Surface mount assembly of BGA and µBGA
Volker-Ekkehart Koch
A ball grid array (BGA) is a
surface-mount device and is
processed in a standard
surface-mount (SM) assembly
line. However, there are some
special features which make
it different from other assem-
blies. The peculiarities of PCB
layout, screen printing, place-
ment, soldering, and inspec-
tion in BGA processing are
presented. The failures of
BGA assembly during ramp up
and series production start-up
are analysed in detail. An
assembly quality better than
1dpm was achieved. The
scale of repair is determined
by the electrical quality of the
devices. If small packages
with higher pincount and
better electrical performance
are required, the µBGA is a
sound choice. Compared with
other high pincount packages
with a small formfactor as
TAB, flip-chip and chip on
board, the µBGA may be
processed in a standard SM
assembly line. The results of
µBGA-assembly feasibility
studies are discussed.
This paper was originally pre-
sented at the 11th European
Microelectronics Conference,
Venice, Italy, 1997.
Soldering & Surface Mount
Technology
10/1 [1998] 32–36
© MCB University Press
[ISSN 0954-0911]
[ 32 ]
Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG, Augsburg, Germany
1. Introduction
Packages for electronic devices with area array interconnec-
tions – as ball grid arrays (BGA) – have several advantages.
They offer a high pincount, good electrical performance and
may be processed in a standard surface mount (SM) assem-
bly line. It seems all difficulties with the assembly of fine
pitch devices could be passed by. Nevertheless, there was a
rather hesitant acceptance of BGAs on personal computer
systemboards. Beginning with some ASICs, the break-
through did not come before 1995/1996 with the introduc-
tion of new Pentium chipsets. One of these new chipsets’
devices was delivered only as a plastic ball grid array
(PBGA324).
Ice has broken since. Other component suppliers offer
their integrated circuits in BGA packages. This is shown by
the application of BGAs on systemboards. Some time ago
there was only one BGA per systemboard. New develop-
ments show two to three or more BGAs per board (Figure
1). Usual package sizes are 27 × 27mm or 35 × 35mm. The
development of pitch and pincount is not so uniform. There
are packages with pitches of 2.54mm staggered, 1.5mm and
1.27mm. Pincount begins with 225, increasing to 270, 313,
324 and 492. The trend may lead to even higher pincounts.
On the other side, it is interesting that the number of flat-
packs (FP) and quadflatpacks (QFP) seems to decrease.
When looking for small packages with higher pincounts
and even better electrical performance, the µBGA is a
sound choice. Compared with other high pincount packages
with small formfactors as TAB, flip chip and chip on board,
the µBGA may be processed in an SM assembly line. But
one must be careful, as screen printing – although in similar
dimensions to fine pitch devices – is not as easy. Another
question is that of the routeing of the printed circuit board
(PCB) within a conventional PCB-technology.
2. Surface mount assembly of BGAs
One is restricted to devices and PCBs that are available on
the market doing the qualification of the BGA assembly.
Normally the package suppliers offer these samples and the
respective PCBs. Daisy chain devices and PCBs help a great
deal. The suppliers give tips and hints for BGA processing.
Nevertheless, these samples do not match with the real
product that must be manufactured later. After the first
successful tries and qualifications, there needs to be a great
attention to details when passing over to a cost-effective
volume production. The details concern the packages, their
disposal and handling, the PCB and its layout, and the SM
process. One should not forget wave soldering, testing and
repair work.
3. Disposal and handling of PBGAs
PBGAs are moisture-sensitive devices. They show strong
package cracking during reflow when storage conditions are
not observed (see Figure 2).
They must be supplied as “bake and bag”. The maximum
exposure time out of bag must be observed. For emergen-
cies and longer exposure times, dry storage in a desiccator
and the baking of devices should be possible. Baking may
be 24h at 125°C or 192h at 40°C and <5 per cent RH when
using low-temperature device containers (e.g. tape and
reel). Staff employed on assembly lines must be trained to
follow the determined procedures.
