Solid State Electronic Devices, 7th Edition

9.6 Testing, Bonding, and Packaging

After the preceding discussions of rather dramatic fabrication steps in monolithic circuit technology, the processes of attaching leads and packaging the devices could seem rather mundane. Such an impression would be far from accurate, however, since the techniques discussed in this section are crucial to the overall fabrication process. In fact, the handling and packaging of individual circuits can be the most critical steps of all from the viewpoints of cost and reliability. The individual IC chip must be connected properly to outside leads and packaged in a way that is convenient for use in a larger circuit or system. Since the devices are handled individually once they are separated from the wafer, bonding ...