Learn different IC package types you can use for your projects here.
Why the Need for Different Kinds of IC Packages?
Before making a final product, you’ll usually need to prototype it first. When using an IC (Integrated circuit) during the prototyping stage, it’s important to find one that’s available in a PDIP version or development kit/board form. The PDIP version will make it handy for you to stuff the chip on various breadboards or prototyping boards for testing and debugging purposes. On the other hand, a development board has several header/mounting pins that will make it easy for you to access various parts of the chip. The development board has the additional advantage of having a reference layout that you may use on your PCB design. Additionally, the IC packaging used on the development board may likely closely match the ones you will use for mass producing your product.
Common Types of IC Packages
You can choose from different kinds of IC packages for your design. Each has advantages and disadvantages. See them below.
PDIP or DIP
A PDIP or DIP (Plastic Dual-In-Line Package) is commonly used during prototyping. This package can be comfortably stuffed on a breadboard or prototyping board since its pins are spaced on an industry standard of 2.54mm (or 100 mills). You’ll mostly see PDIPs on hobby projects and gadgets made during the early days of electronics. Additionally, PDIPs can easily be replaced on a PCB by employing a DIP-style style IC socket where you don’t need to solder the IC directly on the board.
SOIC
SOIC stands for Small Outline Integrated Circuit. It is an SMD (Surface Mount Device) type of chip that does not need holes for it to get stuffed on a printed circuit board. It simply needs to be aligned on the PCB pads laid out on the PCB’s surface and then soldered directly on the pads through its leads. Many hobbyists prefer SOIC because it can easily be hand-soldered if a pick-and-place machine is unavailable. SOIC adheres to the JEDEC (Joint Electron Device Engineering Council) standard.
SOP
SOP stands for Small Outline Package. Much like SOIC, SOP is also an SMD type chip. SOP and SOIC are almost similar with each other except that SOP adheres to the JEITA (Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association) standard. Additionally, SOPs tend to have a wider body compared to SOICs.
QFP
QFP stands for Quad Flat Package. QFPs have leads going out from their four sides, resting on the PCB board trackpads. The number of leads can reach more than 100 pins, making them ideal for IC packages requiring a lot of ports. At the same time, QFPs are more straightforward to inspect manually for cold solder joints than other condensed IC packages.
QFN
QFN stands for Quad Flat No Lead. This type of package literally has no leads coming out of its sides, making it ideal for space-constrained applications. The supposed leads are substituted with exposed pads on the sides of the chip. When solder reflow occurs, these exposed pads connect to the PCB trackpads through the viscous nature of solder. However, QFNs may be harder to solder and manually inspect, which can increase the assembly cost.
BGA
BGAs (Ball Grid Array) have their pads underneath them. You may see balls of solder lead underneath these pads. With this setup, you can solder them by directly heating them on top of a PCB with ready BGA trackpads. BGAs are ideal for space-constrained applications and IC packages needing a high fan-out count. You’ll usually see BGA’s used on microprocessor and memory IC packages.
Conclusion
You’ve just learned why you need differrent kinds of IC packages. You’ve also learned some of the common types of IC packages which include, PDIP, SOIC, SOP, QFN, QFP, and BGA.
