Silicon Genesis Corporation

Lam Research Corporation

Memc Electronic Materials, Inc.

Igor J Malik

Sien G Kang

Francois J Henley

Philip James Ong

Harry Robert Kirk

Nathan W Cheung

Wilbur C Krusell

Larry W Shive

Michael I Current

James Andrew Sullivan

Ariel Flat

David Jacy

Martin Fuerfanger

William G Eng

The present invention provides for treating a surface of a semiconductor material. The method comprises exposing the surface of the semiconductor material to a halogen etchant in a hydrogen environment at an elevated temperature. The method controls the surface roughness of the semiconductor material. The method also has the unexpected benefit of reducing dislocations in the semiconductor material.

Non-contact etch annealing of strained layers

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. In a specific embodiment, the second characteristic is free from the silicon oxide material and is an epitaxially formed silicon material provided between the thickness of single crystal silicon material and the second silicon substrate. The method includes maintaining the interface region free of multiple voids during the thermal process to form the epitaxially formed silicon material to electrically couple the thickness of single crystal silicon material to the second silicon substrate.

Method and structure for fabricating bonded substrate structures using thermal processing to remove oxygen species

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() 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. The method includes a step of overlying the face of the second substrate on a portion of the face of the first substrate to cause a second bend within the thickness of material to form a second strain within a portion of the second thickness. A step of joining the face of the second substrate to the face of the first substrate form a sandwich structure while maintaining the first bend in the first substrate and the second bend in the second substrate. Preferably, joining occurs using a low temperature process such as plasma activated bonding or the like.

Method and system for fabricating strained layers for the manufacture of integrated circuits

A system for manufacturing multilayered substrates. The system has a support member is adapted to process a film of material comprising a first side and a second side from a first state to a second state. The support member is attached to the first side of the film of material. The second state comprises a stressed state. The system has a handle substrate comprising a face, which is adapted to be attached to the second side of the film of material. The support member is capable of being detached from the first side of the film of material thereby leaving the handle substrate comprising the film of material in the second state being attached to the face of the handle substrate.

Method and system for lattice space engineering

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. The method includes a step of overlying the face of the second substrate on a portion of the face of the first substrate to cause a second bend within the thickness of material to form a second strain within a portion of the second thickness. A step of joining the face of the second substrate to the face of the first substrate form a sandwich structure while maintaining the first bend in the first substrate and the second bend in the second substrate. Preferably, joining occurs using a low temperature process such as plasma activated bonding or the like.

System for forming a strained layer of semiconductor material

A method for treating a film of material, which can be defined on a substrate, e.g., silicon. The method includes providing a substrate comprising a cleaved surface, which is characterized by a predetermined surface roughness value. The substrate also has a distribution of hydrogen bearing particles defined from the cleaved surface to a region underlying said cleaved surface. The method also includes increasing a temperature of the cleaved surface to greater than about 1,000 Degrees Celsius while maintaining the cleaved surface in an etchant bearing environment to reduce the predetermined surface roughness value by about fifty percent and greater. Preferably, the value can be reduced by about eighty or ninety percent and greater, depending upon the embodiment.

Surface finishing of SOI substrates using an EPI process

The present invention provides a method of forming a strained semiconductor layer. The method comprises growing a strained first semiconductor layer, having a graded dopant profile, on a wafer, having a first lattice constant. The dopant imparts a second lattice constant to the first semiconductor layer. The method further comprises growing a strained boxed second semiconductor layer having the second lattice constant on the first semiconductor layer and growing a sacrificial third semiconductor layer having the first lattice constant on the second semiconductor layer. The method further comprises etch annealing the third and second semiconductor layer, wherein the third semiconductor layer is removed and the second semiconductor layer is relaxed. The method may further comprises growing a fourth semiconductor layer having the second lattice constant on the second semiconductor layer, wherein the fourth semiconductor layer is relaxed, and growing a strained fifth semiconductor layer having the first semiconductor lattice constant on the fourth semiconductor layer. The method controls the surface roughness of the semiconductor layers. The method also has the unexpected benefit of reducing dislocations in the semiconductor layers.

