Epitaxial growth process for iii-v mixed-compound semiconductor crystals

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR THE EPITAXIAL GROUP OF A MIXED SEMICONDUCTOR CRYSTAL OF GROUP III-V COMPOUNDS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: COATING THE BACK AND SIDE FACES OF A SUBSTRATE, MADE OF A SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL OTHER THAN THE MIXED III-V COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTOR CRYSTAL TO BE GROWN, WITH A SILICONCONTAINING MATERIAL CHEMICALLY STABLE AGAINST THE CORROSIVE ACI TION OF A HALOGEN OR HALIDES AT THE EPITAXIAL TEMPERATURE OF SAID III-V COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTOR; PLACING SAID SUBSTRATE COATED WITH SAID CHEMICALLY STABLE MATERIAL IN A REACTION TUBE IN SUCH A MANNER THAT THE NON-COATED FACE OF SAID SUBSTRATE WILL BE CONTACTED WITH THE REACTION GAS IN SAID REACTION TUBE; HEATING SAID COATED SUBSTRATE PLACED IN SAID REACTION TUBE TO THE EPITAXIAL GROWTH TEMPERATURE OF ONE COMPOUND AMONG SAID MIXED CRYSTAL-COMPOSING COMPOUNDS WHICH HAS A LOWER EPITAXIAL TEMPERATURE THAN SAID MIXED III-V COMPOUND CRYSTAL; FORMING SAID COMPOUND ON THE NON-COATED FACE OF SAID SUBSTRATE BY A DISPORPORTION REACTION ACCORDING TO A HALOGEN VAPOR TRANSPORT METHOD; HEATING SAID SUBSTRATE PLACED IN SAID REACTION TUBE TO THE EPITAXIAL TEMPERATURE OF THE MIXED GROUP III-V COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTOR CRYSTALS TO BE GROWN; AND FORMING SAID MIXED III-V COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTOR CRYSTAL ON SAID COMPOUND BY A DISPROPORTIONATION REACTION ACCORDING TO A HALOGEN VAPOR TRANSPORT METHOD.

Claim 3

An epitaxial growth process for mixed III-V compound semiconductor crystals according to claim 1, in which said chemically stable material is a double layer of Si02-Si.

Claim 4

An epitaxial growth process for mixed III-V compound semiconductor crystals according to claim 1, in which said substrate is made of Ge, the compound formed on the non-coated face of said substrate is GaAs, and said III-V compound semiconductor is GaPAs.

Claim 5

An epitaxial growth process for mixed III-V compound semiconductor crystals according to claim 1, in which said substrate is made of ZnTe, the compound to be formed on the non-coated face of said substrate is GaSb, and said III-V compound semiconductor is GaSbAs.

Claim 6

A process for the epitaxial growth of a mixed semiconductor crystal of Group III-V compounds, comprising the steps of: a. providing a substrate made of a semiconductor material exclusive of the materials to be included in the mixed semiconductor material to be epitaxially grown; b. coating each surface of said substrate, except the surface on which epitaxial growth is to be carried out, with a silicon containing material which is chemically impervious to corrosion by a halogen or halides at the epitaxial temperature of a Group III-V compound semiconductor; c. disposing said coated substrate in a reaction chamber, into which at least one reaction gas is to be introduced, so that the surface on which epitaxial growth is to be carried out will be exposed to said at least one reaction gas introduced into said chamber; d. disposing, in said reaction chamber, a source material containing a first component of a III-V compound and a mixed III-V compound semiconductor crystal to be epitaxially grown; e. increasing the temperature within said reaction chamber, while introducing a first gas into said chamber, containing a second component of a III-V compound to be epitaxially grown, to the epitaxial growth temperature of the III-V compound to be grown, which has a lower epitaxial growth temperature than the epitaxial temperature of the mixed Group III-V compound semiconductor crystal to be epitaxially grown; f. introducing a second gas into said chamber, containing a halogen containing compound of said second component, to form a first III-V compound, containing said first and second components, on said exposed surface of said substrate; g. heating said substrate, on which said first III-V compound has been epitaxially grown, to the epitaxial growth temperature of the mixed Group III-V compound semiconductor crystal to be epitaxially grown; and h. introducing a third gas into said chamber containing at least one compound of a second component of said mixed crystal including a halogen containing compound of the second component of said mixed crystal and a third component of the mixed crystal, to form a mixed Group III-V semiconductor crystal on said epitaxially grown III-V compound.

