Chip Package Carrier Tray Design for Solder Ball Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional carriers for chip packages, particularly those with window ball grid array (wBGA) type chip packages, often damage the increased number of solder balls due to reduced space, leading to decreased yield in manufacturing and testing operations.
Innovation Solution
A carrier design featuring a tray component with supports and trench recesses that hold the central area of chip packages, keeping the solder balls away from the tray and preventing damage, and a carrier assembly with peripheral projections for stacking, ensuring secure holding and protection during processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the amount of solder balls is increased to meet new generation product requirements, then the functionality and performance of chip packages are improved, but the space between solder balls and the outside of the chip is reduced, making solder balls more susceptible to damage by the tray component
Solution Approach 1:
A foam material is introduced as an intermediary between the chip package and the tray component. This foam fills the peripheral area around the chip, creating a protective buffer that prevents direct contact between the solder balls and the rigid tray component, thereby protecting the increased number of solder balls from damage while maintaining the high-density solder ball configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The foam material is placed in advance around the chip package in the carrier, creating a cushioning layer before the chip package is subjected to handling and transport. This pre-positioned cushioning protects the solder balls from impact and compression forces that would otherwise cause damage, enabling reliable operation with higher solder ball counts
2Quantity of substance
If the space between solder balls and chip outside is reduced to accommodate more solder balls, then the density and capability of chip packages are enhanced, but the solder balls become easier to be damaged by the tray component
Solution Approach 1:
The foam acts as a mediator between the high-density solder ball array and the tray component structure. It absorbs mechanical stresses and prevents the tray component from directly contacting and damaging the densely packed solder balls, enabling the use of higher solder ball densities without increasing damage risk
Solution Approach 2:
The foam material changes the mechanical parameters of the carrier system by introducing a compliant, shock-absorbing layer. This changes the stress distribution and contact forces between the chip package and carrier, transforming the rigid contact into a cushioned interaction that protects the vulnerable solder balls
Data Source
AI summary
A carrier for holding a plurality of chip packages and a carrier assembly are provided, wherein the chip package has a central area without solder balls and a peripheral area with solder balls formed thereon. The carrier includes a tray component and a plurality of supports disposed on the tray component, wherein each support holds the central area of a respective chip package. The carrier assembly is formed by stacking a plurality of the carriers through a plurality of peripheral projections disposed at a periphery of each tray component, wherein each peripheral projection has a pin formed thereon and a hole formed thereunder.