Method of producing semiconductor devices

Claim 1

The method of producing a semiconductor device including the steps of providing a body of semiconductor material having a surface; placing a layer of protective material on a predetermined area of said surface; subjecting the body of semiconductor material to an etching medium capable of dissolving the semiconductor material but not the protective material to remove exposed semiconductor material thereby forming a mesa extending above the newly exposed surface of the bulk region of the body, said mesa having edge surfaces between said predetermined area of the surface and the exposed surface of the bulk region; forming an adherent non-conductive coating on the edge surface of the mesa different from said protective material; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving the protective material but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the layer of protective material and expose said predetermined area of the surface while said non-conductive coating remains on said edge surface; and placing a layer of conductive material on said predetermined area of the surface to establish one of an ohmic contact and barrier junction with said surface.

Claim 2

The method of producing a semiconductor device including the steps of providing a body of semiconductor material having a surface; placing a layer of protective material on a predetermined area of said surface; subjecting the body of semiconductor material to an etching medium capable of dissolving the semiconductor material but not the protective material to remove exposed semiconductor material thereby forming a mesa extending above the newly exposed surface of the bulk region of the body, said mesa having edge surfaces between said predetermined area of the surface and the exposed surface of the bulk region; forming an adherent non-conductive coating on the edge surface of the mesa different from said protective material; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving the protective material but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the layer of protective material and expose said predetermined area of the surface while said non-conductive coating remains on said edge surface; and placing a layer of conductive material on said predetermined area of the surface to establish one of an ohmic contact and barrier junction with said surface.

Claim 6

The method of producing a plurality of semiconductor devices including the steps of providing a body of silicon having a surface; depositing a layer of silicon nitride on said surface of the body; depositing a layer of silicon oxide on the surface of the layer of silicon nitride; placing a masking material on a plurality of predetermined portions of the layer of silicon oxide overlying predetermined areas of said surface of the body of silicon and leaving exposed the other portions of the layer of silicon oxide; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon oxide but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the exposed portions of the layer of silicon oxide and expose the underlying portions of the layer of silicon nitride; removing the masking material; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon nitride but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the exposed portions of the layer of silicon nitride and expose the underlying surface of the body of silicon; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon oxide but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the remainder of the layer of silicon oxide; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove exposed silicon thereby forming a plurality of mesas extending above the newly exposed surface of the bulk region of the body, each mesa having edge surfaces between a predetermined area of the surface protected by silicon nitride and the exposed surface of the bulk region; heating the assembly in the presence of oxygen to form an adherent non-conductive coating of silicon oxide on the edge surfaces of the mesas and the exposed surface of the bulk region; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon nitride but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the remainder of the layer of silicon nitride and expose said underlying predetermined areas of the surface of the body; placing conductive material on said predetermined areas of the surface to establish one of an ohmic contact and barrier junction with said surface; and dividing the assembly to produce a plurality of individual elements each including a mesa.

Claim 7

The method of producing a plurality of semiconductor devices including the steps of providing a body of silicon having a surface; depositing a layer of silicon nitride on said surface of the body; depositing a layer of silicon oxide on the surface of the layer of silicon nitride; placing a masking material on a plurality of predetermined portions of the layer of silicon oxide overlying predetermined areas of said surface of the body of silicon and leaving exposed the other portions of the layer of silicon oxide; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon oxide but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the exposed portions of the layer of silicon oxide and expose the underlying portions of the layer of silicon nitride; removing the masking material; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon nitride but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the exposed portions of the layer of silicon nitride and expose the underlying surface of the body of silicon; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon oxide but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the remainder of the layer of silicon oxide; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove exposed silicon thereby forming a plurality of mesas extending above the newly exposed surface of the bulk region of the body, each mesa having edge surfaces between a predetermined area of the surface protected by silicon nitride and the exposed surface of the bulk region; heating the assembly in the presence of oxygen to form an adherent non-conductive coating of silicon oxide on the edge surfaces of the mesas and the exposed surface of the bulk region; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon nitride but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the remainder of the layer of silicon nitride and expose said underlying predetermined areas of the surface of the body; placing conductive material on said predetermined areas of the surface to establish one of an ohmic contact and barrier junction with said surface; and dividing the assembly to produce a plurality of individual elements each including a mesa.

