Inking Troubleshooting Guides |
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Inks and Ink Cartridge Troubleshooting |
This section lists common symptoms
that are most closely related to Ink and Ink Cartridges,
however, many of these symptoms may also result from or be magnified by
problems in one of the other areas listed on the troubleshooting link
page.
Click
here to submit an ink or cartridge related problem report form. You
will receive a response within one (1) business day of our receipt of the form.
Beneath each symptom listed below, possible causes and solutions are
posted in order of their most common occurrence. |
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1)
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Ink
dots crack after curing
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2) |
Ink dots flake after curing
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3) |
Ink appears thin, or runny
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4) |
Ink dots are irregular in shape
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5) |
Ink dots are too large
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6) |
Ink Dots are too small
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7) |
Dot skipping
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8) |
Inconsistent Dot Size |
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9) |
Poor Ink Adhesion
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10) |
Ink is more transparent than normal
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11) |
Cartridge tip does not reach the wafer surface
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12) |
Unit functions normally, no dots, no shuttle movement
(pneumatic inkers only)
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13) |
Unit functions normally, shuttle moves, no dots (pneumatic inkers only)
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14) |
Inker
produces dots during "puff pulse," or ink flows out of the
cartridge with the toggle switch in 'SETUP' (pneumatic inkers only)
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15) |
Ink “backflows” out of the top of cartridge (filament inkers only)
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16) |
”Halo” around ink dot
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17) |
Donut shaped dot (hollow center)
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18) |
Leaking Ink Cartridge
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19) |
Dot size variation (inconsistent dot sizes)
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20) |
Ink appears thicker than normal
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21) |
Ink Buildup on Needle Tip (Ink “Balling”)
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22) |
Ink splatters onto adjacent die during inking
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23) |
Ink dot spreads onto adjacent die during inking
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24) |
Ink dots are removed by solvent exposure or mechanical stress during
post-probe processing
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25) |
Cured ink dots are too tall |
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26) |
Ink did not cure within the normal cure time (air curing inks only) |
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27) |
Cartridge had a lower dot count than normal |
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for Symptom/Cause/Solution:
Symptom:
State Symptom
Cause a): State Cause A for Symptom
Solution a): State solution(s) for Cause A
Cause b): State Cause B for Symptom
Solution b): State solution(s) for Cause B (continue
with Cause:Solution as required)
Related
Information: Included
if there is related information/referral to other causes, for example:
"See pneumatic shuttle maintenance procedure"
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1.)
Symptom:
Ink dots crack after
curing
Cause a):
The time interval between
inking the wafer and heat curing is too long (Markem 699x-series inks only).
Solution a):
Xandex recommends curing inked wafers of 699x inks within 2 hours after
inking.
Under some conditions of high air flow or high temperature, even two
hours between inking and curing may be too long.
Cause
b): Ink has been placed over the
interface between two types of wafer surfaces that have different
coefficients of thermal expansion. When the wafer is heated during
curing, the two surfaces expand differently and cause cracks to develop.
Solution b): Place
the ink dots in a different
area of the device that has a uniform surface.
Cause
c):
Ink was partially cured at low temperature (somewhere between ambient
and 50 C) prior to oven curing. Under
certain conditions, only the edges of the dots will cure at the low
temperature. When the partially cured dots are placed in the oven, the
uncured middle portion of the dot contracts as it cures and causes
cracking.
Solution c): Reduce
(or increase) the amount of time that the wafers are exposed to the
lower temperature. If using a hot chuck, change the chuck temperature or
do not use the hot chuck. Markem 699x inks are not recommended for
use with a hot chuck.
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2.)
Symptom:
Ink dots flake after
curing
Cause a):
Ink is being placed onto a
surface with an unusually low surface energy.
Solution a):
Take steps to increase the surface energy prior to inking. Gas plasma
cleaning/surface activation and/or solvent cleaning may lead to improved
adhesion. Increasing the ink cure temperature to around 150o
C will also improve the adhesion in some cases.
Cause
b): Wafer
surface
contamination.
Solution b):
Any type of contaminant that weakly adheres to the surface of the
substrate or lowers the surface energy will cause the ink to adhere
poorly and flake off.
Related
Information: See
DieMark
Ink Remover data sheet
Cause
c): Ink dots have cracked
during curing, compromising the adhesion quality.
Solution c): See
Ink Dots Crack After Curing section for
possible causes and solutions.
Cause
d): Batch specific ink
problem.
Solution
d): Return
cartridges to Xandex for testing and possible warranty replacement.
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3.)
Symptom:
Ink appears thin or runny
Cause a):
Ink is being placed onto a surface with an unusually high surface
energy. Depending on the
type of material, spreading behavior and size of the ink droplet may
vary significantly.
Solution a):
Switch to a different cartridge size and/or a higher viscosity ink. If
using a DM-2, reduce the Dot Size Setting to compensate for the larger
dots.
Cause
b): The ambient temperature is
higher than the recommended maximum temperature listed on the cartridge
packaging (or higher than your normal operating temperature). Ink
viscosity is lower at higher temperatures. Ink storage temperature and inking
temperatures should be within the recommended range.
Solution b): Reduce
the cartridge storage and inking temperature to the recommended range:
Storage = 50o-77o F (10-25o C). Inking
= 67o-77o
F (19.5-25o C).
Cause
c): Ink has dropped below the
specified viscosity range. This should not occur under normal
conditions, as long as the cartridges are not past their expiration date
and have been stored and used properly. Some inks, however, will experience viscosity
changes if exposed to temperature extremes during shipping.
Solution c): Return
sample cartridges to Xandex for testing and possible warranty replacement.
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4.)
Symptom:
Ink dots are irregular in
shape
Cause a):
Ink is being placed onto a surface with a non-uniform
topography. A rough or
patterned surface will lead to irregularly shaped dots as the ink flows
unevenly across peaks and valleys on the surface.
Solution
a): Place
the ink dots in a different, more uniform area of the die.
Cause b):
The Z-height is set too low. A consistent pattern of
non-uniform dots often indicates improper Z-height adjustment.
Solution b): Raise
the z-height to a setting that yields round dots without any skipping.
Related Information: See Inker Set-up Procedure in the inker
Operation
Manual for detailed instructions.
Cause
c): The
needle tip has been damaged.
Solution
c): Replace the damaged cartridge with a fresh one.
Cause
d): Ink
is being placed onto a surface with a non-uniform surface chemistry.
Variations in the surface chemistry lead to variations in the surface
energy. The ink flows more readily in areas with higher surface energy.
Solution
d): Take steps to improve the surface uniformity. If the
cause of the non-uniformity is determined to be organic contaminants, a
cold gas plasma or solvent bath cleaning process may be helpful.
Cause
e): Cartridge filament length,
filament diameter, or needle diameter is out of specification (filament
systems only).
Solution e): Replace with a fresh cartridge. Return the suspect cartridge to Xandex for test
confirmation and possible warranty replacement.
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