Patent ID: 7363820

Claim:
A pressure transducer, comprising: a wafer of semiconductor material having a given surface area, and having positioned on a surface of said wafer a plurality of pressure sensitive elements located within an active area, said active area capable of deflecting upon application of a force thereto, an opposite surface of said wafer including at least one indented region of a sufficient area to form said active area due to the thinning of said wafer at said at least one indented region; a plurality of contact terminals each coupled to an associated pressure sensitive element and extending towards the periphery of said wafer and located on the thicker portion of said wafer remote from said active area; a frame located on said surface of said wafer and surrounding said active area, said frame opening bounding said pressure sensitive elements within said active area; an insulating wafer having a plurality of through apertures each near the periphery of said insulating wafer and each associated with a contact terminal of said semiconductor wafer, said semiconductor wafer positioned on said surface of said insulating wafer to enable access to said through apertures on said surface, said semiconductor wafer and said insulating wafer forming a composite structure; and a plurality of wires, each connected to an associated contact on said semiconductor wafer at one end and directed through said through aperture.