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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ESD rating of the PCI products and what methods were followed?
Human Body Model (HBM): 2000 volts. The method used was JESD-A114-B.
Is the device package moisture sensitive?
Yes.
What is the moisture sensitivity level (1-6) of the products?
Please contact qa@plxtech.com for questions regarding MSL ratings on a product by product basis.
What is the safe exposure time after opening the moisture bag?
168 hours for Level 3 moisture sensitivity.
Does the part have to be baked prior to use?
No. If the part was baked, vacuum sealed and the exposure time did not exceed the 168 hours after opening.
Does the tray meet the JEDEC standard and is it bakeable?
The tray meets the JEDEC requirements and is bakeable up to a maximum of 125°C.
Tray types and respective quantities.
All production-shipping trays used by PLX Technology are high temperature (125°C) bakeable trays. Furthermore, all tray types adhere to JEDEC standards. The device count per tray depends on the packaging configuration of the different devices. The various part counts per tray can be broken down as follows:
Packaging Technology # Parts per Tray # Parts per Row # Parts per Column
208-pin PQFP 24 8 3
176-pin PQFP 36 9 4
160-pin PQFP 24 8 3
225-ball PBGA 40 10 4
180-ball µBGA 168 21 8
256-ball PBGA 90 15 6
272-ball PBGA 40 10 40
What is the Thermal Resistance for the following devices?
Device Thermal Resistance
9030 with 176 QFP package 30-45 °C/W
9030 with 180 µBGA package 22-34 °C/W
9050 with 160 QFP package 30-50 °C/W
9052 with 160 QFP package 30-50 °C/W
9054 with 176 QFP package 60-70 °C/W
9054 with 225 BGA package 60-80 °C/W
9060 series with 208 QFP package 40-50 °C/W
9080 with 208 QFP package 30-50 °C/W
9056 with 256 BGA package 30-40 °C/W
9656 with 272 BGA package 30-40 °C/W
How is the thermal resistance calculated?
It can be calculated from the ambient temperature Ta, the thermal resistance (Thetaj-a) of the package, and the power consumption PD.
The chip temperature (Tj) = Ta + (PD x Thetaj-a) (°C) where,
Tj = chip junction temperature
Ta = ambient temperature
PD = power consumption
Thetaj-a = thermal resistance
Are all the parts qualified and are data available?
All parts have been qualified. Either specific data or "generic" data is available upon request.
How is the device qualified?
The product is submitted through various electrical and environmental tests as described in the applicable JEDEC specifications and MIL-STD-883.
Is generic or product-specific data available?
Yes, both types of data are available depending on the product.
How may I obtain generic or product-specific data?
The data is best obtained via our Sales department or Sales representatives who will notify the Quality Assurance department within PLX Technology. The data is considered proprietary and has limited distribution for customers who have received approval from the PLX Sales Department.
What is the FIT rate for PLX devices?
The FIT rate for the following products are:
Device FIT Rate
PCI 9030 30 FITS
PCI 9050 30 FITS
PCI 9052 30 FITS
PCI 9054 30 FITS
PCI 9060 (series) 30 FITS
PCI 9080 30 FITS
PCI 9056 40 FITS
PCI 9656 40 FITS
How often are the products qualified, and are there on-going product monitors?
Once the product is qualified there are subsequent monitors on a periodic basis. This monitor will usually have a subset of tests derived from the main qualification testing. Should any of those changes occur, re-qualification is required:
  1. New product release
  2. Major process change
  3. Relocation of wafer fabrication or assembly plant
  4. New equipment
  5. Change in wafer size
  6. New process
What is the Flammability rating of the devices?
For QFP & BGA packages, the rating is UL94 V-O.
Are PLX parts Industrial temperature qualified?
Yes. The following PCI products are qualified from -40°C to +85°C (Ta): PCI 9030, PCI 9050, PCI 9052, PCI 9054, PCI 9080.
How are QFP leads inspected?
The leads are inspected using either an optical or laser based lead scanner. The lead scanner inspects the leads for pitch, skew, bent leads, co-planarity and missing leads. Inspection parameters are taken directly from the product data book.
What does the part number coding mean?
field-1 field-2 - field-3 field-4 field-5 field-6
XXX XXXX - XX XX X X
  1. Device Class (e.g., PCI9054-AB50PI)
  2. Part Number (e.g., PCI9054-AB50PI)
  3. Device Revision (e.g., PCI9054-AB50PI) (Base & Metal Layers)
  4. Maximum Operating Frequency (in MHz) (e.g., PCI9054-AB50PI)
  5. Packaging Technology (B=BGA, P=PQFP)
  6. Operational Temperature Range (I=industrial, C=commercial)
What does the marking mean?
Line 1 PLX Logo
Line 2 PLX Part Number
Line 3 Date Codes, ESD Triangle
Line 4 Lot#, Country of Origin