With Pretreatment Of Substrate (e.g., Coacting Ablating) Patents (Class 117/90)
  • Patent number: 7959731
    Abstract: A method for producing a semiconductor wafer, including epitaxially growing a Si1-XGeX layer (0<X?1) on a surface of a silicon single crystal wafer to be a bond wafer; implanting at least one kind of a hydrogen ion or a rare gas ion through the Si1-XGeX layer and forming an ion-implanted layer inside the bond wafer; contacting and bonding a surface of the Si1-XGeX layer and a surface of a base wafer through an insulator film; then performing delamination at the ion-implanted layer; performing a bonding heat treatment of binding the bonded surfaces; and then removing a Si layer of a delaminated layer transferred to a side of the base wafer by the delamination. Thereby, the method does not cause lattice relaxation in the SiGe layer. Therefore, the method is suitable for production of a semiconductor wafer for high-speed semiconductor devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Isao Yokokawa, Hiroji Aga, Kiyoshi Mitani
  • Patent number: 7955435
    Abstract: A method for minimizing particle generation during deposition of a graded Si.sub.1-xGe.sub.x layer on a semiconductor material includes providing a substrate in an atmosphere including a Si precursor and a Ge precursor, wherein the Ge precursor has a decomposition temperature greater than germane, and depositing the graded Si.sub.1-xGe.sub.x layer having a final Ge content of greater than about 0.15 and a particle density of less than about 0.3 particles/cm.sup.2 on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Eugene Fitzgerald, Richard Westhoff, Matthew T. Currie, Christopher J. Vineis, Thomas A. Langdo
  • Patent number: 7922813
    Abstract: Epitaxially coated silicon wafers, are produced by epitaxially coating a multiplicity of wafers polished at least on their front sides, successively and individually in an epitaxy reactor, by placing a silicon wafer on a susceptor, pretreating under a hydrogen atmosphere followed by addition of an etching medium to the hydrogen atmosphere, coating epitaxially on the polished front side and removing the water from the epitaxy reactor. The susceptor is then heated, in each case, to a temperature of at least 1000° C. under a hydrogen atmosphere, and furthermore an etching treatment of the susceptor and a momentary coating of the susceptor with silicon are effected after a specific number of epitaxial coatings. Silicon wafers characterized by a parameter R30-1 mm of ?10 nm to +10 nm, determined at a distance of 1 mm from the edge of the silicon wafer are produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Siltronic AG
    Inventors: Reinhard Schauer, Christian Hager
  • Patent number: 7915152
    Abstract: A boule formed by high rate vapor phase growth of Group III-V nitride boules (ingots) on native nitride seeds, from which wafers may be derived for fabrication of microelectronic device structures. The boule is of microelectronic device quality, e.g., having a transverse dimension greater than 1 centimeter, a length greater than 1 millimeter, and a top surface defect density of less than 107 defects cm?2. The Group III-V nitride boule may be formed by growing a Group III-V nitride material on a corresponding native Group III-V nitride seed crystal by vapor phase epitaxy at a growth rate above 20 micrometers per hour. Nuclear transmutation doping may be applied to an (Al,Ga,In)N article comprises a boule, wafer, or epitaxial layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert P. Vaudo, Jeffrey S. Flynn, George R. Brandes, Joan M. Redwing, Michael A. Tischler
  • Patent number: 7914619
    Abstract: The invention provides a high temperature (about 1150° C. or greater) annealing process for converting thick polycrystalline Si layers on the order of 1 ?m to 40 ?m on a single crystal seed layer into thick single crystal Si layers having the orientation of the seed layer, thus allowing production of thick Si films having the quality of single crystal silicon at high rates and low cost of processing. Methods of integrating such high temperature processing into solar cell fabrication are described, with particular attention to process flows in which the seed layer is disposed on a porous silicon release layer. Another aspect pertains to the use of similar high temperature anneals for poly-Si grain growth and grain boundary passivation. A further aspect relates to structures in which these thick single crystal Si films and passivated poly-Si films are incorporated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Joel P. de Souza, Keith E. Fogel, Daniel A. Inns, Devendra K. Sadana, Katherine L. Saenger
  • Patent number: 7842134
