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US3902860A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Thermal treatment of semiconducting compounds having one or more volatile components
Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd
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Filing: 1973-09-26
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Granted: 1975-09-02
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Expires: 1993-09-26
Abstract
Abstract A semiconducting compound having a volatile component is thermally treated in an atmosphere of the volatile component in an enclosed chamber, or a crystal of said semiconducting compound is grown by crystallization from a melt of said semiconducting compound which is contacted with a vapor of said volatile component generated in the enclosed chamber. The enclosed chamber has at least one diffusion barrier which is composed of a liquid layer on a porous wall, the liquid being selected from liquids having a low vapor pressure and being hardly capable of dissolving said volatile component therein. The enclosed chamber is connected with an outer chamber only through the barrier wall, and the vapor pressure of said volatile component in the enclosed chamber and the pressure of a gas in the outer chamber are automatically balanced.
Inventors
- 👤 Shin-Ichi Akai
- 👤 Katsunosuke Aoyagi
- 👤 Yasushi Hirata
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 17:43
CPC Classifications
C; C30; C30B; C30B27/00; C30B27/02; C01; C01B; C01B25/00; C01B25/06; C30B11/00; C30B11/04; C30B11/06; C30B15/00; C30B15/20; C30B19/00; C30B19/10; C30B19/106; C30B29/00; C30B29/10; C30B29/40; C30B29/42; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S117/00; Y10S117/90; Y10S117/906; Y10T; Y10T117/00; Y10T117/10; Y10T117/1024; Y10T117/1032; Y10T117/1052; Y10T117/1056
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
153 words
A METHOD FOR THE THERMAL TREATMENT OF A SEMICONDUCTING COMPOUND HAVING AT LEAST ONE VOLATILE COMPONENT IN AN ENCLOSED CHAMBER HAVING A DIFFUSION-BARRIER WALL SEPARATING THE ENCLOSED CHAMBER FROM AN OUTER CHAMBER AND WHICH WALL COMPRISES A LIQUID LAYER ON A POROUS WALL WHEREIN THE LIQUID IS SELECTED FROM LIQUID LAYER ON A POROUS WALL WHEREIN THE LIQUID IS PRATURE OF SAID DIFFUSION-BARRIER WALL AND WHICH ARE HARDLY CAPABLE OF DISSOLVING THE VOLATILE COMPONENT THEREIN AND THE LIQUID AND THE POROUS WALL ARE EXPOSED TO THE ENCLOSED CHAMBER AND THE OUTER CHAMBER RESPECTIVELY, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF INTERDUCING A AS UNDER PRESSURE INTO SAID OUTER CHAMBER, HEATING THE VOLATILE COMPONENT IN THE ENCLOSED CHAMBER TO GENERATE THE VAPOR THEREOF UNDER PRESSURE, AND BALANCING THE VAPOR PRESSURE IN THE ENCLOSED CHAMBER WITH THE GAS PRESSURE IN THE OUTER CHAMBER BY DIFFUSION THEREOF THROUGH SAID DIFFUSION-BARRIER WALL FROM SAID OUTER CHAMBER INTO SAID ENCLOSED CHAMBER.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
153 words
A METHOD FOR THE THERMAL TREATMENT OF A SEMICONDUCTING COMPOUND HAVING AT LEAST ONE VOLATILE COMPONENT IN AN ENCLOSED CHAMBER HAVING A DIFFUSION-BARRIER WALL SEPARATING THE ENCLOSED CHAMBER FROM AN OUTER CHAMBER AND WHICH WALL COMPRISES A LIQUID LAYER ON A POROUS WALL WHEREIN THE LIQUID IS SELECTED FROM LIQUID LAYER ON A POROUS WALL WHEREIN THE LIQUID IS PRATURE OF SAID DIFFUSION-BARRIER WALL AND WHICH ARE HARDLY CAPABLE OF DISSOLVING THE VOLATILE COMPONENT THEREIN AND THE LIQUID AND THE POROUS WALL ARE EXPOSED TO THE ENCLOSED CHAMBER AND THE OUTER CHAMBER RESPECTIVELY, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF INTERDUCING A AS UNDER PRESSURE INTO SAID OUTER CHAMBER, HEATING THE VOLATILE COMPONENT IN THE ENCLOSED CHAMBER TO GENERATE THE VAPOR THEREOF UNDER PRESSURE, AND BALANCING THE VAPOR PRESSURE IN THE ENCLOSED CHAMBER WITH THE GAS PRESSURE IN THE OUTER CHAMBER BY DIFFUSION THEREOF THROUGH SAID DIFFUSION-BARRIER WALL FROM SAID OUTER CHAMBER INTO SAID ENCLOSED CHAMBER.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
162 words
