Patent ID: 8797279

Claim:
A computing device comprising: a display configured to display images to a user and configured to sense a user touch on the display; a display controller coupled to the display, wherein the display controller is configured to determine a selected location on the display in response to the user touch; a physical sensor, wherein the physical sensor is configured to sense physical forces acting upon the physical sensor and configured to determine magnitudes of change in physical forces acting upon the physical sensor in response to the user touch, the physical sensor comprising a monolithic MEMS and CMOS integrated circuit device; and a processor coupled to the display controller and to the physical sensor, wherein the processor is programmed to determine a user-selected function to perform in response to the selected location on the display, and wherein the processor is programmed to initiate execution of the user-selected function in response to the magnitudes of change in physical forces exceeding a threshold value; wherein the monolithic MEMS and CMOS integrated circuit device comprises: a first semiconductor substrate having a first surface region; one or more CMOS integrated circuit devices provided on a CMOS integrated circuit device region overlying the first surface region, the CMOs integrated circuit device region having a CMOS surface region; a dielectric region overlying the CMOS surface region, the dielectric region having a cavity region provided therein; a second semiconductor substrate having a second surface region overlying the dielectric region and enclosing the cavity region, the second semiconductor substrate having a spring region overlying a vicinity of the cavity region; a first piezo resistor device provided within a first portion of the spring region of the second semiconductor substrate; a second piezo resistor device provided within a second portion of the spring region of the second semiconductor substrate; and a mass of material coupled to a portion of the spring region of the second semiconductor substrate between the second piezo resistor device and the first piezo resistor device, the mass material being overlying the cavity region and coupled to the spring region to be movable from at least a first position to a second position and to be sensed respectively by either or both the first piezo resistor device and the second piezo resistor device.