A method includes: providing a semiconductor body having a generation plane and crystal lattice planes which intersect the generation plane at intersecting lines; generating modifications in the semiconductor body by multiphoton excitation and which are spaced apart from one another, the modifications altering a physical property of the semiconductor body so as to form subcritical cracks in the generation plane; and separating a solid-state layer from the semiconductor body by connecting the subcritical cracks in the generation plane.

The invention relates to a method for creating a detachment zone in a solid in order to detach a solid portion, especially a solid layer, from the solid, said solid portion that is to be detached being thinner than the solid from which the solid portion has been removed. According to the invention, the method comprises at least the steps of: providing a solid which is to be processed and which is preferably made of a chemical compound; providing a LASER light source; subjecting the solid to LASER radiation from the LASER light source so that the laser beams penetrate into the solid via a surface of the solid portion that is to be cut off; the LASER radiation is applied in a defined manner to a predefined portion of the solid inside the solid such that a detachment zone or a plurality of partial detachment zones is formed; the method is characterized in that a number of modifications is successively created in the crystal lattice by the applied laser radiation, and the crystal lattice fissures at least partially in the regions surrounding the modifications as a result of the modification, said fissures in the region of the modifications predefining the detachment zone or a plurality of partial detachment zones.

A method for separating wafers from donor substrates incudes: determining at least one individual property of a respective donor substrate, the at least one individual property including doping and/or crystal lattice dislocations of the respective donor substrate; generating donor substrate process data for the respective donor substrate, the donor substrate process data including analysis data of the analysis device, the analysis data describing the at least one individual property of the respective donor substrate; generating, via a laser device, modifications inside the respective donor substrate to form a separating region inside the respective donor substrate, the laser device being operable as a function of the donor substrate process data of the respective donor substrate; and generating mechanical stresses inside the respective donor substrate to initiate and/or guide a crack for separating at least one wafer from the respective donor substrate.

A wafer production method includes a separation layer forming step of positioning, from an end surface, the focal point of a laser beam with a wavelength having transmissibility with respect to a semiconductor ingot, at a depth corresponding to the thickness of a wafer to be produced, and irradiating the ingot with the laser beam to form a separation layer, a manufacturing history forming step of positioning the focal point of a laser beam with such a characteristic as not giving damage to a wafer to be produced next, to the upper surface of a region in which a device is not formed in the wafer to be produced, and irradiating the ingot with the laser beam to form a manufacturing history by ablation processing, and separating the wafer to be produced from the ingot using the separation layer as the point of origin, to produce the wafer.

A wafer forming method includes a modified layer forming step of applying a laser beam of such a wavelength as to be transmitted through an ingot to the ingot with a focal point of the laser beam positioned inside from a side surface at a position corresponding to the thickness of a wafer to be formed, to form a modified layer over the whole circumference of the side surface, a peeling-off layer forming step of exerting an external force from an upper surface of the ingot and concentrating a stress on a crack extending from the modified layer to the inside, to cause the crack to develop from the side surface side toward the inside and form a peeling-off layer, and a wafer forming step of peeling off a wafer to be formed, from the ingot, with the peeling-off layer as a start point, to form the wafer.

This invention provides two variations of methods of separating a surface layer of the semiconductor crystal. In the second variation of the method, pulse laser emission is generated; a focused laser beam is directed onto the crystal in such a way that focus is placed in the layer separation plane perpendicular the axis of the beam, a laser beam is moved in such a way that focus is moved in the layer separation plane with forming the non-overlapping local regions with a disturbed topology of the crystal structure and with reduced interatomic bonds, wherein the local regions is distributed over the whole plane, an external action disturbing the reduced interatomic bonds is applied to the separable layer. The invention allows separating flat lateral surface layers from semiconductor crystals, and thin semiconductor washes from cylindrical semiconductor boules.

A method for separating a solid-state layer from a solid-state material includes: moving the solid-state material relative to a laser processing system; successively emitting a plurality of laser beams from the laser processing system to the solid-state material to create modifications within the solid-state material; adjusting the laser processing system for defined focusing of the plurality of laser beams and/or for continuous adjustment of energy of the plurality of laser beams as a function of at least one parameter; and detaching the solid-state layer from the solid-state material in a region of the modifications.

An apparatus and method for cleaving a liquid sample are disclosed. The apparatus includes a load lock chamber containing a cleaving module, a cryo-cooler, a vacuum chamber configured to receive the cleaving module from the load lock chamber, and a gate valve between the load lock chamber and the vacuum chamber. The cleaving module is configured to cleave a crystalline sample holder and the liquid sample. The liquid sample includes one or more liquid phase materials and is cleavable by the cleaving module when in the solid phase. The cryo-cooler is configured to cool and/or maintain a temperature of the sample holder and the sample below the melting point of each of the liquid phase materials. The gate valve has at least one opening therein configured to (i) allow the cleaving module to enter and exit the vacuum chamber and/or (ii) permit gaseous communication between the load lock chamber and the vacuum chamber.

A substrate dividing method which can thin and divide a substrate while preventing chipping and cracking from occurring. This substrate dividing method comprises the steps of irradiating a semiconductor substrate 1 having a front face 3 formed with functional devices 19 with laser light while positioning a light-converging point within the substrate, so as to form a modified region including a molten processed region due to multiphoton absorption within the semiconductor substrate 1, and causing the modified region including the molten processed region to form a starting point region for cutting; and grinding a rear face 21 of the semiconductor substrate 1 after the step of forming the starting point region for cutting such that the semiconductor substrate 1 attains a predetermined thickness.

A method for producing a layer of solid material includes: providing a solid body having opposing first and second surfaces, the second surface being part of the layer of solid material; generating defects by means of multiphoton excitation caused by at least one laser beam penetrating into the solid body via the second surface and acting in an inner structure of the solid body to generate a detachment plane, the detachment plane including regions with different concentrations of defects; providing a polymer layer on the solid body; and generating mechanical stress in the solid body such that a crack propagates in the solid body along the detachment plane and the layer of solid material separates from the solid body along the crack.