VSSOP (Very Thin Shrink Small Outline Package) is Texas Instruments’ name for what most other manufacturers call MSOP — but TI also uses “VSSOP” for a second, physically different, finer-pitch package. Confusing the two has cost at least one engineer a real design revision. This article resolves which is which, with verified dimensions for both.
Key takeaways
- TI’s own packaging glossary states VSSOP is “also referred as MSOP” — true for TI’s DGK package (0.65 mm pitch, ~3.0 × 3.0 mm body), but TI also ships a second package, DCU, under the same “VSSOP” name with a finer 0.5 mm pitch and a smaller, differently-proportioned body.
- The two packages are registered under different JEDEC MO-187 sub-variations — DGK matches the same variation AA outline used industry-wide for generic MSOP-8; DCU is explicitly registered under MO-187 variation CA, per TI’s own package drawing.
- This isn’t a hypothetical mix-up: a real, dated forum post from a PCB designer states they were “burned by TI’s use of the WRONG name for the 0.65mm-pitch IC package,” costing a design revision.
- A current, active TI part — SN74LVC2T45 (Rev. N, revised June 2024) — ships in the DCU/VSSOP package at 2 mm × 3.1 mm, genuinely smaller than the DGK/MSOP-equivalent package most engineers picture when they read “VSSOP.”
- Don’t trust the word “VSSOP” alone on a datasheet or distributor listing — confirm the TI package code (DGK vs. DCU) before generating a footprint.
What TI’s Glossary Says — and What It Leaves Out
TI’s own packaging terminology page states it plainly: “VSSOP – Very Thin Shrink Small Outline Package, also referred as MSOP = Micro Small Outline Package.” That’s accurate for one specific TI package. It’s not the whole picture.
TI’s 2011 “Comprehensive guide to package solutions” lists package DGK under the combined label “VSSOP/MSOP” — 0.65 mm pitch, ~2.9–3.1 mm body, 1.1 mm max height. The same document, a few rows later, lists a second package, DDU, under the label “VSSOP/US8” — a much smaller ~1.9–2.4 mm body, 0.5 mm pitch, 0.9 mm height. And TI’s current datasheets for parts like SN74LVC2T45 label a third package, DCU, simply as “VSSOP” with no MSOP qualifier at all — 0.5 mm pitch, 0.9 mm max height, registered under JEDEC MO-187 variation CA, a different sub-variation than the AA used by the generic MSOP-8/DGK outline.
Three TI package codes, all called “VSSOP” in TI’s own documentation at one point or another, with two genuinely different pitch/height combinations between them.
The Real Cost of This Confusion
This isn’t a theoretical concern. In a TI E2E support forum thread titled “OPA137: MSOP-8 or VSSOP-8?”, a customer wrote directly to TI:
“My PCB footprint library has footprint ‘MSOP’ as your VSSOP ‘DGK’ describes, and footprint ‘VSSOP’ per your VSSOP ‘DCU’ drawing… your term ‘VSSOP’ is somewhere between meaningless and misleading.”
A separate, more recent account on DigiKey’s TechForum (dated March 2026) is more direct about the consequence:
“…burned by TI’s use of the WRONG name for the 0.65mm-pitch IC package… it cost me a Design Revision and some gratuitous adrenaline.”
The DigiKey account explains the mechanism: Mouser/DigiKey’s listing used “VSSOP-8” nomenclature that the designer read as the finer 0.5 mm-pitch package, when the part in question actually used the 0.65 mm DGK/MSOP outline. Both accounts land on the same root cause: the label “VSSOP” alone does not tell you the pitch.
Dimensions — Both TI Packages, Verified
DGK0008A (“VSSOP/MSOP” per TI’s own packaging guide — same outline family as the generic MSOP-8 covered on this site’s uSOP reference):
| Parameter | Value |
| Body | 2.9–3.1 mm × 2.9–3.1 mm |
| Lead-tip span (E) | 4.75–5.05 mm |
| Overall height (max) | 1.1 mm |
| Lead pitch | 0.65 mm |
| Lead width | 0.25–0.38 mm |
| Land pattern (pad L × W) | 1.4 mm × 0.45 mm, 0.65 mm pitch, 4.4 mm symmetric span |
DCU0008A (“VSSOP” per current TI datasheets, e.g., SN74LVC2T45 — JEDEC MO-187 variation CA):
| Parameter | Value |
| Body / lead span | ~3.0–3.2 mm (nominal package size 2 mm × 3.1 mm per the SN74LVC2T45 datasheet) |
| Overall height (max) | 0.9 mm |
| Lead pitch | 0.5 mm |
| Lead width | 0.17–0.25 mm |
| Land pattern (pad L × W) | 0.85 mm × 0.3 mm, 0.5 mm pitch, 3.1 mm symmetric span |
| JEDEC registration | MO-187, variation CA (explicitly stated on TI’s package drawing) |
The JEDEC MO-187 standard itself is titled to cover “0.65 AND 0.50 Pitch,” per the standard’s own title — which is exactly why one JEDEC number can legitimately describe two differently-pitched, non-interchangeable outlines, and why checking the pitch (not just the JEDEC number) matters.
A Real Current Part in Each
TI’s SN74LVC2T45 (2-bit dual-supply bus transceiver, datasheet Rev. N, revised June 2024 — an actively produced part) ships in the DCU/VSSOP package at 2 mm × 3.1 mm, alongside DCT (SM8, 2.95 mm × 4 mm) and YZP (DSBGA, 1.5 mm × 0.5 mm) options. TI’s own product page labels the DCU option simply “VSSOP (DCU) package with 8 pins.” The same DCU package also ships in a 5-pin variant on related parts (SN74LVC2T45-Q1’s datasheet shows “DCU Package, 5-Pin VSSOP”).
