BGA Package Holder for Reliable Electrical Testing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Direct probing of integrated circuits within BGA packages can lead to short circuits and damage due to the sensitive nature of chip connections and fragile bond wires, making it difficult to maintain electrical connections for testing.
Innovation Solution
A BGA package holder with a substrate member and holder device that provides mechanical and electrical contact to solder balls on the package, allowing for testing without direct probing of internal components, using a substrate with contact pads and contact regions to connect to the solder balls, and a foldable lid for secure housing during testing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If direct probing of integrated circuits within BGA packages is performed, then electrical connections for testing can be established, but short circuits and damage occur due to the sensitive nature of chip connections and fragile bond wires
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a BGA package holder as an intermediary device between the testing equipment and the BGA package. The holder provides contact pads that interface with the solder balls on the package bottom, establishing electrical connections without requiring direct probing of the fragile internal circuitry. This mediator approach allows testing while protecting the sensitive bond wires and chip connections from damage.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If direct probing of internal components is performed, then detailed electrical analysis can be conducted, but the fragile bond wires and sensitive connections are damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The BGA package holder serves as a mediator that enables electrical analysis through indirect connection. The contact pads on the holder establish electrical pathways to the internal circuitry via the solder balls, allowing probing and measurement equipment to interface with the package without directly contacting the fragile bond wires or sensitive chip connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder creates a simplified interface that copies or replicates the electrical connection points at a more accessible location. Instead of probing the internal bond wires directly, the contact pads on the holder provide equivalent electrical access points that are easier to interface with testing equipment while maintaining the same electrical measurement capabilities.
3Ease of operation
If the BGA package is decapsulated to facilitate analysis, then internal features can be examined, but the package structure is damaged and additional protection is needed
Solution Approach 1:
The BGA package holder is designed and prepared in advance with contact pads positioned to match the solder ball arrangement. This preliminary configuration allows the package to be attached to the holder before testing, preserving the encapsulant and maintaining package integrity while still enabling access to internal features through the electrical interface provided by the holder.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for supporting BGA packages for one or more testing processes is disclosed. The apparatus includes a substrate member. The substrate member has a plurality of contact pads, with each of the contact pads being spatially disposed around a peripheral region of the substrate. The apparatus further includes a plurality of contact regions spatially configured on a portion of the substrate member. Each of the plurality of contact regions is numbered from 1 through N being electrically connected to respective contact pads numbered from 1 through N. The plurality of contact regions is configured to provide electrical contact to respective plurality of balls provided on a BGA package. The apparatus additionally includes a holder device coupled to the substrate member. The holder device is adapted to mechanically hold the BGA package in place to provide mechanical contact between the plurality of balls and respective plurality of contact regions.