Abstract: A technique for forming a film of material (12) from a donor substrate (10). The technique has a step of introducing energetic particles (22) through a surface of a donor substrate (10) to a selected depth (20) underneath the surface, where the particles have a relatively high concentration to define a donor substrate material (12) above the selected depth. An energy source is directed to a selected region of the donor substrate to initiate a controlled cleaving action of the substrate (10) at the selected depth (20), whereupon the cleaving action provides an expanding cleave front to free the donor material from a remaining portion of the donor substrate.

Abstract: A reusable silicon substrate device for use with layer transfer process. The device has a reusable substrate having a surface region, a cleave region, and a total thickness of material. The total thickness of material is at least N times greater than a first thickness of material to be removed. In a specific embodiment, the first thickness of material to be removed is between the surface region and the cleave region, whereupon N is an integer greater than about ten. The device also has a chuck member adapted to hold a handle substrate member in place. The chuck member is configured to hold the handle substrate in a manner to facilitate bonding the handle substrate to the first thickness of material to be removed. In a preferred embodiment, the device has a mechanical pressure device operably coupled to the chuck member. The mechanical pressure device is adapted to provide a force to cause bonding of the handle substrate to the first thickness of material to be removed.

Abstract: A photovoltaic cell device, e.g., solar cell, solar panel, and method of manufacture. The device has an optically transparent substrate comprises a first surface and a second surface. A first thickness of material (e.g., semiconductor material, single crystal material) having a first surface region and a second surface region is included. In a preferred embodiment, the surface region is overlying the first surface of the optically transparent substrate. The device has an optical coupling material provided between the first surface region of the thickness of material and the first surface of the optically transparent material.

Abstract: A reusable transfer substrate member for forming a tiled substrate structure. The member including a transfer substrate, which has a surface region. The surface region comprises a plurality of donor substrate regions. Each of the donor substrate regions is characterized by a donor substrate thickness and a donor substrate surface region. Each of the donor substrate regions is spatially disposed overlying the surface region of the transfer substrate. Each of the donor substrate regions has the donor substrate thickness without a definable cleave region.

Abstract: A reusable transfer substrate member for forming a tiled substrate structure. The member including a transfer substrate, which has a surface region. The surface region comprises a plurality of donor substrate regions. Each of the donor substrate regions is characterized by a donor substrate thickness and a donor substrate surface region. Each of the donor substrate regions is spatially disposed overlying the surface region of the transfer substrate. Each of the donor substrate regions has the donor substrate thickness without a definable cleave region.

Abstract: A reusable transfer substrate member for forming a tiled substrate structure. The member including a transfer substrate, which has a surface region. The surface region comprises a plurality of donor substrate regions. Each of the donor substrate regions is characterized by a donor substrate thickness and a donor substrate surface region. Each of the donor substrate regions is spatially disposed overlying the surface region of the transfer substrate. Each of the donor substrate regions has the donor substrate thickness without a definable cleave region.

Abstract: A reusable transfer substrate member for forming a tiled substrate structure. The member including a transfer substrate, which has a surface region. The surface region comprises a plurality of donor substrate regions. Each of the donor substrate regions is characterized by a donor substrate thickness and a donor substrate surface region. Each of the donor substrate regions is spatially disposed overlying the surface region of the transfer substrate. Each of the donor substrate regions has the donor substrate thickness without a definable cleave region.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a thickness of silicon material includes providing a silicon ingot material having a surface region and introducing a plurality of particles having an energy of about 1-5 MeV through the surface region to a depth to define a cleave region and a thickness of detachable material between the cleave region and the surface region. Additionally, the method includes processing the silicon ingot material to free the thickness of detachable material at a vicinity of the cleave region and causing formation of a free-standing thickness of material characterized by a carrier lifetime about 10 microseconds and a thickness ranging from about 20 microns to about 150 microns with a thickness variation of less than about five percent. Furthermore, the method includes treating the free-standing thickness of material using a thermal treatment process to recover the carrier lifetime to about 200 microseconds and greater.

Abstract: A film of material may be formed by providing a semiconductor substrate having a surface region and a cleave region located at a predetermined depth beneath the surface region. During a process of cleaving the film from the substrate, shear in the cleave region is carefully controlled to achieve controlled propagation by either KII or energy propagation control. According to certain embodiments, an in-plane shear component (KII) is maintained near zero by adiabatic heating of silicon through exposure to E-beam radiation. According to other embodiments, a surface heating source in combination with an implanted layer serves to guide fracture propagation through the cleave sequence.

Abstract: A system for manufacturing free-standing films from work pieces. The system includes a racetrack structure being configured to transfer at least one work piece and one or more accelerator-based ion implanters coupled to the racetrack structure via an end station. Each of the accelerator-based ion implanters is configured to introduce particles having an energy of greater than 1 MeV to implant into a surface of the work piece loaded in the end station to form a cleave region in the work piece. The system includes one or more cleave modules coupled to the racetrack structure configured to perform a cleave process to release a free-standing film from the work piece along the cleave region. Additionally, the system includes an output port coupled to each cleave module to output the free standing film detached from the work piece and one or more service modules each connected to the racetrack structure.

Abstract: A partially completed multi-layered substrate, e.g., silicon on silicon. The substrate has a thickness of material from a first substrate. The thickness of material comprises a first face region. The substrate has a second substrate having a second face region. Preferably, the first face region of the thickness of material is joined to the second face region of the second substrate. The substrate has an interface region formed between the first face region of the thickness of material and the second face region of the second substrate. A plurality of particles are implanted within a portion of the thickness of the material and a portion of the interface region to electrically couple a portion of the thickness of material to a portion of the second substrate.

