Method of manufacturing semiconductive bodies

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF INTRODUCING A PN JUNCTION IN A GIVEN CONDUCTIVITY TYPE WAFER OF A SEMICONDUCTIVE COMPOUND HAVING A METALLIC ELEMENT AND A NON-METALLIC ELEMENT, SAID COMPOUND BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF THE PHOSPHIDES AND ARSENIDES OF ALUMINUM, GALLIUM, AND INDIUM, AND THE SULFIDES OF ZINC AND CADMIUM, COMPRISING HEATING SAID WAFER TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW THE MELTING POINT OF SAID COMPOUNDS BUT ABOVE THE DISSOCIATION TEMPERATURE OF SAID COMPOUND SO AS TO DRIVE OFF SAID NON-METALLIC ELEMENT FROM THE WAFER SURFACE AND LEAVE A MOLTEN LAYER OF SAID METALLIC ELEMENT ON SAID SURFACE, SAID HEATING BEING PERFORMED IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF A SUBSTANCE WHICH INDUCES OPPOSITE CONDUCTIVITY TYPE IN SAID WAFER, AND BEING CONTINUED FOR A PERIOD TIME SUFFICIENT FOR SAID SUBSTANCE TO SATURATE SAID MOLTEN LAYER AND DIFFUSE INTO THE REGION OF SAID WAFER ADJACENT SAID MOLTEN LAYER SO AS TO FORM A PN JUNCTION BETWEEN SAID DIFFUSED REGION AND THE REMAINDER OF SAID WAFER, THEN COOLING SAID WAFER.