Method of forming an epitaxial layer on a crystalline substrate
AssigneeInternational Audio Visual, Inc.
InventorHerbert F. Matare
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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.
Claims20
An improved method of forming an epitaxial layer of crystalline semi-conductive material on a crystalline substrate, said method comprising:
- (a) contacting and wetting a clean selected crystalline substrate with a controlled thickness of selected molten melt to form a sandwich, said melt comprising a saturated solution of selected semi-conductive materials capable of forming desired semi-conductive junctions with said substrate, said contacting and wetting being carried out while shielding said sandwich from contamination;
- (b) maintaining said shielding while subjecting said sandwich to heat treatment comprising controlled progressive lowering of temperature of said sandwich while maintaining said melt molten and said substrate cooler than said melt until deposition of the desired epitaxial layer on said substrate is effected;
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- (c) recovering the semi-conductive product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.