The
TO-202
is
a
type of plastic-molded package that features a flat metal tab at its
back (see Figure 1) to enable it to dissipate relatively large amounts
of heat. The TO-202 is commonly used for housing
transistors, thyristors, and
integrated
circuits with low lead counts.
The metal tab at the back of the TO-202 serves as a heat sink itself,
but it has a hole so that it can be screwed onto a larger heat sink if
higher power capacity is required. Since this metal tab is
usually electrically connected to the device's internal circuit,
an
insulating pad or sheet must be inserted between it and the external
heat sink if no electrical connection between the heat sink and the
device circuit is desired.
Most TO-202 packages have 3
leads, although TO-202's with other lead counts do exist. The typical lead pitch (distance between leads) of a
TO-202 package is 2.54 mm.
Table 1.
Properties of a Typical TO-202
Body Size
(HxW)
excl.
Metal Tab |
Protruding Metal
Tab Size (HxW) |
Body Thickness |
Metal Tab
Thickness |
Lead
Length |
7.6 mm x 9.5 mm |
12.6 mm x 9.4 mm |
4.6 mm |
0.51 mm |
10.3 mm |