VSPA/sup TM/-320: a novel package for high density mounting using existing infrastructure

Trends for high pin count packages continue to push lead counts to higher levels while the demand for greater density drives lead pitch for conventional Quad Flat Packages (QFP) toward finer features (<0.5 mm). Ball Grid Array packages (BGA) offer one alternative to the trend toward fine pitch packages, however, it is not the only alternative. According to Dr. Rao R. Tummala, "The plastic quad flat package is the most dominant package in the industry today. However, it is too large and low performance because of peripheral connections. For these reasons, it is being considered for replacement by ball grid array packages, which are smaller, lighter and higher performance. These packages, however, pose major reliability concerns when surface mounted to a printed wiring board. I expect the VSPA/sup TM/ package, under development at Panda, to provide the best of both packages without the inherent disadvantages of either".