Patent ID: 7977208

Claim:
A method comprising: providing a wafer comprising a first side and a second side; forming an opening through the wafer, the opening extending from the first side to the second side; oxidizing the wafer; forming a via in the opening, the forming comprising: sputtering a first metal material onto the first and second sides and into the opening so as to completely cover surfaces within the opening; sputtering a second metal material onto the first and second sides into the opening so as to completely cover the first metal material within the opening; forming a glass material within the opening after the sputtering of the second metal material, the glass material forming a hermetic seal between the first and second sides of the wafer; forming a first annular flange around the opening on the first side of the wafer, and a second annular flange around the opening on the second side of the wafer, the annular flanges comprising the first and second metal materials; forming a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) on the first side of the wafer; forming a lid by creating a recess in a sheet of glass material; and anodically bonding the lid to the first side of the wafer in order to form a hermetic seal between the lid and wafer, the lid being aligned so that the MEMS and the via is disposed within the recess of the lid; wherein the bonding the lid to the wafer occurs in an atmosphere of an inert gas so that the MEMS is hermetically sealed under the lid in the inert gas.