Patent · US Expired

Wafer construction for making single-crystal semiconductor device

US4549913A · kind A · utility

2Cited by
8References
29Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 27, 1984
Grant dateOct 29, 1985
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 27, 2004

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T428/12528
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Seed crystals are made in a region of a polycrystalline layer on a substrate by melting the region and then cooling it so that it solidifies from one end to the other in a first direction and outwardly toward the edges in a second direction normal to the first direction. The desired cooling pattern is established by providing a thermal layer under the polycrystalline layer, which thermal layer is used to provide different rates of heat conduction therethrough in different parts of the thermal layer. A large, single-crystal device can be made by providing an operating layer of polycrystalline material in contact with the seed, melting the operating layer and recrystallizing it so that its solidification proceeds from the seed. The thermal layer can be used to ensure the desired direction of resolidification by providing different rates of heat conduction therethrough in different parts of the thermal layer.

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