Semiconductor article with porous structure

• US 6,246,068 B1
• Filed: 12/16/1998
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sakaguchi, Kiyofumi, Sato, Nobuhiko, Yonehara, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Saadat, Mahshid
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilson, Allan R.
• Application Number:
  US09/212,432
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 257/3, 257/347, 438/478, 438/507
• US Class Current: 257/3
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02032 by reclaiming or re-processing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3221 of silicon bodies, e.g. for gettering
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3223 using cavities formed by hydrogen or noble gas ion implantation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3226 of silicon on insulator
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76251 using bonding techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76254 with separation/delamination along an ion implanted layer, e.g. Smart-cut, Unibond
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76259 with separation/delamination along a porous layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1892 methods involving the use of temporary, removable substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A method is provided for producing, with high reproducibility, an SOI substrate which is flat and high in quality, and simultaneously for achieving resources saving and reduction in cost through recycling of a substrate member. For accomplishing this, a porous-forming step is performed forming a porous Si layer on at least a surface of an Si substrate and a large porosity layer forming step is performed for forming a large porosity layer in the porous Si layer. This large porosity layer forming step is performed by implanting ions into the porous Si layer with a given projection range or by changing current density of anodization in said porous-forming step. At this time, a non-porous single-crystal Si layer is epitaxial-grown on the porous Si layer. Thereafter, the surface of the porous Si layer and a support substrate are bonded together, and then separation is performed at the porous Si layer with the large porosity. Subsequently, selective etching is performed to remove the porous Si layer.

Claims

1. A semiconductor article having

a nonporous semiconductor substrate, first, second and third porous semiconductor layers formed on the nonporous semiconductor substrate, and a nonporous semiconductor layer formed on the first porous semiconductor layer, wherein the second porous semiconductor layer has a density lower than those of the first and third semiconductor layers, the first, second and third porous layers all have a density lower than the semiconductor substrate and the semiconductor layer, and the nonporous semiconductor layer is capable of being separated from the nonporous semiconductor substrate.

2. The semiconductor article according to claim 1, wherein said semiconductor layer is a nonporous single-crystal layer.

3. The semiconductor article according to claim 1, wherein said porous layer is formed by anodization.

4. The semiconductor article according to claim 3, wherein said porous layer is formed by varying current density.

5. The semiconductor article according to claim 1, wherein said second porous semiconductor layer is capable of generating a crack in itself in preference to other portions to separate said nonporous semiconductor layer from said semiconductor substrate.