Crystalline-type device and approach therefor

US7749872B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University · US

Inventors

• James D. Plummer · Portola Valley, US
• Peter B. Griffin · Kansas City, US
• Jia-Chyi Feng · New Taipei, TW
• Shu-Lu Chen · Zhubei City, TW

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 25, 2009
• Grant date: Jul 6, 2010
• Expiry date: Feb 25, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D30/62
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Single-crystalline growth is realized using a liquid-phase crystallization approach involving the inhibition of defects typically associated with liquid-phase crystalline growth of lattice mismatched materials. According to one example embodiment, a semiconductor device structure includes a substantially single-crystal region. A liquid-phase material, such as Ge or a semiconductor compound, is crystallized to form the single-crystal region using an approach involving defect inhibition for the promotion of single-crystalline growth. In some instances, this defect inhibition involves the reduction and/or elimination of defects using a relatively small physical opening via which a crystalline growth front propagates. In other instances, this defect inhibition involves causing a change in crystallization front direction relative to a crystallization seed location. The relatively small physical opening and/or the change in crystalline front direction may be implemented, for example, using a material that is substantially unreactive with the liquid-phase material to contain the crystalline growth.