Porous ceramic work stations for wire and die bonders

A work station for a chip bonder, and/or for a wire bonder includes a clampless, porous ceramic vacuum chuck where the substrate under assembly is securely and uniformly held by vacuum applied through many tiny pores distributed across the work surface. Porous ceramic work stations are applicable to a family of packages, or to a substrate outline, and may include one or more chips within the same indexing operation. Reliability and yield of the assembled semiconductor devices is enhanced by avoiding uneven or warped substrates. In addition, the porous ceramic work holder provides a cost effective apparatus by eliminating device specific clamps and work holders, the time required for change-out and set-up.