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of manufacture of a substrate for fabrication of semiconductor layers or devices, comprising the steps of providing a wafer of silicon including at least one first surface suitable for use as a substrate for CVD diamond synthesis, growing a layer of CVD diamond of predetermined thickness and having a growth face onto the first surface of the silicon wafer, reducing the thickness of the silicon wafer to a predetermined level, and providing a second surface on the silicon wafer that is suitable for further synthesis of at least one semiconductor layer suitable for use in electronic devices or synthesis of electronic devices on the second surface itself and to a substrate suitable for GaN device growth consisting of a CVD diamond layer intimately attached to a silicon surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Inventors: Andrew John Whitehead, Christopher John Howard Wort, Geoffrey Alan Scarsbrook
  • Patent number: 7830027
    Abstract: The invention relates to inter-level realignment after a stage of epitaxy on a face (31) of a substrate (30), comprising the production of at least one initial guide mark (32) on the face of the substrate, this initial guide mark being designed so as to be transferred, during epitaxy, onto the surface of the epitaxied layer (36). The initial guide mark (32) is produced in such a way that, during epitaxy, its edges create growth defects that propagate as far as the surface of the epitaxied layer (36) to provide a transferred guide mark (37) on the surface of the epitaxied layer (36) reproducing the shape of the initial guide mark (32) and in alignment with the initial guide mark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignees: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique, Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: Bernard Diem, Eugene Blanchet, Bishnu Gogoi
  • Patent number: 7824493
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a silicon wafer includes a step of annealing a silicon wafer which is sliced from a silicon single crystal ingot, thereby forming a DZ layer in a first surface and in a second surface of the silicon wafer and a step of removing either a portion of the DZ layer in the first surface or a portion of the DZ layer in the second surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Sumitomo Mitsubishi Silicon Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiaki Ono, Wataru Sugimura, Masataka Hourai
  • Patent number: 7824929
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to remove micro-scratches on a surface of a GaN substrate cut from a GaN ingot. The invention is directed to establish a method for surface treatment of a GaN substrate, including heating the surface in an atmosphere containing trimethylgallium, ammonia, and hydrogen. It is preferable that the trimethylgallium feeding rate is 150 ?mol/min or higher, the ratio of trimethylgallium feeding rate to ammonia feeding rate (V/III ratio) is 1,200 to 4,000, and the heating temperature is 1,000° C. to 1,250° C. In addition, the temperature of the surface treatment is set to be higher than that of the following GaN growth, and the feed rate of trimethylgallium is lower than that of the growth procedure. RMS of roughness on the substrate was equal to or less than 1.3 nm, and the substrate whose step condition is excellent can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masato Aoki, Miki Moriyama
  • Patent number: 7820131
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to new uses and applications for colorless, single-crystal diamonds produced at a rapid growth rate. The present invention is also directed to methods for producing single crystal diamonds of varying color at a rapid growth rate and new uses and applications for such single-crystal, colored diamonds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Carnegie Institution of Washington
    Inventors: Russell J. Hemley, Ho-Kwang Mao, Chih-Shiue Yan
  • Patent number: 7815734
    Abstract: Provided are a thin film transistor and method of fabricating the same, in which an amorphous silicon layer is formed on a substrate, a capping layer containing a metal catalyst having a different concentration according to its thickness is formed on the amorphous silicon layer, the capping layer is patterned to form a capping layer pattern, and the amorphous silicon layer is crystallized, such that the density and position of seeds formed at an interface between the amorphous silicon layer and the capping layer pattern is controlled, thereby improving the size and uniformity of grains, and in which polycrystalline silicon of desired size and uniformity is selectively formed at a desired position by one crystallization process, resulting in a thin film transistor having excellent and desired properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Mobile Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Byoung-Keon Park, Jin-Wook Seo, Tae-Hoon Yang, Ki-Yong Lee
