A novel three‐step process for producing low‐defect‐density epitaxial silicon layers on sapphire substrates has been developed. The three‐step process utilizes a simple room‐temperature ion implantation and solid‐phase epitaxial regrowth. Both megaelectron volt helium backscattering and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results indicate the excellent crystalline quality of silicon‐on‐sapphire (SOS) wafers produced by the three‐step process. The backscattering minimum yields at the interface and the surface of the three‐step SOS layer are 0.14 and 0.03, respectively. A TEM micrograph of the top 500 A˚ of the three‐step SOS layer shows none of the planar defects which are common to standard SOS layers.