Method of separating surface layer of semiconductor crystal using a laser beam perpendicular to the separating plane

Abstract

This invention provides two variations of methods of separating a surface layer of the semiconductor crystal. In the first variation of the method, a focused laser beam is directed onto the crystal in such a way that focus is placed in the layer separation plane perpendicular to the axis of the beam, the laser beam is moved with scanning the layer separation plane with focus in the direction from the open side surface of the crystal deep into the crystal with forming a continuous slit width of which is increased with every pass of the laser beam, the previous operation is performed up to separation of the surface layer. In the second variation of the method, pulse laser emission is generated; a focused laser beam is directed onto the crystal in such a way that focus is placed in the layer separation plane perpendicular the axis of the beam, a laser beam is moved in such a way that focus is moved in the layer separation plane with forming the non-overlapping local regions with a disturbed topology of the crystal structure and with reduced interatomic bonds, wherein the local regions is distributed over the whole the plane, an external action disturbing the reduced interatomic bonds is applied to the separable layer.