Effects of dopant, temperature, and strain rate on the mechanical properties of micrometer gold-bonding wire

An experimental study on the thermomechanical properties of microelectronic gold-bonding wires was conducted using high-precision, microforce tensile tests. The load-displacement behavior of three types of gold wire (GL-2 type, FA type, and SR type) was carefully recorded for determining the elastic modulus and stress-strain curves. Tests were conducted with miniature specimens at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 250°C and load rates on the order of 1 mm/min and 10 mm/min. The testing results indicated that the tensile strength of all three types of wire decreased with temperature, especially the SR type. The load strain rate has a significant effect on the SR type but little effect on the GL-2 and FA wires. The stress-strain curves from these tests were analyzed to fit into empirical constitutive models that account for the strain, temperature, and strain-rate effects.