Layer transfer of films utilizing controlled propagation
First Claim
1. A method for cleaving a film of material from a substrate, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate having a face and a stressed layer located at a depth below the face;
initiating cleaving within a vicinity of the stressed layer; and
applying external energy to propagate the cleaving using the stressed layer in a controlled manner, wherein propagation above the stressed layer is favored by a KII factor but energetically cannot be supported, such that the stressed layer serves as a barrier to propagation below the depth.
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Abstract
A film of material may be formed by providing a semiconductor substrate having a surface region and a cleave region located at a predetermined depth beneath the surface region. During a process of cleaving the film from the substrate, shear in the cleave region is carefully controlled to achieve controlled propagation by either KII or energy propagation control. According to certain embodiments, an in-plane shear component (KII) is maintained near zero by adiabatic heating of silicon through exposure to E-beam radiation. According to other embodiments, a surface heating source in combination with an implanted layer serves to guide fracture propagation through the cleave sequence.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method for cleaving a film of material from a substrate, the method comprising:
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providing a substrate having a face and a stressed layer located at a depth below the face; initiating cleaving within a vicinity of the stressed layer; and applying external energy to propagate the cleaving using the stressed layer in a controlled manner, wherein propagation above the stressed layer is favored by a KII factor but energetically cannot be supported, such that the stressed layer serves as a barrier to propagation below the depth. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for cleaving a film of material from a substrate, the method comprising:
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providing a substrate having a face; initiating cleaving at a depth in the substrate to release an overlying film; and applying external thermal energy to propagate the cleaving in a controlled manner such that a KII factor is maintained at or about zero along the depth. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method for cleaving a film of material from a substrate, the method comprising:
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providing a substrate having a face and a stressed layer located at a depth below the face; initiating cleaving within a vicinity of the stressed layer; applying external thermal energy in two steps to propagate the cleaving using the stressed layer in a controlled manner, wherein a first step comprises a thermal soak to raise an absolute temperature within the stressed layer, and a second step comprises a thermal pulse to raise a temperature differential between material above the stressed layer and the substrate, and wherein propagation above the stressed layer is favored by a KII factor but energetically cannot be supported, such that the stressed layer serves as a barrier to propagation below the depth. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification