BGA SSDs

A BGA SSD puts NAND flash, a controller and firmware into one ball-grid-array package that solders directly to the host board. It gives you solid-state storage without the connector and board space of a removable SSD module.

They use PCIe Gen4 x4 with the NVMe protocol in a 291-ball M.2 1620 package (16mm × 20mm). Confirm the package and ball map for your part before board layout.

M.2 1620 is a solderable BGA package size defined in the PCI-SIG M.2 specification, measuring 16mm × 20mm. It carries the same PCIe NVMe interface as a plug-in M.2 SSD, but in a chip that mounts directly on the board.

Both can use the same PCIe NVMe interface. An M.2 SSD is a removable card that plugs into a connector and is held by a screw, so it is easy to replace or upgrade. A BGA SSD is soldered to the board, so it takes far less space, has no connector to loosen under vibration and cannot be removed. See M.2 NVMe SSDs.

Both solder onto the board. eMMC uses the older eMMC interface, with transfer rates up to about 400 MB/s, and suits simple boot and storage needs at low cost. A BGA SSD uses PCIe NVMe, reaching up to 4,200 MB/s read, and appears to the system as a standard NVMe drive. Choose a BGA SSD when you need more speed or capacity. See eMMC and UFS.

3D TLC is available from 64GB to 1TB in every grade. pSLC is available from 40GB to 320GB in industrial (−40°C to 85°C) and automotive-temperature (−40°C to 105°C) grades for write-heavy workloads.

Match it to how much your system writes. pSLC stores one bit per cell and is rated for up to 100,000 program/erase cycles, compared with about 3,000 for 3D TLC, so it suits write-heavy workloads such as data logging. Mostly-read data such as an operating system or applications works well on 3D TLC, which costs less per gigabyte.

Commercial drives are rated from 0°C to 70°C and industrial drives from −40°C to 85°C. Automotive-temperature drives are rated from −40°C to 105°C and qualified to AEC-Q100 Grade 2. Radiation-tolerant drives are rated from −40°C to 105°C case temperature and tested to 40 krad(Si) total ionizing dose and 37.9 MeV·cm²/mg single-event effects. Contact us for the ratings of a specific part.

Every AMP BGA SSD is DRAM-less. Host Memory Buffer lets a DRAM-less NVMe SSD use a small part of the host system’s memory for controller data, which keeps the package small and the component count low. Most drives support it, and their listed performance figures assume it is enabled.

No. Firmware power-loss protection, AES encryption, TCG Opal, SR-IOV and automotive qualifications vary by drive and part number. Each product page lists what that drive supports, and AMP confirms the feature set for your configuration before qualification.

Yes. Send the existing part number, host platform, capacity, temperature range and annual quantity, and AMP will recommend compatible options to qualify.