Group Leader – Wire Bond & Mold

Job/Position Summary

The Group Leader – Wire Bond & Mold is responsible for leading development, optimization, qualification, and manufacturing support activities for plasma treatment, wire bonding, compression and transfer molding, post-mold cure, deflash, and laser marking processes used in advanced semiconductor assembly. The role focuses on achieving robust interconnect and encapsulation performance with emphasis on bond strength and consistency, loop control, mold fill, package warpage, defect reduction, and high manufacturing yield.

This position plays a key leadership role in establishing a qualified and scalable wire bond and molding module for wbCSP, fcCSP, and flip chip BGA product families. The role carries combined process and equipment ownership for the module, covering process window definition, tool qualification, equipment capability, and module yield, while managing cross-functional engineering activities, building and developing the module engineering and technician team, and driving continuous process improvements.

Primary Responsibilities

- Lead development, optimization, and qualification of plasma treatment, wire bonding, compression and transfer molding, post-mold cure, deflash, and laser marking processes for wbCSP, fcCSP, and flip chip BGA product families.

- Build and develop the wire bond and mold team, including onboarding of entry level engineers and technicians, structured on-the-job training, skill and certification matrices, and progression planning toward independent multi-tool ownership.

- Mentor and coach entry level process engineers and technicians on wire bond and mold fundamentals, recipe structure, data-driven troubleshooting, and safe equipment handling, while driving technical excellence, process discipline, and continuous learning within the wire bond and mold group.

- Define and control critical process parameters including EFO current and time, free air ball formation, bond force, ultrasonic power and time, search and impact settings, loop profiles, capillary selection and life, wire type and diameter, plasma recipe and queue time, mold clamp force, transfer and plunger speed and pressure, mold temperature, cure time in press, vacuum level, post-mold cure profile, and laser marking power, speed, and frequency.

- Own and improve wire bond and molding process performance with focus on bond strength consistency, loop and wire sweep control, mold fill and void control, package warpage, mark quality, and process robustness.

- Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for defects including non-stick on pad, bond lift, pad cratering, wire kinking, wire shorting and sweep, ball size and shear excursions, mold voids, incomplete fill, flash, resin bleed, exposed wire, delamination, strip warpage, and mark legibility failures.

- Establish bond integrity control through ball shear, wire pull, and stitch pull testing, and correlate bond parameters and pad condition to measured bond strength.

- Drive process qualification, DOE execution, process characterization, and recipe optimization for new tools, bonding wires, mold compounds, mold tooling, and product introductions.

- Qualify epoxy mold compound and bonding wire with suppliers, addressing filler size and loading, Tg, CTE, spiral flow, gel time, pre-bake and floor life, adhesion to substrate and die, strip level warpage behavior, and lot-to-lot consistency.

- Lead mold tooling and chase design reviews with suppliers, and own mold tool cleaning, refurbishment, and change-over strategy for mixed product families.

- Collaborate closely with die attach, end of line, package design, reliability, and quality teams to ensure bond diagram and loop feasibility, process compatibility, defect control, and stable manufacturing performance.

- Support pilot line and high-volume manufacturing ramp activities with emphasis on yield improvement, throughput enhancement, cycle time reduction, and process stability.

- Develop and maintain SOPs, process specifications, OCAPs, control plans, and process documentation for manufacturing operations.

- Develop training material, qualification checklists, and certification criteria for each tool and unit process in the module, and certify engineers and technicians against those criteria before independent operation and shift coverage.

- Own equipment process qualification activities including SAT, IQ/OQ/PQ, process acceptance, and production release for plasma treatment systems, wire bonders, compression and transfer mold presses, post-mold cure ovens, deflash systems, and laser markers.

- Drive preventive maintenance optimization, spare parts strategy, calibration, and equipment health monitoring in collaboration with the maintenance organization to improve MTBF and reduce MTTR.

- Lead troubleshooting and recovery of wire bond and molding equipment issues related to bond heads, transducers and capillaries, wire feed and clamp systems, XY tables and pattern recognition systems, mold chases and tooling, press hydraulics and heater circuits, vacuum systems, mold compound handling and dosing units, and laser optics to minimize production downtime.

- Lead the introduction of strip grinding capability as that platform is added to the module, including specification development, qualification, and production release.

Requirements

- Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field required.

- More than 10 years of experience in wire bonding and molding processes within semiconductor assembly, OSAT, or advanced packaging operations, with demonstrated ownership of both bonding and molding platforms, including participation in at least one new line installation, qualification, or capacity ramp.

- Demonstrated experience training and developing entry level engineers and technicians in a multi-tool production environment required.

- Willing to relocate to Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

- Strong understanding of copper and gold wire bonding on aluminum and copper pad metallization, bond pad and substrate metallurgy, ultrasonic bonding mechanics, epoxy mold compound rheology and cure chemistry, and package warpage behavior.

- Experience with SPC, DOE, FMEA, process characterization, yield analysis, and advanced troubleshooting methodologies.

- Strong hands-on experience with wire bonding platforms and compression and transfer molding platforms, including mold tool set-up and change-over.

- Experience with X-ray, C-SAM, warpage measurement by shadow moiré or equivalent methods, and destructive bond pull and shear testing, and with fine-pitch bonding, stacked die, and film-over-wire configurations, is highly preferred.

- Proven capability to build, train, and develop entry level engineers and technicians, including onboarding, structured on-the-job training, skill certification, competency assessment, and progression planning.

- Prior leadership experience managing engineers, technicians, and cross-functional project teams in a production or ramp environment is required.

Physical/Working Requirements

- Must be able to wear personal protective gear most of the day (where applicable).

- Prolonged periods of sitting or standing.

Behavioral Traits

- Strong verbal and written communication skills to convey quality standards, expectations, and feedback clearly to team members and stakeholders.

- A willingness to adjust to changing circumstances, processes, or technologies for continuous improvement in dynamic environments.

- The ability to work well with others, fostering a cooperative atmosphere, driving data management initiatives, and engaging all levels of the organization.