SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL MANUFACTURE

• US 20110193190A1
• Filed: 04/18/2011
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gurtej Sandhu, John Smythe, Nishant Sinha
• Original Assignee: Gurtej Sandhu, John Smythe, Nishant Sinha
• Inventors: Sandhu, Gurtej S., Sinha, Nishant, Smythe, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,389,385 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/506
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76254 with separation/delamination along an ion implanted layer, e.g. Smart-cut, Unibond

Abstract

Electronic apparatus, systems, and methods include a semiconductor layer bonded to a bulk region of a wafer or a substrate, in which the semiconductor layer can be bonded to the bulk region using electromagnetic radiation. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

strengthening a bonding of a semiconductor layer to a bulk region of a product wafer by irradiating an interface region with electromagnetic radiation, the interface region disposed between the bonded semiconductor layer and the bulk region, the interface region having modifiers, the modifiers being different from bulk material of the product wafer, the electromagnetic radiation tuned to a frequency correlated to absorption by the modifiers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises introducing the modifiers to a donor wafer from which the semiconductor layer detaches in a process that bonds the semiconductor layer to the product wafer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises forming the semiconductor layer from a donor wafer by:

bonding the donor wafer to the product wafer;

implanting material as ions into a region of the donor wafer at a distance from the surface; and

imparting energy to the implanted material to disunite the donor wafer from the product wafer with the semiconductor layer bonded to the product wafer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein imparting energy to the implanted material to disunite the donor wafer from the product wafer with the semiconductor layer bonded to the product wafer includes exposing modifiers in the donor wafer to electromagnetic radiation, the electromagnetic radiation tuned to a frequency correlated to absorption by the modifiers in the donor wafer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the method comprises introducing modifier material in the donor material that is the same for the interface region and for disuniting the donor wafer from the product wafer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises selecting the frequency and a power level correlated to a material composition of a dielectric region disposed between the bulk region and the bonded semiconductor layer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface region is disposed as a portion of a dielectric region between the bulk region and the bonded semiconductor layer.

8. A method comprising:

strengthening a bonding of a silicon layer to a silicon product wafer by irradiating an interface region with microwaves, the interface region disposed between a bulk silicon region of the silicon product wafer and the silicon layer, the interface region having modifiers, the modifiers being a material different from silicon, the microwaves tuned to a frequency correlated to absorption by the modifiers.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the modifiers include phosphorous, arsenic, boron, or combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the method comprises forming a modifier in the interface with a concentration ranging from about 10¹³ cm⁻

3 to about 10¹⁶ cm<sup>−

3</sup>.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein strengthening the bonding of the silicon layer to the silicon product wafer comprises strengthening the bonding of the silicon layer to an oxide layer to which the silicon layer is bonded.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein irradiating the interface region with microwaves includes irradiating the interface region with microwaves at a power level to activate the modifiers as dopants of the silicon product wafer.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein strengthening the bonding of the silicon layer to the silicon product wafer comprises strengthening the bonding of the silicon layer to the silicon product wafer having devices constructed therein.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein irradiating the interface region with microwaves includes irradiating the interface region with microwaves having a peak frequency in the range from about 5.7 GHz to about 6.0 GHz.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the method includes processing the silicon product wafer such that a plurality of dies are formed on the silicon product wafer, each die having electronic functionality.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method includes conducting singulation of the dies from the silicon product wafer and packaging the dies.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a substrate;

a semiconductor layer bonded to the substrate at an interface; and

a dopant region at the interface of the substrate to the semiconductor layer, the dopant region including activated dopants, the activated dopants being a resultant of microwave radiation strengthening of the bonding of the semiconductor layer to the substrate.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the substrate includes devices.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the substrate includes a dielectric layer to which the semiconductor layer bonds to the substrate.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus is arranged as a silicon-on-insulator wafer.