Inking Troubleshooting Guides

24.) Symptom: Ink dots are removed by solvent exposure or mechanical stress during post-probe processing

Cause a): Ink dots were not cured at sufficiently high temperature. Very aggressive post-probe processes may require a high temperature cure, regardless of ink type being used.
Solution a): Increase cure temperature and duration to 150^o C for 30 minutes.

Cause b): Post-probe process is too aggressive.
Solution b): If possible, take steps to make the post-probe process less aggressive (reduce solvent exposure time, etc…). If using a filament inker, also try a 7224 type ink.

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25.) Symptom: Cured ink dots are too tall

Cause a): Dot diameter is too large.
Solution a): Reduce ink dot diameter to get acceptable dot height by decreasing dot size setting (pneumatic systems) or changing cartridge type to a smaller size.

Cause b): Ink type is wrong for the application.
Solution b): Switch to an ink type that will give a smaller dot height at a given dot diameter. As a general rule, the dot height relationship between inks is as follows: 699x series > 8103 > 7824 > 8104.

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26.) Symptom: Ink did not cure within the normal cure time (air curing inks only)

Cause a): Wafers were placed in a confined area with no ventilation.
Solution a): Cure the wafers in a more open area with better ventilation.

Cause b): Ink dots are taller than normal. Ink is being placed onto a surface with an unusually high surface energy. Depending on the type of material, spreading behavior and height of the ink droplet may vary significantly.
Solution b): Increase the wafer cure time and/or increase the surface energy of the wafer.

Cause c): Ink dot spacing on the wafer is more concentrated than normal. If the ink dots are being cured in an area with low air flow, large numbers of ink dots placed very close to each other may take up to twice as long to cure as ink dots that are widely spaced. For instance, ink dots on a wafer with a 99% yield of good die would dry much faster than ink dots on a wafer with only a 1% yield of good die.
Solution c): Increase the amount of air flow going across the surface of the wafers.

Cause d): The ambient temperature in the curing area is lower than normal.
Solution d): Increase the temperature in the curing area to normal levels.

Cause e): Batch specific ink problem. This is unlikely since all Xandex air curing ink batches are tested to confirm proper cure time prior to loading into cartridges.
Solution e): Return sample cartridges to Xandex for test confirmation and possible warranty replacement.

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27.) Symptom: Cartridge had a lower dot count than normal

Cause a): Dot size setting is higher than normal (pneumatic systems only). Higher dot size setting causes larger ink volume/dot which results in fewer dots/cartridge.
Solution a): Reduce dot size setting if possible.

Cause b): Dot counter was accidentally reset (pneumatic systems only).
Solution b): Take any necessary steps (training, etc…) to ensure that the counter is not reset at an inappropriate time.

Cause c): Ink cartridge is clogged (pneumatic systems only).
Solution c): Replace with a fresh cartridge. Return the suspect cartridge to Xandex for test confirmation and possible warranty replacement.

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