A method for growing a crystal of semiconducting compound having at least one volatile component by crystallizing it from a melt of said compound or a solution containing said compound, comprising the step of contacting said melt or solution with a vapor of said volatile component generated within an enclosed chamber, said method characterized by the steps of connecting the enclosed chamber with an outer chamber through a diffusion-barrier wall composed of a liquid layer on a porous wall wherein the liquid is selected from liquids having a low vapor pressure at the temperature of the diffusion-barrier wall and being hardly capable of dissolving said volatile component therein and with the liquid and the porous wall exposed to the enclosed chamber and the outer chamber respectively, introducing a gas under pressure of said vapor in said enclosed chamber with the gas under pressure in the outer chamber by diffusion thereof through said diffusion-barrier wall from said outer chamber into said enclosed chamber.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
162 words
A method for growing a crystal of semiconducting compound having at least one volatile component by crystallizing it from a melt of said compound or a solution containing said compound, comprising the step of contacting said melt or solution with a vapor of said volatile component generated within an enclosed chamber, said method characterized by the steps of connecting the enclosed chamber with an outer chamber through a diffusion-barrier wall composed of a liquid layer on a porous wall wherein the liquid is selected from liquids having a low vapor pressure at the temperature of the diffusion-barrier wall and being hardly capable of dissolving said volatile component therein and with the liquid and the porous wall exposed to the enclosed chamber and the outer chamber respectively, introducing a gas under pressure of said vapor in said enclosed chamber with the gas under pressure in the outer chamber by diffusion thereof through said diffusion-barrier wall from said outer chamber into said enclosed chamber.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method as set forth in claim 2 including the step of selecting an inert gas for the gas in said outer chamber.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method as set forth in claim 3 including the step of maintaining the pressure of said inert gas higher than the vapor pressure of said volatile component.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method as set forth in claim 4 including the step of diffusing said vapor through a second porous wall which is exposed to said enclosed chamber into said melt or solution which is covered with an overlying layer of a less dense inert liquid which is exposed to said outer chamber.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method as set forth in claim 5 including the step of pulling a single product semiconducting crystal from said melt or solution through said layer of inert liquid.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method as set forth in claim 5 including the step of selecting said semiconducting compound from the group consisting of GaAs, GaP, InAs, InP and mixtures thereof.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein said semiconducting compound is a III-V semiconducting compound.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the step of generating said vapor is carried out between said diffusion-barrier wall and a second diffusion-barrier wall wherein the liquid and the porous wall thereof are exposed to said outer chamber and the enclosed chamber respectively.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
135 words
The method as set forth in claim 2 characterized by selecting said semiconducting compound as a III-V mixed crystal represented by the formula AIIIBV1 xCVx in which AIII is an element belonging to the Group III, BV and CV are different elements belonging to the Group V with the proviso that CV is more volatile than BV and x is a number between 0 and 1, generating a vapor of the CV element in said outer chamber as the gas in said outer chamber, and generating a vapor of the BV element in the presence of said melt or solution in the inner enclosed chamber which is separated from said outer chamber by said diffusion-barrier wall such that the vapor pressure of the CV element is higher than the vapor pressure of the BV element.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
