ribbons are an alternative for contacting thin film solar cells.
These materials distinguish themselves for use in the power electronics industry by their stable high degree of accuracy and high conductivity.
By using fully automated bonding technologies the following advances for the solar industry are achieved:
- High life cycles of the modules due to direct metal based connection with low corrosion
- Cost reduction of the modules due to high automatization
- Low material costs in comparison to traditional soldering
