Method for treating substrates for microelectronics and substrates obtained by said method

1. A method for improving the quality of a layer of a multilayer wafer, comprising:

providing a wafer having an exposed layer with structural defects therein;

altering by oxidation the composition of a first outer layer of the exposed layer that contains at least some of the defects;

removing the altered first outer layer from the wafer by deoxidation to expose a second outer layer of the exposed layer that has an exposed surface;

smoothing the surface of the second outer layer;

altering the composition of the second outer layer by oxidation; and

removing the altered second outer layer by deoxidation to increase the quality of the exposed layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the defects comprise impurities.

3. A method for improving the quality of a layer of a multilayer wafer, comprising:

providing a wafer by splitting the wafer from another wafer, the provided wafer having an exposed layer with structural defects therein, wherein said another wafer is split to expose the exposed layer;

altering by oxidation the composition of a first outer layer of the exposed layer that contains at least some of the defects; removing the altered first outer layer from the wafer to expose a second outer layer of the exposed layer that has an exposed surface;

smoothing the surface of the second outer layer;

altering the composition of the second outer layer; and

removing the altered second outer layer to increase the quality of the exposed layer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein wafer is provided by splitting the wafer from another wafer, and said another wafer is split to expose the exposed layer.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising implanting atomic species between the provided wafer and the another wafer.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the defects comprise implantation and cleavage defects.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the second outer layer is smoothed by polishing.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the smoothing produces additional defects, and the altering and removal of the second outer layer removes a substantial portion of the additional defects.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising annealing the exposed layer at least between the altering and removing of at least one of the first and second outer layers to repair defects therein.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the exposed layer is annealed between the altering and removing of each of the first and second outer layers.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the annealed outer layer is at least partially oxidized for protection thereof prior to completing the annealing.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the annealing is conducted to provide another layer adjacent the exposed layer in an axial direction with a ridge that protrudes axially to a position disposed in a lateral direction from the exposed layer for protecting an edge of the exposed layer.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second outer layer that is removed has a thickness greater than 100 Å.

14. A method for improving the quality of a layer of a multilayer wafer, comprising:

providing a wafer having an oxydizable exposed layer with structural defects therein;

oxidizing a first outer layer of the exposed layer that contains at least some of the defects;

deoxidizing the oxidized first outer layer to remove the first outer layer from the wafer to expose a second outer layer of the exposed layer that has an exposed surface;

smoothing the surface of the second outer layer;

oxidizing the smoothed second outer layer; and

deoxidizing the oxidized second outer layer to remove the second outer layer from the wafer to increase the quality of the exposed layer.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the wafer is provided by splitting the wafer from another wafer to expose the exposed layer.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising implanting atomic species between the provided wafer and the another wafer prior to the splitting, wherein the defects comprise implantation and cleavage defects.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the surface of the second outer layer is smoothed by polishing and has an improved roughness compared to the first outer layer, which produces additional defects, and the oxidation and deoxidation of the second outer layer substantially removes the additional defects.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising annealing the exposed layer at least between the oxidation and deoxidation of at least one of the first and second outer layers to repair defects therein.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the wafer is a semiconductor wafer.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the wafer comprises an insulator layer adjacent the exposed layer.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the second outer layer comprises silicon having a surface defect density greater than 500 cm 2 .

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wafer comprises a base substrate associated with the first outer layer, the method further comprising:

providing the second outer layer on the first outer layer on a side opposite from the base substrate in an axial direction and having a lateral edge; and

forming the first outer layer to include a ridge that protrudes axially and is disposed laterally adjacent the second outer layer measured in a direction normal to the axial direction for preventing edge falls from the lateral edge.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the ridge surrounds an acute portion of the lateral edge in an axial cross-section.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein the ridge has an axial height greater than the axial thickness of the second outer layer.

25. The method of the claim 22 , wherein the second outer layer comprises an oxydizable semiconductor and the first outer layer comprises an oxidized insulator.