Method for making a thin film of solid material

• US 6,303,468 B1
• Filed: 02/14/2000
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
• Inventors: Aspar, Bernard, Bruel, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowers, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): SARKAR, ASOK K
• Application Number:
  US09/463,976
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 438/455, 438/515, 438/526, 438/407, 438/458, 438/766, 438/798, 148/DIG.12, 156/250
• US Class Current: 438/455
• 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: Y10S 148/012 Bonding, e.g. electrostatic for strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1052 with cutting, punching, tearing or severing

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a thin film of solid material comprising at least the following steps:

a step of ionic implantation through one face of a substrate of said solid materials using ions capable of creating in the volume of the substrate and at a depth close to the mean depth of penetration of the ions, a layer of micro-cavities or micro-bubbles, this step being carried out at a particular temperature and for a particular length of time,

an annealing step intended to bring the layer of micro-cavities or micro-bubbles to a particular temperature and for a particular length of time with the intention of obtaining cleavage of the substrate on both sides of the layer of micro-cavities or micro-bubbles.

The annealing step is carried out to a thermal budget made in relation to the thermal budget of the ionic implantation step and possibly other thermal budgets inferred for other steps, in order to provide said cleavage of the substrate.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a thin film of solid material that includes at least the following steps:

a step of ionic implantation through one face of a substrate of the solid material using ions capable of creating in the volume of the substrate, and at a depth close to the mean depth of penetration of the ions, a layer of micro-cavities or micro-bubbles, this step being carried out at a maximum implantation temperature for a length of time;

an annealing step to bring the layer of micro-cavities or micro-bubbles to a maximum annealing temperature for a length of time; and

a step of selecting a thermal budget of the annealing step so that the thermal budget for the annealing step is greater than or equal to a minimum total thermal budget necessary to obtain cleavage of the substrate along the layer of micro-cavities or micro-bubbles less a thermal budget for the step of ionic implantation less the sum of any thermal budgets inferred by steps other than the step of ionic implantation and the annealing step.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the thermal budget of the annealing step is selected in order to obtain the cleavage of the substrate either spontaneously, or subsequent to stresses being applied to the substrate.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the thermal budget of the annealing step includes at least one rapid rise in temperature and/or at least one rapid fall in temperature.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the thermal budget of the annealing step is zero, the cleavage of the substrate being obtained by the use of mechanical and/or thermal stresses.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein it includes in addition, a step of fixing the implanted face of the substrate onto a support.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the fixing of the implanted face of the substrate onto the support is done by means of an adhesive substance.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein the fixing step includes a heat treatment.

8. A method according to claim 5, wherein the fixing step is carried out by molecular adhesion.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the annealing step is carried out by pulsed heating.

10. The application of the method according to claim 1 to the production of a thin film of monocrystalline silicon.

11. Application according to claim 10, wherein, before obtaining the cleavage of the substrate, all or part of at least one active element is created in the part of the substrate intended to form the thin film.

12. Application according to claim 10, wherein, said face of the substrate being masked before the ionic implantation step, the mask is such that the ionic implantation step is capable of creating zones of micro-cavities or micro-bubbles sufficiently close to one another that said cleavage can be obtained.

13. Application of the method according to claim 10 to the production of a thin film starting from a substrate said face of which is patterned.

14. Application of the method according to claim 10 to the production of a thin film starting from a substrate that includes layers of different chemical kinds.

15. Application of the method according to claim 10 to the production of a thin film starting from a substrate that includes at least one layer obtained by growth.

16. Application according to claim 15, wherein said growth is obtained by epitaxy.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the thermal budget for the annealing step is equal to the minimum total thermal budget necessary to obtain cleavage of the substrate along the layer of micro-cavities or micro-bubbles less the thermal budget for the implantation step less the sum of any thermal budgets inferred by steps other than the step of ionic implantation and the annealing step.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum annealing temperature is less than the maximum implantation temperature.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum annealing temperature is less than or equal to 300°

C.