How Assemblers Use X-Ray Inspection for BGA
BGA Rework and Repair may seem daunting at first glance. In fact, considering the macro scale at which our eyes perceive the world, it is daunting to dissect a PCB or BGA. Luckily, the field of optics has accelerated greatly in recent years, and microscope technology has only seen greater levels of magnification added to it. When put in conversation with X-ray technology, the combination serves as an efficient and accessible tool for BGA inspection. Of course, it still takes a keen eye to decipher that wealth of new information; what is defective and what is a process indicator may seem indistinguishable to the inexperienced observer. Assemblers and inspectors don’t simply play it by ear, however. Though every BGA and PCB is unique, there are some objective standards one must measure from for a board or array to be considered acceptable. This article will concentrate on BGA X-ray inspection in particular. BGAs (Ball Grid Arrays) are SMT packages with an array of solder bal