Modified gamma correction method to enhance ball grid array image for surface defect inspection

BGA (Ball Grid Array) surface defect detection requires faster and more accurate methods for semiconductor industry applications. Traditionally, the BGA inspection used gray-scale images. However, the solder pad, wiring and gray scales shown in images depict little variance. Therefore, when the threshold value is poorly set or the contract rate is insignificant, BGA detection may fail to segment an object. This research proposes a modified methodology that uses Gamma correction for image enhancement. Three-color bands were applied to a modified Gamma correction algorithm (i.e. RGB) to better separate the high and low image contrasts. Better results were obtained by dividing the image into background and foreground portions using the Gamma correction. As a result, the proposed method improved the contrast value by 52.09%. After the images were enhanced and segmented, the compactness and internal holes were calculated as features for classification. The results showed that classification correctness was 96.43%. The proposed method used a 640 × 480 pixel image, performing complete defect detection 0.3 seconds faster than the traditional enhancement method, which requires 1 second. The research results provide an effective solution for the detection and classification of the BGA surface tin ball defect problem.