Ball grid array

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For other uses, see BGA.

A ball grid array (BGA) is a type of surface-mount packaging used for integrated circuits.

Contents

[edit] BGA

BGA ICs assembled on a PCB
BGA ICs assembled on a PCB

The BGA is descended from the pin grid array (PGA), which is a package with one face covered (or partly covered) with pins in a grid pattern. These pins are used to conduct electrical signals from the integrated circuit to the printed circuit board (PCB) it is placed on. In a BGA, the pins are replaced by balls of solder stuck to the bottom of the package. The device is placed on a PCB that carries copper pads in a pattern that matches the solder balls. The assembly is then heated, either in a reflow oven or by an infrared heater, causing the solder balls to melt. Surface tension causes the molten solder to hold the package in alignment with the circuit board, at the correct separation distance, while the solder cools and solidifies.

[edit] Advantages

[edit] High density

The BGA is a solution to the problem of producing a miniature package for an integrated circuit with many hundreds of pins. Pin grid arrays and dual-in-line surface mount (SOIC) packages were being produced with more and more pins, and with decreasing spacing between the pins, but this was causing difficulties for the soldering process. As package pins got closer together, the danger of accidentally bridging adjacent pins with solder grew. BGAs do not have this problem, because the solder is sometimes factory-applied to the package in exactly the right amount.

[edit] Heat conduction

A further advantage of BGA packages over packages with discrete leads (i.e. packages with legs) is the lower thermal resistance between the package and the PCB. This allows heat generated by the integrated circuit inside the package to flow more easily to the PCB, preventing the chip from overheating.

[edit] Low-inductance leads

The shorter an electrical conductor, the lower its inductance, a property which causes unwanted distortion of signals in high-speed electronic circuits. BGAs, with their very short distance between the package and the PCB, have low inductances and therefore have far superior electrical performance to leaded devices.

BGAs find some use in security-sensitive applications, especially where it is impossible to prevent physical access to the chip. For instance, a ROM chip with a BGA configuration is considerably more difficult to access than one in a DIP or TSOP layout. Tracing circuit paths to the BGA chip is limited by the contact points being obscured by the chip itself.

[edit] Disadvantages

X-ray of BGA.
X-ray of BGA.

[edit] Noncompliant leads

A disadvantage of BGAs, however, is that the solder balls cannot flex (non-compliant) in the way that longer leads can. As with all surface mount devices, bending, due to a difference in Coefficient of thermal expansion between PCB substrate & BGA (thermal stress), or flexing & vibration (mechanical stress) can cause the solder joints to fracture.

Thermal expansion issues can be overcome by matching the mechanical and thermal characteristics of the PCB to those of the BGA. Typically, plastic BGA devices more closely match the PCB thermal characteristics than ceramic devices.

Mechanical stress issues can be overcome by bonding the devices to the board through a process called "under filling", which injects an epoxy mixture under the device after it is soldered to the PCA, effectively gluing the BGA device to the PCB. There are several types of under fill materials in use with differing properties relative to reworkability and thermal transfer.

Another solution to non-compliant leads is to put a "compliant layer" in the package that allows the balls to physically move in relation to the package. This technique has become standard for packaging DRAMs in BGA packages.

[edit] Expensive inspection

Another disadvantage of BGAs is that, once the package is soldered down, it is very difficult to look for soldering faults. X-ray machines and special microscopes have been developed to overcome this problem, but are expensive. If a BGA is found to be badly soldered, it can be removed in a rework station, which is a jig fitted with infrared lamp (or hot air), a thermocouple and a vacuum device for lifting the package. The BGA can be replaced with a new one, or can be refurbished or reballed. Packets of tiny ready-made solder balls are sold for this purpose.

[edit] BGA variants

  • CBGA and PBGA denote the Ceramic or Plastic substrate material to which the array is attached.
  • FBGA or Fine Ball Grid Array based on ball grid array technology. It has thinner contacts and is mainly used in system-on-a-chip designs.
    • Known as FineLine BGA by Altera.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

BGA Breakouts & Routing (published May 2008), written by Charles Pfeil

  • There are many benefits to using the BGA package; however its greatest asset, the ability to provide an extremely dense array of thousands of pins, also turns out to be a tremendous problem for PCB designers. This book explores the impact of dense BGAs with high pin-count on PCB design and provides solutions for the inherent design challenges.

[edit] External links