Patent ID: 7037745

Claim:
In the manufacture of a MEMS device having a substrate comprising a semiconductor on an insulator, said substrate having a first region closed by a lid to provide a hermetically sealed region for containing active components of the MEMs device, and a second region outside said first region, a method of providing electrical connections between said first region and said second region, comprising: forming at least one continuous deep trench in said semiconductor and extending down to said insulator, said at least one deep trench surrounding and isolating at least one block of semiconductor within said substrate, and said at least one block of semiconductor extending from within said first region to said second region to provide an electrical path between said first region and said second region; depositing an insulating layer in said trenches and over the surface of said substrate; attaching a contact to said at least one block of semiconductor in said second region to provide electrical connections through said at least one block of semiconductor from said second region to one or more components of said MEMS device within said first region; depositing a metal ring around said first region over said insulating layer; and sealing said lid to said metal ring to provide said hermetically sealed first region within said metal ring.