Abstract: Plastic encapsulated ICs (28) are susceptible to moisture due to the permeability of molding compounds. ICs (28) may be baked until dry before being shipped to the customer to reduce the risk of cracking. To retain this dry condition, ICs (28) are packaged and shipped in dry-packs. Compartmentalized humidity sensing indicators (14, 16 and 18) are provided for tape and reel IC shipping medium (20) to monitor moisture levels. The indicators (14, 16 and 18) are provided at multiple locations along the carrier tape (22) as a continuous strip with repeating series of humidity indicators. Distinction can be made between the humidity conditions along the length of the carrier tape, which allows identification of problem areas and affected devices. Thus, only portions of devices shipped in tape and reel need rebaking, which offers cycle time and cost advantages over rebaking the entire contents of the carrier tape.

Abstract: A pallet for conveying a plurality of ceramic leadless chip carriers (LCC) through an automated wave soldering machine. The pallet includes recesses formed to receive and contain the LDD's with the lid of the LCC facing into the recess. This results in protecting the lids from the molten solder. Additionally, the recesses are formed in a diamond orientation with a solderable pin placed at the trailing apex of each recess. Both the pin and the diamond orientation prevents solder build up on the trailing conductive pads, resulting in enhancing the coplanarity of the solder on the pads.