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 Importance of Ball Grid Array Inspection

Importance of Ball Grid Array Inspection

Posted by Staff - Soldertraining on Aug 16th 2022

Technology advancements have led to a reduction in physical size and an increase in the complexity of electronic gadgets. The BGA (Ball Grid Array) packaging can be used to meet the growing demand for reduced device sizes, and more interfacing input/output (I/O) links. It is typical to find BGA ICs with four pins to more than 500 IOs. These BGA ICs have a lower form factor and aid in making circuits smaller. It makes it possible to create and design small items. Everyday items like mobile phones, PCs, and numerous communication devices frequently use BGA devices.

An analysis of the connections between a chip and a PCB is done during a BGA inspection to ensure they are high quality. The height of the package's standoff from the package, the caliber of the connections, and other factors are examined as part of BGA inspections. An unassisted eye examination is very constrained in BGA inspections. Hence other methods are needed to have a close look at the connections.

The importance of BGA inspection:

BGA inspection is famously challenging because the solder joints are situated underneath the BGA package. It cannot be easy to acquire a clear view of the BGA for examination due to the feature's location. Despite this challenge, inspection is crucial for BGAs for several reasons, such as:

Soldering difficulty:

BGA components are challenging to solder because the array must be exposed to enough heat for all the grid's balls to melt and form the required solder junctions. There is a big chance of a defect occurring because of the density of connections and the challenging soldering. Inspections enable professionals to find these flaws and prevent the shipment of faulty parts.

Unreliable electrical tests:

The PCB is conducted through electrical tests to ensure it is electrically sound. The BGA components must be linked for this test to determine whether the current is on or off. These tests are unreliable since they can only identify a few problem types and cannot localize any defects they identify. A complete picture of mistakes and locations can be produced by thorough inspections incorporating this method and other strategies.

Reusing materials:

If a BGA is discovered to have a solder flaw, it can be repaired or replaced using a rework station. Early fault detection during an inspection allows materials to be conserved, reducing material waste.

Quality assurance:

BGA quality control must thoroughly evaluate these connections since BGA SMT assembly depends on reliable physical connections. Inspections can also spot recurring flaws and trends. Repeated faults may point to problems with the manufacturing and assembly procedure or even the PCB product design. Therefore these are significant.

Cost cutting:

Processes for thorough inspection reduce the number of flaws that can help to move on to the next production stage. Inspection-passed flaws may be discovered later in the production cycle, increasing the cost of rework. The more expensive it will be for your business, the later the defect is discovered. Early prevention and resolution are so essential.

Inspection teams must employ comprehensive and efficient tools and processes because of how important inspection is. This allows these teams to identify all issues, their causes, and their exact locations before they get larger and more expensive.