Low-temperature fusion of dissimilar semiconductors

Abstract

A method of fusing together wafers (10, 30) or other semiconductor bodies comprising different semiconductors. In the case that wafers of InP and GaAs or other compound semiconductors are to be bonded, the wafers are cleaned with etchant, and their surfaces are placed together. While the wafers are forced together under moderate pressure and clean hydrogen flows over the wafers, the temperature is raised to 650.degree. C., close to the deposition temperature for epitaxial InP, and maintained for 30 minutes. In the case that one of the wafers is silicon (FIG. 5), both wafers are assembled together in hydrofluoric acid, in which the two wafers bond together by van der Waals force. Then, the assembly is placed in a furnace and annealed at 650.degree. C. A sharp hetero-interface (32, 66, 70) is produced with only surface defects which do not propagate into the bulk. Either wafer may be preformed with a multi-layer opto-electronic structure (12).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.