Any tips on ways to hand solder SO8 packages which have a GND pad underneath? I'm doing a PCB layout for a hobby project using one of these devices so I could for example put a large plated through via under the device big enough to get my soldering iron tip into. Is that a bad idea?
The device is a high-speed prescaler which dissipates ~ 350mW. The GND pad not only needs to be well grounded for RF but also needs a low thermal resistance to remove all that heat.
My board is standard 2-layer FR4 with an almost continuous ground plane on the bottom.
TIA