Method for forming a single crystal silicon layer

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a process for forming a single crystal silicon layer by heating a wafer, which is made of a single crystal silicon substrate and a starting silicon layer made of amorphous or polycrystalline silicon and provided on the silicon substrate, in accordance with the epitaxial growth technique. The process comprises providing a heat source which is formed of a plurality of tubular lamps provided side by side with their longitudinal axes extending substantially in parallel with one another in a second plane lying above and substantially in parallel with a first plane--in which the wafer is placed--and a tubular melting-lamp provided at a position between the first and second planes and with its longitudinal axis substantially in parallel with the longitudinal axes of the tubular lamps in the second plane; and moving the wafer in the first plane and in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the plurality of tubular lamps and that of the tubular melting-lamp in a state that all the tubular lamps of the heat source, including the tubular melting-lamp, are lit on. The above process can convert the starting silicon layer in its entirety into a single crystal silicon layer in a relatively short period of time and without danger of damaging the wafer. The above process facilitates formation of single crystal silicon layers which make up SOI structures.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.