Selective liquid phase epitaxial growth process

Claim 1

A process comprising the steps of preparing a saturated solution of gallium phosphide material in gallium including a conductivity modifying impurity of one type, preparing a substrate of semi-insulating gallium phosphide material having a first plurality of parallel masking stripes to provide a first plurality of parallel unmasked regions, immersing said substrate into said solution, increasing the temperature of sAid solution by a few degrees above said given temperature to cause dissolution of at least a portion of said substrate, lowering the temperature of said solution below said given temperature whereby said gallium phosphide material is epitaxially deposited on said unmasked regions of said substrate to form stripes of gallium phosphide of said one conductivity type therein, removing said substrate from said solution, forming a planar surface in said substrate including said stripes of one conductivity type separated by stripes of semi-insulating material, forming a second plurality of parallel masking stripes on said planar surface disposed to intersect said stripes of said one conductivity type to provide a second plurality of parallel unmasked regions thereon, preparing another saturated solution of gallium phosphide material in gallium including a conductivity modifying impurity of opposite type, immersing said substrate into said other solution, lowering the temperature of said other saturated solution whereby said gallium phosphide material is epitaxially deposited on said unmasked regions of said substrate to form stripes of gallium phosphide of said opposite conductivity type thereon thereby producing P-N junctions at the intersection of said one-type conductivity stripes with said opposite-type conductivity stripes.