By Karl Seelig, Vice President Technology and Tim O’Neill, Technical Marketing Manager
And why waiting until the last process step is a bad idea.
BTCs, or bottom termination components, are a class of package referred to by a variety of acronyms and abbreviations. Different component and packaging companies may use different nomenclature (FIGURE 1), but almost all these components share one common, ugly characteristic: large pads that are prone to solder voiding. By design, these large thermal or ground pads require a defined percentage of contact with the solder and PCB to properly conduct heat and/or electricity. Excess solder voids can impact performance and reliability of the package.
The voiding problem has given both designers and manufacturers heartburn for the...