The LQFP-144 package carries 144 gull-wing leads on a 20 × 20 mm body at 0.50 mm pitch, inside a 22.0 × 22.0 mm lead span and a 1.60 mm maximum height. It is the largest quad flat pack most FPGA and CPLD families offer before forcing you into a BGA. The extra body area buys a relaxed process window, not thermal headroom — the numbers below show exactly how much of each.

Key takeaways

• The standard LQFP-144 outline is a 20 × 20 mm body on 0.50 mm pitch, 22.0 mm lead span, 1.40 mm body thickness, 1.60 mm maximum height, per the JEDEC MS-026 family drawing.
• The 20 mm body is geometrically necessary. Thirty-six leads per side need 17.50 mm of lead field, which will not fit a 16 mm body at 0.50 mm pitch.
• Courtyard area is 547.6 mm² at density level B, against 303 mm² for an LQFP-128. That 81 % area premium buys back a 0.50 mm pitch process window.
• Standard 0.150 mm stencil foil works here, giving an area ratio of 0.77. The same foil fails on a 0.40 mm pitch package at 0.63.
• Corner-lead distance to neutral point reaches 16.19 mm, 35 % further than on an LQFP-100. Heel fillet quality stops being cosmetic.
• Thermal capacity barely moves. At an 85 °C ambient with 15 °C of margin, the package supports roughly 0.63 W — about 12 % more than an LQFP-128 for 81 % more board area.

What the LQFP-144 package is

LQFP-144 means Low-profile Quad Flat Package with 144 leads. The leads exit all four sides as gull wings, 36 per side. The JEDEC MS-026 outline fixes the body thickness at 1.40 mm and the maximum seated height at 1.60 mm. The standard body is 20 × 20 mm on 0.50 mm pitch.

Vendor naming is unreliable at this size. Several FPGA and CPLD suppliers label a 1.40 mm body “TQFP-144” even though JEDEC reserves the thin designation for a 1.00 mm body. The footprint is unaffected, but a height-constrained enclosure is not. Read the mechanical drawing, not the package name.

For programmable logic this outline is a boundary. Below it sit 100-lead and 144-lead QFPs; above it, most families offer only BGAs. That makes LQFP-144 the last package where hand rework, optical inspection and a two-layer escape all remain possible.

[IMAGE 1: Isometric render of a 20 × 20 mm LQFP-144 body with the pin-1 chamfer and dimple called out | alt: “LQFP-144 package body showing pin 1 index and 36 gull-wing leads per side”]

LQFP-144 dimensions

The table gives the nominal envelope for the 20 × 20 mm, 0.50 mm pitch variant. These are typical values from the MS-026 family drawing. The controlling figures for your build sit in the package section of the device datasheet.

Table 1 — LQFP-144 mechanical envelope, 20 × 20 mm body, 0.50 mm pitch (typical)

Parameter	Symbol	Typical value	Notes
Body size	D × E	20.00 × 20.00 mm	Square body, plastic moulded
Lead count	—	144	36 leads per side
Lead pitch	e	0.50 mm	Basic dimension, no tolerance
Lead field per side	—	17.50 mm	35 spaces × 0.50 mm
Lead span, tip to tip	HD × HE	22.00 × 22.00 mm ± 0.20 mm	Body + 2 × 1.00 mm lead reach
Body thickness	A2	1.40 mm ± 0.05 mm	The dimension that makes it low profile
Overall height	A	1.60 mm max	Seated height including standoff
Standoff	A1	0.05 mm min, 0.15 mm max	Gap under the body after reflow
Lead width	b	0.22 mm (0.17–0.27 mm)	Measured at the gauge plane
Lead thickness	c	0.127 mm (0.09–0.20 mm)	Copper alloy plus finish
Foot length	L	0.60 mm (0.45–0.75 mm)	Drives heel and toe fillet targets
Foot angle	θ	0° to 7°	Affects heel fillet formation
Coplanarity	—	0.08 mm max	Specified at 25 °C — see the warpage section
Pin 1 index	—	Corner chamfer plus moulded dimple	Chamfer alone is not a reliable index

The lead field row explains the body size. Thirty-six leads per side occupy 35 pitch spaces, which at 0.50 mm is 17.50 mm. A 16 mm body cannot hold that, leaving 20 mm as the smallest square body that works at this pitch and lead count.