  • Publication number: 20100252835
    Abstract: A base at least one principal plane of which is a nitride is prepared for use in epitaxial growth. The base is placed on a susceptor in an epitaxial growth reactor and heated to a predetermined temperature (step A). The heating is started with inactive, nitrogen gas being supplied into the reactor. Then, active, NH3 gas is supplied. Then, a growth step (step B) of a first nitride semiconductor layer is started without an intervening step of thermally cleaning the principal nitride plane of the base. In step B, the first nitride semiconductor layer is epitaxially grown on a principal nitride plane of a base without supply of an Si source material. Then, a relatively thick, second nitride semiconductor layer is epitaxially grown on the first nitride semiconductor layer by supplying an n-type dopant source material (step C).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2008
    Publication date: October 7, 2010
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideyoshi Horie, Kaori Kurihara
  • Patent number: 7804019
    Abstract: A substrate is provided including a growth surface that is offcut relative to a plane defined by a crystallographic orientation of the substrate at an offcut angle of about 5 degrees to about 45 degrees. A thermoelectric film is epitaxially grown on the growth surface. A crystallographic orientation of the thermoelectric film may be tilted about 5 degrees to about 30 degrees relative to the growth surface. The growth surface of the substrate may also be patterned to define a plurality of mesas protruding therefrom prior to epitaxial growth of the thermoelectric film. Related methods and thermoelectric devices are also discussed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Nextreme Thermal Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan Pierce, Robert P. Vaudo
  • Patent number: 7781314
    Abstract: Affords a manufacturing method enabling nitride-based semiconductor devices containing epitaxial films excelling in flatness and crystallinity to be easily produced. Method of manufacturing nitride semiconductor devices that are formed onto a semiconductor substrate being a compound containing nitrogen, and a Group IIIA element for forming compounds with nitrogen, including steps of: heating the semiconductor substrate (1) to a film-deposition temperature; supplying to the substrate a film-deposition gas containing a source gas for the Group IIIA element and a nitrogen source gas; and epitaxially growing onto the semiconductor substrate a thin film (2) of a compound containing nitrogen and the Group IIIA element; and being furnished with a step, in advance of the epitaxial growth step, of heating the semiconductor substrate to a pretreating temperature less than the film-deposition temperature, to clean the surface of the semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Kyono, Masaki Ueno
  • Patent number: 7771532
    Abstract: A nitride semiconductor crystal substrate is produced by forming a network mask repeating a closed loop unit shape upon an undersubstrate, growing a nitride semiconductor crystal in vapor phase, producing convex facet hills covered with facets on exposed parts ?, forming outlining concavities on mask-covered parts , not burying the facets, maintaining the convex facet hills on ? and the network concavities on , excluding dislocations in the facet hills down to the outlining concavities on , forming a defect accumulating region H on , decreasing dislocations in the facet hills and improving the facet hills to low defect density single crystal regions Z, producing a rugged nitride crystal, and slicing and polishing the nitride crystal into mirror nitride crystal wafers. After the fabrication of devices on the nitride wafer, dry-etching or wet etching of hot KOH or NaOH divides the device-carrying wafer into chips by corroding the network defect accumulating region H.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Uematsu, Fumitaka Sato, Ryu Hirota, Seiji Nakahata, Hideaki Nakahata
  • Patent number: 7763529
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a silicon carbide (SiC) layer is disclosed, which comprises steps: (S1) heating a silicon-based substrate at a temperature of X ° C.; (S2) carburizating the silicon-based substrate with a first hydrocarbon-containing gas at a temperature of Y ° C. to form a carbide layer on the silicon-based substrate; (S3) annealing the silicon-based substrate with the carbide layer thereon at a temperature of Z ° C.; and (S4) forming a silicon carbide layer on the carbide layer with a second hydrocarbon-containing gas and a silicon-containing gas at a temperature of W ° C.; wherein, X is 800 to 1200; Y is 1100 to 1400; Z is 1200 to 1500; W is 1300 to 1550; and X<Y?Z?W. In the method of the present invention, since no cooling steps between respective steps are required, the full process time can be reduced and the cost is lowered because no energy consumption occurs for the cooling and the re-heating steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: National Tsing Hua University
