Patents by Inventor Francois Boedt

Francois Boedt has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9911641
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for manufacturing a semiconductor substrate, characterized in that it comprises providing at least one donor semiconductor substrate comprising at least one useful silicon layer; inspecting the donor substrate via an inspecting machine in order to detect whether the useful layer contains emerging cavities of a size larger than or equal to a critical size, said critical size being strictly smaller than 44 nm; and manufacturing a semiconductor substrate comprising at least part of the useful layer of the donor substrate if, considering cavities of a size larger than or equal to the critical size, the density or number of cavities in the useful layer of the donor substrate is lower than or equal to a critical defect density or number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Soitec
    Inventors: Francois Boedt, Roland Brun, Olivier Ledoux, Eric Butaud
  • Patent number: 9799549
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a process for manufacturing a composite structure, the process comprising the following steps: a) providing a donor substrate and a carrier substrate; b) forming a dielectric layer; c) forming a covering layer; d) forming a weakened zone in the donor substrate; e) joining the carrier substrate and the donor substrate via a contact surface having an outline; f) fracturing the donor substrate via the weakened zone, steps b) and e) being executed so that the outline is inscribed in the outline, and step c) being executed so that the covering layer covers the peripheral surface of the dielectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Soitec
    Inventors: Sebastien Kerdiles, Guillaume Chabanne, Francois Boedt, Aurelia Pierret, Xavier Schneider, Didier Landru
  • Patent number: 9768057
    Abstract: A method for transferring a layer from a single-crystal substrate, called a donor substrate, onto a receiver substrate, includes supplying the single-crystal donor substrate, the substrate having a notch oriented in a first direction of the crystal and a weakness region bounding the layer to be transferred, bonding of the single-crystal donor substrate onto the receiver substrate, the main surface of the donor substrate opposite to the weakness region with respect to the layer to be transferred being at the bonding interface, and detachment of the donor substrate along the weakness region. In the method, the donor substrate has, on the main surface bonded to the receiver substrate, an array of atomic steps extending essentially in a second direction of the crystal different from the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Soitec
    Inventors: Ludovic Ecarnot, Nicolas Daval, Nadia Ben Mohamed, Francois Boedt, Carole David, Isabelle Guerin
  • Publication number: 20160351438
    Abstract: A method for transferring a layer from a single-crystal substrate, called a donor substrate, onto a receiver substrate, includes supplying the single-crystal donor substrate, the substrate having a notch oriented in a first direction of the crystal and a weakness region bounding the layer to be transferred, bonding of the single-crystal donor substrate onto the receiver substrate, the main surface of the donor substrate opposite to the weakness region with respect to the layer to be transferred being at the bonding interface, and detachment of the donor substrate along the weakness region. In the method, the donor substrate has, on the main surface bonded to the receiver substrate, an array of atomic steps extending essentially in a second direction of the crystal different from the first direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Ludovic Ecarnot, Nicolas Daval, Nadia Ben Mohamed, Francois Boedt, Carole David, Isabell Guerin
  • Publication number: 20160042989
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a process for manufacturing a composite structure, the process comprising the following steps: a) providing a donor substrate and a carrier substrate; b) forming a dielectric layer; c) forming a covering layer; d) forming a weakened zone in the donor substrate; e) joining the carrier substrate and the donor substrate via a contact surface having an outline; f) fracturing the donor substrate via the weakened zone, steps b) and e) being executed so that the outline is inscribed in the outline, and step c) being executed so that the covering layer covers the peripheral surface of the dielectric layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Applicant: SOITEC
    Inventors: Sebastien Kerdiles, Guillaume Chabanne, Francois Boedt
  • Patent number: 9190284
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for treating a structure of semiconductor-on-insulator type successively comprising a support substrate, a dielectric layer and a semiconductor layer having a thickness of less than or equal to 100 nm, the semiconductor layer being covered with a sacrificial oxide layer, comprising measuring, at a plurality of points distributed over the surface of the structure, the thickness of the sacrificial oxide layer and of the semiconductor layer, so as to produce a mapping of the thickness of the semiconductor layer and to determine, from the measurements, the average thickness of the semiconductor layer, selective etching of the sacrificial oxide layer so as to expose the semiconductor layer, and carrying out a chemical etching of the semiconductor layer, the application, temperature and/or duration conditions of which are adjusted as a function of the mapping and/or of the mean thickness of the semiconductor layer, so as to thin, at least locally, the semiconductor layer by a thic
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: SOITEC
    Inventors: Walter Schwarzenbach, Carine Duret, Francois Boedt
  • Patent number: 9082819
