Abstract
The transition to lead free solders has accentuated the
inherent reliability problem in electronic packaging caused by
thermo mechanical mismatch between different parts of an
assembled system. To mitigate this problem, polymer core
solder balls (PCSBs) have been proposed as a mechanically
more flexible and therefore more reliable alternative to solid
solder balls normally used for such applications. In this paper
we report results from testing of PCSBs used for connecting
and attaching a low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC)
Ball Grid Array (BGA) carrier to an FR-4 board. The results
appear to be strongly dependent on the assembly process.
However, the results also indicate that with a properly
executed assembly process, these balls represent an
alternative to traditional solder balls with remarkable
resistance to thermal cycling
inherent reliability problem in electronic packaging caused by
thermo mechanical mismatch between different parts of an
assembled system. To mitigate this problem, polymer core
solder balls (PCSBs) have been proposed as a mechanically
more flexible and therefore more reliable alternative to solid
solder balls normally used for such applications. In this paper
we report results from testing of PCSBs used for connecting
and attaching a low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC)
Ball Grid Array (BGA) carrier to an FR-4 board. The results
appear to be strongly dependent on the assembly process.
However, the results also indicate that with a properly
executed assembly process, these balls represent an
alternative to traditional solder balls with remarkable
resistance to thermal cycling