QFPs have delicate gull wing leads. The BGA is a robust
package in comparison to QFPs. The package media may be
tape and reel. There have been no problems assembling
BGAs from tape and reel. One reel is processed in less than
one shift. With tape and reel packaging, the number of BGA
inspections before assembly is reduced; they may even be
no longer necessary. The quality of incoming devices must
be planned with the supplier. We found no problem with
reducing incoming inspections. Putting up series produc-
tion, we inspected the first 500,000 BGAs using the place-
ment machine’s vision system. In total we found six devices
with mechanical defects (broken package, missing or too
many solder balls). Since then, we have stopped inspecting
devices before assembly. The coplanarity is specified with
200µm. It is not tested. Experiments in production showed
that devices with a coplanarity of 350µm could be assem-
bled without defects.
4. Printed circuit board
Routeing on daisy chain boards is simple. These boards
have rather large pads (600-700µm) with a wide pitch. Only
a few tracks leave the array. It is easy to route the intercon-
nections inside the array. Conversely, the footprint of a real
BGA has many different I/Os in a small area. The routeing
(two signal layers) of a BGA with five to six rows (pitch
1.27mm) requires two tracks between pads (Figure 3) on the
component side. In standard PCB technology (track 5 mil,
space 7 mil), the diameter of the pads is limited to about
500µm.
The solder balls for power supplies are in the middle of
the package below the chip (heat sink). The often-used dog-
bone layout for routeing the inner rows of BGA intercon-
nections perforates the power supply planes. Additional
capacitors on the bottom side must stabilise the supply
voltage. For a single-sided systemboard, this is an awkward
assembly step that should be avoided.
The distance of the dog-bone vias in pitch 1.27mm from
the surrounding pads is small. The vias must be solder-mask
capped – bottom side to avoid reflowing the balls during
wave soldering, component side to avoid ball solder wick-
ing. This capping is a limitation to the in-circuit testing
(ICT) of the board.
5. Screen printing
The screen printing process is qualified for fine pitch assem-
bly, e.g. for footprints with pitches of 0.5mm and pad
widths of about 0.25mm. BGAs have larger pitches and pad
diameters >0.5mm. Thus, screen printing for BGAs poses
no problem. The thickness of the stencil is the same stan-
dard as that for QFPs. The aperture size should be the same
as the size of the pads.
BGA solder joints are covered by the package body; after
soldering, it is difficult to check them. For the certification
of assembly quality, it is simpler to check the screen print-
ing regularly during assembly. There is the question of
whether visual inspection when setting up the assembly and
random visual inspection during assembly is good enough
or whether there must be automatic inspection systems.
There was no indication of an accumulation of screen
Volker-Ekkehart Koch
Surface mount assembly of BGA
and µBGA
Soldering & Surface Mount
Technology
10/1 [1998] 32–36
Figure 1 printing defects when analysing assembly problems. Using
New systemboard with three BGAs (≈600; ≈50 THT devices) a 3D screen printing inspection system, the situation – as
explained above – was found too. Defects and instabilities
of screen printing show up first with fine pitch components
and the RAC16 resistor arrays. Even printing with a defect
screen that tore fibres and small rags out of the cleaning
towel showed no problems for the BGA assembly. On the
other hand, the screen print for the more delicate QFPs
showed defects (Figure 4).
6. Component placement
Modern placement machines have vision systems that are
able to recognise individual balls. They are able to place the
BGA with high accuracy. The placement and offset can be
checked when setting up the assembly. Later on in the
process, there should be a random check made of the place-
ment. The service personnel must have the means to carry
out a quick and simple check. Alignment features in the
Figure 2 layout are helpful. They allow a position check before and
Solder bridging by package cracking (picture reproduced by after soldering with one glimpse.
kind permission of Mr J. Gudat) BGAs are shipped in tape and reel for high volume
production. The placement machine presents the only
possibility of carrying out a geometric check of the devices.
Placement machines may check ball presence and ball
position with high precision. Both checks were tested with
good results. The evaluation time for these checks is 2-3sec.
This is about 10 per cent of the cycle time for board assem-
bly. On the contrary, we found only very few packages with
missing balls (see section 3). We abandoned these checks
with the increasing volume assembly of BGAs.
