Patent ID: 8362606

Claim:
A semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor substrate having first and second surfaces and a sidewall between the first and second surfaces; a first conductive pad on the first surface of the device in electrical contact with a first semiconductor device structure within the substrate; a second conductive pad on the second surface of the device in electrical contact with a second semiconductor device structure within the substrate; a notch on the sidewall running from the first surface to the second surface, wherein said notch does not extend across the entire length of a die; an insulator layer on the first surface and on the sidewall in the notch; an electrically conductive layer on part of the insulator layer on the sidewall, wherein the conductive layer is in electrical contact with the second conductive pad, allowing access to the second conductive pad from the first surface, wherein the insulator layer prevents the conductive layer from making contact between the second conductive pad and the sidewall of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the insulator layer and the electrically conductive layer covers a portion of the first conductive pad on the first surface, the insulator layer insulating the first conductive pad from said electrically conductive layer.