Silicon-on-sapphire body with conductive paths therethrough

Claim 1

An article of manufacture comprising: (a) a body of layered silicon-on-sapphire having (i) top and bottom major opposed surfaces substantially parallel to each other, and (ii) an outer peripheral edge area of silicon and sapphire interconnecting said major surfaces, said top major surface being silicon and said bottom major surface being sapphire; and (b) a plurality of electrically conducting paths interconnecting said major surfaces, each of said paths comprising a hole substantially filled with an electrically conducting mass of unified particles, each hole having a generally circular entrance aperture about 4 mils or less in diameter and a generally circular exit aperture at opposite ends thereof, said entrance aperture lying in the plane of one of said major surfaces and having a first diameter, said exit aperture lying in the plane of the opposite major surface and having a second diameter substantially equal to or less than said first diameter and said hole having an aspect ratio in the range of from about 2.17:1 to about 25.59:1, each path having an axis, said axis being substantially perpendicular to the planes of said major surfaces with the centers of said entrance and said exit apertures being substantially colinear therewith, and said paths being arranged in a substantially periodic array, said array having a center line-to-center line spacing substantially equal to twice said first diameter.