Patent ID: 8497159

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a leadless integrated circuit (IC) package, comprising: providing a metal leadframe having a thickness; patterning and partially etching a top surface of the metal leadframe to a first depth to form a first pattern of recesses therein, the first pattern of recesses defining upper portions of a plurality of metal traces, each metal trace of the plurality of metal traces having a bonding area disposed on an upper surface thereof, the first pattern of recesses defining a first bonding area, a second bonding area adjacent to the first bonding area, and a third bonding area; plating with a wire bondable material the bonding areas on the top surface of the metal traces; mounting an IC chip to the metal leadframe; electrically coupling the IC chip to the bonding areas via wire bonds; applying an encapsulation compound to cover the IC chip, the wire bonds, and the plurality of metal traces and to fill the recesses in the metal leadframe to the first depth; selectively etching a bottom surface of the metal leadframe to a second depth to form a second pattern of recesses therein to isolate each of the plurality of metal traces and to remove at least some of the leadframe disposed below one or more of the bonding areas and to define contact areas on lower surfaces of the plurality of metal traces, the second depth plus the first depth being greater than the thickness of the metal leadframe; the second pattern of recesses defining a first contact area disposed below the first bonding area and a second contact area disposed below the second bonding area, a width of the first bonding area being less than a width of the first contact area and a width of the second bonding area being less than a width of the second contact area; wherein a metal trace interposed between the first and second bonding areas electrically couples the third bonding area to a third contact area laterally disposed therefrom, such that no line perpendicular to the metal leadframe intersects both the third contact area and the third bonding area; and applying a protective and conductive layer to the contact areas on the bottom surface of the metal leadframe.