CORROSION-RESISTANT LEAD FRAME

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lead frame having new structure, in which the generation of the oxidation and corrosion of the lead frame in the assembly process of a semiconductor package is inhibited and the deterioration of the reliability of the semiconductor package due to the oxidation and the corrosion is prevented. SOLUTION: This lead frame 10 contains die pads 1, on which semiconductor chips are mounted, and leads 3 and 4 electrically connected to the semiconductor chips, and is composed of a functional section as a part of a package when the packaging is completed and a nonfunctional section comprising side rails 5 supporting the functional section and not used as a part of the package at the time of the completion of packaging and removed. Other metals functioning as a reducing agent to metals placed on the positive side in the rank of electrochemical series or corrosion potential series and used for the above-mentioned functional section are employed for a part or the whole of the nonfunctional section at that time.