Patent ID: 8016183

Claim:
A method for clamping a die assembly during wire bonding, the die assembly having a lead frame with a die mount region with a die attached thereto, the method comprising: placing the die assembly in an adjustable clamp system, the system having opposing base walls and a die assembly support disposed between the pair of opposing base walls, wherein the die assembly support and pair of opposing base walls form a cavity over which the die mount region is suspended by leads of the lead frame; clamping the lead frame between clamping members and base clamping surfaces provided by the opposing base walls; heating the opposing base walls with a heater that is disposed directly below the opposing base walls, and wherein the heater does not contact the die assembly support and the heater does not contact the lead frame and the heater does not directly heat the die assembly support and the lead frame die mount region; providing relative movement of the die assembly support relative to the base clamping surfaces to thereby adjust a depth of the cavity; detecting that an underside of the lead frame has abutted the die assembly support; and stopping the relative movement in response to the detecting.