Future of Engineering

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Copper Pillars to Replace Solder Balls in Motherboards

Copper Pillars Poised to Replace Solders

As computers become more complex, the demand increases for more connections between computer chips and external circuitry such as a motherboard or wireless card. And as the integrated circuits become more advanced, maximizing their performance requires better connections that operate at higher frequencies with less loss.

Improving these two types of connections will increase the amount and speed of information that can be sent throughout a computer. The vertical connections between chips and boards are currently formed by melting tin solder between the two pieces and adding glue to hold everything together. Kohl’s research shows that replacing the solder ball connections with copper pillars creates stronger connections and the ability to create more connections.

Full story here

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