Layer splitting process in hydrogen-implanted Si, Ge, SiC, and diamond substrates

Si, Ge, SiC, and diamond samples were implanted with H₂₊ at 120-160 keV with 5.0 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm² (corresponding to l.0× 10¹⁷ H⁺ ions/cm²) and annealed at various temperatures to introduce hydrogen filled microcracks. An effective activation energy was determined for the formation of optically detectable surface blisters from the time required to form such blisters at various temperatures. The measured effective activation energies are close to the respective bond energies in all four materials. The time required to completely split hydrogen implanted layers from bonded silicon substrates and to transfer them onto oxidized silicon wafers is a factor of about 10 longer. Both processes, blister formation and layer splitting, show the same activation energy.