This makes the electro-mechanical connection between the die and the outside world. There are 2 of them:
M46-0008-00 : This is the original whisker. It has a cross-sectional area of 0.064 uin2. The smaller cross-sectional area doesn’t leak as much heat away from the die, so it does not perform as well in hot oils.
M50-1028-00 : This whisker was added in 2010 and has a cross-sectional area of 0.080 uin2. The larger cross-sectional area leaks more heat away from the die allowing it to run cooler in hot oil applications, raising the turn on voltage and thus achieve a higher withstanding voltage.