Patent US4363769A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4363769A
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Method for manufacturing thin and flexible ribbon wafer of _semiconductor material and ribbon wafer
Assignee: Individual
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Filing: 1981-01-15
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Granted: 1982-12-14
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Expires: 2001-01-15
Abstract
Abstract A method for manufacturing a thin and flexible ribbon wafer of semiconductor material such as germanium, silicon, selenium, tellurium, PbS, InSb, ZnTe, PbSe, InAs, InP, GaSb, PbTe, ZnS, Bi2Te3, and mixtures thereof comprises melting the semiconductor material at a temperature within the range from a melting point thereof to 300 DEG C. above the melting point to form a uniform melt; ejecting under a pressure the melt through a nozzle against a cooling surface of a moving substrate to cool very rapidly a jet flow of the melt at a cooling rate of 1,000 DEG C. to 1,000,000 DEG C./sec to form the ribbon type thin and flexible wafer of fine and compact microscopic structure having a large mechanical strength and an excellent electrical property. It is possible to add to the melt various additives as fluxes or impurities such as B, P, BP, Sb Sn, As, B, P, Sb, In, Al and alloys intermetallic compounds, and conjugates thereof. The thin ribbon wafer as grown is preferably heated at a temperature from within the range 500 DEG C. to the melting point for a time within the range from 0.1 second to one week. The invention also provides a thin and flexible ribbon wafer of semiconductor material manufactured by the above mentioned process.
Inventors
- 👤 Noboru Tsuya
- 👤 Kenichi Arai
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 23:45
CPC Classifications
C; C30; C30B; C30B11/00; C30B11/001; B; B22; B22D; B22D11/00; B22D11/06; B22D11/0611; C22; C22C; C22C1/00; C22C1/007; C30B11/14; H; H10; H10F; H10F71/00; H10F71/128
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
210 words
A method for manufacturing a thin and flexible ribbon wafer of semiconductor material comprising: heating a raw semiconductor material consisting essentially of a material selected from the group consisting of Ge, Si, Se, Te, InSb, ZnTe, PbSe, InAs, InP, GaSb, PbTe, ZnS, Bi 2 Te 3 at a temperature within the range from a melting point of the raw semiconductor material to 300° C. above the melting point to form a uniform melt having a suitable wettability and viscosity; ejecting a jet flow of the melt through a nozzle under a predetermined pressure within the range from 0.01 to 1.5 atm.; and substantially instantaneously cooling the ejected jet flow of the melt by moving a cooling surface of a moving cooling substrate past the nozzle so that the melt contacts the cooling surface and is cooled at a cooling rate of 1,000° C. to 1,000,000° C./sec., the linear velocity of the surface of the cooling substrate being more than 5 m/sec., to thereby form a thin and flexible ribbon wafer having a fine and compact grain structure with more than 50% of the grains having diameter within the range from 1 to 100 μm without existing ordered lattice, said ribbon wafer having a thickness of from 5 to 200 μm.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
210 words
A method for manufacturing a thin and flexible ribbon wafer of semiconductor material comprising: heating a raw semiconductor material consisting essentially of a material selected from the group consisting of Ge, Si, Se, Te, InSb, ZnTe, PbSe, InAs, InP, GaSb, PbTe, ZnS, Bi 2 Te 3 at a temperature within the range from a melting point of the raw semiconductor material to 300° C. above the melting point to form a uniform melt having a suitable wettability and viscosity; ejecting a jet flow of the melt through a nozzle under a predetermined pressure within the range from 0.01 to 1.5 atm.; and substantially instantaneously cooling the ejected jet flow of the melt by moving a cooling surface of a moving cooling substrate past the nozzle so that the melt contacts the cooling surface and is cooled at a cooling rate of 1,000° C. to 1,000,000° C./sec., the linear velocity of the surface of the cooling substrate being more than 5 m/sec., to thereby form a thin and flexible ribbon wafer having a fine and compact grain structure with more than 50% of the grains having diameter within the range from 1 to 100 μm without existing ordered lattice, said ribbon wafer having a thickness of from 5 to 200 μm.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the raw semiconductor material is heated at a temperature within the range from a melting point of the raw semiconductor material to 300° C. above the melting point.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the ejection of the melt against the cooling surface is carried out in a reduced pressure or a vacuum.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the ejection of the melt against the cooling surface is conducted in an inert gas atmosphere of reduced pressure.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the ejection of the melt against the cooling surface is conducted in a reducing gas atmosphere of reduced pressure.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the melt is ejected through a nozzle made of material selected from the group consisting of platinum, platinum-rhodium, tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, graphite and alloys thereof.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the nozzle is lined with boron nitride.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the melt is ejected through a nozzle made of substance selected from the group consisting of boron nitride, silicon nitride, silicon carbide and carbon.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the melt is ejected against a cooling substrate made of material having a large cooling effect.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the cooling substrate is made of material selected from the group consisting of copper, copper-beryllium, brass, stainless steel and carbon steel.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the cooling substrate comprises a rotating drum having a smooth peripheral surface which serves as the cooling substrate.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the cooling substrate comprises a rotating drum having a smooth inner surface which serves as the cooling substrate.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the cooling substrate comprises an endless belt conveyor having a smooth outer surface which serves as the cooling substrate.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the nozzle comprises a single hole having a circular, elliptical or rectangular configuration.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
67 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the nozzle comprises a plurality of multi-nozzle holes having a circular, elliptical or rectangular configuration and said multi-nozzle holes being aligned close to each other in a direction extending transverse to a moving direction of the ejected melt so that a plurality of jet flows of melt can be combined with each other on the surface of cooling substrate.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method as defined in claim 15, wherein the nozzle comprises at least three aligned holes and wherein the width of outer nozzle holes is smaller than that of the intermediate nozzle holes.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method as defined in claim 15, wherein the nozzle comprises a partially removed partition wall within the tube for separating adjacent holes.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
62 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the nozzle comprises at least two holes aligned close to each other in a direction extending parallel to a moving direction of the ejected melt so that at least two jet flows of some or different semiconductor material are simultaneously ejected through the holes so as form a thin ribbon wafer or multi-layer type.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the raw semiconductor material is mixed with a substance selected from the group consisting of Ge, Si, Se, Te, PbS, InSb, ZnTe, PbSe, InAs, InP, GaSb, PbTe, ZnS, Bi 2 Te 3 and mixtures thereof.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein to the raw semiconductor material is added at least one additive substance selected from the group consisting of Sn, As, B, P, Sb, In, Al, Ga and alloy, intermetallic compound, conjugates thereof as an impurity.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein to the raw semiconductor material is added a substance selected from the group consisting of B, P, BP, Sb and Al as a flux.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method as defined in claim 21, wherein an amount of the added flux is selected to a value within the range of 0.01 to 50 atomic percentage.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising heating the thin ribbon wafer at a temperature within the range from 500° C. to a melting point for a time within the range of 0.1 second to a week in vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method as defined in claim 23, wherein the thin ribbon wafer is formed of silicon and is heated at about 1,100° C. for about 48 hours.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the raw semiconductor material is heated at a temperature within the range of from 100° C. to 150° C. above the melting point of the raw semiconductor material.
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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) | 1985-12-13 | 1986-06-14 | 1986-12-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1989-12-13 | 1990-06-14 | 1990-12-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1993-12-13 | 1994-06-14 | 1994-12-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |