Method of doping a semiconductor
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorsChiang Y. Yang, Robert A. Rapp
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for doping semiconductor material. An interface is established between a solid electrolyte and a semiconductor to be doped. The electrolyte is chosen to be an ionic conductor of the selected impurity and the semiconductor material and electrolyte are jointly chosen so that any compound formed from the impurity and the semiconductor will have a free energy no lower than the electrolyte. A potential is then established across the interface so as to allow the impurity ions to diffuse into the semiconductor. In one embodiment the semiconductor and electrolyte may be heated so as to increase the diffusion coefficient.
Claims8
A method for doping semiconductor material with a chosen impurity comprising the steps of:
- (a) establishing an interface between a solid semiconductor and a solid electrolyte, forming a semiconductor/electrolyte cell, said solid electrolyte being an ionic conductor of said impurity and said semiconductor and said electrolyte being jointly chosen so that any compound formed from said semiconductor and said impurity will have a free energy of formation no lower than the free energy of formation of said electrolyte;
- and,
- (b) establishing a potential across said interface, said potential being chosen so as to allow diffusion of impurity ions from said electrolyte into said semiconductor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.