Detachable substrate with controlled mechanical strength and method of producing same

• US 7,902,038 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2002
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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: Moriceau, Hubert, Aspar, Bernard, Ghyselen, Bruno, Rayssac, Olivier
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickey; Thomas L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Erdem; Fazli
• Application Number:
  US10/474,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20040222500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,253 Days
• Field of Search: 257/629, 257/632, 257/631, 257/630, 257/626, 257/627, 257/618, 257/E21.568, 257/E21.57, 257/E21.602, 438/455, 438/458, 438/456, 438/457, 438/958, 438/406, 438/459
• US Class Current: 438/455
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 99/008 separating the processed structure from a mother substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76254 with separation/delamination along an ion implanted layer, e.g. Smart-cut, Unibond
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 438/958 Passivation layer

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for production of a detachable substrate, comprising a method step for the production of an interface by means of fixing, using molecular adhesion, one face of a layer on one face of a substrate, in which, before fixing, a treatment stage for at least one of said faces is provided, rendering the mechanical hold at the interface at such a controlled level to be compatible with a subsequent detachment.

Claims

1. A method of producing a detachable structure by molecular adhesion bonding of one face of a first wafer to one face of a second wafer, the method comprising:

treating at least one of the faces to modify the hydrophilic properties to produce a controlled level of mechanical strength of a global continuous bonding interface between the first and second wafers,

wherein treating at least one of the faces comprises applying a chemical agent and increasing the roughness;

bonding the first and second wafers at the bonding interface;

producing components on at least a portion of one of the first and second wafers after bonding; and

subsequently separating the first and second wafers at the global continuous bonding interface by application of one or both of chemical etching or mechanical force.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of treating at least one of the faces comprises a step of wet or dry cleaning to modify the hydrophilic properties or both of at least one of the faces.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein a thin active device layer is produced in at least one of the first and second wafers.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the thin active device layer is obtained by one or both of chemical or mechanical thinning of at least one of the first and second wafers.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of producing all or part of micro-electronic, opto-electronic, mechanical, piezo-electric, superconductor, or magnetic components.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising detaching and using at least one of the first and second wafers again.

7. A method according to claim 3, wherein the thin active device layer comprises a layer of semiconductor material.

8. A method of producing a detachable structure by molecular adhesion bonding of a face of a first wafer to a face of a second wafer, the method comprising:

forming an insulating layer on the face of at least the first wafer or the second wafer, and chemically etching the insulating layer to remove a thickness of the insulating layer, so as to modify the hydrophilic properties and produce a controlled level of mechanical strength of a bonding interface between the first and second wafers;

bonding the first and second wafers at the bonding interface; and

producing components on at least a portion of one of the first and second wafers after bonding,

wherein the bonding is compatible with a subsequent separation of the first and second wafer at the interface.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the chemical etching comprises acid etching.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the insulating layer comprises an oxide and the acid etching is carried out using hydrofluoric acid.

11. A method of producing a detachable structure by molecular adhesion bonding of one face of a first wafer to one face of a second wafer, the method comprising:

treating at least one of the faces to modify the hydrophilic properties and to produce a controlled level of mechanical strength of a bonding interface between the first and second wafers

bonding the first and second wafers at the bonding interface; and

producing components on at least a portion of one of the first and second wafers after bonding,

wherein the bonding is compatible with a subsequent detachment of the detachable structure, and

wherein a thin layer is produced in at least one of the first and second wafers, and wherein the thin layer is obtained by fracturing a buried weak region of the first or second wafers.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the buried weak region is obtained by a process comprising implanting gaseous substances.

13. A method of producing a detachable structure, the method comprising:

treating at least one face of a first or second wafer to modify the hydrophilic properties and to produce a controlled level of mechanical strength of a bonding interface between the first and second wafers that is compatible with the production of components on at least a portion of one of the first and second wafers and that is compatible with a subsequent separation of the first and second wafers at the bonding interface;

molecular adhesion bonding the face of the first wafer to the face the second wafer to form the bonding interface;

bonding the first and second wafers at the bonding interface;

producing components on at least a portion of one of the first and second wafers after bonding the first and second wafers;

forming a second bond having a bond strength greater than the bond strength of the molecular adhesion bond,

wherein forming the second bond comprises adhesively bonding the detachable structure to a substrate; and

subsequently separating the first and second wafers at the bonding interface by application of one or both of chemical etching or mechanical force,

wherein separating the first and second wafers comprises a phase where at least one of the first and second wafers is cut into at least one element before separating.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein separating the first and second wafers comprises a phase where at least one of the first and second wafers is cut into at least one element before separating.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein separating the first and second wafers is carried out component by component.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein forming the second bond comprises molecular adhesion bonding.

17. A method according to claim 13, wherein said adhesive bonding is carried out using an adhesive hardened by UV radiation.

18. A method according to claim 13, further comprising a step of lifting off the substrate by one or more of chemical etching, application of mechanical, thermal stress, or photonic stress.

19. A method of producing a substrate, the method comprising:

treating at least one of the faces of a first wafer and a second wafer to modify the hydrophilic properties and to produce a controlled level of mechanical strength of a bonding interface between the first and second wafers;

molecular adhesion bonding the face of the first wafer to the face of the second wafer at the bonding interface to form a detachable structure;

producing components on at least a portion of one of the first and second wafers after molecular adhesion bonding;

bonding the detachable structure to a third substrate; and

separating the detachable structure at the bonding interface by application of one or both of chemical etching or mechanical force.