Weller

Operating Instructions for WPRB1000 Re-balling Kit

WPRB1000 REPAIR KIT FOR PLASTIC BGA COMPONENTS INTRODUCTION Congratulations ! You have just purchased a simple device to re-ball a PBGA (Plastic Ball Grid Array) component, as part of the rework process. This kit applies specifically to plastic BGAs and allows you the flexibility to use either paste or balls to repair your components. A different kit is available from Weller for ceramic BGAs. KIT CONTENTS Your re-balling kit comes with the following items. 1 ceramic base, complete with clamping hardware 6 templates that cover most combinations of pitches and layouts (in-line or staggered) 1 tube of eutectic balls (75 mm or.030 in. diameter) 1 set 2 probes and 1 tweezer 1 #1 Hex driver 1 ESD safe tray 1 Flux pan,. RMA 1 Xcelite handle for three (3) spatula blades 1 Squeegee 1 dummy BOA for training 3 Glass spacer plates instruction Manual 1 Wooden Kit Box Kapton tape Kapton is a registered Trade Name of DuPont ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES REQUIRED FLUX You will need flux to properly repair a BGA. We highly recommend a flux pen and while most fluxes can be used, we suggest that you use a RMA (Rosin Mildly Activated) flux. WARNING: DO NOT use the following fluxes: HF-1189-SP1 water soluble type WSF-0, MIL-F-14256-F, This citrus flux is commonly used in the defense industry. The activity of the HF-1189-SP1 will clean the templates well enough to cause them to wet with solder. Once the templates have filled with solder, you must discard them and order a new set. SOLDER PASTE Solder paste has not been added to this kit because of it's limited shelf life and perishable nature. Pastes should be 62/32/2% Ag (silver) which will flow at a reasonably low temperature (189 0/372F) Metal to flux content should be kept between 85% and 93% metal Mesh should be 325 to 500 Viscosity should be 350-500 KCPS WARNING: Use only RMA based pastes (NO water-soluble pastes) Use only eutectic alloy pastes (DO NOT use 10/90 pastes. It may result in component failure due to thermal cycling because of mismatches in thermal expansion coefficients) CLEANING AGENTS. Use isopropyl alcohol to clean the RMA based fluxes. Use De-ionized water to clean water soluble type fluxes. Generally, you can use the strongest agent allowed and a brush (anti-static for best results). You must get all the flux off. REFLOW/REWORK EQUIPMENT Any Weller hot air stations will work well with this kit (WHA700, WHA300, WHA2000). If you are using your own rework system, make sure that it has at least the following capabilities.

Temperature control to 250C (482F) Alrflow control to 25 liters/min Hot air nozzles (when working with eutectic solder paste). You may use any number of sizes but 2 sizes: (7 mm x 7 mm or 12 mm x 12 mm) seem to perform the best. BEFORE YOU GET STARTED A few words about the process of repairing/re-balling BGAs. The correct and successful use of this tool requires a small amount of skill that can easily be achieved through training. For that reason, we have included a "dummy" component in this kit. You can safely practice the rework process on this component before you repair an actual component. IDENTIFY THE COMPONENT Ceramic body with High temperature balls (90/10 Solder) The balls will show up as a smooth sphere with a meniscus or collar of softer solder (of a slightly different color). The solder enwraps each sphere and bonds it to the ceramic body. The spheres are high temperature balls, made of 10190 alloy and the solder is eutectic, typically 2% Ag. This rework kit does not apply to these components. Plastic or ceramic body with eutectic balls For all plastic BGAs, the balls are formed directly onto the pad and are made of a eutectic alloy, typically 2% Ag. These are the only components that can be reworked with this kit. Some ceramic BGAs also came with eutectic balls. This type of component is particularly susceptible to damage during rework. The pads de-wet with the solder. At that point the component is damaged beyond repair. This rework kit does not apply to these components. Tape Ball Grid Array (TBGA) The balls are high temperature balls (10190) and are partially reflown on the bottom of these Components. If removed with the proper temperature profile and good practices, these BGAs will not lose their balls and will be able to be installed successfully on a new location. This rework kit does not apply to these components. PREPARE THE COMPONENT Before reballing, you must make sure that the component is clean of old solder balls. Use regular and known methods including a solder wick, a soldering, iron with a flat tip, . Clean all excess flux and remaining flux residue with proper solvent and cleaning agent. The goal is to be left with a clean part that has NO balls left but with a flat and even pad. Each pad should be tinned. This step is critical because a component with one or more lifted pads cannot be salvaged readily and its reliability is compromised. Remember that by attempting the reballing process, you are actually trying to "save" a good component. REBALLING Once the part is identified and cleaned, you can finally start the reballing process. 1.Select the correct template. The kit comes with 6 templates (see table below). Most BGAs come in one of 3 pitches and each pitch comes in both full layout (the rows of balls are aligned directly above each other) and staggered layout (where the of balls are staggered). Full Layout Staggered Layout BGA Pitch Template Part Number Template Part Number 1.00 mm WPRBIOOF WPRB100S 1.27 mm WPRB127F WPRB127S 1.50 mm WPRB15OF WPRB150S 2. Align the template with the component.