Abstract: A film of material may be formed by providing a semiconductor substrate having a surface region and a cleave region located at a predetermined depth beneath the surface region. During a process of cleaving the film from the substrate, shear in the cleave region is carefully controlled. According to certain embodiments, an in-plane shear component (KII) is maintained near zero, sandwiched between a tensile region and a compressive region. In one embodiment, cleaving can be accomplished using a plate positioned over the substrate surface. The plate serves to constrain movement of the film during cleaving, and together with a localized thermal treatment reduces shear developed during the cleaving process. According to other embodiments, the KII component is purposefully maintained at a high level and serves to guide and drive fracture propagation through the cleave sequence.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit on semiconductor substrates, e.g., silicon wafer. The method includes providing a semiconductor substrate characterized by a first lattice with a first structure and a first spacing. In a specific embodiment, the semiconductor substrate has an overlying film of material with a second lattice with a second structure and a second spacing, the second spacing placing the film of material in a strain mode characterized by a first tensile and/or compressive mode along a single film surface crystal axis across a first portion of the film of material relative to the semiconductor substrate with the first structure and the first spacing. The method patterns a predetermined region of the first portion of the film of material to cause the first tensile and/or compressive mode in the first portion of the film of material to change to a second tensile and/or compressive mode in a resulting patterned portion of the first portion of the film of material.

Abstract: A method for fabricating bonded substrate structures, e.g., silicon on silicon. In a specific embodiment, the method includes providing a thickness of single crystal silicon material transferred from a first silicon substrate coupled to a second silicon substrate. In a specific embodiment, the second silicon substrate has a second surface region that is joined to a first surface region from the thickness of single crystal silicon material to form of an interface region having a first characteristic including a silicon oxide material between the thickness of single crystal silicon material and the second silicon substrate. The method includes subjecting the interface region to a thermal process to cause a change to the interface region from the first characteristic to a second characteristic.

Abstract: A method for forming a strained layer of semiconductor material, e.g., silicon, germanium, Group III/V, silicon germanium alloy. The method includes providing a non-deformable surface region having a first predetermined radius of curvature, which is defined by R(1) and is defined normal to the surface region. The method includes providing a first substrate (e.g., silicon wafer) having a first thickness. Preferably, the first substrate has a face, a backside, and a cleave plane defined within the first thickness. The method includes a step of overlying the backside of the first substrate on a portion of the surface region having the predetermined radius of curvature to cause a first bend within the thickness of material to form a first strain within a portion of the first thickness. The method provides a second substrate having a second thickness, which has a face and a backside.

Abstract: A system of introducing a particle beam such as a linear accelerator particle beam for low contaminate processing. The system includes an accelerator apparatus configured to generate a first particle beam including at least a first ionic specie in an energy level of 1 MeV to 5 MeV or greater. Additionally, the system includes a beam filter coupled to the linear accelerator apparatus to receive the first particle beam. The beam filter is in a first chamber and configured to generate a second particle beam with substantially the first ionic specie only. The first chamber is associated with a first pressure. The system further includes an end-station including a second chamber coupled to the first chamber for extracting the second particle beam. The second particle beam is irradiated onto a planar surface of a bulk workpiece loaded in the second chamber for implanting the first ionic specie. The second chamber is associated with a second pressure that is higher than the first pressure.

Abstract: A process for forming multi-layered substrates, e.g., silicon on silicon. The process includes providing a first substrate, which has a thickness of material to be removed. The thickness of material to be removed includes a first face region. The process includes joining the first face region of the first substrate to a second face region of a second substrate to form an interface region between the first face region of the first substrate and the second face region of the second substrate. The process includes removing the thickness of material from the first substrate while maintaining attachment of the first face region of the first substrate to the second face region of the second substrate. The process implants particles through the interface region to form a region of the particles within the vicinity of the interface region to electrically couple the thickness of material to the second substrate.

Abstract: A technique for forming a film of material (12) from a donor substrate (10). The technique has a step of forming a stressed region in a selected manner at a selected depth (20) underneath the surface. An energy source such as pressurized fluid is directed to a selected region of the donor substrate to initiate a controlled cleaving action of the substrate (10) at the selected depth (20), whereupon the cleaving action provides an expanding cleave front to free the donor material from a remaining portion of the donor substrate.

Abstract: A method for fabricating free standing thickness of materials using one or more semiconductor substrates, e.g., single crystal silicon, polysilicon, silicon germanium, germanium, group III/IV materials, and others. In a specific embodiment, the present method includes providing a semiconductor substrate having a surface region and a thickness. The method includes subjecting the surface region of the semiconductor substrate to a first plurality of high energy particles provided at a first implant angle generated using a linear accelerator to form a region of a plurality of gettering sites within a cleave region, the cleave region being provided beneath the surface region to defined a thickness of material to be detached, the semiconductor substrate being maintained at a first temperature.

Abstract: Embodiments in accordance with the present invention relate to methods and apparatuses for bonding together substrates in a manner that suppresses the formation of voids between them. In a specific embodiment, a backside of each substrate is adhered to a front area of flexible, porous chuck having a rear area in pneumatic communication with a vacuum. Application of the vacuum causes the chuck and the associated substrate to slightly bend. Owing to this bending, physical contact between local portions on the front side of the flexed substrates may be initiated, while maintaining other portions on front side of the substrates substantially free from contact with each other. A bond wave is formed and maintained at a determined velocity to form a continuous interface joining the front sides of the substrates, without formation of voids therebetween.