Packaged semiconductor devices with laser grooved wettable flank and methods of manufacture

A method of producing a packaged semiconductor device, the method comprising:

• coupling a semiconductor device to a metal leadframe structure, the metal leadframe structure having a signal lead that is electrically coupled with the semiconductor device;
• encapsulating at least a portion of the semiconductor device and at least a portion of the metal leadframe structure in a molding compound, at least a segment of the signal lead being exposed outside the molding compound, a surface of the molding compound defining a primary plane of the packaged semiconductor device;
• forming, with a laser, a groove in the segment of the signal lead;
• applying a solder plating to the segment of the signal lead, including the groove;
• and
• separating, at the groove, the segment of the signal lead into a first portion and a second portion, such that the second portion of the segment of the signal lead is separated from the metal leadframe structure and a flank of the signal lead is defined at an end of the first portion of the segment of the signal lead,
• wherein the flank of the signal lead has a surface area, the surface area of the flank of the signal lead having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being defined by the groove, the second portion being defined by the separation of the segment of the signal lead into the first portion and the second portion, exposed metal leadframe structure being included in the second portion of the surface area of the flank.

A method of producing a packaged semiconductor device, the method comprising:

• coupling a semiconductor device to a metal leadframe structure, the metal leadframe structure having a signal lead that is electrically coupled with the semiconductor device;
• encapsulating at least a portion of the semiconductor device and at least a portion of the metal leadframe structure in a molding compound, at least a segment of the signal lead being exposed outside the molding compound, a surface of the molding compound defining a primary plane of the packaged semiconductor device;
• forming, with a laser, a groove in the segment of the signal lead;
• applying a solder plating to the segment of the signal lead, including the groove;
• and
• separating, at the groove, the segment of the signal lead into a first portion and a second portion, such that the second portion of the segment of the signal lead is separated from the metal leadframe structure and a flank of the signal lead is defined at an end of the first portion of the segment of the signal lead,
• the flank of the signal lead having a surface area, a first portion of the surface area of the flank of the signal lead being defined by the solder plating, and a second portion of the surface area of the flank of the signal lead being defined by exposed metal of the metal leadframe structure, the surface area of the flank being a discontinuous surface area, a perimeter of a surface of the exposed metal being crescent shaped or semicircular shaped, a center portion of the surface of the exposed metal having a height along an axis that is approximately orthogonal with a primary plane of the packaged semiconductor device, the primary plane of the packaged semiconductor device being defined by the molding compound, the height of the center portion being greater than a height, along the axis that is approximately orthogonal with the primary plane of the packaged semiconductor device, of a portion of the surface of the exposed metal that is laterally disposed from the center portion of the surface of the exposed metal.