Patent ID: 7259450

Claim:
A multi-chip module, comprising: a housing having a plurality of shelves on an interior thereof, at least one shelf of the plurality being disposed at a different level than at least one other vertically adjacent shelf of the plurality and positioned laterally inwardly of and parallel to the at least one other adjacent shelf of the plurality; and a plurality of individual packages, each individual package encapsulating a semiconductor die electrically coupled to a plurality of package leads extending to a package exterior; wherein the plurality of individual packages are disposed within the housing interior, a plurality of conductive pads attached to the housing, located directly on surfaces of the shelves and coupled to a plurality of traces in the housing are electrically coupled to at least some of the package leads of each package and at least one of the plurality of individual packages is directly supported on conductive pads located on the surface of the at least one shelf of the plurality to which package leads thereof are electrically coupled and at least one other of the plurality of individual packages is directly supported on conductive pads located on the surface of the at least one other adjacent shelf of the plurality to which leads thereof are electrically coupled over the at least one of the plurality of individual packages.