The present invention relates to a method for transferring a thin useful layer from a donor substrate having an ordered crystalline structure to a receiver substrate. The method includes creation of a weakened zone in the donor substrate to define the layer to be transferred from the donor substrate. The crystalline structure of a surface region of the donor substrate is disturbed so as to create a disturbed superficial region within the thickness of the donor substrate, and thus define a disturbance interface between the disturbed superficial region and a subjacent region of the donor substrate for which the crystalline structure remains unchanged. Next, the donor substrate is subjected to a recrystallization annealing in order to at least partial recrystallize of the disturbed region, starting from the crystalline structure of the subjacent region of the donor substrate, and to create a zone of crystalline defects in the plane of the disturbance interface. One or several species are introduced into the thickness of the donor substrate to create the weakened zone, with the species being introduced with introduction parameters that are adjusted to introduce a maximum number of species at the zone of crystalline defects.