Plastic quad flat pack

A description is given of the plastic quad flat pack (PQFP), which is a high-density surface-mount solution to the cost pressure on component manufacturers and users. This family of fine-pitch plastic-leaded chip carriers has small size, low cost, good performance, and the manufacturability required for the coming generation of electronic devices. The package design has unique features such as corner bumpers for protection against lead damage. The authors discuss some of the technical issues addressed in the development of this packaging technology. The surface-mount techniques as well as the packages' key attributes are included in the discussion. A look-ahead at some of the performance enhancement techniques is provided. The industry support infrastructure is also summarized.<>