Low stress silicon layer transfer onto quartz through hydrogen capture within Si (B/Ge) Buried Layer

An epitaxial single-crystalline Si layer, 715 nm thick, was transferred onto quartz by wafer bonding and diffused-hydrogen ion cutting below 180°C. A sharp interface for trapping hydrogen atoms was created by the epitaxial growth of an undoped silicon layer on top of a boron/germanium-doped silicon layer. An interfacial hydrogen concentration of 1.5× 10²² cm^-3 was achieved by exposure to an atmospheric-pressure plasma. Following annealing at 180°C and subsequent mechanically induced crack propagation at room temperature, a smooth (root-mean-square = 1.14 nm), damage-free silicon layer was transferred onto quartz.