Abstract: A ball grid array semiconductor package includes a semiconductor chip mounted to the top side of a printed circuit board (PCB), having a copper circuit pattern at a position outside a chip mounting zone. A plurality of bond wires electrically connect the chip to the copper circuit pattern. A rectangular ring-shaped metal heat spreader is attached to the PCB surrounding the chip, with the outer periphery of the ring substantially coextensive with the outer periphery of the PCB. A molding compound is provided in a zone inside the heat spreader thus protecting the chip and wires from atmosphere, while the molding compound extends to a heat spreader portion, leaving other portions of the heat spreader exposed to atmosphere. A plurality of solder balls are included on the bottom side of the PCB and are used as signal input and output terminals of the package. The BGA package easily dissipates heat during the operation of the package, improving the operational reliability of the package.