Treatment of semiconductive bodies

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF ELECTROLYTICALLY TREATING A PORTION OF THE SURFACE OF A SEMICONDUCTIVE BODY WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF FLOATING A BODY CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A SEMICONDUCTIVE MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF GERMANIUM, SILICON, GERMANIUM-SILICON ALLOYS, AND GROUP III-GROUP V ALLOYS IN A BATH OF ELECTROLYTE SO THAT SAID PORTION IS IN CONTACT WITH SAID ELECTROLYTE, THE CONTACT ANGLE SUBTENDED BY THE SAID ELECTROLYTE AT THE JUNCTION OF THE AIR-LIQUID INTERFACE AND THE BODY SURFACE BEING IN THE RANGE OF FROM 90* TO 180*, AND SAID BODY HAVING A WEIGHT LESS THAN THE PRODUCT OF THE WETTED PERIMETER OF SAID BODY AND THE SURFACE TENSION OF SAID ELECTROLYTE, THE SURFACE AREA OF SAID BATH ELECTROLYTE BEING A MAXIMUM OF APPROXIMATELY 7 SQUARE INCHES AND HAVING A CONFIGURATION SUCH THAT ITS LONGEST DIMENSION IS NO GREATER THAN TWICE ITS SHORTEST DIMENSION, AND SAID ELECTROLYTE BEING CONTAINED IN A VESSEL OF SUCH COMPOSITION THAT IT WETS THE WALLS THEREOF, ALLOWING SAID BODY TO FLOAT TO THE GEOMETRIC CENTER OF THE SURFACE OF SAID ELECTROLYTE, CONTACTING SAID BODY WITH A PREPOSITIONED FIRST ELECTRODE, PLACING INTO SAID ELECTROLYTE A SECOND ELECTRODE, SAID SECOND ELECTRODE BEING CONNECTED THROUGH A CURRENT SOURCE TO SAID FIRST ELECTRODE THEREBY FORMING A CIRCUIT INCLUDING THE SAID SEMICONDUCTIVE BODY AND SAID ELECTROLYTE, AND CAUSING A CURRENT TO FLOW THROUGH SAID CIRCUIT.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF ELECTROLYTICALLY TREATING A PORTION OF THE SURFACE OF A SEMICONDUCTIVE BODY WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF FLOATING A BODY CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A SEMICONDUCTIVE MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF GERMANIUM, SILICON, GERMANIUM-SILICON ALLOYS, AND GROUP III-GROUP V ALLOYS IN A BATH OF ELECTROLYTE SO THAT SAID PORTION IS IN CONTACT WITH SAID ELECTROLYTE, THE CONTACT ANGLE SUBTENDED BY THE SAID ELECTROLYTE AT THE JUNCTION OF THE AIR-LIQUID INTERFACE AND THE BODY SURFACE BEING IN THE RANGE OF FROM 90* TO 180*, AND SAID BODY HAVING A WEIGHT LESS THAN THE PRODUCT OF THE WETTED PERIMETER OF SAID BODY AND THE SURFACE TENSION OF SAID ELECTROLYTE, THE SURFACE AREA OF SAID BATH ELECTROLYTE BEING A MAXIMUM OF APPROXIMATELY 7 SQUARE INCHES AND HAVING A CONFIGURATION SUCH THAT ITS LONGEST DIMENSION IS NO GREATER THAN TWICE ITS SHORTEST DIMENSION, AND SAID ELECTROLYTE BEING CONTAINED IN A VESSEL OF SUCH COMPOSITION THAT IT WETS THE WALLS THEREOF, ALLOWING SAID BODY TO FLOAT TO THE GEOMETRIC CENTER OF THE SURFACE OF SAID ELECTROLYTE, CONTACTING SAID BODY WITH A PREPOSITIONED FIRST ELECTRODE, PLACING INTO SAID ELECTROLYTE A SECOND ELECTRODE, SAID SECOND ELECTRODE BEING CONNECTED THROUGH A CURRENT SOURCE TO SAID FIRST ELECTRODE THEREBY FORMING A CIRCUIT INCLUDING THE SAID SEMICONDUCTIVE BODY AND SAID ELECTROLYTE, AND CAUSING A CURRENT TO FLOW THROUGH SAID CIRCUIT.