Patent ID: 8664083

Claim:
A method for bonding a first wafer and a second wafer, comprising: patterning the first wafer with an array of channels, wherein the channels connect a bonding surface of the first wafer with a buried oxide layer of the first wafer, and wherein each of the array of channels is in a depth direction and defines a closed cavity, and further wherein the array of channels is periodic in a first dimension with a period that is less than or equal to approximately 400 microns; coupling the bonding surface of the first wafer with a top surface of the second wafer to collectively define a bonding interface; heating the coupled first wafer and second wafer to a temperature that is less than or equal to 400° C. for an anneal time that is less than or equal to approximately 120 minutes, wherein heating the coupled first wafer and second wafer gives rise to the generation of gas byproducts at the bonding surface of the bonding interface; enabling the gas byproducts to traverse the array of channels and diffuse into the buried oxide layer; and cooling the coupled first wafer and second wafer to mate the first wafer to the second wafer.