Abstract: The invention relates to a method for forming silicon atomic force microscope tips. The method includes the steps of depositing a masking layer onto a first layer of doped silicon so that some square or rectangular areas of the first layer of doped silicon are not covered by the masking layer, etching pyramidal apertures in the first layer of doped silicon, removing the masking layer, depositing a second layer of doped silicon onto the first layer of doped silicon, the second layer of doped silicon being oppositely doped to the first layer of doped silicon and etching away the first layer of doped silicon. Further steps may be added to form the atomic force microscope tips at the end of cantilevers.

Abstract: Devices fabricated on a wafer are encapsulated by forming a pattern of bond rings on a cap wafer and aligning and bonding the two wafers together, under thermo-compression, so that an operational part (22) of each device (20) is surrounded by a respective bond ring (21). The bond ring provides a hermetic seal by occupying any trenches (25) or other discontinuities, such as conductive tracks (23), in the upper surface of the device crossed by the ring. An accelerometer is manufactured by etching at least one cavity (5) into the top side of a substrate (1), bonding an intermediate layer of material (6) onto the top side of the substrate, depositing metallization (7) onto the intermediate layer and etching the metallization and intermediate layer to form a sensor structure suspended over each cavity.