Patent ID: 7247520

Claim:
A method of assembling a microelectronic component assembly, comprising: positioning a lead frame with respect to a microelectronic component, the lead frame having a plurality of leads and a dam bar, each lead extending outwardly from an inner length to an outer tip portion that is spaced outwardly of the microelectronic component, the dam bar comprising the outer tip portions of the leads and a plurality of dam bar elements, each dam bar element spanning a space between two adjacent outer tip portions, the dam bar having an outer edge that comprises outer edges of the dam bar elements and outer edges of the leads, wherein the outer edge of the dam bar is continuous and includes a plurality of curves within the lead frame; electrically coupling at least some of the leads to the microelectronic component; encapsulating the microelectronic component and the inner lengths of the leads in a mold compound; and trimming the dam bar elements, leaving the leads with the outer tip portions exposed outside the mold compound.