Packaging Electronic Circuits in Multi-Board Modules

The Multi-Board Module (MBM) scheme has been conceived to provide a cost-effective way to combine digital electronic circuits into dense, lightweight packages, within which high-speed signals can be transmitted readily along three-dimensional conductive paths with minimal lengths. As the title suggests, the MBM scheme involves stacking of circuit boards in modules. Unlike in other circuit-packaging schemes, neither cables nor traditional electrical connectors are used to make the electrical connections among circuit boards in a module. Inasmuch as connectors and cables typically occupy a large fraction of the volume and constitute a large fraction of the mass of a package, the MBM scheme offers the potential for significant reductions in size and weight.