PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15878292
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-01
Publication Date: 2019-07
Patent Classification: ["257", "667000"]

Abstract:
A lead frame is formed with exposed lead tips. The leads are not attached at their tips to any of a tie bar, a dam bar or an end bar, so when the lead frame is plated, the lead tips are plated. During packaging, after die attach and molding, when the lead frame is cut from the frame assembly, the lead tips are not cut, so the plating remains on the tips. This improves solder joint reliability when the package is mounted on a PCB. The lead frame has connection bars that run parallel to the leads from the tie bar to the end bar. The connection bars provide stability to the leads during wire bonding, but are cut from the lead frame after wire bonding.

Claim (Index 8):
A method of assembling a semiconductor device, the method comprising:\n providing a lead frame having a central area for receiving an integrated circuit die, and a plurality of leads that extend away from at least one lateral side of the central area, wherein the leads each have a proximal end near to the central receiving area, a distal end, and a central portion connecting the proximal and distal ends; wherein the lead frame further comprises a dam bar that extends generally perpendicular to the leads and connects the leads at the central portions thereof, an end bar that extends generally perpendicular to the leads and parallel to the dam bar, wherein the end bar is located near to, but spaced from, the distal ends of the leads, a tie bar that supports the central area, the tie bar extending from two opposing sides of the central area that are adjacent to the at least one lateral side of the central area from which the leads extend, wherein the tie bar is generally perpendicular to the leads and parallel to the dam bar and the end bar, and one or more connection bars extending from the end bar to the dam bar, wherein the connection bars terminate at the end bar, and wherein at least the distal ends of the leads are plated with a non-corroding material; attaching an integrated circuit die within the central area; electrically connecting electrodes on a planar surface of the integrated circuit die with the proximal ends of the leads; covering the integrated circuit die, the electrical connections, and the proximal ends of the leads with a molding compound; and trimming the lead frame by cutting the one or more connection bars, the dam bar, and the end bar away, wherein the trimming step does not cut the distal ends of the leads, so the distal ends of the leads remain plated after assembly of the semiconductor device.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 14.0
- Percentile: 86.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.1875
- Patent Class: 257.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['14843967', '13170206', '10328235', '13886407', '14677964']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.9181960611508884
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4868645631316119
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.8750629113489606
- Mean Citation Score: 228.446554
- Max Citation Score: 240.58527
- Similarity Product: 194.81169027552903

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 0
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test