A 16 × 16 mm body does appear in some catalogs for 144 leads, and the geometry allows it at 0.40 mm pitch, where the lead field drops to 14.00 mm. Confirm the pitch from the drawing before assuming any 144-lead part matches the footprint you already have.

LQFP-144 pinout and pin numbering

Pin numbering runs counter-clockwise viewed from the top, starting at the corner carrying the moulded dimple. Thirty-six pins per side, no gaps.

Table 2 — LQFP-144 pin allocation by side, top view

Side	Pin range	Direction of count	Corner pins
Left	1 to 36	Top to bottom	Pin 1 at top-left
Bottom	37 to 72	Left to right	Pin 37 at bottom-left
Right	73 to 108	Bottom to top	Pin 73 at bottom-right
Top	109 to 144	Right to left	Pin 109 at top-right

There is no standard LQFP-144 function map. Ordering suffixes are the reliable identifier: Xilinx uses TQ144, Intel and Altera use T144, Lattice uses TG144, STMicroelectronics appends a T, and NXP uses FBD. Match the suffix to the mechanical drawing before committing a footprint.

Supply and ground pins are distributed across all four sides on any well-designed 144-lead device. Build the decoupling plan from the pinout, not from schematic sheet order, or one side ends up carrying an unbalanced return path.

[IMAGE 2: Top-view pinout diagram of an LQFP-144 with pin 1 dimple and the four 36-pin side groups labelled | alt: “LQFP-144 pinout diagram showing counter-clockwise pin numbering from pin 1”]

How many usable I/O you actually get

A 144-lead FPGA does not give you 144 signals. Power rails, ground returns and configuration pins take a share that varies by family and by how many supply domains the device carries.

Budget 95 to 110 user I/O when scoping a 144-pin programmable logic device, then confirm against the vendor pinout file before the schematic is frozen. Devices with separate core, auxiliary and multiple bank supplies land at the low end.

Microcontrollers in the same outline usually reserve less, because they run fewer independent rails. The gap between an FPGA and an MCU on identical lead counts can exceed 20 signals, which is enough to change the package decision entirely.

LQFP-144 PCB footprint and land pattern

The IPC-7351B name for the standard footprint is QFP50P2200X2200X160-144N: quad flat pack, 0.50 mm pitch, 22.00 × 22.00 mm span, 1.60 mm height, 144 pins, nominal density.

Each land is built from three fillet targets — toe, heel and side — that shift with density level. Level A suits low-volume or high-reliability work with manual rework. Level B is the reflow default. Level C applies only where area is the binding constraint.

Table 3 — IPC-7351B land pattern for LQFP-144, by density level (computed from the nominal envelope)

Density level	Toe fillet (mm)	Heel fillet (mm)	Land size (mm)	Toe-to-toe (mm)	Courtyard (mm)
A — most material	0.55	0.45	0.32 × 1.75	23.30	24.30
B — nominal	0.35	0.35	0.30 × 1.50	22.90	23.40
C — least material	0.15	0.25	0.28 × 1.25	22.50	22.74

At density level B the inner land edge sits at a 19.90 mm gap, the land runs 1.50 mm long, and the courtyard closes at 23.40 mm square. That is 547.6 mm² of board area, against 303 mm² for an LQFP-128 in a 14 mm body.

Regenerate the pattern in your library tool against the actual datasheet before release. Foot length tolerance moves the heel more than any other input, and a 22 mm span magnifies any error in the span dimension itself.

The process window a 0.50 mm pitch buys you

The 81 % area premium over an LQFP-128 is not wasted. It converts directly into manufacturing tolerance, and both halves of that are calculable.

Start with the stencil. Area ratio — opening area divided by aperture wall area — must clear 0.66. Take a 0.28 mm × 1.35 mm aperture, the density level B land reduced modestly in both axes:

• Opening area = 0.28 × 1.35 = 0.378 mm²
• Aperture perimeter = 2 × (0.28 + 1.35) = 3.26 mm
• On 0.127 mm foil: wall area = 0.414 mm², area ratio = 0.91
• On 0.150 mm foil: wall area = 0.489 mm², area ratio = 0.77 — still clears

That last line is the payoff. A 0.150 mm foil is the common house default for boards carrying connectors and shields, and on a 0.40 mm pitch package the same calculation returns 0.63 and fails. Here you can run one foil thickness across the whole board.

