Used dicing saws, wire bonders and wafer bonders

Back-end tools for prototypes and small series

Every device leaves the cleanroom as a chip, and the back end decides whether that chip can be tested, packaged or shipped. Research labs and startups often find that back-end capacity is their bottleneck: a wafer comes out of the front end in days, then waits weeks for dicing or bonding at an outside house. Used back-end and packaging equipment is compact and comparatively cheap to install, which makes bringing it in-house an easy case to make.

We supply refurbished dicing saws, bonders and wafer bonders, and we service them in place.

Back-end tool types and their roles

Dicing saws cut wafers into chips with a thin diamond blade. The DISCO DAD3220 is a semi-automatic saw widely used in research and small fabs. Blade choice, spindle condition and the alignment optics decide cut quality and chipping. For brittle or thin substrates, plan test cuts on scrap material first, since blade grit, bond type and feed rate are tuned for each material.

Wire bonders connect the chip to its package or carrier. The Kulicke & Soffa 4523 is a manual wedge bonder found in many university labs, valued for its simplicity. The TPT HB16 is a more recent semi-automatic bonder that switches between wedge and ball bonding with a tool change.

Die and flip-chip bonders like the Finetech FINEPLACER lambda place and bond chips with precise optical alignment, either face up or flipped onto bumps. Photonics and sensor groups use them for lasers, detectors and hybrid assemblies.

Wafer bonders such as the EV Group EVG501 bond whole wafers by anodic, thermocompression or fusion processes. They are standard in MEMS and microfluidics, often paired with an aligner that can do bond alignment.

Inspection points for back-end equipment

• spindle run-out, vibration and air bearing condition on dicing saws
• cutting and cooling water flow, blade height sensing and the chuck table vacuum
• alignment optics, cameras and theta stage on saws and placement tools
• wire bonder transducer and ultrasonic generator, bond force and the wire feed
• bond head motion, heated stage temperature and tool alignment
• placement accuracy measured on test parts for die bonders
• wafer bonder chamber, heaters, pressure application, high-voltage supply for anodic bonding and vacuum
• software, recipe storage and safety interlocks

Refurbishment and parts

Back-end tools are mechanically simple compared with plasma or vacuum platforms, but they are precise. Refurbishment focuses on the spindle and bearings of saws, the transducer and bond head of wire bonders, and the heaters and fixtures of wafer bonders. Cameras and old PCs are replaced where needed.

Consumables are a large part of running cost: blades, flanges, wire, capillaries, wedges and bonding tools. We help you set up spare parts supply for each platform so a broken wedge does not stop a project. A short operator training at installation pays off quickly, because most damage to bond heads and blades is operator error.

Before you buy

• Materials and sizes. Dicing parameters and blades depend on the substrate: silicon, glass, sapphire and III-V materials behave differently. Bonder chucks and fixtures set the wafer and die sizes.
• Wire and bond type. Choose aluminium wedge, gold ball or both before you choose the bonder.
• Facilities. Saws need water, air, drain and exhaust; bonders need little beyond power, air and a stable bench; wafer bonders need vacuum, nitrogen and sometimes forming gas.
• Environment. Bonders and placement tools need a vibration-free bench and good lighting.
• Volume. Manual tools suit prototypes; for repeat series, a semi-automatic or programmable tool saves operator time.

Tell us what you package and in what volume, and we will suggest the back-end tools that fit your lab.