Abstract: A technique for fabricating substrates such as a silicon-on-insulator substrate using a plasma immersion ion implantation (“PIII”) system 10. The technique includes a method, which has a step of providing a substrate 2100. Ions are implanted 2109 into a surface of the substrate to a first desired depth to provide a first distribution of the ions using a plasma immersion ion implantation system 10. The implanted ions define a first thickness of material 2101 above the implant. Global energy is then increased of the substrate to initiate a cleaving action, where the cleaving action is sufficient to completely free the thickness of material from a remaining portion of the substrate. By way of the PIII system, the ions are introduced into the substrate in an efficient and cost effective manner.

Abstract: A technique for forming films 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 donor substrate material (12) above the selected depth. Energy is provided to a selected region of the substrate to cleave a thin film of material from the donor substrate. Particles are introduced again into the donor substrate underneath a fresh surface of the donor substrate. A second thin film of material is then cleaved from the donor substrate.

Abstract: A method of forming a low temperature metal bond includes the step of providing a donor substrate, such as a crystallographically oriented donor substrate, including a sapphire donor substrate or a MgO donors substrate. The donor substrate may also be quartz or fused silica. A thin film is grown on a surface of the donor substrate. The thin film may be an oxide, nitride or Perovskite. The invention may be implemented using nitride thin films, including AlN, GaN, InN, and all of their solid solutions, alloys, and multi-layers. An acceptor substrate is then produced. The acceptor substrate may be Si, GaAs, polymers, such as polyimide, or stainless steel for use in microrobotics. A multi-layer metal bond interface for positioning between the thin film and the acceptor substrate is then selected.

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 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 multilayercd substrate. The substrate has a plurality of particles defined in a pattern in the substrate at a selected depth underneath the surface of the substrate. The particles are at a concentration at the selected depth to define a substrate material to be removed above the selected depth. The substrate material is removed after forming active devices on the substrate material using, for example, conventional semiconductor processing techniques. The pattern is defined in a manner to substantially prevent a possibility of detachment of the substrate material to be removed during conventional thermal processes of greater than about room temperature or greater than about 200 degrees Celsius.

Abstract: A technique for forming a film of material having active devices from a donor substrate. The technique has a step of introducing energetic particles in a selected manner through a surface and active devices of a donor substrate a selected depth underneath the active devices, where the particles have a relatively high concentration to define a donor substrate material above the selected depth. The surface of the donor substrate is attached to a release layer on a transfer substrate. An energy source is directed to a selected region of the donor substrate to initiate a controlled cleaving action of the substrate at the selected depth, whereupon the cleaving action provides an expanding cleave front to free the donor material from a remaining portion of the donor substrate. The transfer substrate holds the cleaved material and is used to transfer the cleaved material with active devices onto a target substrate.

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) in a selected manner through a surface of a donor substrate (10) to form a pattern at a selected depth (20) underneath the surface. The particles have a concentration sufficiently high 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 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 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 process for forming a novel substrate material. The process includes providing a substrate, e.g., silicon wafer. The substrate has a stressed layer at a selected depth underneath a surface of the substrate. The stressed layer is at the selected depth to define a substrate material to be removed above the selected depth. The stressed layer comprises a deposited layer and an implanted region. The substrate also comprises a device layer overlying the stressed layer. The process includes forming a plurality of integrated circuit devices on the substrate material. A thermal treatment process at a temperature greater than about 400 degrees Celsius is included in the process of forming the integrated circuit devices. Next, the process includes providing energy to a selected region of the substrate to initiate a controlled cleaving action at the selected depth in the substrate, whereupon the cleaving action is made using a propagating cleave front to free a portion of the material to be removed from the substrate.

Abstract: A technique for forming a film of material from a donor substrate. The technique has a step of introducing energetic particles in a selected patterned manner through a surface of a donor substrate having devices to a selected depth underneath the surface, where the particles have a relatively high concentration to define a donor substrate material above the selected depth and the particles for a pattern at 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 at the selected depth, whereupon the cleaving action provides an expanding cleave front to free the donor material from a remaining portion of the donor substrate.

