Study of high-temperature Smart Cut™: Application to silicon-on-sapphire films and to thin foils of single crystal silicon

Two novel processes of elaboration of silicon thin films and silicon foils are proposed, based on the knowledge brought from the Smart Cut™. The first relies on the laser-beam annealing of an implanted silicon wafer in order to induce a separation layer within the implanted wafer and a transfer upon a transparent wafer. The second consists in depositing a layer of liquid silicon upon an implanted silicon wafer and to form a silicon foil by liquid phase epitaxial growth that can be separated from the substrate by Smart Cut™. The separation kinetics of an implanted silicon wafer is characterized for temperature between 450 °C and 700 °C, considering doses of implantation from 3.5 ∗ 1016 H cm−2 to 1.0 ∗ 1017 H cm−2. The out-diffusion of hydrogen is studied by Energy Recoil Detection Analysis and a model of diffusion of hydrogen in implanted silicon is proposed. Based on this analysis, a model for the kinetics of splitting at high temperature is established. Smart Cut™ separation is demonstrated for temperature up to 1250 °C, considering an implanted silicon wafer bonded with a sapphire wafer, through which a laser beam anneals the structure. The kinetics of separation by laser beam annealing is characterized and compared to the kinetics established between 450 °C and 700 °C. The roughness of the silicon on sapphire film is characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy and a transfer is realized considering an implanted silicon bonded with a glass wafer of 200 mm of diameter. Finally, this article presents results of liquid silicon deposition onto an implanted silicon substrate. These results demonstrate the possibility to detach the film grown by liquid phase epitaxy and the upper part of the implanted substrate by Smart Cut™. Electron Backscattering Diffraction Pattern analysis is considered in order to demonstrate the occurrence of epitaxy of the deposited liquid onto the implanted substrate.