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Leadfinish and Ball attach

Lead Frame
Provides mechanical support to the die during its assembly into a finished product Consists of die paddle for the die attachment and leads for external electrical connection to the outside world. Lead frames are constructed from flat sheet metal either by stamping or etching.

Where does Lead Finish Operation Occur?


Die attach Bond Seal or encapsulate

Plate/Lead Finish

Mark

Form

Trim

(Deflash/trim/form)

Tin plate/Solder Coat

User

Warehouse/stores

Test

Leadfinish
Leadfinish is the process of applying a coat of metal over the leads of an IC to:
1) 2) 3) 4) protect the leads against corrosion protect the leads against abrasion improve the solderability of the leads improve the appearance of the leads

There are two widely used leadfinish techniques in the semiconductor industry, namely, plating and coating. Further, there are two types of plating, i.e., pure metal plating such as tin plating and alloy plating such as tin/lead plating.

Leadfinish - Coating
Coating is the process of depositing a filler metal (usually solder) over a surface, achieving metallurgical bonding through surface wetting. The filler metal should have a melting temperature below 315 degrees Celsius for the process to be classified as coating. The driving force for a solder coating process is surface tension, i.e., wetting of the surface to be coated by the solder must be achieved. A solder diffusion layer grows at the surface-solder interface as solder spreads through the surface during the coating process.

Leadfinish Tin Plating


Tin plating is a form of pure metal electroplating, which is the process of depositing a coating of metal on a surface by passing a current through a conductive medium, or electrolyte. An electroplating system has four (4) components: 1) the cathode, which is the surface to be coated; 2) the anode, which is the source of coating metal; 3) the electrolyte, the aqueous medium through which the metal ions from the anode transfer to the cathode; and 4) the power source, which supplies the current or energy needed for the plating process.

Leadfinish Tin Plating


The cathode, which is the material to be plated, is the electrode where electrons are consumed or where 'reduction' occurs. The anode, which serves as source material for the plating, is the electrode where oxidation occurs, i.e., where electrons and metal ions are released.
Example of reduction: Sn+2 + 2e- => Sn0

The energy needed for the plating process to occur is known as the electrochemical potential or voltage. If the applied voltage is less than the electrochemical potential, the process of plating will not occur.
Solder plating is a form of alloy plating.
Example of oxidation: Sn0 => Sn+2 + 2e-

Leadfinish - Problems
Common Lead Finish-related Failure Mechanisms/Attributes: Lead Corrosion - corrosion of the leads due to imperfections in the lead finish Poor Solderability - insufficient wetting of the solder often caused by contaminants, excess additives, and inadequate plate thickness Tin Whiskers - formation of very thin extrusions of tin material from the lead finish that can result in electrical shorts between adjacent pins; observed in pure tin plating or alloy systems with a high content of tin Other Lead Finish Failure Attributes: Solder Dullness, Solder Roughness, Pitting, Tarnishing, Blistering, Dendrites, Nodules, Graininess, Deposits, Burns

Solderability
Solderability Testing pertains to the process of evaluating the solderability of terminations (i.e., component leads, terminals, wires, etc)
Industry standards for performing solderability testing include the following: 1) Mil-Std-883 Method 2003 - "Solderability" 2) IPC/JEDEC J-STD-002 - "Solderability Tests for Component Leads, Terminations, Lugs, Terminals and Wires" 3) IPC/JEDEC J-STD-003 - "Solderability Tests for Printed Boards" 4) JESD22-B102 5) Part 21 of the IEC 60749

Solderability
The solderability of a surface is defined by its solder wetting characteristics. Solder wetting pertains to the formation of a relatively uniform, smooth, and unbroken film of solder that exhibits excellent adherence on the soldered surface. Non-wetting, on the other hand, is the condition wherein the solder coating has contacted the surface but did not adhere completely to it, causing the surface or a part thereof to be exposed. Dewetting is the condition wherein the solder recedes after coating a surface, creating irregular mounds of solder, but leaving behind no exposed areas.

Solderability - Tests
The two most common solderability test methods are: 1) the Dip and Look Method 2) Wetting Balance Analysis. In both of these tests, the samples undergo an accelerated 'aging' process before being tested for solderability, to take into consideration the natural aging effects of storage prior to board-mounting. The Dip and Look Method, which is widely used in process QA and reliability monitoring, is a qualitative test process, i.e., judgment on whether a sample passes or fails the test is based on the physical and visual attributes that it exhibits.

Solderability - Tests
Wetting balance analysis, on the other hand, is a quantitative test, It measures the wetting forces imposed by the molten solder on the test surface as it is dipped into and held in the solder bath as a function of time and plotted. The plot starts with the wetting force being negative (non-wet condition), which rises until it crosses the zero axis of wetting force, indicating that wetting has occurred. The time it takes for wetting to occur is one parameter used to assess solderability. There are, however, no established industry-standard pass/fail criteria for wetting balance analysis, which is why it is used primarily as an engineering tool and not as a production monitor. Wetting force depends on the density and surface tension of the solder.

Wetting Balance

Ball Attach
Ball grid arrays (BGA) one of the most popular package technology Advantages: Higher I/O No leads to bend Lower coplanarity problems Minimized handling issues

Ball Attach
In solder-ball attach, solder balls and flux are placed on goldplated pads located on the substrate. When heat is applied to the part, the solder balls adhere to the pads. Leads or solder balls provide the final interconnect between the component and the board application in the end-use product. Unlike leadframe packages, PBGAs use solder balls as the interconnect path from the package to the printed circuit board. Instead of lead forming processes, solder balls are attached to the substrate. Solder balls are attached by applying a flux, placing the balls on the pads, and reflowing the PBGA. The reflow process forms a metallurgical joint between the solder ball and the substrate ball pad. Alignment is a key parameter during ball placement to avoid missing balls or solder bridging.

Chip Scale Packaging (CSP)

Flip-stacked CSP

SEE YOU NEXT MEETING!

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