Three-dimensional interconnect system

A product made by a system for making a three-dimensional interconnect on a workpiece, the workpiece including first and second electrical devices that are disposed on different physical planes and are physically connected with each other, the first electrical device including a first contact pad and the second electrical device including a second contact pad, the system comprising:

• an ejector for ejecting electrically conductive droplets, such that the ejected droplets are deposited on the workpiece and adhere to the workpiece;
• and
• a positioning means for imparting relative motion between the ejector and the workpiece, such that the relative motion is operative to cause successively ejected droplets to be deposited on the workpiece along a predetermined interconnect path, and such that the deposited droplets are contiguously interconnected to form the three-dimensional interconnect and the three-dimensional interconnect substantially traces the interconnect path, the three-dimensional interconnect is in contact with the first and second contact pads and the three-dimensional interconnect is operative only to electrically connect the first and second electrical devices with each other,
• the three-dimensional interconnect includes a plurality of segments selected from the group consisting of substantially horizontal segments, substantially vertical segments, and a combination of horizontal and vertical segments, and
• wherein a portion of the three-dimensional interconnect is disposed on an edge of a selected one or both of the first and second devices and the edge is selected from the group consisting of a horizontal edge, a vertical edge, and a combination horizontal and vertical edge.