Passivation Bond Shear Test

Shear testing ball or bump bonded interconnections on the surface of devices with passivation layers is difficult. This is due to the nature of the protective coating, which is well-adhered to the surface. Further complications arise from the interconnects being embedded by up to 10um within the layer. Passivation shear is a test mode designed to cut through the layer and only record the shear force from the interconnect of interest.

The sharp passivation tool will touch the surface perpendicular to the device being tested, record the height and move forward slowly until it detects contact on the tool tip. The tool will then move backward to the designated offset and perform the typical passivation shear through the material until a set distance is reached.

The passivation bond shear test software prioritises the data collection from the interconnect, showing the operator only the relevant results required for analysis.

The shear tool position during testing is critical for accurate and repeatable test results. Nordson DAGE cartridges find the device surface using a sensitive touchdown feature. High precision positioning provides shear height accuracies of +/- 0.25 microns. Touchdown is achieved using a patented load cartridge clamping system, which ensures every bond is sheared at the same height relative to the surface that it is bonded on.