US 4,195,193 AGranted

Lead frame and chip carrier housing

AssigneeAMP Incorporated

InventorsDimitry Grabbe, Ronald Patterson

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A lead frame and chip carrier housing are disclosed which can be used in packaging integrated circuit chips of a range of sizes and requiring varying numbers of leads in the lead frame. The lead frame comprises a centrally located square support portion having simple leads extending from its side edges and having composite leads extending from its corners. Each of the composite leads comprises a trunk lead and branch leads which extend from the side edges of the trunk lead. A relatively small integrated circuit chip can be used with the lead frame by removing only the support portion, locating the chip adjacent to the opening and connecting the simple leads only to the terminal areas of the chip. The lead frame can be used with larger chips having greater numbers of terminal pads by removing the support portion, removing inner end portions of the simple leads, and removing inner end portions of the composite leads so that some or all of the branch leads become available for establishing electrical connections to the chip. The chip carrier housing comprises an open frame member of insulating material molded onto intermediate portions of all of the leads. The inner ends of the leads are imbedded in a thin web which extends from the molded frame inwardly towards the center of the lead frame. Portions of this web are removed when the central opening is formed in the lead frame for the chip.

The combination of a chip carrier housing and a lead frame, said housing and lead frame being capable of receiving integrated circuit chips in a range of sizes and having varying numbers of terminal pads thereon,

said lead frame comprising a plurality of leads extending radially from the geometric center of said lead frame, each of said leads having an inner end portion, an intermediate portion, and an outer end portion, said inner end portion of each of said leads being proximate to the center of said lead frame, said outer end portion being remote from said center, and said intermediate portion being between said inner and outer end portions,
at least one of said leads being a composite lead, said inner end portion of said composite lead comprising a trunk lead and branch leads, said trunk lead extending from said center of said lead frame, said branch leads extending from the side edges of said trunk lead at spaced intervals and at increasing distances from said center of said lead frame,
said housing comprising a plastic frame-like structure molded onto said intermediate portions of said leads, said frame like structure having oppositely directed faces, external laterally facing sidewall portions and internal side wall portions, said inner end portions of said leads extending radially from said internal sidewall portions in a plane which is between said oppositely directed faces, and
a web molded integrally with said frame, said web being between said oppositely directed faces and extending from said internal sidewall portions substantially to said center of said lead frame, said inner end portions of said leads being supported by said web whereby,
an integrated circuit chip having dimensions which lie within a predetermined range can be packaged in said chip carrier housing by removing a portion of said web and portions of said inner ends of said leads and forming an opening in said web which is dimensioned to receive said chip, and the number of leads available for electrical connections to said chip can be increased by removing portions of said inner end portion of said trunk lead whereby said branch leads become available for electrical connections to said chip.

2 more elements

Abstract

Claims16