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Freescale Develops Advanced

Semiconductor Packaging Approach


7/25/2006 Orlando, FL -- Freescale Semiconductor, the company that developed and introduced
the ball grid array (BGA) packaging technology, unveiled yet another approach that could replace
BGA and flip chip packaging for advanced, highly integrated semiconductors.

Redistributed Chip Packaging (RCP) technology from Freescale offers flexibility and integration
density -- characteristics that help deliver smaller packaged semiconductor solutions versus
traditional BGA technology.

"The word 'revolutionary' is often overused, but RCP is a truly revolutionary technology," said
Morry Marshall, vice president of Strategic Technologies, Semico Research Corp. "RCP will solve
several packaging problems that have become ever more severe as ICs have increased in
complexity. It is the semiconductor packaging technology of the future."

The technology is adaptable for 3G mobile phones and a range of consumer, industrial,
transportation and networking devices that can benefit from the consolidation of electronic
components into a single, miniaturized system.

RCP's exceptional flexibility makes it a universal package technology that is applicable across a
number of applications and materials. It is compatible with advanced assembly technologies such
as System in Package (SiP), Package on Package (PoP), and integrated cavity packages.

Using RCP and PoP technology, Freescale has fabricated a radio-in-package that measures less
than 25 x 25 millimeters. The radio-in-package contains all of the electronics required for a 3G
mobile phone including memory, power management, baseband, transceiver and RF front end
modules.

Lead free and RoHS compliant, RCP meets reliability standards for commercial and industrial
applications. Development and tests are in progress for automotive applications.

Freescale maintains an extensive portfolio of intellectual property specific to RCP technology. The
company expects products utilizing RCP technology will be available by 2008. Freescale intends
to initially use RCP in its highly integrated wireless product families.

SOURCE: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.


Ball Grid Array (BGA) Technology

A Ball Grid Array is a type of surface-


mount packaging used for integrated
circuits. The BGA is descended from the
Pin Grid Array (PGA), which is a package
with one face covered (or partly covered)
with pins in a grid pattern. These pins are
used to conduct electrical signals from the
integrated circuit to the printed circuit
board (PCB) it is placed on. In a BGA, the
pins are replaced by balls of solder stuck to
the bottom of the package. The device is PGA and BGA chips
placed on a PCB that carries copper pads in
a pattern that matches the solder balls. The
assembly is then heated, either in a reflow
oven or by an infrared heater, causing the
solder balls to melt. Surface tension causes
the molten solder to hold the package in
alignment with the circuit board, at the
correct separation distance, while the solder
cools and solidifies. The composition of the
Reballed BGA solder alloy and the soldering temperature are
carefully chosen so that the solder does not completely melt, but stays semi-liquid,
allowing each ball to stay separate from its neighbors.

The BGA is a solution to the problem of


producing a miniature package for an
integrated circuit with many hundreds of
pins. Pin grid arrays and dual-in-line surface
mount (SOIC) packages were being
produced with more and more pins, and with
decreasing spacing between the pins, but this
was causing difficulties for the soldering
process. BGAs do not have this problem,
because the solder is factory-applied to the
package in exactly the right amount.
3D model of a 4-layer BGA Chip
A further advantage of BGA packages over leaded packages (i.e. packages with legs) is
the lower thermal resistance between the package and the PCB. This allows heat
generated by the integrated circuit inside the package to flow more easily to the PCB,
preventing the chip from overheating. Shorter an electrical conductor, the lower its
inductance, a property which causes unwanted distortion of signals in high-speed
electronic circuits. BGAs, with their very short distance between the package and the
PCB, have low inductances and therefore have far superior electrical performance to
leaded devices.
A disadvantage of BGAs, however, is
that the solder balls cannot flex in the
way that longer leads can, so that
bending and thermal expansion of the
PCB is transmitted directly to the
package. This can cause the solder
joints to fracture under high thermal or
mechanical stress. BGAs are therefore
unpopular in certain fields, such as
aerospace and military electronics. This
problem can be overcome, at a cost, by
matching the mechanical and thermal
3D Model of a BGA Chip
characteristics of the PCB to those of
the BGA.