Claim 7

A process for the epitaxial growth of a mixed semiconductor crystal of Group III-V compounds, comprising the steps of: a. providing a substrate made of a semiconductor material exclusive of the materials to be included in the mixed semiconductor material to be epitaxially grown; b. coating each surface of said substrate, except the surface on which epitaxial growth is to be carried out, with a silicon containing material which is chemically impervious to corrosion by a halogen or halides at the epitaxial temperature of a Group III-V compound semiconductor; c. disposing said coated substrate in a reaction chamber, into which at least one reaction gas is to be introduced, so that the surface on which epitaxial growth is to be carried out will be exposed to said at least one reaction gas introduced into said chamber; d. disposing, in said reaction chamber, a source material containing a first component of a III-V compound and a mixed III-V compound semiconductor crystal to be epitaxially grown; e. increasing the temperature within said reaction chamber, while introducing a first gas into said chamber, containing a second component of a III-V compound to be epitaxially grown, to the epitaxial growth temperature of the III-V compound to be grown, which has a lower epitaxial growth temperature than the epitaxial temperature of the mixed Group III-V compound semiconductor crystal to be epitaxially grown; f. introducing a second gas into said chamber, containing a halogen containing compound of said second component, to form a first III-V compound, containing said first and second components, on said exposed surface of said substrate; g. heating said substrate, on which said first III-V compound has been epitaxially grown, to the epitaxial growth temperature of the mixed Group III-V compound semiconductor crystal to be epitaxially grown; and h. introducing a third gas into said chamber containing at least one compound of a second component of said mixed crystal including a halogen containing compound of the second component of said mixed crystal and a third component of the mixed crystal, to form a mixed Group III-V semiconductor crystal on said epitaxially grown III-V compound.

Claim 8

A process according to claim 5, wherein step (e) further includes the steps of maintaining the conditions within said chamber constant by holding the temperature wiThin said chamber constant at said lower epitaxial growth temperature for a predetermined period of time.

Claim 9

A process according to claim 5, wherein step (g) further includes the steps of maintaining the conditions within said chamber constant holding the temperature within said chamber constant at the epitaxial growth temperature of the mixed Group III-V compound semiconductor crystal, for a prescribed period of time.

Claim 10

A process according to claim 6, wherein step (g) further includes the steps of maintaining the conditions within said chamber constant holding the temperature within said chamber constant at the epitaxial growth temperature of the mixed Group III-V compound semiconductor crystal, for a prescribed period of time.

Claim 11

A process according to claim 5, wherein said second component consists of a material selected from the group consisting of arsenic and antimony.

Claim 12

A process according to claim 5, wherein said first component is gallium and said second component consists of a material selected from the group consisting of arsenic and antimony.

Claim 13

A process according to claim 5, wherein said second component is arsenic and said third component is phosphorous.

Claim 14

A process according to claim 5, wherein said first gas comprises hydrogen containing a specified percentage of a material selected from the group consisting of AsH3 and SbH3.

Claim 15

A process according to claim 12, wherein said second gas includes a chloride of an element selected from the group consisting of As and Sb.

Claim 16

A process according to claim 13, wherein said second gas further includes hydrogen containing a specified percentage of a material selected from the group consisting of AsH3 and SbH3.

Claim 17

A process according to claim 14, wherein said third gas includes hydrogen containing specified percentages of at least two compounds selected from the group consisting of AsC13, AsH3, SbH3 and PH3.

Claim 18

A process according to claim 5, further including the step (i) of stopping the introduction of said third gas, and cooling said chamber by introducing a fourth gas absent said components into said chamber.

Claim 19

A process according to claim 5, wherein said substrate consists of a material selected from the group consisting of germanium and a ZnTe single crystal.

Claim 20

A process according to claim 17, wherein said source material consists of a material selected from the group consisting of gallium, gallium containing a prescribed amount of GaSb, and gallium containing a prescribed amount of tellurium.

Claim 21

A process according to claim 8, wherein said substrate consists of germanium, said source material consists of a material selected from the group consisting of gallium and gallium containing a prescribed amount of tellurium, said first gas includes AsH3, said second gas includes AsC13 and AsH3, said third gas includes AsC13, PH3 and AsH3, said predetermined period of time is about 30 minutes and said prescribed period of time is about 10 minutes.

Claim 22

A process according to claim 8, wherein said substrate consists of ZnTe, said source material consists of gallium containing GaSb, said first gas includes SbH3, said second gas includes SbC15 and SbH3, said third gas includes AsC13 and SbH3, said predetermined period of time is about 30 minutes and said prescribed period of time is about 20 minutes.

Claim 23

A process according to claim 5, wherein said step (f) further includes the step of stopping the introduction of the halogen containing compound while introducing a gas containing a compound of said second component.

Claim 24

A process according to claim 8, wherein said step (f) further includes the step of stopping the introduction of the halogen containing compound while introducing a gas contaIning a compound of said second component.

Claim 25

A process according to claim 1, wherein said substrate is a semiconductor material including Group IV element semiconductors and II-VI compound semiconductors.

Claim 26

A process according to claim 1, wherein said silicon-containing material includes silicon and silicon oxide.