Lattice PLDs 'go green' for consumer electronics

HILLSBORO, USA: Lattice Semiconductor Corp. announced the availability of halogen- and lead-free packages for its ispMACH 4000ZE CPLD family, a popular programmable logic solution for high-volume consumer electronics. Bromine and chlorine, halogens associated with ozone depletion, have been replaced with metal oxides or red phosphorous.

Lead and halogens have been eliminated from several components of the ispMACH 4000ZE IC package material to comply fully with industry standards such as Japan’s JEIDA and Europe’s WEEE. For lead-frame based packages, the plating process has been modified to remove lead, and halogens have been removed from die-attach and mold compounds that encapsulate the IC.

“Halogen elements are used in some IC substrate material, and in sufficient quantities they can be harmful to biological organisms. Manufacturers of consumer electronics devices are concerned about the environmental impact of their products,” said Gordon Hands, director of Marketing for Low Density and Mixed Signal Solutions.

“Lattice is excited to provide our customers with programmable logic devices that allow them to meet higher standards for electronic waste while still meeting their power and cost targets. The ispMACH 4000ZE is a proven green PLD for use in devices as diverse as portable GPS and mobile handsets, to digital set top boxes (STBs) and multi-function printers.”

Lead- and halogen-free package options
Lattice has qualified a wide variety of package types in lead-free configurations. These qualified packages include the Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier (PLCC), Thin Quad Flat Pack (TQFP), Plastic Quad Flat Pack (PQFP), Fine Pitch BGA (fpBGA), Fine Pitch Thin BGA (ftBGA), Chip Scale BGA (csBGA), Ultra Chip Scale BGA (ucBGA), Chip Array BGA
(caBGA), Flip Chip BGA (fcBGA), and Quad Flat-pack Saw-singulated (QFNS). Lattice’s lead-free packages offer the same high quality and reliability benefits as devices that contain lead.

All TQFP package variations and the 64-Ball csBGA package of the ispMACH 4000ZE family are now halogen free and use pure tin (Sn 100 percent) for lead plating.