A diffusion soldering method for joining an electronic component to a substrate is provided. The joining surfaces are designed such that cavities are formed in a joining gap between the component and substrate. The formation of such cavities can be provided, e.g., by depressions in a mounting surface of the component and/or in a contact surface of the substrate, the depressions being cup-shaped and/or defining channels that surround columnar structural elements, the end faces of which define the mounting surface and/or contact surface. The cavities are designed such that solder material can leak into the cavities when the component during a heating process to achieve a desired width of the joining gap. This allows for the formation of a narrow-width joining having a diffusion zone that bridges the joining gap upon soldering. In this manner, a diffusion solder connection can be produced even using standard solder.