Effect of Design Factors on Microvia Reliability of Flip Chip Ball Grid Array Polymeric Substrates

Microvia failures in flip chip ball grid array (FCBGA) polymeric substrates have been a major concern in the development of reliable packages for high-performance and high-density chips. To determine the relationship between reliability and design factors of the microvias, a 10-layer substrate was used to investigate these contrasting design factors: “stack-on-core” vs. “non–stack-on-core,” “high” vs. “low” aspect ratio, “stacked” vs. “staggered,” and “fillet” vs. “non-fillet.” Temperature cycling was used to generate stresses on the microvias. Electrical resistance was measured and analyzed, using design of experiment (DOE), to determine the effects of these design factors on microvia reliability. The significant single factors for a robust microvia were “non–stack-on-core” and “staggered.” Cross-sectioning was employed to understand the failure pattern. Cracks occurred on “stack-on-core” and “stacked” designs only. All the cracks were located at the interface between the capture pad and the bottom of th...