Patent US5316615A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5316615A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Surfactant-enhanced epitaxy
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1993-03-09
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Granted: 1994-05-31
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Expires: 2013-03-09
Abstract
Abstract The present invention broadly concerns layered structures of substantially-crystalline materials and processes for making such structures. More particularly, the invention concerns epitaxial growth of a substantially-crystalline layer of a first material on a substantially-crystalline second material different from the first material.
Inventors
- 👤 Matthew W. Copel
- 👤 Rudolf M. Tromp
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 17:00
CPC Classifications
C; C30; C30B; C30B29/00; C30B29/02; C30B29/06; C30B23/00; C30B23/02; C30B25/00; C30B25/02; C30B25/18; C30B29/08; C30B29/10; C30B29/52
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
125 words
A process for depositing a layer of a first crystallizable material on a target surface of a substantially-single-crystalline-portion of a second material to produce a multi-atomic-layer, essentially-epitaxial layer of the first material on the second material, the method comprising the steps of: (a) exposing the target surface of the second material to a vacuum; (b) directing a gaseous flux comprising a multivalent surfactant element onto the target surface to deposit the surfactant element on the target surface with a coverage of at least approximately one monolayer; (c) directing a gaseous flux comprising the first material onto the target surface bearing the multivalent surfactant element, the multivalent surfactant element facilitating a layer-by-layer epitaxial growth of the first material on the target surface of the second material.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
125 words
A process for depositing a layer of a first crystallizable material on a target surface of a substantially-single-crystalline-portion of a second material to produce a multi-atomic-layer, essentially-epitaxial layer of the first material on the second material, the method comprising the steps of: (a) exposing the target surface of the second material to a vacuum; (b) directing a gaseous flux comprising a multivalent surfactant element onto the target surface to deposit the surfactant element on the target surface with a coverage of at least approximately one monolayer; (c) directing a gaseous flux comprising the first material onto the target surface bearing the multivalent surfactant element, the multivalent surfactant element facilitating a layer-by-layer epitaxial growth of the first material on the target surface of the second material.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process according to claim 1 in which the multi-valent surfactant element is selected from the group consisting of boron, aluminium, gallium, indium, thallium, phosphorous, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, gold, silver and lead.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process according to claim 2 in which the multi-valent surfactant element is arsenic.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
The process according to claim 2 in which the multi-valent surfactant element is antimony.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process according to claim 1 in which the first crystallizable material is germanium or silicon.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process according to claim 1 in which the second material is selected from the group consisting of silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
The process according to claim 1 in which the second material is a silicon-germanium alloy.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
65 words
The process according to claim 1 in which the second material is silicon and the process further comprises the step of: (d) maintaining the target surface of the silicon second material at a temperature in the range of from about 450° C. to about 650° C. when the gaseous flux comprising the first material is directed onto the target surface bearing the multivalent surfactant element.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
63 words
The process according to claim 8 in which the target surface the silicon second material is a crystal face having an (001) crystallographic orientation and the target surface is maintained at a temperature in the range of from about 450° C. to about 550° C. when the gaseous flux comprising the first material is directed onto the target surface bearing the surfactant element.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
63 words
The process according to claim 8 in which the target surface the silicon second material is a crystal face having an (111) crystallographic orientation and the target surface is maintained at a temperature in the range of from about 450° C. to about 550° C. when the gaseous flux comprising the first material is directed onto the target surface bearing the surfactant element.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
The process according to claim 11 in which the first material is germanium and the gaseous flux comprising the germanium first material includes elemental germanium vapor or GeH 4 .
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
64 words
The process according to claim 11, further comprising the step of: (d) directing a gaseous flux comprising the multivalent surfactant element onto the target surface bearing the surfactant element during a time when the gaseous flux comprising the first material is directed on the surface to maintain a coverage of the surfactant element on the surface as the layer of first material is deposited.
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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) | 1997-05-30 | 1997-11-29 | 1998-05-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-05-30 | 2001-11-29 | 2002-05-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-05-30 | 2005-11-29 | 2006-05-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |