Abstract: A microphone apparatus includes a carrier chip and a microphone chip. The carrier chip includes a substrate with parallel top and bottom surfaces, a metallization layer overlying the top surface, and a cylindrical cavity that is bored through the top surface and the metallization layer and partially through the carrier substrate. The microphone chip includes a substrate with parallel top and bottom surfaces, a cylindrical cavity extending from the microphone substrate top surface to the microphone substrate bottom surface, and a diaphragm attached to the microphone substrate bottom surface and extending across the microphone cavity. The microphone chip is fixed to the carrier chip, with the microphone cavity overlying the carrier cavity, and the diaphragm covering the carrier cavity and electrically connected to the metallization layer.

Abstract: A multi-chip module (MCM) assembly has three stacked integrated circuit (IC) layers. The first IC layer is electrically flip-chip connected to a substrate. The back of the second IC layer may be glued to the back of the first IC layer, and the second and third IC layers are electrically flip-chip connected to each other. In one embodiment, the third IC layer is electrically connected to the substrate through a vertical interconnect element for high circuit density. In another, the second IC layer is electrically connected to the substrate using wire bonding for greater post-fabrication customization flexibility. In still another embodiment, the MCM assembly comprises two stacked IC layers where the second IC layer is electrically flip-chip connected to the first IC layer and the second layer is electrically connected to the substrate through a vertical interconnect element.