Abstract: The invention relates to methods of forming a relaxed or pseudo-relaxed layer on a substrate, wherein the relaxed layer may be a semiconductor material. An implementation of the method includes growing an elastically stressed semiconductor material layer on a donor substrate, forming a glassy layer of a viscous material and bonding it to the stressed layer, removing a portion of the donor substrate to form a structure that includes the glassy layer, the stressed layer and a surface layer of donor substrate, and then heat treating the structure at a temperature of at least a viscosity temperature of the glassy layer to relax the stressed layer. The glassy layer can also be bonded to a receiving substrate so that the structure can be transferred thereto. Implementations also relate to structures obtained from the method.

Abstract: A method for forming a relaxed or pseudo-relaxed useful layer on a substrate is described. The method includes growing a strained semiconductor layer on a donor substrate, bonding a receiver substrate to the strained semiconductor layer by a vitreous layer of a material that becomes viscous above a certain viscosity temperature to form a first structure. The method further includes detaching the donor substrate from the first structure to form a second structure comprising the receiver substrate, the vitreous layer, and the strained layer, and then heat treating the second structure at a temperature and time sufficient to relax strains in the strained semiconductor layer and to form a relaxed or pseudo-relaxed useful layer on the receiver substrate.