Abstract:
Disclosed is a method of manufacturing an integrated circuit having a substrate comprising a plurality of components and a metallization stack over said components, the metallization stack comprising a first sensing element (120) and a second sensing element (140) adjacent to the first sensing element, the method comprising depositing a moisture-impenetrable layer (150) over the metallization stack; depositing a passivation layer (510; 520) over the moisture-impenetrable layer; patterning the passivation layer and the underlying moisture-impenetrable layer such that a trench (600) is formed surrounding a region (810, 820) of the passivation layer over the first or second sensing element, the depth of said trench extending to a portion (310) of the metallization stack; depositing a layer of a further moisture-impenetrable material (700) over the resultant structure thereby filling said trench; patterning said further moisture-impenetrable material to expose a portion of the passivation layer in a region (810) above the first sensing element; and removing the exposed portion of the passivation layer to expose the first sensing element. A thus manufactured IC and article comprising such an IC are also disclosed.