Methods of manufacturing semiconductor bodies

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING AN EPITAXIAL SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER COMPRISING EPITAXIALLY GROWING ON THE SURFACE OF AN IMPURITY-DOPED PORTION OF A SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTRATE AN EPITAXIAL LAYER OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DOPING WHOSE DOPING WHOSE D IS LOWER THAN THAT OF THE SUBSTRATE PORTION, SAID EPITAXIAL GROWTH POSSIBLY RESULTING IN AN EPITAXIAL LAYER OF VARIABLE THICKNESS WITH THE RESULT THAT THE LAYER SURFACE IS NONUNIFORMLY SPACED FROM THE BUNDARY BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT DOPING LEVELS IN THE SUBSTRATE PORTION AND LAYER, THEREAFTER SUBJECTING THE WHOLE WAFER TO BOMBARDMENT WITH A BEAM OF ENERGETIC PARTICLES WHICH ARE INCIDIENT AT OR ADJACENT THE SURFACE OF THE LAYER AND ARE DIRECTED TOWARDS THE BOUNDARY BE TWEEN THE LAYER AND THE SUBSTRATE, THE BOMBARDMENT BEING EFECTED UNDER CONDITIONS TO CAUSE INTERNAL DAMAGE OF THE CRYSTAL STRUCTURE IN THE EPITAXIAL LAYER ADJACENT THE BOUNDARY OVER A CONTROLLED DISTANCE WHICH EXTENDS BETWEEN THE VICINITY OF THE BOUNDARY AND A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTANT DEPTH FROM ALL PARTS OF THE SURFACE OF THE LAYER, AND MAINTAINING THE SEMICONDUCTOR BODY AT A SUITABLE ELEVATED TEMPERATURE DURING SAID BOMBARDMENT TO PRODUCE AN ENHANCED OUT-DIFFUSION OF SUBSTRATE IMPURITIES INTO THE LAYER UNTIL THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE LAYER MATERIAL AND THE UNDERLYING MORE HIGHLY DOPED REGION CONTAINING OUT-DIFFUSED SUBSTRATE IMPURITY IS RELOCATED AT POSITIONS IN THE LAYER WHICH ARE AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT DEPTH FROM ALL PARTS OF THE LAYER SURFACE.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING AN EPITAXIAL SEMICONDUCTOR WAFER COMPRISING EPITAXIALLY GROWING ON THE SURFACE OF AN IMPURITY-DOPED PORTION OF A SEMICONDUCTOR SUBSTRATE AN EPITAXIAL LAYER OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DOPING WHOSE DOPING WHOSE D IS LOWER THAN THAT OF THE SUBSTRATE PORTION, SAID EPITAXIAL GROWTH POSSIBLY RESULTING IN AN EPITAXIAL LAYER OF VARIABLE THICKNESS WITH THE RESULT THAT THE LAYER SURFACE IS NONUNIFORMLY SPACED FROM THE BUNDARY BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT DOPING LEVELS IN THE SUBSTRATE PORTION AND LAYER, THEREAFTER SUBJECTING THE WHOLE WAFER TO BOMBARDMENT WITH A BEAM OF ENERGETIC PARTICLES WHICH ARE INCIDIENT AT OR ADJACENT THE SURFACE OF THE LAYER AND ARE DIRECTED TOWARDS THE BOUNDARY BE TWEEN THE LAYER AND THE SUBSTRATE, THE BOMBARDMENT BEING EFECTED UNDER CONDITIONS TO CAUSE INTERNAL DAMAGE OF THE CRYSTAL STRUCTURE IN THE EPITAXIAL LAYER ADJACENT THE BOUNDARY OVER A CONTROLLED DISTANCE WHICH EXTENDS BETWEEN THE VICINITY OF THE BOUNDARY AND A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTANT DEPTH FROM ALL PARTS OF THE SURFACE OF THE LAYER, AND MAINTAINING THE SEMICONDUCTOR BODY AT A SUITABLE ELEVATED TEMPERATURE DURING SAID BOMBARDMENT TO PRODUCE AN ENHANCED OUT-DIFFUSION OF SUBSTRATE IMPURITIES INTO THE LAYER UNTIL THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE LAYER MATERIAL AND THE UNDERLYING MORE HIGHLY DOPED REGION CONTAINING OUT-DIFFUSED SUBSTRATE IMPURITY IS RELOCATED AT POSITIONS IN THE LAYER WHICH ARE AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT DEPTH FROM ALL PARTS OF THE LAYER SURFACE.