NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR DELIVERS INITIAL ARRAY OF 13 ANALOG PRODUCTS IN DIE-SIZED MICRO SMD PACKAGE

Micro SMD creates a change in packaging technology where "the die is the package"

September 27, 1999 – National Semiconductor® Corporation (NYSE:NSM) announced today it has deployed its miniature packaging technology, termed micro SMD, for 13 of its analog products. This packaging technology enables design engineers to develop extremely compact, high-performance systems, due to the small amount of board space the package occupies. These new chips are so small that they can fit on the head of a pin. In any electronic product with size or weight constraints - portable, handheld, low-power or battery applications—micro SMD devices give National's customers an edge in optimizing their designs.

"National has combined its expertise in analog and packaging technology to produce something far beyond a mere incremental improvement. The 8-I/O version of this new package occupies 85% less surface area than an 8-lead MSOP," said Pat Brockett, executive vice president, analog products group at National Semiconductor. "We've been a leader in small outline packaging for 20 years. We're also a leader in analog, with a very broad portfolio of analog technologies and devices. So a systems designer is going be able to get devices such as microcontrollers, temperature sensors, A to D converters, references, regulators, and of course operational amplifiers from National in these micro SMDs. Thus, designers will be able to execute a complete system design using these tiny packages."

National's micro SMD packaging process not only slashes component size, it also eliminates several manufacturing steps. Since it is a wafer-level packaging process, a whole series of back-end manufacturing procedures are no longer required and manufacturing cycle time is reduced by two to three weeks. Therefore, customers are ensured a reliable and timely supply of parts while National Semiconductor can reduce the amount of work in process.

The Die is the Package
A patented encapsulation process on the front and back of the wafer produces a packageless device. Micro SMD products conform to standard JEDEC pinout patterns, assuring accurate circuit board placement using existing mounting equipment. Customers can transition to micro SMD parts without any retooling of their standard surface mount manufacturing equipment.

"We tested the new micro SMD from National Semiconductor on Universal Instruments' GSM™ pick and place system," said Jayson Noland Senior Engineer, Universal Instruments Corporation. "During testing at our Silicon Valley Technology Center we were able to pick, inspect and accurately place the micro SMD components with ease."

Furthermore, micro SMD packaging yields more reliable components. Shorter interconnections result in low inductance and minimal signal degradation; micro SMD-packaged components actually meet or beat standard electrical characteristics. Micro SMD packages meet the level-1 specification for moisture sensitivity. No dry pack, nitrogen storage or bake is required. National’s micro SMD package passed all mechanical and electrical tests, thermal cycles, solder joint integrity, ESD, vibration and drop tests with zero failures. Moreover, unlike some surface mount packages, no underfill is required, simplifying and reducing production costs.

Pricing and Availability
Today, in addition to the LMC6035, which is the first micro SMD product introduced by National, the company is delivering: the LMC555 CMOS timer, the LM20 analog temperature sensor, the LM431 adjustable shunt regulator, the LM78L05 3-terminal positive regulator, the LM358 dual op amp, the LM8262 high-voltage dual op amp, the LMC8101 single CMOS op amp, the LM4872 Boomer™ audio amp, the LP2980 50mA LDO, LP2981 100mA LDO, LP2982 50mA LDO, LP2985 150mA LDO and LP2967 150mA LDO.

Pricing is as follows:
The LMC6035 is available and priced at $0.50 for volume quantities of 1K.
The LMC555CBP is available and priced at $0.28 for volume quantities of 1K.
The LM20SIBP is available and priced at $0.45 for volume quantities of 1K.
The LM431IBP is available and priced at $0.15 for volume quantities of 1K.
The LM78L05IBP is available and priced at $0.15 for volume quantities of 1K.
The LM358BP is available and priced at $0.15 for volume quantities of 1K.
The LM8262IBP is available and priced at $1.10 for volume quantities of 1K.
The LMC8101BP is available and priced at $0.43 for volume quantities of 1K.
The LM4872IBP is available for samples and priced at $0.65 for 1K quantities.
The LP2980IBP is available for samples and priced at $0.52 for 1K quantities.
The LP2981IBP is available for samples and priced at $0.60 for 1K quantities.
The LP2982IBP is available for samples and priced at $0.55 for 1K quantities.
The LP2985IBP is available for samples and priced at $0.63 for 1K quantities.
The LP2967IBP is available for samples and priced at $0.93 for 1K quantities.

About National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor provides system-on-a-chip solutions for the information age. Combining real-world analog and state-of the-art digital technology, the company's chips lead many sectors of the personal computer, communications, and consumer markets. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National has annual sales of $2 billion and 11,000 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.