Microcavity engineering using plasma immersion ion implantation

Microcavities or bubbles formed by hydrogen and helium plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) possess intriguing properties. For example, they emit light similar to porous silicon, but because they are buried, the optical properties are not affected by surface conditions such as those encountered by conventional porous silicon materials. These bubbles also form excellent internal gettering sites for metallic impurities and are stable even at high temperature. Last but not least, the ion-cut/bonding technology utilizing the mechanical stress created by these microcavities to achieve thin film transfer is used to fabricate silicon-on-insulator (SOI).