Patent ID: 7934430

Claim:
A die scale strain gauge system comprising: a chip having a first surface and a separate, second surface that is buried with respect to the first surface; a first resistive pattern formed on the first surface, the pattern having two ends, wherein the resistance of the resistive pattern responds to strains on the first surface; a second resistive pattern formed on the second surface, wherein the second resistive pattern responds to strains on the second surface, and wherein the distribution of the first and the second resistive patterns on the two separate surfaces allows strain to be measured and mapped within the chip; and at least one resistive vertical pattern is disposed on a vertical surface that extends from an upper surface to a buried surface, wherein the at least one vertical resistive pattern responds to strains experienced by the vertical surface, and wherein strain gauges on the first and second surfaces and the vertical surface allow strain to be measured in three dimensions within the body of the chip.