    Inventors: Wei-Yu Chen, Jenn-Chang Hwang, Chih-Fang Huang, Chien-Cheng Chen
  • Patent number: 7713352
    Abstract: A process is provided to produce bulk quantities of nanowires in a variety of semiconductor materials. Thin films and droplets of low-melting metals such as gallium, indium, bismuth, and aluminum are used to dissolve and to produce nanowires. The dissolution of solutes can be achieved by using a solid source of solute and low-melting metal, or using a vapor phase source of solute and low-melting metal. The resulting nanowires range in size from 1 nanometer up to 1 micron in diameter and lengths ranging from 1 nanometer to several hundred nanometers or microns. This process does not require the use of metals such as gold and iron in the form of clusters whose size determines the resulting nanowire size. In addition, the process allows for a lower growth temperature, better control over size and size distribution, and better control over the composition and purity of the nanowire produced therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: University of Louisville Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Mahendra Kumar Sunkara, Shashank Sharma, Hari Chandrasekaran, Hongwei Li, Sreeram Vaddiraju
  • Patent number: 7704323
    Abstract: Work from several laboratories has shown that metal nanofilaments cause problems in some molecular electronics testbeds. A new testbed for exploring the electrical properties of single molecules has been developed to eliminate the possibility of metal nanofilament formation and to ensure that molecular effects are measured. This metal-free system uses single-crystal silicon and single-walled carbon nanotubes as electrodes for the molecular monolayer. A direct Si-arylcarbon grafting method is used. Use of this structure with ?-conjugated organic molecules results in a hysteresis loop with current-voltage measurements that are useful for an electronic memory device. The memory is non-volatile for more than 3 days, non-destructive for more than 1,000 reading operations and capable of more than 1,000 write-erase cycles before device breakdown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: William Marsh Rice University
    Inventors: James M. Tour, Jianli He, Bo Chen, Austen K. Flatt, Jason J. Stephenson, Condell D. Doyle
  • Patent number: 7695563
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for depositing a tungsten material on a substrate within a process chamber is provided which includes exposing the substrate to a gaseous mixture containing a tungsten precursor and a reducing gas to deposit a tungsten nucleation layer on the substrate during a tungsten deposition process. The process further includes removing reaction by-products generated during the tungsten deposition process from the process chamber, exposing the substrate to the reducing gas to react with residual tungsten precursor within the process chamber during a soak process, removing reaction by-products generated during the soak process from the process chamber, and repeating the tungsten deposition process and the soak process during a cyclic deposition process. In the examples, the reducing gas may contain diborane or silane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Xinliang Lu, Ping Jian, Jong Hyun Yoo, Ken Kaung Lai, Alfred W. Mak, Robert L. Jackson, Ming Xi
  • Patent number: 7691201
    Abstract: A method of forming an assembly of isolated nanowires of at least one material within a matrix of another material is provided. The method comprises: providing a substrate; forming a catalyst array on a major surface of the substrate; growing an array of the nanowires corresponding with the catalyst array, the nanowires, each comprising at least one material; and forming a matrix of another material that fills in spaces between the nanowires. The method is useful for producing a variety of structures useful in a number of devices, such as photonic bandgap structures and quantum dot structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Theodore I. Kamins, Philip J. Kuekes
  • Patent number: 7686886
    Abstract: A method for forming a structure of a desired cross-section on a substrate is provided. The method provides a seed structure comprising at least one support layer on the substrate. The support layer has a geometric shape related to the desired cross-section of the structure and is diffusive to a precursor constituent. The method further includes growing the structure by supplying at least one precursor constituent on the substrate. The desired cross-section of the structure is defined by the geometric shape of at least one support layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Walter H Riess, Heike E Riel, Siegfried F Karg, Heinz Schmid
