Migration of fine liquid wires by thermal gradient zone melting through doped surfaces

Claim 1

In the method of moving a melt of metal-rich semiconductor material through a solid body of semiconductor material by thermal gradient zone melting processing comprising the step of a. selecting a body of single crystal semiconductor material so that the body has a first type conductivity, a selected resistivity, and at least one of two major opposed surfaces having a preferred planar crystal structure orientation which is one selected from the group consisting of (100), (110) and (111), the vertical axis of the body being substantially aligned with a first axis of the crystal structure, the surface having the preferred planar crystal structure orientation to accommodate one or more physical configurations of a layer of metal thereon; b. depositing a layer of metal on the selected surface of the body of semiconductor material; c. heating the body and the layer of metal to a temperature sufficient to form a melt of metal-rich material on the surface of the body; d. establishing a temperature gradient along substantially the vertical axis of the body and the first axis of the crystal structure, and e. migrating the metal-rich melt through the body parallel to the vertical axis of the body to form within the body at least one region of recrystallized material of the body having solid solubility of the vapor deposited metal therein, the metal including at least one dopant impurity material therein to impart a second type conductivity and a selected level of resistivity thereto; the improvement in the method of processing which includes prior to depositing the layer of metal on the selected surface the additional process step of forming a region in the body to increase the emissivity of the radiant energy in that portion of the body including the region, and to maintain the unidirectional thermal gradient to be established in the body normal to the selected surface in that region of the body, including the selected surface thereof on which the layer of metal is to be deposited, the region extending a predetermined depth into the body from the selected surface to provide a minimum thickness thereto and having a predetermined level of concentration of a dopant impurity material therein.