Patent ID: 7473587

Claim:
A method of producing a SiGe-on-insulator substrate material comprising the steps of: forming a Ge-containing layer abutting a surface of a first single crystal Si layer, said first single crystal Si layer is abutting a barrier layer that is resistant to Ge diffusion; and heating said layers in an oxidizing ambient to a temperature at or near the melting point of a selected SiGe alloy which causes a substantial reduction in strained relaxation defects, yet above 1230° C. to retard stacking fault formation, while permitting interdiffusion of Ge throughout said first single crystal Si layer and said Ge-containing layer thereby converting said Ge-containing layer and said first single crystal Si layer into a low-defect, substantially relaxed, single crystal SiGe layer having a stacking fault defect density of about 10 6 defects/cm 2 or less and a measured lattice relaxation of from about 1 to about 99% atop said barrier layer, said temperature is dependent upon the Ge fraction present in the substantially relaxed, single crystal SiGe layer.