Patent · US Expired

Method of forming an epitaxial layer on a crystalline substrate

US4032370A · kind A · utility

14Cited by
9References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 11, 1976
Grant dateJun 28, 1977
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 11, 1996

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/02628
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The improved method of the present invention comprises contacting a clean and preferably etched selected crystalline substrate with a controlled thickness of a melt comprising a saturated solution of selected materials capable of forming semi-conductor junctions, preferably heterojunctions, with the substrate. The contacting is carried out while the resulting melt and substrate sandwich is shielded by a protective atmosphere of gas such as hydrogen and while the sandwich is subjected to a progressively lower temperature gradient maintained across the melt-wafer package. The method and apparatus are particularly applicable to the preparation of improved light-emitting diodes by the liquid epitaxial growth technique.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.