Overview of Chip Packaging Technologies and Their Evolution

Component packaging serves to install, fix, seal, protect the chip and improve its thermal performance; the chip’s contacts are connected via wires to the package leads, which are then linked to the PCB, enabling communication between the internal chip and external circuitry.

Because chips must be isolated from contaminants that can degrade electrical performance, packaging also facilitates easier installation and transport; the quality of the package directly influences chip performance and the design and manufacturing of the connected PCB.

An important indicator of advanced packaging technology is the ratio of chip area to package area—the closer this ratio is to 1, the better.

Factors considered during packaging:

Chip‑to‑package area ratio should aim for 1:1 to improve efficiency.

Leads should be as short as possible to reduce delay, while spacing between leads should be sufficient to avoid interference and enhance performance.

For thermal reasons, thinner packages are preferred.

General development process of packaging:

Structure: TO → DIP → PLCC → QFP → BGA → CSP.

Materials: metal, ceramic → ceramic, plastic → plastic.

Lead shape: long straight leads for through‑hole → short or lead‑less surface‑mount → ball‑type contacts.

Assembly method: through‑hole insertion → surface‑mount technology → direct mounting.

Specific package types introduction:

SOP / SOIC Package

SOP (Small Outline Package) is a small‑form factor package developed by Philips in 1968‑1969, later giving rise to variants such as SOJ, TSOP, VSOP, SSOP, TSSOP, SOT, and SOIC.

DIP Package

DIP (Double In‑line Package) features leads extending from both sides of the package, available in plastic or ceramic, and is widely used for standard logic ICs, memory LSI, and micro‑processor circuits.

PLCC Package

PLCC (Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier) is a square‑shaped 32‑lead package with pins on all four sides, smaller than DIP and suitable for surface‑mount technology, offering compact size and high reliability.

04TQFP Package

TQFP (Thin Quad Flat Package) is a thin, square, flat package that efficiently utilizes board space, making it suitable for applications with strict size constraints such as PCMCIA cards and network devices.

PQFP Package

PQFP (Plastic Quad Flat Package) features very close pin spacing and fine leads, typically used for large‑scale or very‑large‑scale integration ICs with pin counts exceeding 100.

TSOP Package

TSOP (Thin Small Outline Package) is a thin, small‑size package commonly used for memory devices; its pins are arranged around the chip and it is compatible with surface‑mount technology, offering reduced parasitic parameters and high‑frequency suitability.

BGA Package

BGA (Ball Grid Array) emerged in the 1990s to meet the demand for higher I/O counts, greater power, and improved thermal performance; it distributes solder balls in a grid beneath the package, providing better heat dissipation and electrical characteristics.

TinyBGA Package

Kingmax’s TinyBGA (Tiny Ball Grid) is a patented BGA variant introduced in 1998, achieving a chip‑to‑package area ratio of about 1:1.14; it offers 2‑3× memory capacity increase at the same volume, smaller size, superior thermal performance, and higher signal integrity, supporting frequencies up to 300 MHz.

QFP Package

QFP (Quad Flat Package) is a small square flat package with pins on all four sides; it was widely used in early graphics cards but has been largely replaced by TSOP‑II and BGA for high‑speed applications. Pin pitches range from 1.0 mm down to 0.3 mm, with up to 304 pins at 0.65 mm pitch.

Source: ittbank