Semiconductor layer separation from single crystal silicon substrate by infrared irradiation of porous silicon separation layer

1. A method of fabricating a semiconductor wafer, comprising:

providing a single crystal silicon substrate, said single crystal silicon substrate having top and bottom surfaces and at least one side surface, said single crystal silicon substrate having a porous silicon separation layer on the surface of said single crystal silicon substrate over at least the entire top surface and at least a portion of the at least one side surface of said single crystal silicon substrate and a semiconductor layer on the surface of said porous silicon separation layer, including the at least one side surface in part, said semiconductor layer not extending beyond said porous silicon separation layer;

applying an infrared absorbing material to a portion of an exposed surface of said semiconductor layer, the portion of the exposed surface being over the at least one side surface of the single crystal silicon substrate;

irradiating at least a portion of said porous silicon separation layer with light with wavelength in the range of 1.5 microns to 11.0 microns to initiate a separation of said semiconductor layer from said single crystal silicon substrate; and

mechanically separating said semiconductor layer completely from said single crystal silicon substrate, thereby fabricating the semiconductor wafer.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said porous silicon separation layer extends continuously from said top surface to said at least one side surface of said single crystal silicon substrate and wherein said porous silicon separation layer extends at least partially over said at least one side surface of said single crystal silicon substrate.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said semiconductor layer extends at least partially over the part of the surface of said porous silicon separation layer over said at least one side surface of said single crystal silicon substrate.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said at least one side surface comprises two parallel surfaces, and wherein said irradiation is simultaneous laser light irradiation of said semiconductor layer over parts of said two parallel surfaces.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein said porous silicon separation layer extends completely over said at least one side surface of said single crystal silicon substrate, wherein said porous silicon separation layer extends continuously from said at least one side surface to said bottom surface of said single crystal silicon substrate, and wherein said porous silicon separation layer extends at least partially over said bottom surface of said single crystal silicon substrate.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said semiconductor layer extends over the part of the surface of said porous silicon separation layer over said at least one side surface of said single crystal silicon substrate and wherein said semiconductor layer extends at least partially over the part of the surface of said porous silicon separation layer over said bottom surface of said single crystal silicon substrate.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said at least one side surface comprises two parallel surfaces, and wherein said irradiation is simultaneous laser light irradiation of said semiconductor layer over parts of said two parallel surfaces.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said irradiation is laser light irradiation incident at an angle in the range of 10 to 20 degrees to the perpendicular to a part of the surface of said semiconductor layer.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said irradiation is laser light irradiation incident perpendicular to said top surface of said single crystal silicon substrate and wherein said irradiation is around at least a part of the edge of said top surface.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said semiconductor layer has high optical transmittance for light with wavelengths in the range of 1.5 microns to 11.0 microns.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said irradiating is through said semiconductor layer.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein said optical transmittance if greater than 90 percent.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein said optical transmittance if greater than 95 percent.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein said semiconductor layer is an epitaxial single crystal silicon layer.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said irradiating is laser light irradiating.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein a beam diameter, measured at said porous silicon separation layer, of a laser used for said irradiating is in the range of 100 microns to 2 millimeters.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein said laser light irradiating is continuous wave laser light irradiating.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein said laser light irradiating is pulsed laser light irradiating.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein said irradiating is with light within a wavelength range is 1.9 microns to 2.1 microns.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein said irradiating is with light within a wavelength range is 1.9 microns to 6.0 microns.

21. The method of claim 15 , wherein said irradiating is with light within a wavelength range is 4.9 microns to 6.0 microns.

22. The method of claim 15 , wherein said irradiating is with light within a wavelength range is 9.0 microns to 10.5 microns.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein said irradiating is through said semiconductor layer.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein said irradiating is through said single crystal silicon substrate.

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein said irradiating is by light generally perpendicular to any surface of said semiconductor layer.

26. The method of claim 1 , wherein said irradiating starts at said infrared absorbing material and moves away from said infrared absorbing material.

27. The method of claim 1 , wherein said infrared absorbing material comprises a material chosen from the group consisting of organic dye compounds and inorganic particulates.

28. The method of claim 1 , wherein said mechanically separating is by attaching a vacuum suction device to a top surface of said semiconductor layer and applying a force to said vacuum suction device perpendicular to said top surface of said semiconductor substrate for pulling said semiconductor layer away from said silicon substrate.

29. The method of claim 1 , wherein said portion of said porous silicon separation layer covers all edges of said substrate covered by said semiconductor layer.

30. The method of claim 1 , wherein said portion of said porous silicon separation layer covers all corners of said substrate covered by said semiconductor layer.

31. The method of claim 1 , wherein said providing comprises:

forming a porous silicon separation layer on the surface of a single crystal silicon substrate;

annealing said porous silicon separation layer to form a single crystal silicon template on a top surface of said porous silicon separation layer; and

epitaxially depositing by a chemical vapor deposition process an epitaxial layer of single crystal semiconductor material on said single crystal silicon template.

32. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after said mechanically separating, reusing said single crystal silicon substrate, said reusing comprising:

forming a porous silicon separation layer on said on the surface of a single crystal silicon substrate;

annealing said porous silicon separation layer to form a single crystal silicon template on a top surface of said porous silicon separation layer;

epitaxially depositing by a chemical vapor deposition process an epitaxial layer of single crystal semiconductor material on said single crystal silicon template; and

mechanically separating said semiconductor layer completely from said single crystal silicon substrate.

33. The method of claim 1 , wherein said semiconductor wafer is a circular wafer.

34. The method as in claim 1 , wherein said semiconductor layer is an epitaxial single crystal silicon layer.