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56 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2023 A Once and Future Idea Electronic assemblies are typically com- prised of a mix of discrete resistors, capacitors, inductors, and the like, along with numerous integrated circuit chips, each chip having a cer- tain function or range of different functions. In such assemblies, there are also several differ- ent connectors and/or sockets that allow for the assembly to be connected to other assem- blies. Making interconnections between and among these many and various active and pas- sive devices is the job of the circuit designer. To date, a broad range of IC packaging and electrical interconnection techniques have been used in such assemblies, especially at the higher end. As folks try to extend the runway of Moore's Law, these include various multichip mod- ule (MCM) structures along with system- in-package (SiP) offerings, both precursors to the currently much talked about range of heterogeneously integrated packaging solu- tions found in virtually every electronics engineering magazine. ese package assem- bly devices are still in need of and typically mounted onto an interconnection substrate, most commonly a printed circuit board. Actual interconnection continues to be car- ried out using a soldering process, though efforts have been underway for some time (by myself and others) to eliminate soldering Flexible Thinking by Joe Fjelstad, VERDANT ELECTRONICS