Method to Improve Ball Grid Array Imax Distribution for Small Form Factor Package Design

Chin Lee Kuan,  Jimmy Huang,  Bok Eng Cheah,  Jackson Kong
Intel Microelectronics (M) Sdn. Bhd


Abstract

The scalable Y-patterned power plane design is shown to have successfully reduced the solder ball Imax by 25% with negligible IR drop impact compared conventional fully-plated power plane design. The improved BGA Imax performance is not only vital to mitigate product reliability risks but also uncovers the potential of package form-factor miniaturizations and platform BOM cost savings through BGA ball-count reduction. The scalable Y-patterned design was also found favorable in terms of thermal dissipation the across power plane i.e. 3.7% and 8.0% power loss reduction compared to conventional fully-plated and cross-patterned power plane designs. It is ascertained that the scalable Y-patterned power plane design is a viable solution to address the challenges of rising BGA Imax and thermal dissipation for small form-factor designs and applications.