Abstract: This process consists of producing patterns (17) of an insulating material on a monocrystalline silicon substrate (12), depositing on the complete structure an amorphous or polycrystalline silicon film (26), covering the latter with a layer (28) of an encapsulating material, carrying out a heat treatment on the structure obtained serving to vertically embed in substrate (12) the insulating material patterns (17) and forming above the latter a monocrystalline silicon layer (33), eliminating the encapsulating material layer (28) and etching the monocrystalline silicon layer obtained (33), so as to form said islands (34).

Abstract: Process for the production of an oriented monocrystalline silicon film with localized defects on an insulating support.This process consists of covering a monocrystalline silicon support of orientation (100) with a SiO.sub.2 layer, producing in the latter a configuration having in the form of oriented (100) parallel insulating strips, an alternation of overhanging parts and recessed parts carrying out the etching of the SiO.sub.2 layer in order to locally form at the ends of said layer at least one opening, said etching being continued until the substrate is exposed, depositing on the etched SiO.sub.2 layer a silicon film, covering the silicon film with an encapsulating layer, carrying out a heat treatment of the structure obtained in order to recrystallize the silicon film in monocrystalline form with the same orientation as the substrate and eliminating the encapsulating layer.

Abstract: A heat treatment machine for heat-treating semiconductor wafers, each wafer having two faces. A first lamp is arranged to heat a first spot of first diameter on one face of the wafer and a second lamp is arranged to heat a second spot of second diameter on the other face of the wafer, both by reflection of emitted light off a focusing reflector. The lamps are moved in tandem such that the first spot travels along an Archimedes spiral relative to the center of the stationary wafer. The centers of the spots coincide, and the second diameter is greater than the first diameter.