Crystalline wafers and process for forming crystalline wafers
Methods of forming a crystalline wafers or films such as a diamond wafer or film are disclosed. Such a method may include creating a damaged layer in a seed wafer at a depth from a seed wafer upper surface. The seed wafer may include a diamond crystalline structure. The method may also include growing a diamond epitaxial layer on the seed wafer upper surface via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. A growth temperature of the CVD process may convert the damaged layer into a graphitized interface between the seed wafer and the diamond epitaxial layer. The method may further include applying light from a laser to the graphitized interface to separate the diamond epitaxial layer from the seed wafer and obtain the diamond wafer.
1 . A method of forming a wafer, the method comprising:
creating a damaged layer in a diamond crystalline structure of a seed wafer at a depth from a seed wafer upper surface;
forming a crystalline structure on the seed wafer upper surface; and
applying light from a laser to the damaged layer to separate the formed crystalline structure from the seed wafer and obtain the wafer; and
wherein forming the crystalline structure comprises using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to grow an epitaxial layer, and
wherein a growth temperature of the CVD process converts the damaged layer into graphite.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein creating the damaged layer comprises implanting ions into the seed wafer via the seed wafer upper surface.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein creating the damaged layer comprises implanting helium ions into the seed wafer via the seed wafer upper surface.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein creating the damaged layer comprises implanting hydrogen ions into the seed wafer via the seed wafer upper surface.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein creating the damaged layer comprises implanting carbon ions into the seed wafer via the seed wafer upper surface.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the crystalline structure comprising growing an epitaxial layer on the seed wafer upper surface.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein growing the epitaxial layer comprises using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process to grow the epitaxial layer.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein a growth temperature of the CVD process anneals the damaged layer.
9 . The method of claim 1 , comprising removing remnants of the damaged layer from the wafer.
10 . The method of claim 1 , comprising polishing a lower surface of the wafer.
11 . The method of claim 1 , comprising etching a lower surface of the wafer.
12 . The method of claim 1 , comprising reusing the seed wafer, after separating the wafer from the seed wafer, to form another wafer.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the seed wafer comprises a diamond crystalline structure; and
the wafer separated from the seed wafer comprises a diamond crystalline structure.
14 . A method of forming a diamond wafer, the method comprising:
creating a damaged layer in a seed wafer at a depth from a seed wafer upper surface, wherein the seed wafer comprises a diamond crystalline structure;
growing a diamond epitaxial layer on the seed wafer upper surface via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, wherein a growth temperature of the CVD process converts the damaged layer into a graphitized interface; and
applying light from a laser to the graphitized interface to separate the diamond epitaxial layer from the seed wafer and obtain the diamond wafer.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein creating the damaged layer comprises implanting ions into the seed wafer via the seed wafer upper surface.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the ions include helium, hydrogen, and/or carbon ions.
17 . The method of claim 14 , comprising removing remnants of the graphitized interface from the diamond wafer.
18 . The method of claim 14 , comprising polishing a lower surface of the diamond wafer.
19 . The method of claim 14 , comprising etching a lower surface of the diamond wafer.