US Patent 9401303 Handler wafer removal by use of sacrificial inert layer

The present invention relates generally to semiconductor structures and methods of manufacture and, more particularly, to the temporary bonding of a semiconductor wafer to handler wafer during processing. The semiconductor wafer may be temporarily bonded to the handler wafer by forming a sacrificial layer on a surface of a handler wafer, forming a first dielectric layer on a surface of the sacrificial layer, forming a second dielectric layer on a surface of a semiconductor wafer, and directly bonding the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer to form a bonding layer. After the semiconductor wafer is processed, it may be removed from the handler wafer along with the bonding layer by degrading the sacrificial layer with infrared radiation transmitted through the handler wafer.