Hold the component under the center of the template and align the pads with the holes in the template. This can be done visually since the precision of a visual alignment is well above that needed for the reballing process. NOTE: Flux all pads with' RMA flux (New Balls only). Prepare the component with a piece of Kapton tape before you align it to the template. Place a piece of tape on the component side opposite the pads so that about 1/2" of tape extends on each side of the component. Once the component is aligned exactly where you want it, you just have to hold it in place and press the tape on the template. This will save time and effort for the next step. Tape all 4 sides of the component along the edge using Kapton tape. This will help secure the component to the template and reduce waste when applying paste and balls later in the process. The component should be taped to the "THIS FACE DOWN" side of the template. This is critical for the proper functioning of the kit. Once in the fixture, the template should be on top of the BGA and its "THIS FACE UP" side should be UP. LOAD THE PART AND TEMPLATE INTO THE FIXTURE The ceramic plate is the base of the fixture. The glass plates will hold the component tightly under the template. You must use just as many plates as necessary so the part is snug under the template but not so snug as to make the template bow under the stress. These plates come 1/8", 3/16" and 1/4" thickness. They are used as a "macro" adjustment. The 4 screws on the base are used for final "fine tuning". Align the "key holes" on the template with the 4 screws on the base and rotate the template until the screws lock it in place. You may have to lightly push. the template corners against the springs to engage and lock it in place. When the template and part are loaded correctly on the base', the templates should be flat and leveled. It should not deflect when you push on any point of it. The glass plate(s) should not slide or move when the base is tipped. At this point you have to decide whether to reball the component using new balls or solder paste. WHEN USING NEW BALLS Flux all pads with RMA flux. SELECT THE RIGHT BALLS FOR THE APPLICATION Eutectic balls come in .024" diameter (.60 mm) for use with 1.00 mm pitch and.030" diameter (.75 mm) for use with 1.27 mm and 1.50 mm pitches. NOTE: Before you pour the balls, place the fixture in the plastic ESD box provided in the kit so you can easily collect the loose excess balls and pour them back into the bottle. ADD THE NEW BALLS TO THE FIXTURE Pour the balls on the template so that each hole in the template (over the Component has a ball in it. There is no need to fill the whole template with balls, as most components will be smaller than the template. However, you must make sure that there is a ball above each of the pads of then component. REFLOW Place the fixture in a conventional oven and reflow the balls using the manufacturer suggested reflow profile for the component. You may also use any Weller hot air system provided that you have a nozzle large enough to fit completely over the entire component. When reflowing using bails, you must reflow the whole component at once. !f you are using a hot air system with P suitable nozzle, you must reproduce the reflow profile of an oven as closely as possible. The nozzle should be left about 1" above the part during pre-heat, then lowered down to the template (within 1/8" of the template) during the heat and spike phases of the reflow process. Cool down should be at ambient air temperature (no forced air). The nozzle may now be removed from the fixture.