Claim 9

The method of producing a semiconductor device including the steps of providing a body of semiconductor material which may have a layer of one conductivity type adjacent a surface of the body and having a region of the opposite conductivity type that may form a P-N junction with the layer; placing a layer of protective material on a predetermined area of said surface; subjecting the body of semiconductor material to an etching medium capable of dissolving the semiconductor material but not the protective material to remove the semiconductor material of said layer except for the portion underlying the protective material and expose the semiconductor material of said region thereby forming a mesa containing semiconductor material of the one conductivity type extending above the semiconductor material of said region and having edge surfaces between said predetermined area of the surface and the exposed surface of said region; forming an adherent non-conductive coating different from said protective material on the edge surfaces of the mesa; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving the protective material but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the layer of protective material and expose said predetermined area of the surface while said non-conductive coating remains on said edge surfaces; and placing a layer of conductive material on said predetermined area of the surface to establish one of an ohmic contact and barrier junction with said surface.

Claim 10

The method of producing a semiconductor device including the steps of providing a body of semiconductor material which may have a layer of one conductivity type adjacent a surface of the body and having a region of the opposite conductivity type that may form a P-N junction with the layer; placing a layer of protective material on a predetermined area of said surface; subjecting the body of semiconductor material to an etching medium capable of dissolving the semiconductor material but not the protective material to remove the semiconductor material of said layer except for the portion underlying the protective material and expose the semiconductor material of said region thereby forming a mesa containing semiconductor material of the one conductivity type extending above the semiconductor material of said region and having edge surfaces between said predetermined area of the surface and the exposed surface of said region; forming an adherent non-conductive coating different from said protective material on the edge surfaces of the mesa; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving the protective material but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the layer of protective material and expose said predetermined area of the surface while said non-conductive coating remains on said edge surfaces; and placing a layer of conductive material on said predetermined area of the surface to establish one of an ohmic contact and barrier junction with said surface.

Claim 14

The method of producing a plurality of semiconductor devices including the steps of providing a body of silicon which may have a layer of one conductivity type adjacent a surface of the body and having a region of the opposite conductivity type that may form a P-N junction with the layer; depositing a layer of silicon nitride on said surface of the body; depositing a layer of silicon oxide on the surface of the layer of silicon nitride; placing a masking material on a plurality of predetermined portions of the layer of silicon oxide overlying predetermined areas of said surface of the body of silicon and leaving exposed the other portions of the layer of silicon oxide; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon oxide but not the other materials of the assembly to remove the exposed portions of the layer of silicon oxide and expose the underlying portions of the layer of silicon nitride; removing the masking material; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon nitride but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the exposed portions of the layer of silicon nitride and expose the underlying surface of the body of silicon; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon oxide but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the remainder of the layer of silicon oxide; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the silicon of said layer of one conductivity type except for the portions underlying the silicon nitride and expose the silicon of said region thereby forming a plurality of mesas each containing silicon of the one conductivity type extending above the silicon of said region and having edge surfaces between a predetermined area of the surface protected by silicon nitride and the exposed surface of said region; heating the assembly in the presence of oxygen to form an adherent non-conductive coating of silicon oxide on the edge surfaces of the mesas and the exposed surface of said region; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon nitride but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the remainder of the layer of silicon nitride and expose said underlying predetermined areas of the surface of the body; placing conductive material on said predetermined areas of the surface to establish one of an ohmic contact and barrier junction with said surface; and dividing the assembly to produce a plurality of individual elements each including a mesa.

Claim 15

The method of producing a plurality of semiconductor devices including the steps of providing a body of silicon which may have a layer of one conductivity type adjacent a surface of the body and having a region of the opposite conductivity type that may form a P-N junction with the layer; depositing a layer of silicon nitride on said surface of the body; depositing a layer of silicon oxide on the surface of the layer of silicon nitride; placing a masking material on a plurality of predetermined portions of the layer of silicon oxide overlying predetermined areas of said surface of the body of silicon and leaving exposed the other portions of the layer of silicon oxide; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon oxide but not the other materials of the assembly to remove the exposed portions of the layer of silicon oxide and expose the underlying portions of the layer of silicon nitride; removing the masking material; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon nitride but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the exposed portions of the layer of silicon nitride and expose the underlying surface of the body of silicon; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon oxide but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the remainder of the layer of silicon oxide; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the silicon of said layer of one conductivity type except for the portions underlying the silicon nitride and expose the silicon of said region thereby forming a plurality of mesas each containing silicon of the one conductivity type extending above the silicon of said region and having edge surfaces between a predetermined area of the surface protected by silicon nitride and the exposed surface of said region; heating the assembly in the presence of oxygen to form an adherent non-conductive coating of silicon oxide on the edge surfaces of the mesas and the exposed surface of said region; subjecting the assembly to an etching medium capable of dissolving silicon nitride but not the other materials of the assembly without the need of a mask to remove the remainder of the layer of silicon nitride and expose said underlying predetermined areas of the surface of the body; placing conductive material on said predetermined areas of the surface to establish one of an ohmic contact and barrier junction with said surface; and dividing the assembly to produce a plurality of individual elements each including a mesa.