Patent ID: 7348252

Claim:
A method of forming a bonded semiconductor-on-insulator wafer, comprising: providing a first semiconductor wafer having a first single-crystal semiconductor region, said first semiconductor wafer having a first dielectric layer disposed at an outer surface of said first semiconductor wafer and a plurality of dielectric filled trenches extending from said outer surface inwardly into said single-crystal semiconductor region; providing a second semiconductor wafer having a second single-crystal semiconductor region; bonding said outer surface of said first semiconductor wafer to said outer surface of said second wafer to form a bonded semiconductor wafer having a bulk single-crystal semiconductor region, a buried dielectric layer overlying said bulk single-crystal semiconductor region including at least one layer consisting essentially of silicon nitride and at least one layer consisting essentially of an oxide of silicon, and a single-crystal semiconductor-on-insulator layer overlying said buried dielectric layer, said dielectric filled trenches extending upwardly from said buried dielectric layer into said single-crystal semiconductor-on-insulator layer; and reducing a thickness of said single-crystal semiconductor-on-insulator layer until uppermost surfaces of at least some of said dielectric filled trenches are at least partially exposed.