Ultra-thin (001) Si films bonded onto (001) Si wafers, which formed so-called surfacial grain boundaries, were investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy. The samples were obtained by bonding one Si-on-insulator structure with one Si wafer. After the removal of the Si-on-insulator substrate, the remaining top thin film was further reduced by a thermal oxidation. Samples with a given film thickness selected in the 200 to 10nm range were obtained. For very thin films, the thinning procedure could induce a mobility of the interfacial dislocations. To keep the interfaces stable, the thermal oxidation thinning was replaced by low-temperature chemical etching.

Stability of Interfacial Dislocations in (001) Silicon Surfacial Grain Boundaries. K.Rousseau, J.L.Rouvière, F.Fournel, H.Moriceau: Applied Physics Letters, 2002, 80[22], 4121-3