25.0 INTRODUCTION

Advanced packages such as the ball grid array (BGA), chip scale package (CSP), and flip chip (FC) to a continuously increasing degree will be incorporated into future surface mount tehcnology (SMT) board designs. Currently micro-BGAs/CSPs with a minimum ball pitch of 0.5 mm and a typical ball diameter of 0.25 to 0.3 mm are attracting more and more interest. National Semiconductor s approach to a CSP, the micro-surface mount device (micro-SMD), already has ball/bump diameters in the range of 0.14 to 0.18 mm. This can be interpreted as an indicator that CSP and FC technologies are converging.

Due to the strongly growing consumption figures of all these packages, particularly in the automotive, telecommunications, computer, watches and smart card/RFID applications, throughput is becoming more and more an issue. This chapter gives a brief overview of some applications where high-speed mounting or even processing of advanced packages is required. The chapter addresses as well the various criteria for achieving high throughputs with area array packages and bare dies for chip-on-board (COB) using advanced chipshooters. The key criteria are the machine concept (placement principle), component feeding, type of flux and adhesive application, component vision technique, and printed wiring board (PWB) vision technique.

The 0201 package with an outline dimension of 0.6 0.3 mm is about to find increasing applications in portable devices. It also has to be considered as a package that requires advanced process capabilities combined with high speed. The placement...