Sputtering method for growth of thin uniform layers of epitaxial semiconductive materials doped with impurities

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR GROWING UNIFORMLY THIN DOPED LAYERS OF EPITAXIAL SEMICONDUCTIVE MATERIAL COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: A. POSITIONING ADJACENT ONE OF TWO OPPOSITELY-DISPOSED ELECTRODES A SUBSTRATE ON WHICH THE EPITAXIAL LAYER OF SEMICONDUCTIVE MATERIAL IS TO BE GROWN, B. POSITIONING A TARGET OF SEMICONDUCTIVE MATERIAL FROM WHICH THE EPITIAXIAL LAYER IS TO BE FORMED ON THE OTHER OF SAID TWO ELECTRODES, (C) HEATING SAID SUBSTRATE TO A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 530*C TO 600*C, D. EVACUATING THE SPACE AROUND SAID ELECTRODES OF AIR WHILE INTRODUCING INTO SAID SPACE CONTROLLED AMOUNTS OF AN INERT IONIZABLE GAS TOGETHER WITH A REACTIVE CHEMICAL COMPOUND IN THE VAPOR STATE IN WHICH A P-TYPE OR N-TYPE DEPONANT ELEMENT IS LIBERATED IN A CONFINED RADIO-FREQUENCY DISCHARGE, THE INOIZABLE GAS PRESSURE BEING IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 2 TO 8X10**-3 TORR WITH THE REACTIVE COMPOUND BEING PRESENT IN THE AMOUNT OF ABOUT 1 PART TO 10**2-10**3 PARTS INERT GAS, AND E. APPLYING A RADIO-FREQUENCY POTENTIAL ACROSS SAID TWO ELECTRODES TO THEREBY ESTABLISH A RADIO-FREQUENCY DISCHARGE BETWEEN THE ELECTRODES WHEREBY ATOMS OF THE TARGET WILL BE KNOCKED LOOSE FROM THE TARGET BY IMPINGING IONS OF THE IONIZABLE GAS AND WILL TRAVEL TO THE SUBSTRATE TO FORM AN EPITAXIAL LAYER DOPED WITH THE LIBERTED DOPANT ELEMENT.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR GROWING UNIFORMLY THIN DOPED LAYERS OF EPITAXIAL SEMICONDUCTIVE MATERIAL COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: A. POSITIONING ADJACENT ONE OF TWO OPPOSITELY-DISPOSED ELECTRODES A SUBSTRATE ON WHICH THE EPITAXIAL LAYER OF SEMICONDUCTIVE MATERIAL IS TO BE GROWN, B. POSITIONING A TARGET OF SEMICONDUCTIVE MATERIAL FROM WHICH THE EPITIAXIAL LAYER IS TO BE FORMED ON THE OTHER OF SAID TWO ELECTRODES, (C) HEATING SAID SUBSTRATE TO A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 530*C TO 600*C, D. EVACUATING THE SPACE AROUND SAID ELECTRODES OF AIR WHILE INTRODUCING INTO SAID SPACE CONTROLLED AMOUNTS OF AN INERT IONIZABLE GAS TOGETHER WITH A REACTIVE CHEMICAL COMPOUND IN THE VAPOR STATE IN WHICH A P-TYPE OR N-TYPE DEPONANT ELEMENT IS LIBERATED IN A CONFINED RADIO-FREQUENCY DISCHARGE, THE INOIZABLE GAS PRESSURE BEING IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 2 TO 8X10**-3 TORR WITH THE REACTIVE COMPOUND BEING PRESENT IN THE AMOUNT OF ABOUT 1 PART TO 10**2-10**3 PARTS INERT GAS, AND E. APPLYING A RADIO-FREQUENCY POTENTIAL ACROSS SAID TWO ELECTRODES TO THEREBY ESTABLISH A RADIO-FREQUENCY DISCHARGE BETWEEN THE ELECTRODES WHEREBY ATOMS OF THE TARGET WILL BE KNOCKED LOOSE FROM THE TARGET BY IMPINGING IONS OF THE IONIZABLE GAS AND WILL TRAVEL TO THE SUBSTRATE TO FORM AN EPITAXIAL LAYER DOPED WITH THE LIBERTED DOPANT ELEMENT.