# US 12,217,964 B2 · Doped semiconductor layer forming method

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- Number: US 12,217,964 B2
- Document ID: US12217964B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/105,182
- Filed: 2020-11-25
- Published: 2021-06-17
- Granted: 2025-02-04
- Earliest claimed: 2019-12-12
- Assignees: Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives
- Applicants: Commissariat à lÉnergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives
- Inventors: Virginie Maffini Alvaro; Hubert Bono; Julia Simon
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12217964B2

## CPC

- H10P 30/206: {into Group III-V semiconductors}
- H10H 20/032: {of electrodes}
- H10P 30/2042: {into crystalline silicon carbide}
- H10P 30/21: {of electrically active species}
- H10P 30/212: {Through-implantation}
- H10P 30/218: {characterised by the implantation in a compound semiconductor of both electrically active and inactive species in the same semiconductor region to be doped n-type or p-type}
- H10P 30/28: characterised by an annealing step, e.g. for activation of dopants
- H10H 20/01335: {the light-emitting regions comprising nitride materials}
- H10H 20/8252: {characterised by the dopants}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H10H: INORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING POTENTIAL BARRIERS

## Abstract

A method of obtaining a doped semiconductor layer, including the successive steps of: a) performing, in a first single-crystal layer made of a semiconductor alloy of at least a first element A1 and a second element A2, an ion implantation of a first element B which is a dopant for the alloy and of a second element C which is not a dopant for the alloy, to make an upper portion of the first layer amorphous and to preserve the crystal structure of a lower portion of the first layer; and b) performing a solid phase recrystallization anneal of the upper portion of the first layer, resulting in transforming the upper portion of the first layer into a doped single-crystal layer of the alloy.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of obtaining a doped semiconductor layer, comprising the successive steps of:
a) performing, in a first single-crystal layer made of a semiconductor alloy of at least a first element A1 and a second element A2, an ion implantation of a first element B which is a dopant for said alloy and of a second element C which is not a dopant for said alloy, to make an upper portion of the first layer amorphous and to preserve the crystal structure of a lower portion of the first layer; and
b) performing a solid phase recrystallization anneal of the upper portion of the first layer, resulting in transforming the upper portion of the first layer into a doped single-crystal layer of said alloy,
wherein the dopant and non-dopant elements B and C substitute to atoms of element A1,
wherein, during step a), a complementary implantation of element A2 is performed to compensate for the addition of elements B and C.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein, during step a), a protection layer covers the upper surface of the first layer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein, during step a), the implantation conditions are selected so that the lower portion of the first layer has a thickness smaller than one fifth of the thickness of the first layer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein, during step a), the implantation conditions are selected so that the lower portion of the first layer has a thickness in the range from 2 to 10 nm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein non-dopant element C is selected while taking into account the ratio of the covalent radius of element A1 to the covalent radius of dopant element B, to obtain, at the end of step b), a generally non-stressed cell.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the covalent radius of dopant element B is greater than the covalent radius of element A1, non-dopant element C is selected to have a covalent radius smaller than or equal to that of element A1, or, when the covalent radius of dopant element B is smaller than the covalent radius of element A1, non-dopant element C is selected to have a covalent radius greater than or equal to that of element A1.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein elements A1 and A2 are respectively a group-III element and a group-V element, and wherein element B is a group-II element or a group-IV element, and element C is a group-III element.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein elements A1 and A2 respectively are gallium and nitrogen.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method according to claim 8, wherein elements B and C respectively are magnesium and aluminum.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method according to claim 8, wherein elements B and C respectively are silicon and indium.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein, at step b), the solid phase recrystallization anneal is carried out at a temperature in the range from 300 to 1,200° C.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the solid phase crystallization anneal is carried out at approximately 400° C.