Process for producing silicon on insulator structure having intrinsic gettering by ion implantation

A process for producing a silicon on insulator structure, the structure comprising a silicon substrate having two major, generally parallel surfaces, one of which is the front surface and the other of which is the back surface, a central plane between the front and back surfaces, a surface layer which comprises a first region of the substrate between the front surface and a distance, D1, of at least about 10 micrometers as measured from the front surface and toward the central plane, and a bulk layer which comprises a second region of the substrate between the central plane and the first region, a circumferential edge joining the front and back surfaces, a central axis, and a radius extending from the central axis to the circumferential edge, the process comprising:

• implanting oxygen into the silicon substrate to cause the formation of a dielectric layer which is generally parallel to the front surface and is located in a region between the front surface and the central plane;
• subjecting the silicon substrate to an ideal precipitating heat treatment to cause the formation of a non-uniform distribution of crystal lattice vacancies, with the concentration of vacancies in the bulk layer being greater than the concentration of vacancies in the surface layer;
• and,
• subjecting said heat treated substrate to an oxygen precipitation and stabilization heat-treatment to cause to formation and stabilization of oxygen precipitates in the bulk layer and a precipitate-free zone in the surface layer.