Patent ID: 7361523

Claim:
A method of fabricating a three-axis accelerometer including the steps of; providing a first wafer of insulating material having a first major surface and a second major surface, etching at least two cavities in the first major surface of the first wafer, patterning metal onto the first major surface of the first wafer to form electrical connections for a third accelerometer, providing a second wafer of semiconducting material, etching a portion of a first major surface of the second wafer, bonding the first major surface of the first wafer to the first major surface of the second wafer so that at least part of the etched portion of the second wafer is above at least part of the metal on the first wafer, depositing and patterning metallization on the second major surface of the second wafer, depositing and patterning a masking layer on the second major surface of the second wafer defining the shape of a first accelerometer, a second accelerometer and the third accelerometer so that the first and second accelerometers will be formed over the cavities etched in the first major surface of the first wafer, etching the second major surface of the second wafer to form the accelerometer where the first and second accelerometers each include at least two independent sets of the beams, and removing the masking layer from the second major surface of the second wafer.