Solder mask behaves the same way. Non-solder-mask-defined lands at 0.50 mm pitch with 0.05 mm expansion leave a 0.10 mm mask dam between openings. That sits at the floor most fabricators will guarantee on liquid photoimageable mask, so NSMD stays available. At 0.40 mm pitch the same arithmetic gives 0.06 mm and forces ganged openings.

Confirm the 0.10 mm web against your fabricator capability sheet. Some houses still prefer to gang the rows at this pitch, and that is a reasonable call, but it should be a decision rather than a default.

Warpage and corner leads on a 20 mm body

The 0.08 mm coplanarity figure in Table 1 is specified at 25 °C. A 20 × 20 mm plastic body has more than twice the area of a 14 mm body and bows further at reflow temperature, which is where corner joints are made or lost.

Dynamic warpage is measured to JESD22-B112 across the reflow profile, not at room temperature. Ask for that data on any 20 mm body going into a high-mix or high-reliability build. Vendors have it; it rarely reaches the datasheet.

Strain distance grows too. Corner-lead distance to neutral point is half the land-pattern diagonal: (22.90 / 2) × √2 = 16.19 mm. On an LQFP-100 the same figure is 11.95 mm, so the corner leads on an LQFP-144 sit 35 % further out.

Gull-wing leads are compliant and absorb most of that, which is why QFPs survive thermal cycling far better than area-array packages of similar span. The compliance only works through a properly formed heel fillet. A starved heel turns a compliant joint into a rigid one at the highest-strain position on the package.

Thermal ceiling: a worked check that fails

A standard LQFP-144 has no exposed pad. Heat leaves through 144 leads into the board, so θJA is mostly a property of your copper rather than the package.

Typical published figures for a 20 × 20 mm LQFP-144 run 35 °C/W to 45 °C/W on the JESD51-7 four-layer test board and 45 °C/W to 60 °C/W on the JESD51-3 single-layer board.

Work a case that fails. An FPGA dissipating 1.2 W at 40 °C/W raises the junction 48 °C. At an 85 °C ambient that reaches 133 °C, past a 125 °C limit before any margin is applied.

Invert it for the ceiling. Holding 15 °C of margin at 85 °C ambient allows a 25 °C rise, so the package supports about 0.63 W. The equivalent figure for an LQFP-128 at 45 °C/W is 0.56 W.

Twelve per cent more dissipation for 81 % more board area is a poor trade if thermal capacity is what you were buying. More leads spread heat only marginally. Copper does the work, and the copper is the same on either package.

Three responses work: cap the specified ambient at 70 °C, pour continuous ground plane on layer 2 across the full 23.40 mm courtyard with a via ring just outside the lands, or move to a package with an exposed pad. A heatsink on a 1.60 mm plastic body is not a response.

Reflow, moisture and escape routing

J-STD-020 classifies by body thickness before volume. At 1.40 mm the LQFP-144 falls below the 1.60 mm threshold, so the classification peak is 260 °C. Keep time above 217 °C between 60 s and 150 s.

Moisture sensitivity level 3 is the common rating, giving 168 h of floor life at 30 °C and 60 % RH once the dry bag opens. Bake per J-STD-033 past that — 24 h at 125 °C for this body class. A 20 mm body with a large die is a serious popcorn risk if the bake is skipped.

Routing stays comfortable. Four sides at 22.0 mm give 88 mm of perimeter for 144 leads, or 0.61 mm of channel per net. Every lead fans outward without a via, so a two-layer escape is viable and every joint remains visible under a microscope.

Keep layer 1 under the body clear. A 400 mm² body footprint is the largest continuous return plane opportunity on most boards using this package, and it doubles as the thermal path.

LQFP-144 against LQFP-128 and a BGA

Compare by what each package costs you in area and gives you in process tolerance, not by lead count.

Table 4 — Package trade-offs at high lead count

Package	Body (mm)	Pitch (mm)	Courtyard (mm²)	Stencil foil range (mm)	NSMD mask viable?
LQFP-128	14 × 14	0.40	303	0.100–0.127	No — ganged openings required
LQFP-144	20 × 20	0.50	548	0.100–0.150	Marginal — 0.10 mm dam
LQFP-176	24 × 24	0.50	751	0.100–0.150	Marginal — 0.10 mm dam
TFBGA-144	10 × 10	0.80	121	0.100–0.127	Yes — standard practice

The decision path is short. If board area is scarce and your assembler is comfortable at 0.40 mm pitch, take the LQFP-128. If area is available and you want one stencil foil and NSMD lands across the whole board, take the LQFP-144.