139 words
AN APPARATUS FOR THE THERMAL TREATMENT OF A SEMICONDUCTING COMPOUND HAVING AT LEAST ONE VOLATILE COMPONENT COMPRISING A CONTAINER HAVING AN ELCLOSED CHAMBER FOR TREATMENT OF A VOLATILE COMPONENT THEREIN OF A SEMICONDUCTING COMPOUND, HEATING MEANS ADAPTED TO HEAT SAID ENCLOSED CHAMBER, SAID ENCLOSED CHAMBER CONNECTED TO AN OUTER CHAMBER THROUGH AT LEAST ONE DIFFUSION-BARRIER WALL IN SAID CONTAINER COMPRISING A LIQUID LAYER ON TOP OF A POROUS WALL WHEREIN THE LIQUID AND THE POROUS WALL ARE EXPOSED TO SAID ENCLOSED CHAMBER AND SAID OUTER CHAMBER RESPECTIVELY, SAID OUTER CHAMBER BEING ADAPTED TO CONTAIN GAS THEREIN UNDER PRESSURE AND SAID LIQUID BEING SELECTED FROM LIQUIDS HAVING A LOW VAPOR PRESSURE AT THE TEMPERATURE TO WHICH SAID DIFFUSION-BARRIER WALL IS SUBJECTED AND WHICH IS HARDLY CAPABLE OF DISSOLVING THEREIN THE VOLATILE COMPONENT OF A SELECTED SEMICONDUCTOR COMPOUND TO BE TREATED.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
139 words
AN APPARATUS FOR THE THERMAL TREATMENT OF A SEMICONDUCTING COMPOUND HAVING AT LEAST ONE VOLATILE COMPONENT COMPRISING A CONTAINER HAVING AN ELCLOSED CHAMBER FOR TREATMENT OF A VOLATILE COMPONENT THEREIN OF A SEMICONDUCTING COMPOUND, HEATING MEANS ADAPTED TO HEAT SAID ENCLOSED CHAMBER, SAID ENCLOSED CHAMBER CONNECTED TO AN OUTER CHAMBER THROUGH AT LEAST ONE DIFFUSION-BARRIER WALL IN SAID CONTAINER COMPRISING A LIQUID LAYER ON TOP OF A POROUS WALL WHEREIN THE LIQUID AND THE POROUS WALL ARE EXPOSED TO SAID ENCLOSED CHAMBER AND SAID OUTER CHAMBER RESPECTIVELY, SAID OUTER CHAMBER BEING ADAPTED TO CONTAIN GAS THEREIN UNDER PRESSURE AND SAID LIQUID BEING SELECTED FROM LIQUIDS HAVING A LOW VAPOR PRESSURE AT THE TEMPERATURE TO WHICH SAID DIFFUSION-BARRIER WALL IS SUBJECTED AND WHICH IS HARDLY CAPABLE OF DISSOLVING THEREIN THE VOLATILE COMPONENT OF A SELECTED SEMICONDUCTOR COMPOUND TO BE TREATED.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said diffusion-barrier wall is characterized by a second coextensive porous wall over said liquid.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
49 words
The apparatus of claim 11 wherein a second said diffusion-barrier wall is provided at an opposite end of said enclosed chamber from said first diffusion-barrier wall with said second diffusion-barrier wall having the liquid layer exposed to said outer chamber and the porous wall exposed to said enclosed chamber.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus of claim 13 wherein a third said diffusion-barrier wall is provided in said enclosed chamber intermediate said first and second diffusion-barrier walls thereby dividing said enclosed chamber into two parts.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
28 words
The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said liquid is selected from one or more of the molten liquids consisting of B2O3, BaF2, low melting point glass and Ga.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said porous wall is composed of a material selected from the group consisting of carbon, sintered BN, Al2O3 and porous quartz.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said liquid consists of a molten layer of B2O3 on top of a molten layer of Ga.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
57 words
The apparatus of claim 11 wherein a second porous wall is provided which is exposed to said enclosed chamber as a bottom wall of a crucible which supports a melt or a solution containing the semiconducting compound itself to be treated covered with a layer of less dense inert liquid which is exposed to said outer chamber.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-09-01 | 1979-03-03 | 1979-09-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-09-01 | 1983-03-03 | 1983-09-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-09-01 | 1987-03-03 | 1987-09-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |