Patent ID: 8497149

Claim:
A method of fabricating a plurality of micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) device on a substrate, the method comprising the steps of: processing the substrate so as to fabricate a plurality of electronic circuits; depositing a plurality of first electrodes such that each first electrode is operably coupled with a respective electronic circuit; depositing a plurality of membranes so that each membrane is mechanically coupled to a respective first electrode; applying a plurality of sacrificial layers such that each sacrificial layer is deposited over a respective membrane; depositing a plurality of structural layers and a plurality of second electrodes that are operably coupled with the electronic circuits so that the sacrificial layers are disposed between the respective membranes and the respective structural layers so as to form a preliminary structure; singulating the substrate so as to form the plurality of separate MEMS devices, each MEMS device comprising a preliminary structure formed on a respective portion of the substrate; and removing the sacrificial layer from the separate MEMS devices, in which the step of singulating the substrate is carried out before the step of removing the sacrificial layer.