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for thinning the active silicon layer of a substrate, which comprises an insulator layer between the active layer and a support, this process comprising one step of sacrificial thinning of active layer by formation of a sacrificial oxide layer by sacrificial thermal oxidation and deoxidation of the sacrificial oxide layer. The process is noteworthy in that it comprises: a step of forming a complementary oxide layer on the active layer, using an oxidizing plasma, this layer having a thickness profile complementary to that of oxide layer, so that the sum of the thicknesses of the oxide layer and of the sacrificial silicon oxide layer are constant over the surface of the treated substrate, a step of deoxidation of this oxide layer, so as to thin active layer by a uniform thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: SOITEC
    Inventors: Francois Boedt, Sebastien Kerdiles
  • Publication number: 20150118764
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for treating a structure of semiconductor-on-insulator type successively comprising a support substrate, a dielectric layer and a semiconductor layer having a thickness of less than or equal to 100 nm, the semiconductor layer being covered with a sacrificial oxide layer, comprising: measuring, at a plurality of points distributed over the surface of the structure, the thickness of the sacrificial oxide layer and of the semiconductor layer, so as to produce a mapping of the thickness of the semiconductor layer and to determine, from the measurements, the average thickness of the semiconductor layer, selective etching of the sacrificial oxide layer so as to expose the semiconductor layer, and carrying out a chemical etching of the semiconductor layer, the application, temperature and/or duration conditions of which are adjusted as a function of the mapping and/or of the mean thickness of the semiconductor layer, so as to thin, at least locally, the semiconductor layer by a thi
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Walter Schwarzenbach, Carine Duret, Francois Boedt
  • Publication number: 20150031190
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for thinning the active silicon layer of a substrate, which comprises an insulator layer between the active layer and a support, this process comprising one step of sacrificial thinning of active layer by formation of a sacrificial oxide layer by sacrificial thermal oxidation and deoxidation of the sacrificial oxide layer. The process is noteworthy in that it comprises: a step of forming a complementary oxide layer, on the active layer, using an oxidizing plasma, this layer having a thickness profile complementary to that of oxide layer, so that the sum of the thicknesses of the oxide layer and of the sacrificial silicon oxide layer are constant over the surface of the treated substrate, a step of deoxidation of this oxide layer, so as to thin active layer by a uniform thickness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2013
    Publication date: January 29, 2015
    Inventors: Francois Boedt, Sebastien Kerdiles
  • Publication number: 20140346639
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for manufacturing a semiconductor substrate, characterized in that it comprises providing at least one donor semiconductor substrate comprising at least one useful silicon layer; inspecting the donor substrate via an inspecting machine in order to detect whether the useful layer contains emerging cavities of a size larger than or equal to a critical size, said critical size being strictly smaller than 44 nm; and manufacturing a semiconductor substrate comprising at least part of the useful layer of the donor substrate if, considering cavities of a size larger than or equal to the critical size, the density or number of cavities in the useful layer of the donor substrate is lower than or equal to a critical defect density or number.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2013
    Publication date: November 27, 2014
    Inventors: Francois Boedt, Roland Brun, Olivier Ledoux, Eric Butaud
  • Patent number: 7939427
    Abstract: A process for fabricating a silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate by co-implanting atomic or ionic species into a semiconductor donor substrate to form a weakened zone therein, the weakened zone forming a boundary between a thin silicon active layer and the remainder of the donor substrate. The donor substrate is then bonded to a semiconductor receiver substrate by molecular adhesion, resulting in a layer of buried silicon interposed between the donor substrate and the receiver substrate. The remainder of the donor substrate is detached along the weakened zone to obtain a SOI substrate with the receiver substrate covered with the buried oxide layer and the thin silicon active layer. The silicon active layer is then thermally annealed for at least 10 minutes in a gaseous atmosphere containing hydrogen, argon or both at a temperature of at least 950° C. but not exceeding 1100° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: S.O.I.Tec Silicon on Insulator Technologies
    Inventors: Eric Neyret, François Boedt
  • Publication number: 20090035920
    Abstract: A process for fabricating a silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate by co-implanting atomic or ionic species into a semiconductor donor substrate to form a weakened zone therein, the weakened zone forming a boundary between a thin silicon active layer and the remainder of the donor substrate. The donor substrate is then bonded to a semiconductor receiver substrate by molecular adhesion, resulting in a layer of buried silicon interposed between the donor substrate and the receiver substrate. The remainder of the donor substrate is detached along the weakened zone to obtain a SOI substrate with the receiver substrate covered with the buried oxide layer and the thin silicon active layer. The silicon active layer is then thermally annealed for at least 10 minutes in a gaseous atmosphere containing hydrogen, argon or both at a temperature of at least 950° C. but not exceeding 1100° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Publication date: February 5, 2009
    Inventors: Eric NEYRET, Francois Boedt