EINDHOVEN, the Netherlands -- Royal Philips Electronics N.V. today announced development of the world's smallest IC package, called the depopulated very-thin quad flat-pack no-lead (DQFN) package. The DQFN is 75% smaller than the existing thin shrink small-outline package (TSSOP) and has a footprint of 2.5-by-3 mm in a 14-pin configuration, Philips said.
In addition to the size reduction, the DQFN package has been designed to offer improvements in heat dissipation and ease of board assembly, according to Philips. The company said the new package incorporates an exposed die paddle, which provides a 20% improvement in heat dissipation over a comparable TSSOP package. The DQFN also does not require leads, which eliminates the problems of bent leads or co-planarity in board attachment, said the Dutch chip supplier.
The DQFN package is part of the company's efforts to develop the next-generation products where miniaturization is essential, said Bruce Potvin, director of marketing for the logic business line at Philips Semiconductors.
The small DQFN package has been selected by the Huntsville Electronics Facility of car maker Daimler Chrysler for board assembles, according to Wilman Pidgeon, product engineering supervisor at the Huntsville, Ala., operation.
Philips said the first products to be available in the DQFN package are the 74AHC14 hex inverter Schmitt trigger, the 74LVC257 quad two-input multiplexer and the 74LVC244 octal buffer/line driver. These parts are currently being sampled, and full production is scheduled to begin in June. In quantities of 1,000 pieces or more, the estimated price for the 74AHC14 will be $0.25, the 74LVC257 will be $0.30, and the 74LVC244 will be $0.35.
