Patent US4201604A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
← Back to Patent Explorer
US4201604A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Process for making a negative resistance diode utilizing spike doping

Assignee: Raytheon Co
•
Filing: 1976-09-08
•
Granted: 1980-05-06
•
Expires: 1996-09-08
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A modified Read-type diode having an extremely thin doping spike and with the electric field in the drift region terminated before the buffer zone. The buffer zone and a drift region are first grown upon a doped semiconductor substrate using epitaxial vapor deposition growth techniques employing a furnace tube within a multiple temperature zone reaction furnace. The doping spike is produced by injecting under pressure a fixed predetermined volume of dopant into the furnace tube. An avalanche region is grown over the doping spike and a Schottky barrier contact or semiconducting material of the opposite conductivity type grown over the avalanche region. Avalanche regions having a length less than 15% of the total active length of the device and doping spikes having a width of 500 A or less are disclosed in a high-efficiency device.

Inventors

  • 👤 Robert W. Bierig
  • 👤 S. Robert Steele

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-01 11:12
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10F; H10F30/00; H10F30/20; H10F30/21; H10F30/22; H10F30/227; H10D; H10D8/00; H10D8/40; H10D8/50; H10D62/00; H10D62/60; H10D62/605

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim 63 words
A method for producing a doping spike for terminating an avalanche region in a diode device comprising the steps of: vapor depositing a drift region layer of semiconductor material upon a substrate; and injecting a predetermined quantity of a pre-selected dopant material toward said substrate, said predetermined quantity of dopant material being vapor deposited upon said drift region and forming said doping spike.
Claim 2
Independent Claim 63 words
A method for producing a doping spike for terminating an avalanche region in a diode device comprising the steps of: vapor depositing a drift region layer of semiconductor material upon a substrate; and injecting a predetermined quantity of a pre-selected dopant material toward said substrate, said predetermined quantity of dopant material being vapor deposited upon said drift region and forming said doping spike.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 12 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said semiconductor material comprises gallium arsenide.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 19 words
The method of claim 2 further comprising the step of: vapor depositing an avalanche layer over said doping spike.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 20 words
The method of claim 3 wherein said substrate is located within a furnace tube and maintained at a predetermined temperature.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 21 words
The method of claim 4 wherein said predetermined quantity of dopant material is pre-stored in a reservoir having a predetermined volume.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 36 words
The method of claim 4 wherein said dopant material is selected from the group consisting of an arsenide compound, sulfur, tellurium, tin and selenium for an N-type substrate and zinc and cadmium for a P-type substrate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 15 words
The method of claim 4 wherein said dopant material comprises hydrogen sulfide mixed with hydrogen.
Claim 9
Independent Claim 149 words
A method for producing a modified Read-type diode device comprising the steps of: providing a wafer of semiconductor material, said wafer being placed within a furnace tube, the temperature within said furnace tube being maintained at predetermined values; vapor depositing one or more buffer zones of semiconductor material upon said substrate, said substrate and said buffer zones being substantially highly doped; vapor depositing a drift region layer upon said buffer zones, said drift region layer being substantially lightly doped and the length of said drift region layer being determined in accordance with a preferred operating frequency of said device; vapor depositing a doping spike layer upon said drift region layer, said vapor depositing said doping spike comprising injecting a predetermined quantity of dopant material within said furnace tube; vapor depositing an avalanche region layer upon said doping spike layer; and providing junction forming means upon said avalanche region layer.
Claim 10
Independent Claim 149 words
A method for producing a modified Read-type diode device comprising the steps of: providing a wafer of semiconductor material, said wafer being placed within a furnace tube, the temperature within said furnace tube being maintained at predetermined values; vapor depositing one or more buffer zones of semiconductor material upon said substrate, said substrate and said buffer zones being substantially highly doped; vapor depositing a drift region layer upon said buffer zones, said drift region layer being substantially lightly doped and the length of said drift region layer being determined in accordance with a preferred operating frequency of said device; vapor depositing a doping spike layer upon said drift region layer, said vapor depositing said doping spike comprising injecting a predetermined quantity of dopant material within said furnace tube; vapor depositing an avalanche region layer upon said doping spike layer; and providing junction forming means upon said avalanche region layer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 13 words
The method of claim 8 wherein each of said layers comprises gallium arsenide.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 15 words
The method of claim 9 wherein said junction forming means comprises a Schottky barrier contact.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 40 words
The method of claim 10 wherein said Schottky barrier contact comprises: a layer of chromium upon said avalanche layer; a layer of titanium upon said layer of chromium; and one or more layers of gold upon said layer of titanium.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 44 words
The method of claim 10 wherein said step of vapor depositing said doping spike comprises the steps of: pre-storing said predetermined quantity of said dopant material in a reservoir of predetermined volume; and injecting said predetermined quantity of dopant material into said furnace tube.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 21 words
The method of claim 12 wherein said step of injecting comprises propelling said predetermined quantity of dopant material with a gas.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 17 words
The method of claim 13 wherein said dopant material comprises hydrogen sulfide and said gas comprises hydrogen.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3668555A Cited
US3739243A Cited
US3721583A Cited
US3831068A Cited
US3762945A Cited
US3906540A Cited
US3885061A Cited
US3886580A Cited
US3904449A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1983-05-06 1983-11-05 1984-05-06 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1987-05-06 1987-11-05 1988-05-06 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1991-05-06 1991-11-05 1992-05-06 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag