Apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor packages

A mold for encapsulating at least portions of semiconductor chips and corresponding leadframes placed therein, the mold comprising:

• a bottom mold section sized and configured to accommodate the positioning of the leadframes thereon;
• a top mold section releasably engageable to the bottom mold section, the top mold section having at least one transport formed therethrough and defining a lower surface, the top mold section further including:
• at least one grooved runner formed in the lower surface and fluidly communicating with the transport;
• a plurality of gates formed in the lower surface and fluidly communicating with the runner, the gates being arranged in pairs, with the gates of each pair extending in opposed relation to each other and communicating with the runner at an intersection;
• a plurality of cavities formed in the lower surface and fluidly communicating with respective ones of the gates, each of the cavities being sized and configured to form a package body on one of the leadframes and one of the corresponding semiconductor chips upon the introduction of an encapsulation material thereinto;
• and
• a plurality of eject pins reciprocally mounted to the top mold section and positioned within the runners at respective ones of the intersections.