Thermal Studies of a Plastic Dual-in-Line Package

The major factors affecting heat flow in a 16 pin plastic dual-in-line package (DIP) are investigated using thermal resistance measurements of packages with various materials and design permutations. Factors explored include the molding compound material, leadframe material and design, die size, wire size, and die bond material. Of these, the leadframe material and molding compound most dramatically impact the leadframe design plays a secondary role. Other factors are of minor importance. The user's external cooling conditions are very important to properly utilizing a package's thermal capabilities. By optimizing material selection in a standard 16 pin plastic DIP while using natural convection cooling, its thermal performance can he potentially increased by a factor of three. A factor of seven improvement is possible when using both optimum cooling conditions and superior packaging materials.