The present invention relates to high density packaging of electronic circuit elements where electronic components are employed. It is usual practice for power electronic components to be packaged and then attached to a surface of a circuit board with or between circuit boards utilizing axial lead devices. These methods use considerable space and are both costly and heavy. Using the chip on board (COB) method which bonds an electronic component chip flat against the board then uses bond wires to make electrical connections is lighter and affords higher density and lower cost but has the drawback of limited current capability due to the bond wires. Other methods are also used to create higher densities while keeping the power handling capability at peak capacity. One is used in the EMI embodiment of attaching electronic components directly to contact pins, attaching a contact ring to the opposing side of the electronic component and over molding them with a plastic so they can then be inserted into an array of pins with a spring grounding feature contacting the contact rings. This approach has a major drawback in the cost and added weight associated with over molding each pin.
Packages in which multiple electronic components are packaged together are also used to reduce both cost and space. These packages limit the heat sinking capability for each electronic component to a division of the combined ability of the package, thus limiting the power handling capability of each electronic component unless the package is made sufficiently large, which would negate the space-saving capability.
Thus, there remains a need for an electronic circuit package that is durable, compact, light, and cost effective while maintaining high power handling and heat sinking capabilities.