| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20080206962 | METHOD AND STRUCTURE FOR THICK LAYER TRANSFER USING A LINEAR ACCELERATOR - A method for fabricating free standing thickness of materials using one or more semiconductor substrates, e.g., single crystal silicon, polysilicon, silicon germanium, germanium, group III/IV materials, and others. In a specific embodiment, the present method includes providing a semiconductor substrate having a surface region and a thickness. The method includes subjecting the surface region of the semiconductor substrate to a first plurality of high energy particles generated using a linear accelerator to form a region of a plurality of gettering sites within a cleave region, the cleave region being provided beneath the surface region to defined a thickness of material to be detached, the semiconductor substrate being maintained at a first temperature. In a specific embodiment, the method includes subjecting the surface region of the semiconductor substrate to a second plurality of high energy particles generated using the linear accelerator, the second plurality of high energy particles being provided to increase a stress level of the cleave region from a first stress level to a second stress level. In a preferred embodiment, the semiconductor substrate is maintained at a second temperature, which is higher than the first temperature. The method frees the thickness of detachable material using a cleaving process, e.g., controlled cleaving process. | 08-28-2008 |
| 20080206963 | Cleaving process to fabricate multilayered substrates using low implantation doses - A method of forming substrates, e.g., silicon on insulator, silicon on silicon. The method includes providing a donor substrate, e.g., silicon wafer. The method also includes forming a cleave layer on the donor substrate that contains the cleave plane, the plane of eventual separation. In a specific embodiment, the cleave layer comprising silicon germanium. The method also includes forming a device layer (e.g., epitaxial silicon) on the cleave layer. The method also includes introducing particles into the cleave layer to add stress in the cleave layer. The particles within the cleave layer are then redistributed to form a high concentration region of the particles in the vicinity of the cleave plane, where the redistribution of the particles is carried out in a manner substantially free from microbubble or microcavity formation of the particles in the cleave plane. That is, the particles are generally at a low dose, which is defined herein as a lack of microbubble or microcavity formation in the cleave plane. The method also includes providing selected energy to the donor substrate to cleave the device layer from the cleave layer at the cleave plane, whereupon the selected energy is applied to create a controlled cleaving action to remove the device layer from a portion of the cleave layer in a controlled manner. | 08-28-2008 |
| 20080286945 | Controlled process and resulting device - A technique for forming a film of material ( | 11-20-2008 |
| 20090001500 | Method and structure for implanting bonded substrates for electrical conductivity - A partially completed multi-layered substrate, e.g., silicon on silicon. The substrate has a thickness of material from a first substrate. The thickness of material comprises a first face region. The substrate has a second substrate having a second face region. Preferably, the first face region of the thickness of material is joined to the second face region of the second substrate. The substrate has an interface region formed between the first face region of the thickness of material and the second face region of the second substrate. A plurality of particles are implanted within a portion of the thickness of the material and a portion of the interface region to electrically couple a portion of the thickness of material to a portion of the second substrate. | 01-01-2009 |
| 20090042369 | METHOD AND STRUCTURE USING SELECTED IMPLANT ANGLES USING A LINEAR ACCELERATOR PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURE OF FREE STANDING FILMS OF MATERIALS - A method for fabricating free standing thickness of materials using one or more semiconductor substrates, e.g., single crystal silicon, polysilicon, silicon germanium, germanium, group III/IV materials, and others. In a specific embodiment, the present method includes providing a semiconductor substrate having a surface region and a thickness. The method includes subjecting the surface region of the semiconductor substrate to a first plurality of high energy particles provided at a first implant angle generated using a linear accelerator to form a region of a plurality of gettering sites within a cleave region, the cleave region being provided beneath the surface region to defined a thickness of material to be detached, the semiconductor substrate being maintained at a first temperature. In a specific embodiment, the method includes subjecting the surface region of the semiconductor substrate to a second plurality of high energy particles at a second implant angle generated using the linear accelerator, the second plurality of high energy particles being provided to increase a stress level of the cleave region from a first stress level to a second stress level. In a preferred embodiment, the semiconductor substrate is maintained at a second temperature, which is higher than the first temperature. The method frees the thickness of detachable material using a cleaving process, e.g., controlled cleaving process. | 02-12-2009 |
