QUIP Package

The Intel iAPX 432 components were initially offered in a 64-pin QUad Inline Package (QUIP), which was apparently devloped in conjunction with 3M. The QUIP is a cavity-down ceramic leadless package with two opposing sides of the package each having two rows of sixteen contacts each. The package also has contacts on the top which remain uncovered by the socket's retaining clip in order to serve as probe test points.

In that time frame, there were no IC packages with more than 48 leads in common use in the US except for the 64 pin DIP. The QUIP was considered to have several advantages over the DIP:

The QUIP footprint is less than 2/3 the size of the DIP.
The QUIP package supports devices with higher power dissipation due to the heat sink inherent in the retaining clip.
Due to the smaller package size, the overall length of the conductors from the die to the contacts is short, and has lower inductance.

3M offered a production QUIP socket, part number 3534, and a test/burn-in socket (rated for temperatures to 200C), part number 3362.

Photograph of iAPX 432 components, courtesy of Clinton Harrold

The QUIP was used by Intel for the iAPX 432 components, and by both Intel and Zilog for bond-out chips for in-circuit-emulators. The QUIP was obsoleted by the 68-contact JEDEC Type A ceramic leadless chip carrier, which was used by many vendors. The CLCC has since been replaced by PGA and BGA packages.

Note there is another, unrelated type of QUIP package that was commonly used by Rockwell for microcontrollers (such as the PPS-4) and by Motorola for the MC10800 series ECL bit-slice components. This package had 42 or 64 leads on 0.05 inch centers, which were formed such that alternate leads extended an additional 0.1 inches from the package body.

Back to my iAPX 432 page

Back to my Retrocomputing page

Back to my home page

Last updated August 8, 2009

eric@brouhaha.com

check now