An effective alternative for marginal thermal improvements of semiconductor devices

Using a variety of surface mount packages, this paper reports the results of using various different methods for improving semiconductor thermal performance. Starting off with a 64-lead Quad Flat Package (QFP), data are presented for several different thermal environment conditions and for several different package variations. The environmental conditions include still-air, heat sink and tape sink. The package variations studied include die attachment thickness, internal drop-in heat spreader, and encapsulant material variations. Data are also presented for two die-on-copper-slug packages (100-lead QFP and 44-lead PLCC) and for a standard (not thermally enhanced) package (56-lead SSOP), under still-air, moving-air, heat sink and tape sink environments