Patent ID: 7358166

Claim:
A method of forming a substantially relaxed, low-defect SGOI substrate material comprising the steps of: forming a Si x Ge 1-x layer, wherein x=0 or a number less than 1, on a surface of a first single crystal Si layer, said first single crystal Si layer has an interface with an underlying barrier layer that is resistant to Ge diffusion; first heating said layers at a temperature which permits interdiffusion of Ge throughout the first single crystal Si layer and the Si x Ge 1-x layer to form either a partially relaxed or fully-strained, single crystal SiGe layer atop the barrier layer; patterning the single crystal SiGe layer to provide a single crystal SiGe island; and second heating the single crystal SiGe island at a temperature which permits further relaxation of the single crystal SiGe island to form a substantially relaxed, single crystal SiGe island atop a portion of the barrier layer.