A method of fabricating substrates, e.g., bulk wafers, silicon on insulator wafers, silicon on saphire, optoelectronic substrates. The method includes providing a substrate (e.g., silicon, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, quartz). The substrate has a film characterized by a non-uniform surface, which includes a plurality of defects. At least some of the defects are of a size ranging from about 100 Angstroms and greater. The method also includes applying a combination of a deposition species for deposition of a deposition material and an etching species for etching etchable material. The combination of the deposition species and the etching species contact the non-uniform surface in a thermal setting to reduce a level of non-uniformity of the non-uniform surface by filling a portion of the defects to smooth the film of material. The smoothed film of material is substantially free from the defects and is characterized by a surface roughness of a predetermined value.

Treatment method of film quality for the manufacture of substrates

A method for treating a film of material, which can be defined on a substrate, e.g., silicon. The method includes providing a substrate comprising a cleaved surface, which had a porous silicon layer thereon. The substrate may have a distribution of hydrogen bearing particles defined from the cleaved surface to a region underlying said cleaved surface. The method also includes increasing a temperature of the cleaved surface to greater than about 1,000 Degrees Celsius while maintaining the cleaved surface in a etchant bearing environment to reduce a surface roughness value by about fifty percent and greater. Preferably, the value can be reduced by about eighty or ninety percent and greater, depending upon the embodiment.

Smoothing method for cleaved films made using a release layer

In a specific embodiment, the present invention provides a novel process for smoothing a surface of a separated film. The present process is for the preparation of thin semiconductor material films. The process includes a step of implanting by ion bombardment of the face of the wafer by means of ions creating in the volume of the wafer at a depth close to the average penetration depth of the ions, where a layer of gaseous microbubbles defines the volume of the wafer a lower region constituting a majority of the substrate and an upper region constituting the thin film. A temperature of the wafer during implantation is kept below the temperature at which the gas produced by the implanted ions can escape from the semiconductor by diffusion. The process also includes contacting the planar face of the wafer with a stiffener constituted by at least one rigid material layer. The process includes treating the assembly of the wafer and the stiffener at a temperature above that at which the ion bombardment takes place and adequate to create by a crystalline rearrangement effect in the wafer and a pressure effect in the microbubbles to create separation between the thin film and the majority of the substrate. The stiffener and the planar face of the wafer are kept in intimate contact during the stage to free the thin film from the majority of the substrate. The method also includes applying a combination of thermal treatment and an etchant to the thin film to reduce a surface roughness of the thin film to a predetermined value.

Smoothing method for cleaved films made using thermal treatment

A method for generating a plurality of donor wafers and handle wafers prior to an order being placed by a customer. For example, a plurality of donor wafers with different silicon layer thicknesses along with a plurality of handle wafers with different oxide layer thicknesses are fabricated. Subsequently, a customer may place an order for silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers which share defined parameters. Therefore, a prefabricated donor wafer and handle wafer are selected based on the customer's defined parameters and then bonded together. Next, the donor wafer is cleaved from the handle wafer wherein the handle wafer retains the silicon layer of the donor wafer. The silicon layer thickness of the handle wafer may be altered to meet the customer's parameters. For example, an epitaxial smoothing process may decrease the silicon layer thickness while an epitaxial thickening process may increase the silicon layer thickness.

Method and system for generating a plurality of donor wafers and handle wafers prior to an order being placed by a customer

A method to remove metal contaminants in a substrate cleaning process. The present invention may replace or be used in conjunction with other substrate cleaning systems. This method comprises adding a citric acid solution to the liquid medium of a semiconductor substrate cleaning system. This method is described in the manner it is used in conjunction with a scrubber wherein both sides of a wafer are scrubbed.

Method to remove metals in a scrubber

The present invention provides an apparatus (,) (,) for abating edge material from a substrate, e.g., SOI. The apparatus includes, among other elements, a housing and a rotatable member (,) coupled to the housing. The rotatable member is a susceptor, which is relatively flat for securing a substrate. A movable dispensing head (,) is coupled to the housing and is overlying the rotatable member. The movable dispensing head (,) is operable to emit a stream of directed fluid to one or more locations of the susceptor. The apparatus also includes a fluid source, which is coupled to the movable dispensing head. The fluid source provides fluid to ablate material from the substrate.

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Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Igor J Malik