Another disadvantage of BGAs is that, once


the package is soldered down, it is very
difficult to look for soldering faults. X-ray
machines and special microscopes have been
developed to overcome this problem, but are
expensive. If a BGA is found to be badly
soldered, it can be removed in a rework
station, which is a jig fitted with infrared
lamp, a thermocouple and a vacuum device
for lifting the package. The BGA can be
replaced with a new one, or can be
refurbished or reballed. Packets of tiny ready- X-Ray Testing of BGA Chip
made solder balls are sold for this purpose.

Redistributed Chip Packaging (RCP) Technology

RCP eliminates the wire bonds and flip chip bumps, which makes RCP a revolutionary
proprietary technology that could replace BGA and Flip Chip as a preferred packaging
technology for highly miniaturized devices.

How RCP works


RCP does more work in less space. RCP is an interconnect buildup technology in which
the package is a functional part of the die. The technology addresses the limitations
associated with previous generations of packaging technologies by eliminating wire
bonds, package substrates and flip chip bumps. In addition, RCP does not utilize blind
vias or require thinned die to achieve thin profiles. These advancements simplify
assembly, lower costs, and provide compatibility with advanced wafer manufacturing
processes utilizing low-k interlayer dielectrics.
The benefits of RCP
RCP offers advantages in speed, power, and manufacturability that help enable
manufacturers to create small, sleek multifunction devices.

• Exceptional flexibility that makes it a virtually universal package technology


applicable across a large number of applications and materials
• A 30% reduction in die area saving board space, and a 30% reduction in
thickness, which reduces the board profile
• A reduction in materials and processing costs resulting from the elimination of
wire bond and flip chip bump interconnect technologies
• A reduction in wafer processing and package yield loss due to thin die handling
• Die-compatible materials that minimize stress and thermal mismatches, while
improving reliability and minimizing defects
• "Green" materials that are compatible with Reduction of Hazardous Substances
(RoHS) standards

Freescale Packaging Technologies

Freescale Semiconductor (formerly Motorola, Inc., Semiconductor Products Sector) has


over 30 years of leadership in semiconductor packaging and manufacturing technology
for automotive, industrial, networking and wireless markets and offers industry-leading
packaging options spanning from low-cost solutions to high-end Flip-Chip BGAs
(FCBGAs). Freescale packaging options include MAPGAs, PBGAs, TEPGAs, TBGAs
and FCPGGAs.
MAPBGA (Molded Array Process Ball Grid Array)

The wire-bonded MAPBGA


(Molded Array Process BGA) is an
excellent package for low-
performance to mid-performance
devices that require packaging with
low inductance, ease of surface
mounting, low cost, small footprint
and excellent package reliability.

PBGA (Plastic Ball Grid Array)

The wire-bonded PBGA (Plastic


BGA) package is an excellent
package for mid- to high-
performance devices that require
low inductance, ease of surface
mounting, relatively low cost,
and excellent package reliability.
Additional copper layers in the
substrate allow for increased
power dissipation capability
with the Thermally Enhanced
PBGA (TEPBGA).

TEPGA (Thermally Enhanced Plastic Ball Grid Array)

In the TEPGA a thermally enhanced


substrate acts to spread and draw
heat from the die to the customer
board. For further power dissipating
capability, a heat spreader is placed
on top of the die, within the mold
compound of PBGA, drawing heat
to the surface of the package.
TBGA (Tape Ball Grid Array)

The TBGA (Tape Ball Grid


Array) is a mid to high end
BGA packaging solution for
applications needing excellent
thermal performance without
an external heatsink.

FCPBGA (Flip Chip Plastic Ball Grid Array)

Our FCPBGA (Flip Chip Plastic Ball


Grid Array) is a laminate-based BGA
packaging solution. The FCPBGA
provides competitive solutions for
higher performance applications.

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