A silicon‐on‐silicon dioxide structure (silicon‐on‐insulator) produced by combined ‘‘van der Waals’’ bonding and laser fusing has been studied by cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy. Areas in the silicon corresponding to the regions which are locally melted by the laser beam were found to contain a high density of dislocations after fusing. The radius and depth of these defect areas, as observed in the microscope, are compared with a simple analytical model of the laser‐induced melting process.