BGA Ball Placement Tool

Vacuum Lines: For ball attach systems that utilize vacuum force to hold the plate in place, Photo Stencil is capable of building channels into the tool that allow the vacuum to be evenly distributed throughout the entire surface.

Trapezoidal Apertures: Photo Stencil first pioneered the manufacturing of trapezoidal apertures through chemical etching. As a leading innovator in application development, Photo Stencil designs an aperture that is shaped much like a cone which utilizes a vacuum that can hold solder balls in place without having them pass through the plate. Photo Stencil’s use of Alloy 42, plus polishing and nickel plate ensure proper gasketing of the solder ball and plate, preventing leaks and loss of vacuum pressure.

Nickel and Resist Build-Up: Another Photo Stencil innovation involves build up on the substrate side of a Ball Placement Tool which allows the tool to be placed in contact with the BGA substrate during ball placement. There are two manufacturing methods to achieve this configuration: The first method is a Nickel Plate-Up process that plates Nickel ribs at strategic locations on the bottom side of the BGA placement tool. The second method utilizes laminated photoresist on the back side of the BGA placement tool. The photoresist is imaged and developed to provide 6 to 12 mils of spacing on the bottom of the tool. In either case, the bottom side build-up is employed to provide flux relief during the ball placement operation.

Metal Lamination: As application designs have become more innovative and specialized, traditional manufacturing techniques often are not suitable. The Photo Stencil Laminated Metal Ball Plate opens new doors to aperture profile design. The process involves chemically etching two separate plates, then laminating them together to form one tool. Engineers are now allowed more design freedom, such as specifying apertures that combine both straight and trapezoidal wall technologies.

Another lamination stencil configuration is a 20 mil thick stencil with 34 mil circular apertures for dropping 30 mil BGA balls. A 10 mil stencil with 40 mil apertures is laminated to the bottom side of this stencil to provide flux relief when the tool is placed in contact with the package to place the BGA balls.

Manufactured with Alloy 42: Photo Stencil’s proprietary formulation of Alloy 42 metal was specifically developed to ensure smooth aperture walls. Additionally, every Alloy 42 Ball Placement Plate is chemically polished and nickel plated. Together, these technologies produce a clean aperture that will not trap solder balls.

Easy Retrofit: Ball plates can be designed to fit most manufacturer’s BGA ball attach systems.

Multiple Options: Photo Stencil offers the broadest range of manufacturing methods and options in the industry. In addition to chemical etching, plates can be manufactured using laser machining or electroforming. Also, many different metals and plating types are available.

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