Patent ID: 7902698

Claim:
A method for fabricating a monolithic micro-generator comprising the unordered steps of: (a) fabricating a plurality of magnet layer elements by performing the unordered steps of: (a.1) preparing a first semiconductor substrate having upper and lower surfaces, (a.2) masking and etching the first semiconductor upper substrate surface to define a plurality of coil layer recesses, (a.3) masking and etching the first semiconductor upper substrate surface to define a plurality of magnet wells, (a.4) masking and etching the first semiconductor upper substrate surface to define a plurality of integral compliant regions, (a.5) masking and etching the first semiconductor upper substrate surface to define a plurality of bonding posts each having an upper surface, and (a.6) disposing a ferromagnetic mass within each of a plurality of the magnet wells; (b) fabricating a coil layer element by performing the unordered steps of: (b.1) preparing a second semiconductor substrate having upper and lower surfaces, (b.2) masking and etching the second semiconductor upper substrate surface to define a coil well, (b.3) disposing a conductive coil within the coil well, and (b.4) masking and etching the second semiconductor upper substrate surface to define one or more through holes each disposed to accept a bonding post; and (c) bonding the upper bonding post surfaces of a first magnet layer element to the corresponding upper bonding post surfaces of a second magnet layer element with a coil layer element disposed between the upper surfaces of the first and second magnet layer elements such that each of the one or more bonding posts passes through a corresponding through hole in the coil layer element.