Amkor Technology nears qualification of environmentally friendly material alternatives for ball grid array packages

Amkor Technology nears qualification of environmentally friendly material alternatives for ball grid array packages

Amkor Technology nears qualification of environmentally friendly material alternatives for ball grid array packages

Keywords Amkor, Environmental impact, BGA

In response to worldwide environmental concerns, Amkor Technology which already offers lead-free IC packages, soon will offer halide-free versions of the same packages.

The company's qualification of halide-free materials used in the assembly of laminate- and tape-based ball grid array packages will be complete in April. The packages are widely used in the production of electronic products such as cell phones, graphic cards, and personal digital assistants.

Amkor began shipping lead-free BGA and leadframe IC packages in 2000. Now, by replacing the halides commonly used as a fire retardant in IC components, the company will be able to supply a major product line of environmentally friendly "green" products.

Halides, which were present in minute amounts, are being replaced with environmentally safe alternatives such as magnesium oxide.

Eutectic tin-lead was the alloy most often used for solder spheres in ball grid array manufacturing. After experimenting with several alternatives, Amkor qualified lead-free solder compositions containing tin, silver and copper for its BGA products. These new lead-free alloys require higher process temperatures than eutectic tin-lead, requiring the use of advanced materials and processes capable of withstanding temperatures up to 260°C during the board assembly process.

Further details: Tel: +1 480 821 2408; Ext. 5130; E-mail: kjens@amkor.com; Web site: www.amkor.com