1-GHz BGA Socket Supports 10-GHz Bandwidths

A high-performance ball-grid-array (BGA) socket developed by Ironwood Electronics, intended for the 1-mm-pitch 1521 ball BGA, operates at bandwidths up to 10 GHz with less than 1 dB of insertion loss. The SG-BGA-8030 connects all pins with 10-GHz bandwidth on all connections. Contact resistance is typically 20 mΩ per I/O. An integrated compression mechanism to the socket lid makes it easy to change BGAs. The device incorporates a heat sink and fan to dissipate 60 W. No soldering is required—supplied hardware mounts the socket to the printed-circuit board (PCB). Gold-plated embedded wire on elastomer is the interconnect material between the device and the PCB. Operating temperature ranges from -35 to +100°C. Pin self-inductance is 0.15 nH; mutual inductance is 0.025 nH. Capacitance to ground measures 0.01 pF, while current capacity is 2 A per pin. The socket specifically accommodates 1-mm-pitch, 40- by 40-mm, 39 by 39 ball arrays.