September 1998
eMail the Editor
Examining the Impact of Solder on CSP's
The electronics industry is as promising, challenging and vital as it ever has been. Our lives are touched by the electronics revolution through the products we use-personal computers, cellular phones and pagers.This continually evolving world has brought us more efficiency, greater productivity, more competition and more challenges-often at the expense of more headaches and greater complexity.
We have seen chip packaging and interconnections evolve from through-hole to surface mount and then to ball grid arrays. With the advent of chip-scale packaging less than a decade ago, we have found the newest solution to the decades-old problem of package size and weight.
This issue of Chip Scale Review will examine a wide range of solder-related topics pertinent to CSPs. In our feature, "An Expert Looks at the Issues," Dr. Jennie Hwang, a leading international surface-mount electronics expert, presents her views on solder-related challenges affecting CSPs. She discusses what still needs to be done and what to expect in the future.
Meanwhile, Editor Ron Iscoff looks at current equipment for solder ball attachment in his survey article.
Paul Wood, OK International, compares the ball grid array to the CSP in "A Successful Rework Process for Chip-Scale Packages."
Prof. Guna Selvaduray, San Jose State University, and Mulugeta Abtew, SCI Systems, bring readers up to date in "Lead-Free Solder for Surface Mount Applications." Meanwhile, Donald Hayes and David Wallace discuss "Solder-Jet Printing for CSPs" and detail how solder micro-deposition is employed to produce 25-125-µm diameter spheres.
GÄnter Schiebel, of German electronics giant Siemens AG, offers readers an overview of how CSPs can be placed using existing surface mount equipment in, "Criteria for Reliable High-Speed Mounting of CSPs."
These far ranging topics-and the others selected for this issue-cover a wide range of solder-related issues and the challenges faced by chip-scale packaging. Today and in the future, packaging technologists will continue to meet and exceed the demands of change brought on by a rapidly growing, constantly-new electronics industry.
Best regards,
Dr. Rao Mahidhara
Contributing Technical Editor