Device and method for bonding substrates

A device for bonding of a first substrate to a second substrate on respective contact surfaces of the substrates, the device comprising:

• a first mounting apparatus configured to accommodate the first substrate on a first mounting surface;
• a second mounting apparatus configured to accommodate the second substrate on a second mounting surface;
• fixing means for fixing the first substrate and/or the second substrate solely in a region of side edges of the substrates on the first and/or second mounting surfaces;
• contact means for bringing the contact surface of the first substrate into contact with the contact surface of the second substrate at a bond initiation site;
• and
• deformation means for deforming the first substrate and/or the second substrate for alignment of the contact surfaces outside the bond initiation site before and/or during the bonding,
• wherein, when the contact means bring the contact surface of the first substrate into contact with the contact surface of the second substrate at the bond initiation site, the fixing means are configured to release the first substrate and/or the second substrate from being fixed to the first mounting surface and/or second mounting surface to propagate a radially symmetrically traveling bonding wave from the bond initiation site to the side edges of the substrates to bond the substrates.