Growth of ternary compounds utilizing solid, liquid and vapor phases

Claim 2

Method of growing a region of a multicomponent compound of the mixed crystal system GaxIn1 xP comprising the steps of: growing a sandwich structure at a given location having first, second, and third solid thin film layers, said first layer being of one component GaP of said mixed crystal system, said second layer being of another component InP of said mixed crystal system, said third layer being of said one component GaP of said mixed crystal system, said second layer being intermediate to said first and third layers, and having lower melting point; said growing of said sandwich structure including the steps of establishing a crystalline substrate in a first given temperature region, establishing first Ga and second In source materials in another given temperature region; establishing first H2 and second PCl3 gas sources respectively for obtaining respective volatile compounds of said corresponding source materials by first and second chemical reactions therewith, transporting said volatile compound of said first source material to the surface of said substrate where said source material is deposited thereat by third chemical reaction, establishing a vapor of another component of said first layer to be grown at the substrate, whereby said first layer is grown at said substrate by fourth chemical reaction between said first source material thereat and said vapor, transporting said other volatile compound of said second source material to said first grown layer and growing thereat said second layer by fifth chemical reaction between said second source material deposited at said first layer by sixth chemical reaction from said second volatile compound and said vapor, and growing said third layer thereof of said sandwich structure by seventh chemical reaction between said vapor and said first source material obtained by eighth chemical reaction of said first volatile compound at said second layer; and growing a region of said multicomponent compound from said sandwich structure by solid-liquid-solid procedure including the steps of establishing a substantially equilibrium condition of said sandwich structure at a temperature above the melting point of said intermediate layer and below the melting point of said second and third layers to obtain a liquid zone with a given composition with first and second liquid-solid-interfaces at said second and third layers, lowering the temperature at one said solid-liquid interface between said intermediate liquid zone and one said adjacent solid layer, and growing said crystalline region at said latter liquid-solid interface.

Claim 3

A method as set forth in claim 3 wherein said third and fifth chemical reactions are disproportionation reactions.

Claim 4

Method for growing a region of the multicomponent compound of a mixed crystal system with more than two components AlP1 xAs x, comprising the steps of: growing a sandwich structure by chemical vapor deposition procedure including the steps of establishing a crystalline substrate for growth of a sandwich structure at a given location, establishing appropriate material sources and gas sources for growing a plurality of layers of constituent components of said multicomponent compound by chemical reactions at said given location in a reaction chamber, whereby said sandwich structure is established at said given location having first, second, and third solid thin film layers, said first and third layers being of one component of said mixed crystal system, said second layer being of another component of said mixed crystal system, said second layer being intermediate to said first and third layers, and having lower melting point; and growing a region of said multicomponent compound by solid-liquid-solid crystal growth procedure including the steps of establishing a substantially equilibrium condition of said sandwich structure at a temperature above the melting point of said intermediate layer and below the melting point of said first and third layers to obtain a liquid zone with a given composition with first and second liquid-solid-interfaces in said second and third layers, lowering the temperature at one said solid-liquid interface between said intermediate liquid zone and one said adjacent solid layer, and growing said crystalline region at said latter liquid-solid interface.