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GAISER SMALL WIRE WEDGE INFORMATION   

19. ALUMINIUM WEDGE CLEANING

Aluminum build-up occurs on the bonding foot of the wedge after a period of usage. Polishing the FR and BR, using a FMF or changing styles of wedge can aide in reducing the quickness of this build-up.

Eventually, the aluminum deposits left on the surfaces of the wedge will require the wedge to be cleaned or replaced.

Figure 52. This is a maxiguide wedge with aluminum buildup after 100,000 bonds. 

Figure 53. This is a slightly deformed bond surface caused by using a wedge that either has aluminum build-up or is worn.

Figure 54. Aluminum can be etched away from the bond foot of the wedge by using a 20% by weight solution of sodium hydroxide. An ultrasonic cleaner should be used, if available, to speed up the etching process. With an ultrasonic cleaner, the cleaning process takes about 10 minutes. Without the use of an ultrasonic cleaner, the cleaning process can take up to two hours. A plastic block with holes drilled to hold the wedges is necessary to keep the tool tips from vibrating together in the ultrasonic cleaner as shown above. 

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