Patent ID: 8809164

Claim:
A method for enhancing the recognition of an integrated circuit, said method comprising: providing a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate including a stack, from bottom to top, of a base substrate, a buried insulator layer, and a top semiconductor active layer, wherein an interface is present between a topmost surface of said buried insulator layer and a bottommost surface of said top semiconductor active layer; forming at least one semiconductor device-containing region comprising at least one semiconductor device formed on and/or within a portion of said top semiconductor active layer; providing at least a stressor layer on an exposed surface of said at least one semiconductor device-containing region, wherein said stressor layer has a fracture toughness that is greater than that of said base substrate; applying a flexible handle layer on an exposed surface of said stressor layer; removing a material base layer from said base substrate by spalling, wherein said material base layer is located on a bottommost surface of said buried insulator layer; removing said material base layer from said bottommost surface of said buried insulator layer; partially removing said buried insulator layer; removing said flexible handle substrate and said stressor layer to provide a semiconductor structure comprising, from bottom to top, a remaining portion of said buried insulator layer, said top semiconductor active layer, and said at least one semiconductor device-containing region, wherein a bottommost surface of said remaining portion of said buried insulator layer and a topmost surface of said at least one semiconductor-containing device region are both bare; and imaging the at least one semiconductor device-containing region including said at least one semiconductor device of said semiconductor structure, wherein said bottommost surface of said remaining portion of said buried insulator layer and said topmost surface of said at least one semiconductor device region remain bare during said imaging.