Electrical analysis of IC packaging with emphasis on different ball grid array packages

Parasitics associated with integrated circuit packaging are beginning to affect the performance of the integrated circuit with the rise in operating frequencies. Hence it has become necessary to properly model the various components of the package to provide better understanding of these effects. This paper provides equivalent circuit models for the different components of a package, such as the package leads in small outline packages and the quad flat-packs, the solder balls used in ball grid arrays, through via holes and wire bonds in packages. These electrical characteristics have thereafter been used to model different package types currently used in the industry with major emphasis being on the type of chip connect or the first level interconnection. The electrical parameters obtained confirm that most of the packages have to be flip chip based when compared to wire bonded and over-molded alternatives as the frequencies of operation increases to the high GHz range.