Laser micro welding for ribbon bonding

Laser ribbon bonding is a new field of application for laser micro welding in the electronics industry especially in the area of power electronics. Traditional ribbon bonding is conducted by using ultrasonic welding to create the bond between the aluminum or copper ribbon and a conductive surface. By adapting an ultrasonic ribbon bonder and equipping it with a fiber laser, a galvanometric scanner and a beam focusing and delivery system, a new technology for ribbon bonding is created. The presented work includes test results of the welding of copper ribbons with a thickness of 300 mm to DCB-substrates and the system design of the ""laser bonder"". For the laser welding of the ribbons spatial power modulation is being used and the effect of this approach on the welded ribbons is presented. The work concludes with advantages and limits of the technology especially concerning the applications compared to ultrasonic bonding.