| 20090093103 | Method and device for controlled cleaving process - A technique for forming a film of material ( | 04-09-2009 |
| 20090206275 | ACCELERATOR PARTICLE BEAM APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR LOW CONTAMINATE PROCESSING - A system of introducing a particle beam such as a linear accelerator particle beam for low contaminate processing. The system includes an accelerator apparatus configured to generate a first particle beam including at least a first ionic specie in an energy level of 1 MeV to 5 MeV or greater. Additionally, the system includes a beam filter coupled to the linear accelerator apparatus to receive the first particle beam. The beam filter is in a first chamber and configured to generate a second particle beam with substantially the first ionic specie only. The first chamber is associated with a first pressure. The system further includes an end-station including a second chamber coupled to the first chamber for extracting the second particle beam. The second particle beam is irradiated onto a planar surface of a bulk workpiece loaded in the second chamber for implanting the first ionic specie. The second chamber is associated with a second pressure that is higher than the first pressure. Optional beam scanning can also be added between the beam filter and the end-station. | 08-20-2009 |
| 20090258496 | Method for fabricating semiconductor devices using strained silicon bearing material - A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit on semiconductor substrates, e.g., silicon wafer. The method includes providing a semiconductor substrate characterized by a first lattice with a first structure and a first spacing. In a specific embodiment, the semiconductor substrate has an overlying film of material with a second lattice with a second structure and a second spacing, the second spacing placing the film of material in a strain mode characterized by a first tensile and/or compressive mode along a single film surface crystal axis across a first portion of the film of material relative to the semiconductor substrate with the first structure and the first spacing. The method patterns a predetermined region of the first portion of the film of material to cause the first tensile and/or compressive mode in the first portion of the film of material to change to a second tensile and/or compressive mode in a resulting patterned portion of the first portion of the film of material. In a preferred embodiment, the patterns are made using a masking and etching process. | 10-15-2009 |
| 20090277314 | LAYER TRANSFER OF FILMS UTILIZING CONTROLLED SHEAR REGION - 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. In one embodiment, the high KII component is achieved by adiabatic heating of silicon through exposure to E-beam radiation, which imparts a highly abrupt thermal gradient and resulting stress at a precisely defined depth in the silicon. | 11-12-2009 |
| 20100044595 | Race track configuration and method for wafering silicon solar substrates - A system for manufacturing free-standing films from work pieces. The system includes a racetrack structure being configured to transfer at least one work piece and one or more accelerator-based ion implanters coupled to the racetrack structure via an end station. Each of the accelerator-based ion implanters is configured to introduce particles having an energy of greater than 1 MeV to implant into a surface of the work piece loaded in the end station to form a cleave region in the work piece. The system includes one or more cleave modules coupled to the racetrack structure configured to perform a cleave process to release a free-standing film from the work piece along the cleave region. Additionally, the system includes an output port coupled to each cleave module to output the free standing film detached from the work piece and one or more service modules each connected to the racetrack structure. | 02-25-2010 |
| 20100052105 | Free-standing thickness of single crystal material and method having carrier lifetimes - A method of fabricating a thickness of silicon material includes providing a silicon ingot material having a surface region and introducing a plurality of particles having an energy of about 1-5 MeV through the surface region to a depth to define a cleave region and a thickness of detachable material between the cleave region and the surface region. Additionally, the method includes processing the silicon ingot material to free the thickness of detachable material at a vicinity of the cleave region and causing formation of a free-standing thickness of material characterized by a carrier lifetime about 10 microseconds and a thickness ranging from about 20 microns to about 150 microns with a thickness variation of less than about five percent. Furthermore, the method includes treating the free-standing thickness of material using a thermal treatment process to recover the carrier lifetime to about 200 microseconds and greater. