Preparation of a semiconductor article using an amorphous seed to grow single crystal semiconductor material

Claim 2

A process for producing a semiconductor article, the process comprising the steps of: forming a plurality of concavities each having an exposed surface of an amorphous material on an insulator substrate; and forming in at least one of the concavities a semiconductor single crystal region of one electroconductive type and forming in at least a second one of the concavities a semiconductor single crystal region of the opposite electroconductive type, at least the semiconductor single crystal region of the one electroconductive type being provided by forming a different amorphous material having a nucleation density sufficiently greater than the insulator substrate and sufficiently small area so as to grow only one single nucleus becoming a single crystal of a semiconductor material through crystal growth on the insulator substrate and growing semiconductor material around the single nucleus formed as a center, using a gas phase growth method.

Claim 3

A process for producing a semiconductor article according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: forming on a deposition surface of the at least one of the concavities the material having a nucleation density sufficiently greater than the insulator substrate and sufficiently small area so as to grow only the one single nucleus becoming a single crystal of the semiconductor material through crystal growth; then forming the semiconductor single crystal region of the one electroconductive type around the single nucleus formed as the center; forming a protective layer on the semiconductor single crystal region of the one electroconductive type; forming on the deposition surface of the second of the concavities a second different material having a nucleation density sufficiently greater than the insulator substrate and sufficiently small area so as to grow only a second single nucleus becoming a single crystal of the semiconductor material through crystal growth; and then forming the semiconductor single crystal region of the opposite electroconductive type around the second single nucleus formed as the center.

Claim 4

A process for producing a semiconductor article according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: forming a first concavity having a predetermined depth on the insulator substrate and a second concavity having a depth greater than the predetermined depth on the insulator substrate; forming a first different material having a nucleation density sufficiently greater than the insulating substrate and sufficiently small area so as to grow only the one single nucleus becoming a single crystal of the semiconductor material through crystal growth on the deposition surfaces of each of the first and second concavities; then forming the semiconductor single crystal region of the one electroconductive type around the single nucleus formed as the center in the one concavity; forming the semiconductor single crystal region of the opposite electroconductive type on the semiconductor single crystal region of the one electroconductive type; and removing the semiconductor single crystal region of the opposite electroconductive type formed on the first concavity.