Abstract: A male connector connects with a female connector to establish an electrical connection. The male and female connectors each include a connector housing having hold-down tabs at opposite ends thereof for securing the connector housing to a substrate. The hold-down tabs are staggered or diagonally located such that one hold-down tab is proximal a first side of the connector housing and the other hold-down is proximal a second side of the connector housing. The staggered or diagonally-located hold-down tabs stabilize the connector housing against rocking or other movement on the substrate. The arrangement of hold-down tabs also permits the connector housing to nest or merge with another similarly-designed connector housing. The nested or merged connector housing conserve substrate space and permit a higher density of contacts in a given space on the substrate, whether the space is at an edge or in an interior of the substrate.

Abstract: A multi-chip module includes a housing having insulative side walls and an end plate, conductive leads extending from the side walls, integrated circuit (IC) dies mounted to the end plate, and one or more interconnect dies mounted to the end plate. The end plate is made from a heat sink material, such as copper. Each interconnect die is positioned between a pair of the IC dies. Electrically conductive material connects the IC dies to the interconnect die, connects the IC dies to the conductive leads, and connects the interconnect dies to the conductive leads. The interconnect dies function to interconnect the IC dies and to interconnect the IC dies to the conductive leads. The interconnect die may be embodied by wiring layers formed on a silicon substrate.