7. Soldering
The soldering experience grows with series production:
starting with the sample production on vapour phase- and
IR-systems up to high volume production with IR/convec-
tion and pure convection systems. It is not true that vapour
phase systems need no adjustment. Efficient solder paste
drying is important when processing large BGAs with small
pitches. The measuring and adjustment of temperature
Figure 3 profiles in IR and convection systems is well known. The
Example of BGA wiring best positions for the thermocouples are the balls in the
middle beneath the BGA package.
1.27mm The temperature profiles in IR systems show that the
BGA is not the coldest device on the board. The leads of the
Pad
>500µm Track QFPs and of the PLCCs/SOJs are 10°-20°C colder than the
e.g. 125µm coldest BGA ball. But it is very important to note that voids
in the balls occur more often with hotter T-profiles. The
BGA should be soldered with a rather cold profile.
Convection systems show – as expected – very regular
Space profiles. The middle balls of the three BGAs on a system-
e.g. <170µm board achieve the following peak temperatures (Figure 5):
217°C/215°C/212°C (PBGA324/PBGA225/ PBGA324).
Soldering obtains the typical broad (collapsed) solder
joints (Figure 6). The shape is similar to a barrel. The
Figure 4
Effect of impurities (fibres) on screen printing (fibre within the QFP footprint was lost during photographing)
[ 33 ]
Volker-Ekkehart Koch
Surface mount assembly of BGA
and µBGA
Soldering & Surface Mount
Technology
10/1 [1998] 32–36
[ 34 ]
Figure 5
Temperature profile (peak temperatures: PCB 229°C; SOJ
225°C; QFP 219°C; BGA1 217°C; BGA2 215°C; BGA3 212°C)
(°C)
200.0
150.0
100.0
50.0
2:00,0 4:00,0 6:00,0
Figure 6
Barrel-shaped BGA solder joint
component collapses and sits deeper on the board than
before soldering. The forms of the solder joints are very
even and very regular (Figure 7). The checking of position,
the form of the balls of the outer four rows and the collapse
of the component form a simple but clear and distinctive
inspection of the soldering success. The people on the
assembly lines learn and practise these visual inspections
quickly.
Figure 7
Regular solder joints of a BGA (X-ray image)
8. Examinations and testing: results
The BGA assembly must be a very robust process looking
at the coarse pitches of the BGA packages and at the defect
rates (<1dpm) published in literature. One should think of
the respective costs and gains before introducing tests and
test systems into the BGA assembly. The fear that, after
soldering, the individual BGA solder joints cannot be seen
any more should not decide the philosophy of testing. The
better approach is to work out a capable and robust assem-
bly process including well-trained people. Then inspection
of the individual BGA solder joints should no longer be
necessary.
Production was started with the following test philoso-
phy: examination of the device via the vision system of the
placement machine (ball pitch, presence of balls); random
inspection of screen print; position of the component before
and after soldering; statistical visual inspection of position,
ball shape and collapse of component after reflow soldering;
electric testing with ICT; and final function test. In addition,
the QFPs are examined in an SPC-like visual inspection.
This gives a further test of the screen printing quality. Opens
and shorts are detected with ICT and the final function test.
No X-ray inspection was planned.
During the ramp up to series production (41,000 boards),
all failures concerning the BGA were diagnosed in detail
(visual inspection, electrical diagnosis, X-ray inspection
and some metallographic microsections). Consequently, the
test philosophy for series production changed. The exami-
nation of the BGA packages prior to assembly was not
necessary. The random checking of screen printing is
carried out only at the component sites of the QFPs (SPC).
Laser-triangulation of the screen print was carried out only
in single experiments. The main process control is the visual
inspection of the component position, the form of the outer
balls, the collapse after soldering and the electrical testing.
The X-ray inspection of failed boards confirmed shorts
(solder bridges), vagabonding resistors or capacitors under
the BGA. During ramp up (41,000 boards), the ICT claimed
21 “opens”. None of these “opens” could be confirmed by
X-ray inspection or metallographic microsection (see
Figure 6). All these devices showed fine and very regular
solder joints.
