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BGA Solder Process

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Achyuth Shettigar
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65 views3 pages

BGA Solder Process

Uploaded by

Achyuth Shettigar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BGA solder process and soldering BGA components

- an overview or reference tutorial providing essential information about the BGA


solder process and soldering BGA components used for PCB assembly including
prototype PCB assembly and BGA rework.

Solder and soldering techniques technology includes:


• Solder
• Soldering basics tutorial
• Solder paste and how to use it
• Lead free soldering
• Solder resist
• Soldering irons and stations
• SMT soldering techniques
• Infrared reflow soldering
• Wave soldering
• BGA solder process

With the increasing component density of today's electronics printed circuit boards and the very high
track densities that result, connectivity on many boards has become a problem. Even migrating to
greater numbers of layers for the PCB cannot overcome many of the problems. To assist in resolving
this problem an integrated circuit package known as the Ball Grid Array, BGA was introduced. The BGA
components provide a far better solution for many boards, but care is required when soldering BGA
components to ensure that the BGA solder process is correct and that the reliability is at least
maintained or preferably improved.

What is a Ball Grid Array?


The Ball Grid Array or BGA, is a very different package to those using pins, such as the quad flat pack.
The pins of the BGA package are arranged in a grid pattern and this gives rise to the name. In addition
to this, rather than having the more traditional wire pins for the connections, pads with balls of solder
are used instead. On the printed circuit board, PCB, onto which the BGA components are to be fitted
there is a matching set of copper pads to provide the required connectivity.
BGA packages offer many advantages over their quad flat pack rivals and as a result they are being
used increasingly for the manufacture of electronics circuits:

 Improved PCB design as a result of lower track density: Track densities around many
packages such as the quad flat pack become very high because of the very close proximity of
the pins. A BGA spreads the contacts out over the full area of the package greatly reducing the
problem.
 The BGA package is robust: Packages such as the quad flat pack have very fine pins, and
these are easily damaged by even the most careful handling. It is almost impossible to repair
them once the pins are bent owing to their very fine pitch. BGAs do not suffer from this as the
connections are provided by pads with the BGA solder balls on them which are very difficult to
damage.
 Lower thermal resistance: BGAs offer a lower thermal resistance between the silicon chip
itself than quad flat pack devices. This allows heat generated by the integrated circuit inside
the package to be conducted out of the device onto the PCB faster and more effectively.
 Improved high speed performance: As the conductors are on the underside of the chip
carrier. This means that the leads within the chip are shorter. Accordingly unwanted lead
inductance levels are lower, and in this way, Ball Grid Array devices are able to offer a higher
level of performance than their QFP counterparts.

BGA solder process


One of the initial fears over the use of BGA components was their solderability and whether soldering
BGA components could be made as reliable as soldering devises using more traditional forms of
connection. As the pads are under the device and not visible it is necessary to ensure the correct
process is used and it is fully optimised. Inspection and rework were also concerns.
Fortunately BGA solder techniques have proved to be very reliable, and once the process is set up
correctly BGA solder reliability is normally higher than that for quad flat packs. This means that any
BGA assembly tends to be more reliable. Its use is therefore now widespread in both mass production
PCB assembly and also prototype PCB assembly where circuits are being developed.
For the BGA solder process, reflow techniques are used. The reason for this is that the whole assembly
needs to be brought up to a temperature whereby the solder will melt underneath the BGA
components themselves. This can only be achieved using reflow techniques.
For BGA soldering, the solder balls on the package have a very carefully controlled amount of solder,
and when heated in the soldering process, the solder melts. Surface tension causes the molten solder
to hold the package in the correct alignment with the circuit board, while the solder cools and
solidifies. The composition of the solder alloy and the soldering temperature are carefully chosen so
that the solder does not completely melt, but stays semi-liquid, allowing each ball to stay separate
from its neighbours.

BGA solder joint inspection


BGA inspection is one area of the manufacturing process that has raised a considerable amount of
interest since the introduction of the first BGA components. BGA inspection cannot be achieved in the
normal way using straightforward optical techniques because, quite obviously, the solder joints are
underneath the BGA components and they are not visible. This creates problems for BGA inspection. It
also created a considerable degree of unease about the technology when it was first introduced and
many manufacturers undertook tests to ensure that they were able to solder the BGA components
satisfactorily satisfactorily. The main problem with soldering BGA components is that sufficient heat
must be applied to ensure that all the balls in the grid melt sufficiently for every BGA solder joint to be
satisfactorily made.
The solder joints cannot be fully tested by checking the electrical performance. While this form of test
of the BGA solder process will reveal conductivity at that time, it does not give a full picture of how the
BGA solder process has succeeded. It is possible that the joint may not be adequately made and that
over time it will fail. For this the only satisfactory means of test is a form of BGA inspection using X-
rays This form of BGA inspection is able to look through the device at the soldered joint
beneath.Fortunately, it is found that once the heat profile for the solder machine is set up correctly,
the BGA components solder very well and few problems are encountered with the BGA solder process.

BGA rework
As might be anticipated, it is not easy to rework BGA assemblies unless the correct equipment is
available. If a BGA component is suspected as being faulty, then it is possible to remove the device.
This is achieved by locally heating the BGA component to melt the solder underneath it.
In the BGA rework process, the heating is often achieved removed in a specialised rework station. This
comprises a jig fitted with infrared heater, a thermocouple to monitor the temperature and a vacuum
device for lifting the package. Great care is needed to ensure that only the BGA is heated and
removed. Other devices nearby need to be affected as little as possible otherwise they may be
damaged.
BGA technology and the BGA solder process have shown themselves have proved themselves to be
very successful since they were first introduced and they are now an integral part of the PCB assembly
process used in most companies for mass production and for prototype PCB assembly. Despite some
early scepticism, they are now widely used and levels of reliability for BGA assemblies is very high.
Along side this various process issues have been improved and elements such as BGA inspection are
now easier to achieve so that the manufacturing process can be optimised and the BGA solder element
of the process can be as reliable as possible.

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