Combined production mehtod for separating a number of thin layers of solid material from a thick solid body

Abstract

Providing a solid body to be split into a number of layers of solid material, introducing or generating defects in the solid body in order to determine a first detachment plane ( 8 ) along which a first layer of solid material is separated from the solid body, providing a receiving layer for holding the layer of solid material on the solid body, applying heat to the receiving layer in order to generate, in particular mechanically, stresses in the solid body, due to the stresses a crack propagating in the solid body along the detachment plane, which crack separates the first layer of solid material from the solid body, then providing a second receiving layer for holding another layer of solid material on the solid body reduced by the first layer of solid material, introducing or generating defects in the solid body in order to determine a second detachment plane ( 9 ) along which a second layer of solid material is separated from the solid body, applying heat to the second receiving layer in order to generate, in particular mechanically, stresses in the solid body, due to the stresses a crack propagating in the solid body along the second detachment plane, which crack separates the second layer of solid material from the solid body.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wafer produced by the following:
 providing a solid body to be split into a number of layers of solid material, the solid body having a first level surface portion and a second level surface portion;   introducing or generating defects in the solid body using laser beams in order to determine a first detachment plane along which a first layer of solid material is separated from the solid body, the laser beams penetrating into the solid body via the second level surface portion;   providing a receiving layer for holding the layer of solid material on the second level surface portion of the solid body, the receiving layer being in the form of a polymer layer;   applying heat to the receiving layer in order to mechanically generate stresses in the solid body, the application of heat including cooling of the receiving layer to a temperature below ambient temperature, the cooling taking place such that the polymer layer undergoes a glass transition and such that due to the stresses a crack propagates in the solid body along the detachment plane, the crack separating the first layer of solid material from the solid body, wherein the second level surface is part of the first layer;   introducing or generating defects in the solid body in order to determine a second detachment plane along which a second layer of solid material is separated from the solid body, then providing a second receiving layer for holding another layer of solid material on the solid body reduced by the first layer of solid material; and   applying heat to the second receiving layer in order to mechanically generate stresses in the solid body such that due to the stresses a crack propagates in the solid body along the second detachment plane, the crack separating the second layer of solid material from the solid body.