Combined production method for separating a number of thin layers of solid material from a thick solid body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10141219-B2
Application number	US-201415028303-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2014
Priority date	Oct 8, 2013
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A method for producing layers of solid material is contemplated. The production method may include the following:
Providing a solid body to be split into a number of layers of solid material, introducing or generating defects in the solid body in order to determine a first detachment plane (8) along which a first layer of solid material is separated from the solid body, providing a receiving layer for holding the layer of solid material on the solid body, applying heat to the receiving layer in order to generate, in particular mechanically, stresses in the solid body, due to the stresses a crack propagating in the solid body along the detachment plane, which crack separates the first layer of solid material from the solid body, then providing a second receiving layer for holding another layer of solid material on the solid body reduced by the first layer of solid material, introducing or generating defects in the solid body in order to determine a second detachment plane (9) along which a second layer of solid material is separated from the solid body, applying heat to the second receiving layer in order to generate, in particular mechanically, stresses in the solid body, due to the stresses a crack propagating in the solid body along the second detachment plane, which crack separates the second layer of solid material from the solid body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing layers of solid material comprising:
providing a solid body to be split into a number of layers of solid material, the solid body having a first level surface portion and a second level surface portion;
introducing or generating defects in the solid body using laser beams in order to determine a first detachment plane along which a first layer of solid material is separated from the solid body, the laser beams penetrating into the solid body via the second level surface portion;
providing a receiving layer for holding the layer of solid material on the second level surface portion of the solid body, the receiving layer being in the form of a polymer layer;
applying heat to the receiving layer in order to mechanically generate stresses in the solid body, the application of heat including cooling of the receiving layer to a temperature below ambient temperature, the cooling taking place such that the polymer layer undergoes a glass transition and such that due to the stresses a crack propagates in the solid body along the detachment plane, the crack separating the first layer of solid material from the solid body, wherein the second level surface portion is part of the first layer, wherein the first detachment plane is determined closer to the second level surface portion than to the first level surface portion;
introducing or generating defects in the solid body in order to determine a second detachment plane along which a second layer of solid material is separated from the solid body, then providing a second receiving layer for holding another layer of solid material on the solid body reduced by the first layer of solid material; and
applying heat to the second receiving layer in order to mechanically generate stresses in the solid body such that due to the stresses a crack propagates in the solid body along the second detachment plane, the crack separating the second layer of solid material from the solid body.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising, after applying heat to the polymer layer in order to generate stresses in order to detach the first layer of solid material and before introducing or generating defects in the solid body in order to determine the second detachment plane, machining a surface of the solid body exposed by the separation of the first layer of solid material.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising bringing about the generation of defects by at least one radiation source in the form of a laser, rays irradiated by the radiation source generating the defects at predetermined locations within the solid body.

4. The method according to claim 3 further comprising setting-up the radiation source such that the rays irradiated thereby to generate the detachment plane penetrate into the solid body to a defined depth of less than 100 μm.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the solid body being silicon and/or gallium and/or a ceramic material, the polymer layer and/or the holding layer being made at least partially of PDMS, the holding layer being disposed on an at least partially level surface of a stabilization device which is made at least partially of at least one metal.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising setting-up the stresses in the solid body such that crack initiation and/or crack propagation can be controlled to generate a defined topography of the surface that is produced in the detachment plane.

Assignees

• Silectra GmbH
• Siltectra Gmbh

Inventors

• Drescher Wolfram
• Richter Jan

Classifications

• H10P90/1914

  using bonding · CPC title

• H10W10/181

  Semiconductor-on-insulator [SOI] isolation regions, e.g. buried oxide regions of SOI wafers · CPC title

• H10P90/1916 Primary

  with separation or delamination along an ion implanted layer, e.g. Smart-cut · CPC title

• B23K2103/52

  Ceramics · CPC title

• B23K26/53

  for modifying or reforming the material inside the workpiece, e.g. for producing break initiation cracks · CPC title