Vibration Failure Assessment Methodology for the Fatigue Life of Ball Grid Array BGA Solder Joints

Ball Grid Array BGA packages are a relatively new package type and have newly become the package style of choice. Much high density, high I/O count semiconductor devices are now only offered in this package style. Designers are naturally concerned about the robustness of BGA packages in a vibration environment when their experience base is with products using more traditional compliant gull or J leaded surface mount packages. Because designers simply do not have the experience, tools are needed to assess the vibration fatigue life of BGA packages during early design stages and not have to wait for product qualification testing, or field returns, to determine if a problem exists. The new assessment methodology proposes in this paper.