NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSES DIE-SIZED DUAL CMOS OP AMP WITH NEW PATENTED WAFER-LEVEL PACKAGE TECHNOLOGY

September 21, 1998 - National Semiconductor Corporation® today introduced a dual op amp encased by a revolutionary new packaging process that leaves the final product only slightly larger than the die itself. The LMC6035IBP, a general-purpose dual op amp optimized for low power applications, is just 1.45mm square. Its leadless micro SMD package is applied to the die entirely at the wafer level using a patented encapsulation process on the front and back of the wafer. Standardized JEDEC "bump" pads with 0.5mm pitch assure circuit board placement accuracy using existing passive component assembly chip shooter mounting equipment. The device's 0.90mm height easily meets the requirements of all PCMCIA and other height-sensitive applications.

"This time we may have reached the packaging limits with the smallest possible footprint, short of turning the device on its side," said Ed Lam, Director of National's Standard Analog Products. "At half the footprint of National's earlier announced LMV series of op amps in SC70 packages, the micro SMD clearly marks National as the industry leader in packaging technology," he added.

National's micro SMD package has a number of advantages over traditional leaded plastic packages. They include the smallest footprint possible for commercially available 8-I/O packages, superior electrical characteristics, easy board assembly and level 1 moisture sensitivity performance. The micro SMD package's small size and shorter interconnections also result in low inductance and minimal signal degradation. A series of reliability tests was conducted, including thermal cycles, solder joint integrity, ESD and drop tests, with no package failures reported.

Since the micro SMD package complies with the JEDEC registered outline MO-211, it can be handled and applied to circuit boards with standard pick and place machines and with no need for special vision systems. Standard IR eutectic reflow techniques are used to attach the self-aligning bumps. An added benefit of the micro SMD package is that underfilling is not required, further simplifying the assembly process, reducing cost and making it possible to rework the board.

In addition to op amps, other IC categories expected to follow in National's micro SMD package include regulators, timers, A/D converters, temperature sensors and comparators.

Price and Availability
The LMC6035IBP, with rail-to-rail outputs, operates at 1.4MHz GBW to drive a 600-ohm load at 2.7V, 3V or 5V. Available now in 3K reels, the LMC6035IBP price is $.50 in quantities of 1000.

For more information on the LMC6035IBP or micro SMD package technology, visit our World Wide Web site at http://www.national.com/design/.

National Semiconductor Corporation produces system-on-a-chip silicon solutions for the information highway, based on its leadership in analog and mixed signal technologies. National is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and focuses on the communications, personal systems and consumer markets. National has annual sales of approximately $2.5 billion and 13,000 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.