Abstract: A device and method for annealing a wafer. The preferred embodiment includes applying a basic thermal budget to a weakened zone of a wafer, substantially evenly over the weakened zone. The basic thermal budget is insufficient to detach a detachment layer from a remainder of the wafer at the weakened zone. An additional thermal budget is applied locally in an initiation region of the weakened zone to initiate the detachment of the detachment layer at the weakened zone.

Abstract: A process for detaching two layers of material according to a weakened zone defined between the layers. This process includes the thermal annealing of a structure that incorporates the layers, with the annealing bringing the temperature from a starting temperature to a final annealing temperature while evolving according to a first phase up to a transition temperature, then according to a second phase during which the rise in temperature per unit of time is greater than that of the first phase. The invention also concerns an application for using this process in a particular semiconductor fabrication technique.

Abstract: In a process for treating a surface with the aid of a glow discharge plasma sustained in a gas of substantially ambient pressure between two electrodes (10, 10′) unwanted effects of plasma filaments occurring in such a plasma are prevented by positioning the surface (17) to be treated in an edge region (14′) of the plasma, i.e. on one side of a plasma space (14) defined by the electrode faces (11, 11′) beyond a pair of aligned edges (13, 13′) of the electrode faces (11, 11′), at a distance of a few millimeters from these edges (13, 13′) and facing these edges (13, 13′). The treatment gas or treatment gas mixture is fed to the plasma space (14) from a second side opposite the edge region (14′) in which the surface (17) to be treated is positioned. During treatment a substrate (16) whose one surface (17) is to be treated is either stationary or is advanced in a direction substantially perpendicular to the electrode faces (11, 11′), e.g.

Abstract: The invention relates to improvements in a process and annealing device for cleaving a wafer layer along a weakened zone in a donor wafer using a thermal anneal. In one improvement, at least one donor wafer is provided in a substantially horizontal position during the thermal anneal to prepare a wafer layer which, after detachment, has a cleaved surface with reduced surface roughness irregularities. The donor wafer can be preferably placed inside a chamber between two heating electrodes during the thermal anneal. The thermal anneal can be conducted to detach the wafer layer or the donor wafer to mechanical action to detach the wafer layer after the thermal anneal is conducted. Either way, a cleaved surface is provided on the detached wafer layer that does not include isolated dense areas adjacent the wafer layer periphery.