April 5, 2011 – PRNewswire — MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: MX), a Korea-based designer and manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products, now offers cost-competitive and state-of-the-art copper wire bonding technology for semiconductor foundry customers. 

Copper bonding uses copper wires instead of gold for interconnection and has become one of the most preferred methods to reduce overall package cost for semiconductor applications, as the price of gold continues to rise.

Copper is three to five times less costly than gold. Substituting gold with copper can achieve a packaging cost savings of about 20% to 30%.  Copper wire is about 30% more conductive than gold, making it a superior electrical conductor. Copper also has about 25% higher thermal conductivity. Because of copper’s lower tendency to form intermetallic compounds, copper bonds can offer higher reliability at elevated temperatures than gold bonds.

One of the major challenges of copper wire bonding has been the significant mechanical stress imposed on bonding pads, which often resulted in damage to silicon wafers, causing cracks beneath the pads. To resolve this issue, MagnaChip worked with the major packaging companies, including Amkor, to develop and qualify an enhanced silicon bonding process.

MagnaChip Semiconductor is a Korea-based designer and manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products for high-volume consumer applications.

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