If area is the binding constraint and you already have four layers plus X-ray, the TFBGA wins on every axis except rework. Occupying 121 mm² against 548 mm² is not a marginal difference.

Design mistakes that cause returns

• Assuming a 144-lead part matches your existing footprint. The 20 × 20 mm at 0.50 mm pitch and the 16 × 16 mm at 0.40 mm pitch share nothing but the lead count.
• Trusting a “TQFP-144” label for enclosure clearance. Several vendors apply it to a 1.40 mm body, which is 0.40 mm taller than the JEDEC thin class.
• Using room-temperature coplanarity as the warpage number on a 20 mm body, then losing corner joints at reflow.
• Reducing stencil aperture width rather than length, starving the heel fillet at the corners where distance to neutral point is greatest.
• Sizing the thermal design from lead count. Going from 128 to 144 leads buys about 12 % more dissipation, not 12 % more anything else.
• Scoping an FPGA design at 144 usable I/O. Power, ground and configuration pins typically leave 95 to 110.

Frequently asked questions

What does LQFP-144 stand for?

Low-profile Quad Flat Package with 144 leads. Low profile is a JEDEC height class meaning a 1.40 mm body and a 1.60 mm maximum seated height. Quad flat means gull-wing leads on all four sides. The 144 is the lead count, 36 per side.

What is the size of an LQFP-144 package?

The standard variant has a 20 × 20 mm body and a 22.0 × 22.0 mm lead span on 0.50 mm pitch, standing 1.60 mm tall at maximum. The lead field occupies 17.50 mm of each 20 mm side, leaving 1.25 mm of corner clearance.

What is the pin pitch of an LQFP-144?

0.50 mm on the standard 20 × 20 mm body. Thirty-six leads per side need 35 pitch spaces, or 17.50 mm of lead field, which is why the body cannot be smaller. A 16 × 16 mm variant exists at 0.40 mm pitch with a completely different footprint.

What land pattern should I use for an LQFP-144?

Start from IPC-7351B QFP50P2200X2200X160-144N at density level B: 0.30 mm × 1.50 mm lands on 0.50 mm pitch, 22.90 mm toe-to-toe, 23.40 mm courtyard. Move to level A for hand rework or high-reliability builds, then regenerate against the datasheet before release.

How much power can an LQFP-144 dissipate?

About 0.63 W at an 85 °C ambient if you hold 15 °C of junction margin, assuming 40 °C/W on a four-layer board. On a two-layer board at 55 °C/W that drops to roughly 0.45 W. Neither figure improves much by adding leads.

Can you hand-solder an LQFP-144?

Yes. At 0.50 mm pitch, drag soldering with flux and fine braid is routine, and all 144 joints stay inspectable. The 20 mm body needs more preheat than a smaller package to avoid tombstoning nearby passives. Check corner heel fillets under magnification afterwards.

What to do next

If your device is available in both, and board area allows 548 mm², specify the LQFP-144 over an LQFP-128. One stencil foil, NSMD lands and a comfortable escape budget are worth the area on any board that is not area-constrained.

Then handle the two things this package does differently. Request dynamic warpage data to JESD22-B112 for the 20 mm body, and pour continuous ground copper on layer 2 across the full courtyard.

If your dissipation is above roughly 0.6 W at an 85 °C ambient, the package is the wrong answer regardless of lead count. Move to an exposed-pad part or a BGA before layout rather than after qualification.

References

• JEDEC Solid State Technology Association — MS-026, plastic quad flat package family outline. https://www.jedec.org/standards-documents
• IPC — IPC-7351B, Generic Requirements for Surface Mount Design and Land Pattern Standard. https://www.ipc.org/
• IPC — IPC-7525, Stencil Design Guidelines (area ratio and aperture reduction).
• IPC / JEDEC — J-STD-020, Moisture/Reflow Sensitivity Classification for Nonhermetic Surface Mount Devices. https://www.jedec.org/standards-documents
• IPC / JEDEC — J-STD-033, Handling, Packing, Shipping and Use of Moisture/Reflow Sensitive Surface Mount Devices.
• JEDEC — JESD22-B112, Package Warpage Measurement of Surface Mount ICs at Elevated Temperature.
• JEDEC — JESD51-3 and JESD51-7, thermal test board definitions for package thermal measurement.

Note: these documents were not retrieved live in this session. Verify every figure against your controlled copy of the standard and the device datasheet before publishing.