Abstract: An economical hybrid wafer utilizing a lower-quality, lower cost transfer substrate to support a higher-quality thin film. A high-quality thin film (2101) is separated from a donor wafer (2100) and bonded to a transfer, or target, substrate (46). The donor wafer is preferably single-crystal silicon optimized for device fabrication, while the transfer substrate provides mechanical support. The thin film is not grown on the transfer substrate, and thus defects in the transfer substrate are not grown into the thin film. A low-temperature bonding process can provide an abrupt junction between the target wafer and the thin film.

Abstract: A process for forming a novel substrate material. The process includes providing a substrate, e.g., silicon wafer. The substrate has a stressed layer at a selected depth underneath a surface of the substrate. The stressed layer is at the selected depth to define a substrate material to be removed above the selected depth. The stressed layer comprises a deposited layer and an implanted region. The substrate also comprises a device layer overlying the stressed layer. The process includes forming a plurality of integrated circuit devices on the substrate material. A thermal treatment process at a temperature greater than about 400 degrees Celsius is included in the process of forming the integrated circuit devices. Next, the process includes providing energy to a selected region of the substrate to initiate a controlled cleaving action at the selected depth in the substrate, whereupon the cleaving action is made using a propagating cleave front to free a portion of the material to be removed from the substrate.

Abstract: A method 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. A step of increasing a built-in energy state of the substrate is also included.

Abstract: A technique for forming films 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 donor substrate material (12) above the selected depth. Energy is provided to a selected region of the substrate to cleave a thin film of material from the donor substrate. Particles are introduced again into the donor substrate underneath a fresh surface of the donor substrate. A second thin film of material is then cleaved from the donor substrate.

Abstract: A method for fabricating silicon-on-silicon substrates. A donor wafer (40) is attached to a target wafer (46) using a low-temperature bonding process. The low-temperature bonding process maintains the integrity of a layer of microbubbles (41). Subsequent processing separates a thin film (45) of material from the donor wafer. A high-temperature annealing process finishes the bonding process of the thin film to the target wafer to produce a hybrid wafer suitable for fabricating integrated circuit devices or other devices.

Abstract: A technique for forming films of material (14) from a donor substrate (10). The technique has a step of introducing gas-forming particles (12) through a surface of a donor substrate (10) to a selected depth underneath the surface. The gas-forming particles form a layer of microbubbles within the substrate. A global heat treatment of the substrate then creates a pressure effect to separate a thin film of material from the substrate. Additional gas-forming particles are introduced into the donor substrate and a second thin film of material is then separated from the donor substrate. In a specific embodiment, the gas-forming particles are implanted using a plasma immersion ion implantation method.

Abstract: A gettering layer in a silicon-on-insulator wafer. The gettering layer may be formed by implanting gas-forming particles or precipitate-forming particles beneath the active region of the silicon layer and thermally treating the gas-forming ions to produce microbubbles or precipitates within the silicon layer. The microbubbles an/or precipitates create trapping sites for mobile impurity species, thus gettering the impurities. In another embodiment, a polysilicon layer is formed on a donor silicon wafer prior to separating a thin layer of silicon from the donor wafer. The thin layer of silicon is bonded to a backing wafer, the polysilicon layer provides a gettering layer between the active silicon and the backing wafer.

Abstract: A method of separating a thin film of GaN epitaxially grown on a sapphire substrate. The thin film is bonded to an acceptor substrate, and the sapphire substrate is laser irradiated with a scanned beam at a wavelength at which sapphire is transparent but the GaN is strongly absorbing, e.g., 248 nm. After the laser irradiation, the sample is heated above the melting point of gallium, i.e., above 30.degree. C., and the acceptor substrate and attached GaN thin film are removed from the sapphire growth substrate. If the acceptor substrate is flexible, the GaN thin film can be scribed along cleavage planes of the GaN, and, when the flexible substrate is bent, the GaN film cleaves on those planes. Thereby, GaN lasers and other electronic and opto-electronic devices can be formed.

Abstract: A hybrid silicon-on-silicon substrate. A thin film (2101) of single-crystal silicon is bonded to a target wafer (46). A high-quality bond is formed between the thin film and the target wafer during a high-temperature annealing process. It is believed that the high-temperature annealing process forms covalent bonds between the layers at the interface (2305). The resulting hybrid wafer is suitable for use in integrated circuit manufacturing processes, similar to wafers with an epitaxial layer.