Handle substrate for use in manufacture of semiconductor-on-insulator structure and method of manufacturing thereof

A method of preparing a single crystal semiconductor handle substrate, the single crystal semiconductor handle substrate comprising two major, generally parallel surfaces, one of which is a front surface of the semiconductor handle substrate and the other of which is a back surface of the semiconductor handle substrate, an imaginary central plane between the front surface and the back surface, a circumferential edge joining the front and back surfaces of the semiconductor handle substrate, a front surface region extending from the front surface and toward the central plane and having a depth, FSD, and a bulk region between the front and back surfaces of the semiconductor handle substrate, wherein the semiconductor handle substrate has a minimum bulk region resistivity of at least about 500 ohm-cm, and the method comprises:

• implanting hydrogen ions to a first implant depth, IMD1, corresponding to a plane of a first peak hydrogen ion concentration in the front surface region of the single crystal semiconductor handle substrate, wherein IMD1 is measured from the front surface of the single crystal semiconductor handle substrate and toward the central plane;
• implanting hydrogen ions to a second implant depth, IMD2, corresponding to a plane of a second peak hydrogen ion concentration in the front surface region of the single crystal semiconductor handle substrate, wherein IMD2 is measured from the front surface of the single crystal semiconductor handle substrate and toward the central plane;
• and
• annealing the hydrogen ion implanted single crystal semiconductor handle substrate at a temperature and a duration sufficient to form a three-dimensional network of dislocations and cavities in the front surface region of the single crystal semiconductor handle substrate,
• wherein the depth, FSD, of the front surface region is less than 20 micrometers, and further wherein the first implant depth, IMD1, corresponding to the plane of the first peak hydrogen ion concentration and the second implant depth, IMD2, corresponding to the plane of the second peak hydrogen ion concentration are separated by at least about 10 nanometers and no more than about 750 nanometers.