In addition to our previous article on the decapsulation of plastic-packaged electronic components with gold, silver, or aluminum bonding wires, we present hereafter a few examples of decapsulation on devices bonded with copper.
To preserve the integrity of the copper wires, we use a photochemical decapsulation process: the combined action of a specific solvent and a UV laser attacks the plastic package in the targeted area. This decapsulation process is slower than the conventional methods used for gold bondings, and some package residues may occasionally remain after the operation.
In return, it offers a near-certainty of opening without risk to the copper wires, which is essential for failure analysis and reliability assessment of electronic components.
The photos above illustrate some of the results obtained on a plastic-encapsulated component with copper wire bonding.