Visual inspections are simple and quick; staff on the
assembly lines accept them immediately. The diagnosis of
defects found at ICT or final function testing is difficult;
specially trained people must carry out this task. The pins of
the BGAs are not accessible. When the diagnosis of a defect
is difficult (e.g. shorts or opens in the PCB) and this defect
concerns a net which is connected to the BGA, then this
failure is often attributed to the BGA. In the worst case,
there are several reworks of the BGA (exchanges of the
BGA) until the diagnosis finds the real defect.
The 41,000 boards of the ramp up showed 89 defects.
The distribution of different failure mechanisms is shown in
Table I. Only two defects could be attributed to the BGA
assembly giving an assembly defect rate of 0.1-0.3dpm
solder joints. A similar picture showed the defect analysis in
the later series production. The BGA assembly is a very
capable process. Defects show up which either have nothing
to do with the BGA assembly or have been second-order
defects until now.
Table I
Failure mechanism against distribution
Failure mechanism Percentage
Electrical defect 78
PCB defect 17
Mechanical defect 2
Vagabonding device 1
Unsettled (open) 1
Solder bridge 1
9. Repair
For repair, QFPs often only need the solder joints touching
up. This is not possible with BGAs. After assembly the
solder joints are not accessible any more. Therefore, repair
always means exchanging the device. The amount of
rework is governed by the electrical quality of the devices.
Assembly defects are rather seldom. About 0.1-0.2 per cent
Volker-Ekkehart Koch
Surface mount assembly of BGA
and µBGA
Soldering & Surface Mount
Technology
10/1 [1998] 32–36
of the assembled devices must be exchanged. Nevertheless, Figure 9
in total, fewer devices must be exchanged compared with X-ray image of repaired PBGA
QFPs. The quality of chipsets in BGA packages is better
than in QFP packages.
At first, rework seems tedious and laborious. Removal
and replacement cannot be controlled by visual inspection.
They must be controlled by the soldering parameters of the
rework station. It is necessary to set up temperature profiles.
The profiles depend on the used rework station, the specific
BGA (size, number of balls, pitch) and the specific PCB.
For setting up the profiles, the BGA and the PCB may be
prepared with thermocouples. Thermocouples and their
corresponding wiring, however, disturb the gas flow of the
hot-gas rework stations that are normally used. Measure-
ments are doubtful. All rework station suppliers offer
sample profiles. Normally the sample situation does not
match the actual situation, especially with larger and higher
pincount BGAs. It is best to start with these proposals, with
daisy chain boards, daisy chain components and the knowl-
edge of how reflow profiles should look. By the removal of
previously reflowed BGAs with a best-guess replacement 10. Summary
profile, one may set up profiles. The analysis of the solder During ramp up to series production of a personal computer
remainders on PCB and BGA shows if the used profile is systemboard, an assembly quality of less than 1dpm solder-
too hot, too cold, unequal, air flow too high, etc. (Figure 8). ing joint was achieved for the mounting of PBGAs. The
With some practice, this set up of temperature profiles is defects were analysed by visual and X-ray inspection,
quick and easy. These profiles show the same solder joints electrical testing and metallographic microsections. A
as the ordinary reflow (X-ray inspection (Figure 9) or random check of the series production showed the same
metallographic microsections). picture. The aim of less than 1dpm was already achieved
The repair of BGAs involves the following steps: during ramp up. The defect rate claimed in literature by
1 remove the defect component; Compaq and Motorola was confirmed. The assembly
2 dress the component site; process had the following features:
3 apply flux (or solder paste); • optimised layout;
4 place and solder the new component. • screen printing on the entire pad surface, no special
inspection;
The component site may be dressed by hand. Flux can be
• placement by vision system;
applied by a paint brush. If solder paste needs to be applied
• IR or IR/convection soldering;
– which is not necessary for BGAs with eutectic balls – a
• indirect visual inspection of solder joints by checking the
mini screen out of thin, flexible, semi-transparent FR4
position of the device, form of the balls and collapse;
material works best. The soldering procedure is rather long;
• test: ICT and final function;
attention must be paid when choosing the flux. Placement is
• amount of repair is governed by the electrical quality of
done by a split-field prism or in certain cases by marks on
the devices – repair without solder paste: test by visual
the PCB.
inspection, ICT and final function test.