WHEN USING SOLDER PASTE PRINTING Apply the solder paste using the spatula that best fits your needs. We provided you with 3 sizes. Spread the solder paste into every hole. Using the rubber squeegee, wipe the extra paste off the template surface. The template should be clean and shiny. There should not be any paste left on its surface. !f you took the time to tape all edges of the part when positioning it to the template, you will avoid having large amounts of paste under the template along the edges of the part. This paste does. not hurt anything during the reflow process but it is wasteful and difficult to clean once the reflow is over, if the BGA does not have pads in the center, the balls will form but will not stick. You should paste the entire component surface regardless. This is a critical part of the process and should result in even, consistent application of paste. Each hole must have the same amount. of solder paste. The template must be flat and leveled. The part must be held tightly against the template. REFLOW When using paste, you cannot use a conventional reflow oven. You must use a hot air system with a "small" nozzle (7 mm x 7 mm or 12 mm x 12 mm). You must reproduce the reflow profile of an oven as closely as possible but you will do so for only one part of the component at once. Pre-heat: Place the fixture 1 inch under the hot air nozzle. Set heat at 350F (177C) and the airflow should be adjusted to a "low" setting. Depending on your component size, preheat will last from 1 to 3 minutes. If the component is very large, you should move it slowly under the airflow to pre-heat the entire component. Reflow: Lower the nozzle to ill" above the template. Heat should be set at 400F (204C) to 500F (260C). Airflow should be on a "high" setting. Move the fixture under the airflow to heat the whole surface of the component. We suggest that you start in the center of the part and move slowly to the outer edges using either a radial or spiral path. This will allow for quick solder ball formation and minimize temperature differential across the part. Once the paste has started reflowing and balls have formed over the whole surface of the component, you can go to the final. pass. Final Pass: Same heat and airflow setting. Lower the nozzle to 1/4" of the template. Go over the whole surface of the component but faster than during heating. This phase should last less than 15 seconds in most cases. Reflow of the solder occurs when the paste converts from a dull gray color to a shiny, almost reflective ball. COOLING Allow the part to cool in the fixture at ambient temperature for at least 1 minute without any forced air. REMOVING THE PART The template can be flexed slightly to help remove the part. You may also be required to use some solvent. The part should never be taken out of the fixture before it is cool. If a part seems to be "stuck" to the template, DO NOT TRY TO PRY IT OUT. !t is best to take the tape off and hold the template under the hot air nozzle. Once the solder reflows, the part will come. loose. CLEANING AND INSPECTION Clean the part with an appropriate solvent. This may require some forceful scrubbing with a brush to remove all excess balls and flux residue. Look for even and uniform balls. Their surface should be smooth and shiny. They should be centered on the pads. There should not be any flux residue left on the component. The balls that form on the bottom of the component in places that have no pads should be taken off prior to using the component again. They should come loose easily during the cleaning process. Look for solder bridges and missing balls. The beauty of this process is that it is safe to the component. !f balls are missing, start over and pay attention to the template leveling, the pasting and the wiping steps of this process. You will improve with practice.

MAINTENANCE The template will most likely have some remaining solder balls. Place it under a hot air stream and gently tap it on a bench top. The balls should fall if you heated them enough. For flux residue and excess flux, clean the templates with a brush and solvent between usage. If solder wets in one or more holes of a template, throw it away and order a new set. Clean the ceramic base with the same solvent that you use for the component and template. You can also use a soft brush on it. Avoid dropping it. It is not resistant to mechanical shocks. SPECIAL PATTERNS If you are working with prototype parts and need a special template, please call Weller Technical Service at (803) 5375167. SUMMARY We hope that the information in this manual will help you in recovering your components. YOU should practice on a dummy EGA before you attempt to reball a good component. If you need additional help or have any questions, please feel free to call Weller Technical Service at (803) 537-5167.