Individual selective rework of defective BGA solder balls

A method for removing and replacing a solder ball from an attachment site of a ball grid array on an electronic component workpiece, the method comprising:

• placing an electronic component workpiece having a ball grid array thereon at a location;
• and
• without moving the electronic component workpiece from the location:
• aligning a capillary tube over a solder ball of the ball grid array on the electronic component workpiece;
• lowering the capillary tube to contact the solder ball from above;
• heating the solder ball with heat conducted from a heat source through the capillary tube sufficiently to reduce the solder thereof to a molten state;
• drawing a vacuum through the capillary tube to facilitate drawing the solder in a molten state thereinto;
• retrieving a replacement solder ball from a source of replacement solder balls using the capillary tube;
• aligning the capillary tube over the attachment site;
• lowering the capillary tube to place the replacement solder ball in contact with the attachment site;
• heating the replacement solder ball through the capillary tube at least sufficiently to cause the replacement solder ball to bond to the attachment site;
• and
• retracting the capillary tube and releasing the replacement solder ball.

A method for extracting and removing at least one defective solder ball from an attachment site in a ball grid array of an electronic component workpiece, comprising:

• placing an electronic component workpiece on a support at a location;
• and
• without moving the electronic component workpiece from the location:
• viewing a ball grid array of the electronic component workpiece under magnification to identify and locate at least one defective solder ball in the ball grid array;
• positioning a ball pickup head comprising a capillary tube over the at least one defective solder ball and vertically extending the capillary tube to contact the at least one defective solder ball;
• applying heat from a heater through the capillary tube to the at least one defective solder ball to reduce it to a molten state;
• removing the molten solder from the attachment site with the capillary tube by at least one of capillary action and applying a vacuum to the molten solder material through the capillary tube;
• retrieving a good solder ball from a source of good solder balls using the capillary tube;
• positioning the capillary tube over the attachment site;
• extending the capillary tube to place the good solder ball in contact with the attachment site;
• heating the good solder ball with the heater through the capillary tube at least sufficiently to cause the good solder ball to bond to the attachment site;
• and
• retracting the capillary tube to release the solder ball.

An apparatus for extracting and replacing an individual solder ball mounted on an attachment site on an electronic component workpiece, the apparatus comprising:

• a support configured to receive an electronic component workpiece thereon;
• a solder ball contact head configured to remove an individual solder ball from the electronic component workpiece and, without removal of the electronic component workpiece from the support, to replace the removed solder ball with another solder ball, the solder ball contact head comprising:
• a capillary tube including a distal end having an inside diameter less than a diameter of an individual solder ball of a plurality of solder balls mounted in an array over a surface of the electronic component workpiece;
• and
• a heating device operably coupled to the capillary tube;
• a structure for aligning the capillary tube with the mounted individual solder balls in substantially transverse orientation to the electronic component workpiece surface;
• and
• an assembly for controllably extending and retracting the capillary tube toward and away from the surface of the electronic component workpiece.