Patent ID: 7348253

Claim:
A method of producing a SiGe-on-insulator substrate material comprising: forming a Ge-containing layer having a preselected Ge content on a surface of a first single crystal Si layer, said first single crystal Si layer is present atop a barrier layer that is resistant to Ge diffusion; and heating said Ge-containing layer and said Si layer to a temperature at the melting point of said Ge-containing layer or at a temperature of about 50° C. below the melting point but above 1230° C., of said Ge-containing layer which causes a substantial reduction in strained relaxation defects, surface pitting and crosshatching, limits stacking fault defects, while permitting interdiffusion of Ge throughout said first single crystal Si layer and said Ge-containing layer thereby forming a low-defect, substantially relaxed, single crystal SiGe layer atop said barrier layer, said heating comprises an oxidation process that provides said SiGe layer with a surface having a surface roughness of less than 15 Å RMS.