Method for continuous gas diffusion

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS DIFFUSION PROCESS FOR DOPING A CRYSTAL WAFER WITH A SELECTED IMPURITY COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PROVIDING AT LEAST PARTIALLY JUXTAPOSED FIRST AND SECOND FIXED ELONGATED HEATING ZONES HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL LONGITUDINAL AXES WITH SAID FIRST HEATING ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE SUITABLE FOR VAPORIZATION OF SAID IMPURITY AND WITH SAID SECOND HEATING ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE SUITABLE FOR DIFFUSION OF THEVAPORIZED IMPURITY INTO SAID CRYSTAL WAFER, INSERTING A MASS OF SAID IMPURITY AND SAID CRYSTAL WAFER INTO A HEAT RESISTANT TUBE WITH SAID TUBE IN TRANSVERSE RELATION TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXES OF SAID HEATING ZONES AND WITH SAID MASS OF IMPURITY AND SAID CRYSTAL WAFER IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID AXES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND ZONES, RESPECTIVELYM CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING SAID TUBE IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXES THOUGH BOTH OF SAID ZONES AT A SELECTED SPEED WHILE MAINTAINING THE AFORESAID TRANSVERSE RELATIONSHIP WHEREBY DURING THE TRANSVERSE TIME OF SAID TUBE AT SAID SELECTED SPEED SAID IMPURITY VAPORIZES AT SAID TEMPERATURE OF SAID FIRST ZONE AND DIFFUSES INTO SAID CRYSTAL WAFER AT SAID TEMPERATURE OF SAID SECOND ZONE.