Are you a prominent circuit board manufacturer in the USA? If yes, we have some good news for you! But before getting into that, we want to ask, how do you produce electronic assemblies? We mean whether you use SMD package, Quad Flat Package, or BGA Chips in your circuit board. If you still call on the first two packs to create your printed boards, we want to suggest something better. Why don’t you fix BGA device packages in your printed circuit boards to mount the devices, like microprocessors? By doing this, you can “minimize” the heat resistance in circuit boards, resulting in lesser or no damage due to overheating down the line. Thus, the reliability of your electronic assembly will increase, and you will have to spend less time on the PCB repair/rework tasks. Still, looking for the cherry on the cake? Well, your overall operating costs will also reduce and hence, you will become able to leverage higher profitability. But the question is, how to “do” BGA Re-balling? Or, rather, we should say, what is the right BGA Re-balling Method? Well, that’s what you will learn in this expert guide today, so let’s see first:
What is BGA, and why BGA is needed?
BGA, short for Ball Grid Array, is a packaging type used for fixing SMD devices on the printed circuit boards using Surface Mount Technology. The best thing about using BGA packages for circuit board assembly is that it contains no leads or pins. And just so that you know, it got its name from the grid pattern in which a large number of metal alloy balls are arranged. What’s more? As far as the composition of the BGA balls is concerned, it consists of alloys of Tin/Lead or Tin/Silver/Copper, in which the former is “led”, and the latter is lead-free.
Now, let’s have a look at the superiority of BGA over SMD packages before we dig deeper into the ideal BGA Re-balling Method:
What are the advantages of BGA over SMD packs?
These days, printed circuit boards are one of the most integral parts of the many electronic devices you see in the market. Since the size of circuit boards increases with the increase in the number of electronic components, it is necessary to keep its dimensions in control to use it in as many devices as possible. And it is the main reason the leading circuit board manufacturers use SMDs and BGA packs in PCB-making so its size is reduced to the maximum “possible” extent. Since the SMD and BGA sets are smaller and slimmer, it occupies very little space on the circuit board, and mobile phone makers make the most of it for cell-phone’s board production.
Next, some of the pros of BGA sets over SMDs are:
- Improved PCB design because of low track density
- Low thermal resistance
- Robust BGA package
- Enhanced high-speed performance and connectivity
What is the most suitable BGA Re-balling Method?
Let’s see the most appropriate BGA Re-balling Method in two parts:
- BGA De-soldering by Hand
The most common way to de-solder Ball Grid Array in a printed circuit board is using hot air. Below are some steps to get a sense of how to perform this task:
- First, apply liquid flux on all the sides of the BGA package.
- Next, you need to preheat the BGA pack from both the top and bottom sides of the circuit board. To do that, you can use a preheater to heat the BGA area from the bottom. While when it comes to warming it from the top position, you can “make” use of a Hot Air Rework System.
- Now, fix the correct BGA Nozzle into the heating device and then provide the warmth from the top of the BGA section.
- The next moment, you will see that the solder balls placed under the BGA set have melted. Then, pick up the package using a specific tool called Tweezers or “simply” use a vacuum pick-up tool for that.
- BGA Soldering by Hand
After that, when it comes to solder Ball Grid Array, again, it is a “smart” decision to use hot air. Let’s see the steps involved in doing this job below:
Once you have removed the BGA package, the first thing you need to do is clean the pad and remove the excess solder from the surface, if any. Then:
- Apply Flux Paste instead of Liquid Flux on the PCB pad so that solder balls stick to the surface and do not change their position or even fall in the rare case.
- Now, put the solder balls on the pad as carefully as possible
- Again, apply paste flux to the bottom side of the BGA pack
- Place the BGA package on the solder ball with the “greatest” possible attention
- Preheat and then provide it hot air from top and bottom using Hot Air Blower
- Finally, those solder balls will melt, and your soldering process will complete
NOTE: Though you can execute the BGA Re-balling task using the method discussed above, we suggest buying BGA Re-balling Preforms for making your entire PCB repairing experience a breeze.
Final Words
Up until now, we think you have acquired a “multitude” of information through this article, be it the definition of BGA, its advantages, or the correct way to carry out BGA Re-balling. So, if you liked reading this content and want to buy BGA Re-balling Preforms, then please visit the optimal electronics shopping site on the web right away.
