Patent ID: 7810379

Claim:
A microelectromechanical (MEM) device having a stationary element and a movable element displaceable relative to the stationary element, comprising: a semiconductor wafer; a substrate; said wafer and substrate having respective bonding pads which are aligned and mechanically connected such that a high temperature thermocompression bond is formed to effect the bonding of said wafer to said substrate and thereby form a composite structure; portions of said composite structure patterned and etched to define the stationary and movable MEM elements such that said movable element is mechanically coupled to said stationary element; a drive means for displacing said movable element laterally relative to said stationary element; a sensing means arranged to sense the capacitance between said movable and stationary elements; and at least one insulating bridge which mechanically couples but electrically isolates at least one portion of said movable element from at least one other portion of said movable element, such that said sensing means is electrically isolated from said drive means; wherein said wafer and substrate bonding pads are metal and said thermocompression bond is used to conduct electrical signals between said semiconductor wafer and said substrate.