With advancements in the electronics industry, integrated circuits are gaining higher integration and larger amounts of I/O, but at the same demanding more power. These trends have made BGA (ball grid array) the package of choice in the design of modern electronic products. BGA packages are used to connect an IC to a printed circuit board (PCB), and a grid of tiny solder balls arranged in a pattern on the bottom of the package. The solder balls act as the connection points between the IC and the PCB, and they are typically soldered to pads on the PCB using a surface mount device.

JLCPCB, the manufacturer who has good process for BGA pad, has upgraded via-in-pad on 6-20 layer PCBs to POFV (Plated Over Filled Via) and it charges for free. Upload your Gerber file and get quality PCBs on JLCPCB quote page.

It is important to consider manufacturing capabilities when designing with BGAs since they often require tight clearances. Below are two problematic designs to show potential issues when clearance limits are violated.

This design was submitted with pad-to-trace distances of only 0.07 mm so some pads were cut back during manufacturing to avoid shorts. This potentially affects soldering as the pads were no longer fully aligned with individual balls.

The next design had unplugged via holes on the BGA pads, which made assembly not so well.

Clearance Requirements

Based on our manufacturing capabilities we suggest the following clearance limits for BGA designs. Special reminder: the vias cannot be plugged using the oil plug process, but can be plugged using resin or copper paste.

2-Layer PCBs

4- and 6-Layer PCBs

The values in bold above have been improved by the use of upgraded, precision equipment. JLCPCB is constantly upgrading equipment and improving manufacturing capabilities to bring customers more precise BGA pads.

Type	Capabilities Exceeded with Regular Vias	Via-in-Pad with Filled Vias
Example Layout
Description	With minimum trace width (A) and clearance (B) both 0.09 mm, neighboring pads need 0.27 mm edge-to-edge to allow a trace through the middle. 0.5 mm pitch BGA would have only 0.25 mm edge-to-edge so this layout is not manufacturable.	Improved layout: Run traces on the opposite side of the PCB and connect to the pads through via-in-pad using POFV. The vias are filled with either conductive or non-conductive epoxy. Minimum drill is 0.2 mm, so use 0.3 mm pads.

Note: Where possible, when using via-in-pad as described above, use pad diameters of at least 0.4 mm.

JLCPCB, which is a rapid electronic manufacturer which covers PCB manufacturing, PCB assembly, industrial 3D printing, and CNC services, is committed to ensuring top-notch production standards by investing in cutting-edge equipment and collaborating with leading raw material suppliers from around the world. Additionally, JLCPCB has five intelligent production bases that are self-owned. By leveraging economies of scale, JLCPCB is able to lower production costs and pass on the savings to customers, removing the price barrier to hardware innovation as much as possible. Moreover, JLCPCB offers up to $54 in registered coupons for every new user. Sign up and upload your Gerber files here to start ordering premium PCBs!