Patent ID: 7892876

Claim:
A method of fabricating an accelerometer, comprising: providing a substrate; forming an isolation layer on the substrate; patterning the isolation layer disposed on the front side of the substrate; removing the back side isolation layer when necessary; forming a sacrificial layer on the substrate; removing the sacrificial layer on the isolation layer; etching anchor holes and bond pad contact windows through the isolation layer to expose the underlying substrate; forming a low-resistivity structural layer on the substrate; patterning the low-resistivity structural layer on the front side of the structure to define suspension arms, sense and actuation electrodes, and bond pads; removing the back side low-resistivity layer when necessary; patterning the sacrificial layer on the back side of the substrate if such is formed; etching the back side of the substrate to expose the sacrificial layer disposed beneath the low-resistivity structural layer on the front side of the substrate and to define outer edge of a proof mass; and releasing the proof mass by dissolving the sacrificial layer.