RF Toolbox

Bond Wire Inductance Calculator

Bond wires connecting a die to its package are an unavoidable series parasitic inductance — roughly 1 nH/mm. At GHz frequencies even a short wire has significant reactance, causing impedance transformation and gain roll-off. Estimate it before committing to a layout. For plated-through-hole parasitics, see the PCB Via calculator.

Equations & Parameters ▸
\(L_{wire}=0.2\,\ell\left[\ln\!\left(\tfrac{2\ell}{d}\right)-0.75\right]\ \text{nH}\qquad X=2\pi f L\)
Wire length (mm) — centre-to-centre arc length between bond pads.
dWire diameter (mm). Gold: 0.018–0.033 mm, aluminium: 0.025–0.125 mm.
hLoop height above the pads (mm) — affects the exact value; shown for reference.
L_wireGrover formula, ℓ and d in mm. Exact value also depends on loop shape and nearby conductors.
Reference: F. W. Grover, Inductance Calculations, §15 (Dover, 1946)
Inputs
mm
centre-to-centre arc length
mm
gold: 0.018–0.033 mm, Al: 0.025–0.125 mm
mm
loop height above bond pads
Results

Bond Wire

Inductance, L_wire
Reactance at 1 GHz
Reactance at 10 GHz
Diagram