A compliant bonder has a single heated tip which is raised and lowered along a bonding axis. The tip is surrounded by a turret which indexes successive portions of a continuous compliant member across the bonding axis. The turret is provided with a series of holes through a rim portion thereof. In order to index the compliant member, after a bond is completed, the turret is lowered to disengage the bonding tip from the hole in the turret. The turret is then rotated to bring the next successive one of the holes onto the bonding axis. Next, the turret is raised to re-engage the tip with the newly positioned hole. Just prior to and during bonding, the tip is forced to project out through one of the holes that is aligned with the bonding axis. A portion of the compliant member is stretched across the hole in the turret. Thus, the tip engages with the compliant member. The heated bonding tip is prevented from pre-heating the compliant member except immediately prior to and during a bonding operation. Thus, the desirable flow characteristics of the member are retained.

A bonding apparatus and method for simultaneously bonding the leads of a beam-leaded device uniformly to conductive pads on a substrate. A continuous strip of metal consisting of a plurality of heat and pressure transmitting members is intermittently fed to a rotatable bonding head having a plurality of bonding tools. Each transmitting member is adapted to be interposed between the bonding tool and the leads of the beam-leaded device to evenly distribute and transmit bonding forces to such leads to effect uniform and simultaneous bonding thereof to their connections. A crimping device coacts with the bonding tools to partially deform a transmitting member about its respective tool prior to bonding.

A compliant bonder has a single heated tip which is raised and lowered along a bonding axis. The tip is surrounded by a turret which indexes successive portions of a continuous compliant member across the bonding axis. The turret is provided with a series of holes through a rim portion thereof. In order to index the compliant member, after a bond is completed, the turret is lowered to disengage the bonding tip from the hole in the turret. The turret is then rotated to bring the next successive one of the holes onto the bonding axis. Next, the turret is raised to re-engage the tip with the newly positioned hole. Just prior to and during bonding, the tip is forced to project out through one of the holes that is aligned with the bonding axis. A portion of the compliant member is stretched across the hole in the turret. Thus, the tip engages with the compliant member. The heated bonding tip is prevented from pre-heating the compliant member except immediately prior to and during a bonding operation. Thus, the desirable flow characteristics of the member are retained.

Compliant bonding of successive beam-lead semiconductor devices to successive metallic patterns on substrates is accomplished with a bonding apparatus that uses an indexable compliant member. A bonding head of the apparatus is provided with a single movable tip which disengages from the compliant member during indexing of the member. The movable tip engages with a portion of the compliant member that is suspended between two drive sprockets when it is desired to perform a bonding operation. The engagement of the tip with the compliant member produces tension in the member. The tension results in a precise and flat configuration within the engaged portion of the member. The flat configuration enhances accurate alignment of workpieces to the compliant member. A toggle linkage is described as a desirable system for moving the bonding tip with respect to the head.

A method of and apparatus for effecting bonding of beam lead devices such as semiconductor integrated circuit chips to microcircuit or similar plate-like elements by use of the known compliant bonding technique in which the compliant bonding medium is of tape form, e.g. aluminum tape. Such tape medium is initially unperforated and is fed stepwise to the operative position coincident with the axis of movement of a reciprocating bonding ram where a window opening of appropriate size to accommodate the device to be bonded is formed therein by displaceable punching mechanism before the actual bonding step. A multiple punch turret provides a choice of window openings of different dimensions to accommodate different size devices. The compliant medium tape may be formed with an embossed region around each window opening by using the bonding ram as a forming tool in co-operation with an embossing die on the opposite side of the tape. A selection of different bonding rams may be provided on a rotatable turret as well as a number of different embossing dies on a further turret.