The forum thread referenced above ties OPA2137 to the DGK/MSOP-equivalent package as the contrasting example — same “VSSOP” label TI applies elsewhere, different physical outline entirely.
VSSOP vs. MSOP/uSOP vs. TSSOP-8
| Attribute | TI DGK (“VSSOP/MSOP”) | TI DCU (“VSSOP”) | TSSOP-8, wide variant* |
| Body | ~3.0 × 3.0 mm | ~2.0 × 3.1 mm nominal | 3.0 × 4.4 mm |
| Max height | 1.1 mm | 0.9 mm | 1.2 mm |
| Lead pitch | 0.65 mm | 0.5 mm | 0.65 mm |
| JEDEC | MO-187 (AA-equivalent) | MO-187, variation CA | MO-153, variation AA |
| Same outline as | Generic MSOP-8; Maxim uMAX-8/uSOP; Diodes USOP-8** | Not directly shared with another vendor’s common trade name in sources checked | — |
*Verified against TI, Renesas, Diodes, and AOS package drawings — see this site’s TSSOP-8 reference for the full breakdown. **Verified against JEDEC MO-187 cross-referencing in this site’s uSOP reference — DGK is the same physical family, under yet more names, from other vendors.
Don’t confuse either of these with TVSOP (Thin Very Small-Outline Package), a completely different TI package covered in its own reference on this site — the similar name is a separate, real source of confusion on top of the one this article addresses.
Footprint and Selection Guidance
Pull the land pattern from the specific package code on your part’s datasheet — DGK or DCU — never from the word “VSSOP” alone. The two land patterns are not interchangeable: DCU’s pads are smaller (0.85 × 0.3 mm vs. DGK’s 1.4 × 0.45 mm) and closer together (0.5 mm vs. 0.65 mm pitch); reusing one for the other will misalign every pad.
- Your part’s datasheet shows package code DGK → 0.65 mm pitch, same footprint family as generic MSOP-8 covered elsewhere on this site.
- Your part’s datasheet shows package code DCU → 0.5 mm pitch, smaller and thinner; confirm your assembly process handles that pitch before committing.
- A distributor listing says “VSSOP-8” without a TI package code → don’t guess; open the actual TI datasheet’s package summary table and read the code directly.
- You’re specifying new and want the smaller/thinner option → DCU (0.9 mm height, 0.5 mm pitch) is the tighter of the two, at the cost of a harder assembly process.
FAQ
What does VSSOP stand for?
Very Thin Shrink Small Outline Package — Texas Instruments’ name, per its own glossary, for what’s generically called MSOP. TI also uses the same “VSSOP” label for a second, different, finer-pitch package (package code DCU), so the name alone doesn’t fully specify the part.
Is VSSOP the same as MSOP?
Usually, for TI’s DGK package — yes, dimensionally equivalent to generic MSOP-8. But TI’s DCU package is also called VSSOP and is not the same outline: 0.5 mm pitch and 0.9 mm height versus DGK’s 0.65 mm pitch and 1.1 mm height.
What is the pitch of a VSSOP package?
Depends which TI package: 0.65 mm for DGK (“VSSOP/MSOP”), 0.5 mm for DCU (“VSSOP”). Check the specific package code on your part’s datasheet.
Why did my VSSOP footprint not fit?
A documented real case: an engineer used a VSSOP-8 footprint expecting the 0.5 mm-pitch package, but the actual part used TI’s 0.65 mm-pitch DGK package — the mismatch cost a design revision. Confirm the package code, not just the name, before generating a footprint.
How is VSSOP different from TVSOP?
They’re unrelated despite the similar name. TVSOP is a separate TI package family (JEDEC MO-194, 0.40 mm pitch, 14–100 pins, covered in this site’s own TVSOP reference) — not the same as either VSSOP variant here.
What real parts use the smaller VSSOP (DCU) package?
TI’s SN74LVC2T45 dual-bit bus transceiver, an actively produced part as of its June 2024 datasheet revision, ships in the DCU/VSSOP package at 2 mm × 3.1 mm.
What to Do Next
Don’t design a footprint from the word “VSSOP” on a datasheet or distributor listing. Open the part’s actual TI datasheet, find the package summary table, and read the specific package code — DGK means the 0.65 mm-pitch, MSOP-equivalent outline; DCU means the 0.5 mm-pitch, JEDEC MO-187 variation CA outline. Pull that specific package’s land pattern, and if a distributor listing is your only source, cross-check it against TI’s own datasheet before you commit.
Suggested internal links
- uSOP package: Micro Small Outline Package → package reference
- TVSOP package: Thin Very Small Outline Package → package reference
- TSSOP-8 package dimensions, pinout, and footprint → package reference
- How to read a JEDEC package outline drawing → package fundamentals
External sources referenced
Texas Instruments packaging terminology glossary (ti.com) · TI mpds028e.pdf (DGK0008A package drawing) · TI mpds050e.pdf and related datasheets (DCU0008A package drawing) · TI SN74LVC2T45 datasheet (Rev. N, June 2024) · TI sszb138a.pdf, “The comprehensive guide to package solutions” (2011) · TI E2E Amplifiers forum, “OPA137: MSOP-8 or VSSOP-8?” · DigiKey TechForum, “OPA137: MSOP-8 or VSSOP-8” (March 2026)
