Silicon Genesis Corporation

Photon Dynamics, Inc.

Apple Inc.

Qmat, Inc.

Other

Tesoro Scientific, Inc.

Francois J Henley

Nathan W Cheung

Philip James Ong

Igor J Malik

Harry Robert Kirk

Sien G Kang

William George En

Michael A Bryan

Albert Lamm

Michael J Miller

James Andrew Sullivan

Al Lamm

Yi-Lei Chow

Ginetto Addiego

Adam Brailove

Hee-June Choi

Zuqin Liu

Mingyu Zhong

Minghang Li

Babak Adibi

Ying-Moh Liu

Stephen Barton

Dean J Kratzer

Maurice R Barr

Michael A Brayan

William G Eng

James C Speedy

Lu Tian

David Jacy

Sien Kang

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.

Layer transfer of films utilizing controlled shear region

Embodiments relate to mass-transfer methods useful for fabricating products containing Light Emitting Diode (LED) structures. LED arrays are transferred from a source substrate to a target substrate by an in-process functional test Known-Good Die (KGD) driven mass-transfer of a plurality of LED devices in a high-speed flexible manner. Certain preferred embodiments using beam-addressed release (BAR) mass-transfer approaches are able to utilize a Known Good Die (KGD) data file of the source substrate in a manner that avoids additional steps, rework and yield losses.

Light emitting diode (LED) mass-transfer apparatus and method of manufacture

Embodiments relate to functional test methods useful for fabricating products containing Light Emitting Diode (LED) structures. In particular, LED arrays are functionally tested by injecting current via a displacement current coupling device using a field plate comprising of an electrode and insulator placed in close proximity to the LED array. A controlled voltage waveform is then applied to the field plate electrode to excite the LED devices in parallel for high-throughput. A camera records the individual light emission resulting from the electrical excitation to yield a function test of a plurality of LED devices. Changing the voltage conditions can excite the LEDs at differing current density levels to functionally measure external quantum efficiency and other important device functional parameters.

Light emitting diode (LED) test apparatus and method of manufacture

Embodiments relate to functional test methods useful for fabricating products containing Light Emitting Diode (LED) structures. In particular, LED arrays are functionally tested by injecting current via a displacement current coupling device using a field plate comprising of an electrode and insulator placed in close proximity to the LED array. A controlled voltage waveform is then applied to the field plate electrode to excite the LED devices in parallel for high-throughput. A camera records the individual light emission resulting from the electrical excitation to yield a function test of a plurality of LED devices. Changing the voltage conditions can excite the LEDs at differing current density levels to functionally measure external quantum efficiency and other important device functional parameters. Spectral filtering is used to improve measurement contrast and LED defect detection. External light irradiation is used to excite the LED array and improve onset of charge injection light emission and throughput.

Embodiments relate to mass-transfer methods useful for fabricating products containing Light Emitting Diode (LED) structures. LED arrays are transferred from a source substrate to a target substrate by beam-assisted release (BAR) of a plurality of LED devices in a high-speed flexible manner. The BAR mass-transfer approach is also able to utilize a Known Good Die (KGD) data file of the source substrate to transfer only functionally good die and avoid rework and yield losses.

A shaped crystalline ingot for an ion cleaving process has a major surface that is substantially planar, a first side face that is substantially planar along a first direction orthogonal to the major surface, and a second side face that is substantially planar along a second direction orthogonal to the major surface. The ion cleaving process is a process in which ions are implanted into the shaped crystalline ingot to form a cleave plane that separates a substrate comprising the major surface from the shaped crystalline ingot.

Shaped silicon ingot using layer transfer

Embodiments relate to fabricating a wafer including a thin, high-quality single crystal GaN layer serving as a template for formation of additional GaN material. A bulk ingot of GaN material is subjected to implantation to form a subsurface cleave region. The implanted bulk material is bonded to a substrate having lattice and/or Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) properties compatible with GaN. Examples of such substrate materials can include but are not limited to AlN and Mullite. The GaN seed layer is transferred by a controlled cleaving process from the implanted bulk material to the substrate surface. The resulting combination of the substrate and the GaN seed layer, can form a template for subsequent growth of overlying high quality GaN. Growth of high-quality GaN can take place utilizing techniques such as Liquid Phase Epitaxy (LPE) or gas phase epitaxy, e.g., Metallo-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) or Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy (HVPE).

Seed wafer for GaN thickening using gas- or liquid-phase epitaxy

Embodiments transfer thin layers of material utilized in electronic devices (e.g., GaN for optoelectronic devices), from a donor to a handle substrate. Certain embodiments employ bond-and-release system(s) where release occurs along a cleave plane formed by implantation of particles into the donor. Some embodiments may rely upon release by converting components from solid to liquid under carefully controlled thermal conditions (e.g., solder-based materials and/or thermal decomposition of Indium-containing materials). Some embodiments utilize laser-induced film release processes using epitaxially grown or implanted regions as an optically absorptive region. A single bond-and-release sequence may involve processing an exposed N-face of GaN material. Multiple bond-and-release sequences (involving processing an exposed Ga-face of GaN material) may be employed in series, for example utilizing a temporary handle substrate as an intermediary. Particular embodiments form template blanks of high quality GaN suitable for manufacturing High Brightness-Light Emitting Diode (HB-LED) devices.

Bond and release layer transfer process

A method for slicing a crystalline material ingot includes providing a crystalline material boule characterized by a cropped structure including a first end-face, a second end-face, and a length along an axis in a first crystallographic direction extending from the first end-face to the second end-face. The method also includes cutting the crystalline material boule substantially through a first crystallographic plane in parallel to the axis to separate the crystalline material boule into a first portion with a first surface and a second portion with a second surface. The first surface and the second surface are planar surfaces substantially along the first crystallographic plane. The method further includes exposing either the first surface of the first portion or the second surface of the second portion, and performing a layer transfer process to form a crystalline material sheet from either the first surface of the first portion or from the second surface of the second portion.

Method and device for slicing a shaped silicon ingot using layer transfer

Embodiments relate to use of a particle accelerator beam to form thin films of material from a bulk substrate. In particular embodiments, a bulk substrate (e.g. donor substrate) having a top surface is exposed to a beam of accelerated particles. In certain embodiments, this bulk substrate may comprise GaN; in other embodiments this bulk substrate may comprise Si, SiC, or other materials. Then, a thin film or wafer of material is separated from the bulk substrate by performing a controlled cleaving process along a cleave region formed by particles implanted from the beam. In certain embodiments this separated material is incorporated directly into an optoelectronic device, for example a GaN film cleaved from GaN bulk material. In some embodiments, this separated material may be employed as a template for further growth of semiconductor materials (e.g. GaN) that are useful for optoelectronic devices.

Techniques for forming optoelectronic devices

A thickness of material may be detached from a substrate along a cleave plane, utilizing a cleaving process controlled by a releasable constraint plate. In some embodiments this constraint plate may comprise a plate that can couple side forces (the 'P-plate') and a thin, softer compliant layer (the 'S-layer') situated between the P-plate and the substrate. In certain embodiments a porous surface within the releasable constraint plate and in contact to the substrate, allows the constraint plate to be secured to the substrate via a first pressure differential. Application of a combination of a second pressure differential within a pre-existing cleaved portion, and a linear force to a side of the releasable constraint plate bound to the substrate, generates loading that results in controlled cleaving along the cleave plane.

Substrate cleaving under controlled stress conditions

Growing community of inventors

Aptos, CA, United States of America

Francois J Henley