Flexible substrate holder, device and method for detaching a first substrate

A method of using a flexible first substrate mount to process first and second substrates, the method comprising:

• providing the first and second substrates as a bonded pair, wherein the first and second substrates are directly bonded together in a fusion bonding process by means of van der Waals forces, said bonded pair not having been subjected to annealing;
• holding the second substrate with a second substrate mount;
• holding the first substrate with the first substrate mount which is flexible in a detachment direction (L) for bending of the first substrate, wherein the detachment direction (L) is generally normal to a planar surface of the second substrate;
• debonding the first substrate from the second substrate in the detachment direction (L) by applying one or more forces to overcome the van der Waals forces of the fusion bonding process, said step of debonding includes bending the first substrate by flexing the first substrate mount in the detachment direction (L), wherein the step of debonding the first substrate from the second substrate takes place after a bonding of the first substrate to the second substrate by means of the van der Waals forces, but prior to heating to a temperature at which a permanent bond is formed between substrates;
• and
• at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate subjected to the debonding is permanently bonded to another substrate by heating to a temperature at which the substrates permanently bond to each other.

A method for detaching a first substrate from a second substrate, said method comprising:

• providing the first and second substrates as a bonded pair, wherein the first and second substrates are directly bonded together in a fusion bonding process by means of van der Waals forces, said bonded pair not having been subjected to annealing;
• holding the second substrate with a second substrate mount;
• holding the first substrate with a first substrate mount which is flexible in a detachment direction (L) for bending of the first substrate, wherein the detachment direction (L) is generally normal to a planar surface of the second substrate;
• and
• examining the bonded pair of the first and second substrates to determine a quality criteria;
• if it is determined that the quality criteria meets a defined criteria, then heating the first and second substrates to a temperature at which a permanent bond is formed between the first and second substrates, and if it is determined that the quality criteria fails to meet the defined criteria, then debonding the first substrate from the second substrate in the detachment direction (L), said debonding including application of one or more forces to overcome the van der Waals forces of the fusion bonding process, wherein debonding of the first substrate from the second substrate takes place after a bonding of the first substrate to the second substrate by means of the van der Waals forces, but prior to heating to a temperature at which a permanent bond is formed between the substrates.