Direct-connect signaling system

1. A system for connecting high speed signals to spaced integrated circuit packages, comprising:

a pair of spaced integrated circuit packages, each having a top surface, mounted on a signal-interconnection substrate, the substrate including signal paths for slow-speed signals; the integrated circuit packages each being configurable for electrically connecting slow speed signals to said slow-speed signal paths; each of said integrated circuit packages including structure-contact traces configured to electrically couple high speed signals to top surface contacts located on the top surface of said integrated circuit packages,

a structure including one or more high-speed electrical traces spanning the space between said integrated circuit packages; the structure spaced from said signal interconnection substrate and physically mounted to respective said top surfaces;

a cable connector within which the high-speed electrical traces of the structure terminate, the cable connector being physically mounted on one of said integrated circuit packages, and the cable connector being configured to electrically couple the structure to the structure-contact traces of the one of said integrated circuit packages; and

a trace-contact coupler configured to electrically couple the high speed electrical traces on said structure to said top surface contacts.

2. The system for connecting high speed signals of claim 1 wherein said structure comprises a cable.

3. The system for connecting high speed signals of claim 1 wherein said structure comprises a rigid structure.

4. The system for connecting high speed signals of claim 1 wherein said structure comprises a cable mounted on a rigid structure.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said trace-contact coupler comprises solder.

6. The system for connecting high speed signals of claim 1 wherein the structure-contact traces are formed on sides of at least one of said integrated circuit packages.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the structure-contact traces of the one of said integrated circuit packages terminate at a contact zone of the one of said integrated circuit packages, and wherein the cable connector is secured to the contact zone.

8. A system for transmitting high speed signals between integrated circuit packages, comprising:

a circuit board with a first surface including a plurality of circuit board terminals;

a cable including a first high speed signal path including first and second ends with corresponding first and second high speed terminals; and

first and second IC packages including: i) respective first and second package terminals electrically coupled with corresponding first and second circuit board terminals, ii) a first package surface facing the first surface of the circuit board, and iii) a second package surface, the cable being physically mounted to the second package surface by a cable connector within which the first high speed signal path terminates, and the second package surface including corresponding third and fourth package terminals respectively coupled with the first and second high speed terminals.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the first and second package surfaces of the first IC package face in opposite directions.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the second package surface of the first and second IC packages face in a same direction.

11. The system of claim 8 , the circuit board further comprising a first signal trace in electrical continuity with the first and second circuit board terminals.

12. The system of claim 11 , the circuit board further comprising a plurality of conductive vias extending at least part way through the circuit board from the first surface.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the ends of the first signal trace are coupled with first and second conductive vias.

14. The system of claim 13 , the circuit board further comprising a second surface facing in an opposite direction from the first circuit board surface, wherein the first signal trace is disposed, at least in part, within an inner circuit board layer between the first and second circuit board surfaces.

15. The system of claim 8 , the first package terminal being disposed on the first surface of the first IC package.

16. The system of claim 8 , the first package terminal being coupled with the first circuit board terminal by a solder ball connection.

17. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a wire lead extending outward from a body of the first IC package, the first package terminal being disposed on the wire lead.

18. The system of claim 17 , the wire lead comprising gull wing shape.

19. The system of claim 17 , the wire lead comprising a J-lead shape.

20. The system of claim 17 , the wire lead further comprising an interior terminal disposed within the IC package, the IC package further comprising a bond wire and an IC die with a plurality of die terminals, the bond wire having a first end coupled with the interior terminal and a second end coupled with a first die terminal.

21. The system of claim 8 , the first IC package further comprising:

an IC die with a plurality of die terminals including a first die terminal;

a substrate;

a first circuit extending from the first package terminal to an interior package terminal; and,

a terminal connector that is configured to electrically connect the interior package terminal with the first die terminal.

22. The system of claim 21 , the terminal connector comprising a conductive bump.

23. The system of claim 21 , the substrate comprising a signal path having a first end coupled with a second IC die, and a second end coupled with the third package terminal.

24. The system of claim 8 , the IC package comprising flip-chip architecture.

25. The system of claim 8 , further comprising a second high speed signal path electrically coupling a fifth package terminal disposed on the first IC package with a sixth package terminal disposed on the second IC package.

26. The system of claim 25 , the first high speed signal path being insulatively protected by a first insulating member.

27. The system of claim 26 , the second high speed signal path also being disposed within the first insulating member, and electrically insulated from the first high speed signal path.

28. The system of claim 26 , the first high speed signal path and the first insulating member being members of a flexible circuit.

29. The system of claim 26 , the first high speed signal path and the first insulating member being members of a rigid structure.