| abstract |
A method and apparatus for constructing, repairing and operating modular electronic systems utilize peripheral half-capacitors (14, 15) (i.e., conductive plates on the outside of the modules) to communicate non-conductively between abutting modules. Such systems provide lower cost, improved testability/repairability and greater density then conventional modular packaging techniques, such as printed circuit board (10) and multi-chip modules. The non-conductive interconnection technique of the invention can be applied to all levels in the packaging hierarchy, from bare semiconductor dies to complete functional sub-units. Numerous exemplary systems and applications are described. |