Method of manufacturing a Group II-VI semiconductor device having a PN junction

Claim 1

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a pn junction formed in a Group II-VI compound semiconductor crystal, comprising: preparing an n-type Group II-VI compound semiconductor crystal by the temperature difference method under controlled vapor pressure of the crystal-constituting Group VI element from a melt that contains constituting elements; and forming a p type semiconductor region on top of said n-type semiconductor region by an epitaxial growth technique using a temperature difference method under controlled vapor pressure of said crystal-constituting Group VI element from a melt that contains essentially constituting elements of the crystal and an impurity having a p type conductivity.

Claim 2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a pn junction formed in a Group II-VI compound semiconductor crystal, comprising: preparing an n-type Group II-VI compound semiconductor crystal by the temperature difference method under controlled vapor pressure of the crystal-constituting Group VI element from a melt that contains constituting elements; and forming a p type semiconductor region on top of said n-type semiconductor region by an epitaxial growth technique using a temperature difference method under controlled vapor pressure of said crystal-constituting Group VI element from a melt that contains essentially constituting elements of the crystal and an impurity having a p type conductivity.

Claim 4

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a single crystal region with a PN junction formed in a Group II-VI compound semiconductor crystal wherein, by depending upon only a doping of an impurity, it is difficult to control the conductivity type of said single crystal region, comprising: growing a Group II-VI compound semiconductor crystal substrate having a first conductivity type obtained by a liquid-phase growth process under controlled vapor pressure, not lower than 1 Torr, of the crystal-constituting element and at a growth temperature lower than a melting temperature of the crystal, without relying on a lowering of the growth temperature during the growth process, in order to minimize deviation from stoichiometry; and forming on said semiconductor crystal a semiconductor region of a second conductivity type opposite to said first conductivity type by diffusing an impurity of the second conductivity type into said Group II-VI compound semiconductor crystal in a closed tube under a predetermined vapor pressure at a level not lower than 0.1 Torr of the crystal constituting Group VI element.

Claim 5

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device having a single crystal region with a PN junction formed in a Group II-VI compound semiconductor crystal wherein, by depending upon only a doping of an impurity, it is difficult to control the conductivity type of said single crystal region, comprising: growing a Group II-VI compound semiconductor crystal substrate having a first conductivity type obtained by a liquid-phase growth process under controlled vapor pressure, not lower than 1 Torr, of the crystal-constituting element and at a growth temperature lower than a melting temperature of the crystal, without relying on a lowering of the growth temperature during the growth process, in order to minimize deviation from stoichiometry; and forming on said semiconductor crystal a semiconductor region of a second conductivity type opposite to said first conductivity type by diffusing an impurity of the second conductivity type into said Group II-VI compound semiconductor crystal in a closed tube under a predetermined vapor pressure at a level not lower than 0.1 Torr of the crystal constituting Group VI element.