STMicroelectronics has licensed a power MOSFET packaging technology from Siliconix, designed to offer improved heat dissipation characteristics.
"With the size of DC-to-DC power converters continuing to shrink, it has become a challenge to dissipate the heat generated by various components on the PCB, and advances in packaging need to be developed in tandem with silicon technology improvements," said Ian Wilson, manager of the Power MOSFET division at STMicroelectronics.
The package is based on a leadframe and plastic encapsulation as used for standard SO-8 power MOSFET packages. But it differs from the SO-8 package in that it has increased dissipation from top and bottom surfaces.
According to the supplier, this means the package can handle twice the current within the same footprint dimensions. The MOSFET package has dimensions of 5x6mm and a height of 0.8mm, which is half the height of the SO-8 package.
"This package technology will complement ST's range of STripFET MOSFETs optimized for power conversion in computer, datacom, and telecom applications," said Wilson.
Suppliers tend to their own package designs which fit on the standard SO-8 footprint. International Rectifier has its DirectFET package and Fairchild Semiconductor its SuperSOTT 6 flip chip package which is 9mm square with a height profile of 0.8mm.
Philips Electronics packages its TrenchMOS MOSFETs in a thermally enhanced SO8 package, known as loss-free packaging (LFPAK). Based on the SO8 footprint, it is claimed to have the thermal properties of much larger packages such as DPAK.
Siliconix, which is a division of Vishay, sells the MOSFET package under its PolarPAK name.
Electronics Weekly is the London-based sister publication of Electronic News.
