Patent ID: 6962282

Claim:
A method for wire bonding a finger sensor die to an external circuit, wherein the finger sensor die includes a sensor array having a plurality of die contacts that are wire bonded to external contacts of the external circuit so that a usable portion of the sensor array is maximized, the method comprises steps of: forming a ball at a first end of a bonding wire; forming an electrically conductive connection between the ball and a selected external contact of the external circuit; extending the bonding wire to a selected die contact so as to form a wire loop having a low loop height; forming an electrically conductive stitch connection between a second end of the bonding wire and the selected die contact; repeating the above steps until a plurality of die contacts are wire bonded to external contacts of the external circuit; and applying an encapsulation material that covers the bonding wires and forms a cavity around at least a portion of the sensor array that minimizes an inaccessible portion of the sensor array.