Patent ID: 6875268

Claim:
A method of improving a surface of a first substrate and a surface of a second substrate for bonding, said method comprising: (a) holding the first, comprising a first plurality of elements, and the second substrate comprising a second plurality of elements, at a first temperature for a period of time in a depressurized system, thereby removing essentially all oxide from the surface of the first substrate and the surface of the second substrate, and thereby causing atoms of a first element in the first plurality of elements to evaporate from the surface of the first substrate and atoms of a second element in the second plurality of elements to evaporate from the surface of the second substrate; and (b) flowing an over-pressure of a first gas comprised of the first element over the surface of the first substrate, thereby replacing atoms of the first element that have evaporated and flowing an over-pressure of a second gas comprised of the second element over the surface of the second substrate, thereby replacing atoms of the second element that have evaporated.