Patent ID: 7204737

Claim:
A method of making a hermetically sealed microdevice, the method comprising the steps of: providing a substrate with a recess therein; providing a cap with a recess therein; defining a microstructure and a vent channel in a silicon layer, the vent channel configured to couple to the recesses after the bonding step; forming a vent, the vent configured to couple to the vent channel after the bonding step; disposing a getter layer in at least one of the recesses; bonding the cap, silicon wafer, and substrate together such that the recesses in the cap and substrate form a cavity to enclose the microstructure, and wherein the vent, vent channel and cavity are coupled together; evacuating the cavity through the vent and vent channel; and sealing the vent to provide a hermetically sealed cavity enclosing the microstructure.