Patent ID: 6861295

Claim:
A method of making a low-pin-count chip package, said method comprising the steps of: providing a sheet carrier; laminating a metal layer on the sheet carrier; half-etching the metal layer so as to form cavities at predetermined positions thereof; forming a photoresist layer on the half-etched metal layer; half-removing the photoresist layer such that only the photoresist within the cavities is left; forming a metal coating on the surface of the half-etched metal layer which is not covered by the photoresist; stripping the remaining photoresist within the cavities; etching the half-etched metal layer using the metal coating as a mask so as to form a plurality of connection pads having a substantially concave profile; attaching a semiconductor chip onto the sheet carrier; electrically coupling the semiconductor chip to the connection pads; forming a package body over the semiconductor chip and the connection pads wherein the substantially concave profile helps to lock the connection pads in the package body; removing the sheet carrier after the package body is formed, wherein said sheet carrier is completely removed from the package body in the step of removing the sheet carrier; and forming a protective metal flash on the lower surface of the connection pads exposed from the package body.