Patent ID: 8293043

Claim:
Die bonding apparatus comprising: a bond arm support drivable in a linear bonding direction to a bonding level to bond a die onto a bonding surface; a bond arm which is slidably mounted to the bond arm support for holding and bonding the die, the bond arm being configured to be urged by the bonding surface to slide relative to the bond arm support by a drive-in distance in a linear direction opposite to the linear bonding direction upon contact of the die onto the bonding surface; a measuring device configured to measure the drive-in distance moved by the bond arm relative to the bond arm support when the bond arm support has been driven to the bonding level; and a controller configured to respond to the drive-in distance measured by the measuring device to determine anew a bonding level to which the bond arm support is driven during bonding of at least one subsequent die, the bond arm support being driven to the new bonding level when bonding the at least one subsequent die, wherein an initial bonding level is set based upon an initial drive-in distance, the initial drive-in distance being a distance moved by the bond arm relative to the bond arm support in the linear direction opposite to the linear bonding direction when the bond arm support has been driven to the bonding level.