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20100055874 | Layer transfer of films utilizing controlled propagation - 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 to achieve controlled propagation by either KII or energy propagation control. According to certain embodiments, an in-plane shear component (KII) is maintained near zero by adiabatic heating of silicon through exposure to E-beam radiation. According to other embodiments, a surface heating source in combination with an implanted layer serves to guide fracture propagation through the cleave sequence. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20100126587 | Method and Structure for Fabricating Multiple Tiled Regions Onto a Plate Using a Controlled Cleaving Process - A reusable transfer substrate member for forming a tiled substrate structure. The member including a transfer substrate, which has a surface region. The surface region comprises a plurality of donor substrate regions. Each of the donor substrate regions is characterized by a donor substrate thickness and a donor substrate surface region. Each of the donor substrate regions is spatially disposed overlying the surface region of the transfer substrate. Each of the donor substrate regions has the donor substrate thickness without a definable cleave region. | 05-27-2010 |
| 20100129950 | Method and Structure for Fabricating Multiple Tiled Regions Onto a Plate Using a Controlled Cleaving Process - A reusable transfer substrate member for forming a tiled substrate structure. The member including a transfer substrate, which has a surface region. The surface region comprises a plurality of donor substrate regions. Each of the donor substrate regions is characterized by a donor substrate thickness and a donor substrate surface region. Each of the donor substrate regions is spatially disposed overlying the surface region of the transfer substrate. Each of the donor substrate regions has the donor substrate thickness without a definable cleave region. | 05-27-2010 |
| 20100129951 | Method and Structure for Fabricating Multiple Tiled Regions Onto a Plate Using a Controlled Cleaving Process - A reusable transfer substrate member for forming a tiled substrate structure. The member including a transfer substrate, which has a surface region. The surface region comprises a plurality of donor substrate regions. Each of the donor substrate regions is characterized by a donor substrate thickness and a donor substrate surface region. Each of the donor substrate regions is spatially disposed overlying the surface region of the transfer substrate. Each of the donor substrate regions has the donor substrate thickness without a definable cleave region. | 05-27-2010 |
| 20100178723 | Method and Structure for Fabricating Solar Cells Using a Thick Layer Transfer Process - A photovoltaic cell device, e.g., solar cell, solar panel, and method of manufacture. The device has an optically transparent substrate comprises a first surface and a second surface. A first thickness of material (e.g., semiconductor material, single crystal material) having a first surface region and a second surface region is included. In a preferred embodiment, the surface region is overlying the first surface of the optically transparent substrate. The device has an optical coupling material provided between the first surface region of the thickness of material and the first surface of the optically transparent material. | 07-15-2010 |
| 20100180945 | Method and Structure for Fabricating Solar Cells - A photovoltaic cell device, e.g., solar cell, solar panel, and method of manufacture. The device has an optically transparent substrate comprises a first surface and a second surface. A first thickness of material (e.g., semiconductor material, single crystal material) having a first surface region and a second surface region is included. In a preferred embodiment, the surface region is overlying the first surface of the optically transparent substrate. The device has an optical coupling material provided between the first surface region of the thickness of material and the first surface of the optically transparent material. A second thickness of semiconductor material is overlying the second surface region to form a resulting thickness of semiconductor material. | 07-22-2010 |
| 20100282323 | CONTROLLED PROCESS AND RESULTING DEVICE - A technique for forming a film of material ( | 11-11-2010 |
| 20100317140 | TECHNIQUES FOR FORMING THIN FILMS BY IMPLANTATION WITH REDUCED CHANNELING - Embodiments of the present invention relate to the use of a particle accelerator beam to form thin films of material from a bulk substrate. In particular embodiments, a bulk substrate having a top surface is exposed to a beam of accelerated particles. Then, a thin film 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. To improve uniformity of depth of implantation, channeling effects are reduced by one or more techniques. In one technique, a miscut bulk substrate is subjected to the implantation, such that the lattice of the substrate is offset at an angle relative to the impinging particle beam. According to another technique, the substrate is tilted at an angle relative to the impinging particle beam. In still another technique, the substrate is subjected to a dithering motion during the implantation. These techniques may be employed alone or in combination. | 12-16-2010 |
