Patent ID: 7107840

Claim:
A micro-machined electromechanical system (MEMS) device having a micro-machined strain isolation apparatus, the MEMS device comprising: a micro-machined electromechanical force sensing mechanism formed in a crystalline silicon substrate, the sensing mechanism including a plurality of interfaces formed in first and second opposing surfaces of a frame portion thereof; first and second micro-machined cover plates formed in respective crystalline silicon substrates, each of the cover plates being formed with a substantially planar base portion between a plurality of upright walls that are spaced apart to admit the sensing mechanism and sized to form a cavity for housing the sensing mechanism when joined together; a plurality of mesas being distributed between the base portion of the first cover plate in juxtaposition to a plurality of complementary flats formed in a first surface of a frame portion of the sensing mechanism; a plurality of flexibly suspended complementary strain isolation devices being distributed between the base portion of the second cover plate and a second opposing surface of the frame portion of the sensing mechanism; and an adhesive bond joining the walls of the first and second cover plates.