Patent ID: 8344518

Claim:
A chip stack assembly comprising: a substrate that defines a plurality of surface mount pads; a first chip having a first set of contacts extending outward; a second chip having a second set of contacts extending outward therefrom; at least one support member positioned on the substrate having a first surface with a first set of mounting pads positioned thereon and a second surface having a second set of mounting pads positioned thereon wherein the first and second surfaces are displaced from each other by a first distance in a first direction and wherein the first set of contacts are attached to the first set of mounting pads and the second set of contacts are attached to the second set of mounting pads such that the first and second chips are supported so as to be displaced from each other in the first direction, and wherein the at least one support member further includes at least one interconnect that interconnects at least one contact of the first and second set of contacts so as to electrically interconnect the at least one contact of first and second set of contacts; a third chip having a third set of contacts extending outward therefrom; a second support member positioned on the at least one support member, the second support member having a third surface with a third set of mounting pads positioned thereon and a fourth surface having a fourth set of mounting pads positioned thereon wherein the third and fourth surfaces are displaced from each other by the first distance in the first direction and wherein the first set of contacts are attached to the third set of mounting pads and the third set of contacts are attached to the fourth set of mounting pads such that the first and third chips are supported so as to be displaced from each other in the first direction, wherein the at least one support member further includes at least one via connection that extends in the first direction through the at least one support member to the substrate so that at least one individual contact of the first set of contacts can be electrically coupled to the surface mount pad of the substrate while being electrically isolated from the second set of contacts, and wherein the second support member further includes at least one interconnect that interconnects at least one contact of the first and third set of contacts so as to electrically interconnect the at least one contact of first, second, and third set of contacts, and wherein the at least one support member further includes a second via connection that extends in the first direction through the at least one support member to the substrate and wherein the second support member further includes at least one via connection that extends in the first direction through the second support member, to the second via of the at least one support structure to the substrate so that at least one individual contact of the third set of contacts can be electrically coupled to the surface mount pad of the substrate while being electrically isolated from the first and second set of contacts.