March 2003 The International Reference for Chip-Scale Electronics, Flip-Chip Technology, Optoelectronic Interconnection and Wafer-Level Packaging Email the editor

Mark Bird Contributing Editor

The leadframe-based CSP is still the hottest package going, as we continue the semiconductor industry's recovery in 2003.

Forecasts Project High Volumes

With high projected forecasts for this product, there does not seem to be an end to this CSP's growth anytime soon. TechSearch International, Austin, Texas, forecast 750 million units for 2001, < one billion for last year, about 1.5 billion for this year and estimates more than 1.8 billion for 2004.

This activity level is mirrored in the JEDEC JC-11 committee with new variations and families. The workhorse of the leadframe CSP remains the thermally enhanced, cavity-up, quad terminal lead CSP, with its JEDEC outline designated CSP-MO-220 (Figure 1) which has grown from 70 variations in Revision A to a robust 187 variations in Revision F, published last November.

Following close behind is the thermally enhanced, cavity-up, dual inline terminal lead package, designated the CSP-MO-229 (Figure 2), which has grown from 70 variations in Revision A to a sizable 114 since Revision B was published in November.

Figure 1. JEDEC's CSP-MO-220	Figure 2. JEDEC's CSP-MO-229

You might now think that these two outline families would cover all the applications, but guess what-you're wrong! Presently in ballot at JC-11 is a third family. At first look, this package appears to be a depopulated, thermally enhanced, cavity-up, quad terminal lead CSP, but is really a thermally enhanced, cavity-up, dual inline terminal lead CSP with two leads wrapped around the corners (Figure 3).

Wrapped Leads

The purpose of the wrapped leads is to create a smaller package footprint without losing the dual inline board mounting characteristics. The wrapped leads will be connecting from the side of the package and not the end. The Revision A of this document will begin with only six variations but has the potential to grow like the other leadframe CSPs. This new package family will be available mid-2003. Figure 4 illustrates Amkor's MicroLeadFrame package, that company's version of a QFN.

You may think the above represents a tremendous amount of JEDEC standards activity, but buckle your seat belts, put your tray table away, and return your seats to their upright position because we are just taking off!

Figure 3. JEDEC's CSP-MO-XXX, JC-11.11-644	Figure 4. Amkor's MicroLeadFrame package is its version of the QFN format.

In Ballot

The JEDEC design guide for all three families is in ballot and will be published late this year. This will not limit families or variations but will keep them consistent. An effort is now underway to develop families and design guides to incorporate dual and staggered-row leadframe CSPs.

Thinner Variations

Did I mention, incidentally, that there are rumblings about having new families of even thinner variations, and I don't mean "Very-Very-Thin" or "Ultra-Thin." I'm talking about "Extremely Thin."

Stay tuned and keep your web browsers set on [jedec.org] to keep pace with this dynamic CSP package.

Correcting the Record

The tables that appeared in my November-December column, page 11, contained errors introduced during the publication process.

To correct the record, both tables are reprinted here.

Readers that downloaded the new document revision from the IPC web site at [ipc.org] or from the JEDEC web site at [jedec.org] received the correct data.