Abstract: A thermally-enhanced ball grid array package structure is provided that includes an integrated circuit chip, a heat spreader and a substrate. The integrated circuit chip has a specified surface area. The heat spreader is coupled to the integrated circuit chip. The substrate is coupled to the heat spreader. The substrate has a specified surface area. The heat spreader covers a specified portion of the surface area of the substrate that is greater than the surface area of the integrated circuit chip. The heat spreader is operable to dissipate heat from the integrated circuit chip over the specified portion of the surface area of the substrate.

Abstract: A lead frame of a plastic integrated circuit package is fabricated in two steps. First, from a rectangular sheet of metal, lead fingers of the lead frame are formed. Second, the die pad of the lead frame is clamped and is simultaneously separated and downset from the lead fingers of the lead frame by shearing the lead frame with a mated punch die pair. Performing the separation and downset of the die pad from the lead fingers results in essentially no horizontal gap between the lead fingers and the die pad. The downset of the die pad with respect to the lead fingers results in a vertical separation between the die pad and the lead fingers.