Bioptro developing BBT for FC-BGA

South Korea’s Bioptro was currently developing a bare board tester (BBT) for flip-chip ball grid array (FC-BGA) with the aim of wrapping up development within the year, TheElec has learned.

The printed circuit board (PCB) testing equipment maker had been reviewing entering the sector from the increased demand for FC-BGA that started in 2020 from the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Bioptro began the development of the BBT during the second half of 2021, sources said.

FC-BGA is a high-end semiconductor board used for CPUs for PC, network, server and data center applications. Those for CPU and data centers are the most high-end.

Currently, the FC-BGA BBT market is dominated by Japan’s Nidec-Read, which is also the largest vendor for BBT for high density interconnector, which are PCBs used in smartphones.

Bioptro will need to start production of FC-BGA BBTs within the year for meaningful results, the sources said.

Semiconductor board companies are increasing their spending in the FC-BGA sector from the high demand, they said.

The South Korean company would need to win orders as soon as possible to form long-term relationships with them, they added.

Currently, its customer for BBT, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, is planning to build a new FC-BGA production in Vietnam.

FC-BGA BBT, compared to BBTs used in conventional chip boards, has different precision levels.

Multiple BBT companies are focusing on manufacturing high-end testers due to shortage of components such as controllers or jigs needed to make the machines.

Nidec-Read is focusing on delivering FC-BGA, which has given a window for smaller BBT firms such as Bioptro to expand their supply volume. The South Korean firm has already secured enough orders to continue supplying the machines up to Spring, the sources said.