Ball Grid Array versus Pin Grid Array
There is one other common packaging for integrated circuits and this is the PGA or Pin Grid Array. The BGA looks physically similar to a Pin Grid Array package. Both are one-sided; that is, only one face of the semi-conducting substrate is used for printing and mounting of circuit components. Moreover, both have an obvious grid-like pattern. However, the Pin Grid Array uses pins - thus, the name - whereas the BGA uses balls - as it has already been mentioned above. The pins (in the PGA) or the balls (in the BGA) are the materials through which electricity is conducted between the printed surface of the semiconductor board and the surface-mounted circuit components.
