PLCC

PLCC stands for Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier, a type of integrated circuit packaging that is generally square or nearly square in shape. The defining feature of PLCC packages is a plastic body with a continuous array of leads located around all four sides of the package. The leads are typically J-lead or gull-wing style and extend under the package to provide solderable terminations. PLCCs are produced in a range of pin counts, with common variants including PLCC-28, PLCC-44, PLCC-68, and PLCC-84, though other counts exist.

PLCC devices can be mounted in two ways: into a socket for through-hole or easy replacement, or directly to a printed circuit board using surface-mount techniques. This flexibility made PLCCs popular for memory devices, microcontrollers, and various logic chips, especially when a compact, high-pin-count package was needed without resorting to more complex lead formats.

In manufacturing, PLCCs are manufactured with a molded plastic body and a metal leadframe that forms the perimeter leads. Designers must consider pad layout, soldering method, and thermal performance. PLCCs offer relatively good mechanical stability and a moderate footprint, but they have a larger footprint and greater lead length than some other high-pin-count packages, such as quad flat packages (QFP) and ball grid arrays (BGA).

History and usage: PLCC packages gained prominence in the 1980s and 1990s and were widely used before being gradually supplanted in many high-pin-count and high-speed applications by QFP, BGA, and other advanced package types. They remain relevant in some legacy designs and socketed applications.