Patent ID: 7141478

Claim:
A method, comprising: forming a first layer of epitaxial silicon having a thickness of approximately 15–30 microns above a surface of a semiconducting substrate; forming a second layer of epitaxial silicon having a thickness of approximately 0.5–2.0 microns on said first layer of epitaxial silicon; forming a third layer of epitaxial silicon having a thickness of approximately 20–25 microns on said second layer of epitaxial silicon, wherein said semiconducting substrate is doped with a dopant material of a first type and said second and third layers of epitaxial silicon are doped with a dopant material that is of a type opposite to that of said first type of dopant material, and wherein said first, second and third layers of epitaxial silicon are formed by performing an in situ epitaxial growth process in a single epitaxial reactor; forming a trench isolation region that extends through at least said third layer of epitaxial silicon; and forming a portion of a semiconductor device above said third layer of epitaxial silicon within an area defined by said isolation region.