Trends in Silicon-on-insulator Technology

SOI technology has quickly evolved from the first laser recrystallization experiments of the early eighties to the recent fabrication of 256k SRAMs in thin-film material. Of the many different SOI materials which have been investigated, some have found successful applications, while others never really quite made it. For example, laser recrystallization has been used to produce incredible 3D integrated circuits in Japan, but the fabrication yield is close to zero. SIMOX (separation by implantation of oxygen), and BESOI (bonded and etched-back SOI), on the other hand, are quite successful, and are now used for the fabrication of integrated devices with good fabrication yield. This paper will quickly review the ``history'' of several major SOI materials and their field of application.