The repair is a reproducible process. Special X-ray
inspection and the additive dispensing or print of solder
paste is not necessary. Trained people achieve a 100 per cent
yield. The rather long breaks between different periods of 11. Further developments
rework are a problem for regular training. The replacements The assembly of BGAs with standard sizes and standard
necessary for a weekly production (30,000 systemboards) is pitches is a capable and robust process. At once, one looks
done in two to three shifts. for further developments of this technology. There are two
Figure 8
BGA footprints on the PCB after component removal with a hot-gas rework station. Left: T-profile too cold (solder balls of
the right columns did not melt), gas flow too high (solder bridging in the corners); right: even T-profile (all solder balls melt-
ed), moderate gas flow
[ 35 ]
Volker-Ekkehart Koch Figure 10
Surface mount assembly of BGA µBGA solder joints with varying solder volume
and µBGA
Soldering & Surface Mount
Technology
10/1 [1998] 32–36

possibilities. The number of BGAs on one board will Figure 11

increase with actual package types and pitches. At the same Screen printing solder paste µBGA with varying solder volume
time, there seems to be a decrease of fine pitch QFPs, but no
complete changeover to BGA. In addition, the pincount of
PBGAs will increase. In series production there are system-
boards with PBGA 492. Packages with pincounts of 500-
600 are not far away. A second domain of development is
the decrease of pitches. This leads to packages with sizes
not much larger than the sizes of the chips. An example of
these packages is the µBGA. These chip size packages
(CSP) have a greater advantage over other packages with
the same formfactor as TAB, chip on board or flip chip:
µBGAs can be processed within a standard SM assembly.
Feasibility studies on the mounting of µBGAs within an
SM assembly indicate that there are no major problems
regarding the assembly of µBGAs with pitches of 0.8 or
0.75mm. The situation changes when trying to process
µBGAs with pitches of 0.5mm. A further development of
the screen printing process is necessary. Printing on the
small round pads (diameter 200-250µm) is possible. From
about ten component sites (µBGA 172, pitch 0.5mm), about Figure 12
six to eight are usable for assembly. The rest show single X-ray image of double-sided µBGA assembly (solder balls and
pads with not enough solder paste (Figures 10 and 11). The Ni/Au bumps)
volume of solder paste varies widely, even within the usable
footprints. Placement (via vision systems) and the soldering
of the devices pose no problems. In spite of the irregular
solder volumes, no defects were observed in the assemblies
until now (see Figure 10). The form of the solder joint
between the pad of the PCB and the round Ni/Au bump of
the device produces good solder joints even with a small
amount of solder (Figure 10). Stabilising the solder deposit
may be achieved in three ways: first by optimising the
screen printing, second by in-line 3D-inspection of screen
printing, and third, perhaps, by changing from Ni/Au bumps
to eutectic solder balls.
Figure 12 shows the assembly of a µBGA (pitch 0.5mm)
with solder balls in comparison with a µBGA with Ni/Au
bumps. The X-ray image shows a board (tilted to an angle
of 45°) with assembled µBGAs on both sides. On the
bottom side (first reflow), there is a µBGA with Ni/Au
bumps. On the top side is the same type of µBGA with
eutectic solder balls. The Ni/Au bumps are comparatively Cum grano salis: no cost-effective PCB technology exists
transparent to X-rays, so these solder joints are brighter than where the routeing of a µBGA (pitch 0.5mm) is possible
the solder joints with solder balls. The solder joints with when the array of the device has more than two rows (no
Ni/Au bumps are not as regular as the solder joints with daisy chain). Coarser pitches (0.75mm) will be used for the
solder balls, but there are no “opens”. future introduction of this package type (e.g. flash memories).

[ 36 ]