SiO2 wire bond insulation in semiconductor assemblies

A semiconductor integrated circuit package is provided with insulated bonding wires. The semiconductor die is mounted to a base of either a leadframe or a grid-array package. A plurality of bonding wires are bonded between bonding pads on the semiconductor die and bonding fingers at inner ends of package conductors. The bonding wires have a PECVD SiO2 layer formed thereupon to thereby provide electrically-insulated bonding wires to prevent short-circuits between adjacent bonding wires. After wire bonding of the bonding wires, an insulating PECVD SiO2 layer is formed on the bonding wires to prevent short-circuits with adjacent wires. An SiO2 layer is simultaneously formed on a leadframe and is removed from the outer ends of the leads by blasting with a medium.