Abstract: A grid array assembly is provided employing a thin copper or steel carrier frame having apertures extending longitudinally of the frame. A series of semi-flexible substrate printed circuit boards are mounted in seriatim to peripheral edges of the apertures, the circuit boards including bonding pads and metallization on a first surface and conductive vias in the circuit boards extending to a second opposite surface containing a contact pad array. The carrier strip with the mounted circuit boards are passed to a station where an IC die is mounted on the board first surface, wire bonds are placed from the die to the bonding pads and the assembly encapsulated using a portion of the carrier strip as a mold gate to form a package body. Subsequently each grid array assembly is singulated from the carrier strip.

Abstract: A grid array assembly method uses a semi-flexible substrate printed circuit board and includes steps of providing a series of conforming boards each board including bonding pads and metallization on a first surface and conductive vias in the board extending to a second opposite surface containing a contact pad array, testing the boards and determining acceptable boards. A carrier strip with longitudinally aligned apertures mounts individual accepted boards. The strip with mounted boards is passed to a station where an IC die is mounted on the board first surface, wire bonds are placed from the die to the bonding pads and the assembly encapsulated by automolding against a board first surface portion using the strip as the mold gate to form a package body. Subsequently interconnecting balls or bumps are placed on the contact pads and the assembly is removed from the strip.