A method of physically and electrically joining two chips to each other involves aligning an electrically conductive contact of a first chip with a corresponding electrically conductive contact on a second chip, the electrically conductive contact of the first chip being a rigid material and the electrically conductive contact of the second chip being a material that is malleable, bringing the aligned electrically conductive contact of the first chip into contact with the corresponding electrically conductive contact on the second chip, elevating the contact of the chips to a temperature that is below a liquidus temperature for both the rigid material and the material that is malleable while applying pressure to the chips so as to cause the rigid material to penetrate the malleable material and form an electrically conductive connection, and, following the forming of the electrically conductive connection, cooling the contacts to an ambient temperature.