Patent ID: 7749862

Claim:
A method for minimizing defects caused by the presence of aqueous aggregates at a bonding surface when transferring a useful layer from a donor wafer to a receptor wafer, comprising: providing a donor wafer having a surface below which a zone of weakness is present to define a useful layer to be transferred; molecularly bonding at a bonding interface the surface of the useful layer of the donor wafer to a surface of the receptor wafer to form a bonded structure; heating the bonded structure at a first temperature that is higher than ambient temperature and that is in the range of more than 350° C. to about 400° C. for a first time period of about 10 minutes to about 360 minutes to liberate water molecules from the bonding interface, with the heating being insufficient to cause detachment of the useful layer at the zone of weakness; and detaching the useful layer from the donor wafer by further heating of the bonded structure in a substantially continuous and progressive manner over a time to reach a detachment temperature that is higher than the first temperature where detachment of the useful layer will occur to transfer the useful layer to the receptor wafer.