  • Patent number: 7687798
    Abstract: The present invention relates a method for epitaxial growth of a second group III-V crystal having a second lattice constant over a first group III-V crystal having a first lattice constant, wherein strain relaxation associated with lattice-mismatched epitaxy is suppressed and thus dislocation defects do not form. In the first step, the surface of the first group III-V crystal (substrate) is cleansed by desorption of surface oxides. In the second step, a layer of condensed group-V species is condensed on the surface of the first group III-V crystal. In the third step, a mono-layer of constituent group-III atoms is deposited over the layer of condensed group-V species in order for the layer of constituent group-III atoms to retain the condensed group-V layer. Subsequently, the mono-layer of group-III atoms is annealed at a higher temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: HRL Laboratories, LLC
    Inventor: Binqiang Shi
  • Patent number: 7682450
    Abstract: A stacked semiconductor device and a method for fabricating the stacked semiconductor device are disclosed. The stacked semiconductor device includes a first insulating interlayer having an opening that partially exposes a substrate, wherein the substrate includes single crystalline silicon, and a first seed pattern that fills the opening, wherein the first seed pattern has an upper portion disposed over the opening, and the upper portion is tapered away from the substrate. The stacked semiconductor device further includes a second insulating interlayer formed on the first insulating interlayer, wherein a trench that exposes the upper portion of the first seed pattern penetrates the second insulating interlayer, and a first single crystalline silicon structure that fills the trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yun-Seung Kang, Eun-Kuk Chung, Joon Kim, Jin-Hong Kim, Suk-Chul Bang
  • Patent number: 7678195
    Abstract: A method of growing bulk single crystals of an AlN on a single crystal seed is provided, wherein an AlN source material is placed within a crucible chamber in spacial relationship to a seed fused to the cap of the crucible. The crucible is heated in a manner sufficient to establish a temperature gradient between the source material and the seed with the seed at a higher temperature than the source material such that the outer layer of the seed is evaporated, thereby cleaning the seed of contaminants and removing any damage to the seed incurred during seed preparation. Thereafter, the temperature gradient between the source material and the seed is inverted so that the source material is sublimed and deposited on the seed, thereby growing a bulk single crystal of AlN.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: North Carolina State University
    Inventors: Raoul Schlesser, Vladimir Noveski, Zlatko Sitar
  • Patent number: 7655197
    Abstract: A boule formed by high rate vapor phase growth of Group III-V nitride boules (ingots) on native nitride seeds, from which wafers may be derived for fabrication of microelectronic device structures. The boule is of microelectronic device quality, e.g., having a transverse dimension greater than 1 centimeter, a length greater than 1 millimeter, and a top surface defect density of less than 107 defects cm?2. The Group III-V nitride boule may be formed by growing a Group III-V nitride material on a corresponding native Group III-V nitride seed crystal by vapor phase epitaxy at a growth rate above 20 micrometers per hour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert P. Vaudo, Jeffrey S. Flynn, George R. Brandes, Joan M. Redwing, Michael A. Tischler
  • Patent number: 7625447
    Abstract: SiC is a very stable substance, and it is difficult to control the condition of a SiC surface to be suitable for crystal growth in conventional Group III nitride crystal growing apparatuses. This problem is solved as follows. The surface of a SiC substrate 1 is rendered into a step-terrace structure by performing a heating process in an atmosphere of HCl gas. The surface of the SiC substrate 1 is then treated sequentially with aqua regia, hydrochloric acid, and hydrofluoric acid. A small amount of silicon oxide film formed on the surface of the SiC substrate 1 is etched so as to form a clean SiC surface 3 on the substrate surface. The SiC substrate 1 is then installed in a high-vacuum apparatus and the pressure inside is maintained at ultrahigh vacuum (such as 10?6 to 10?8 Pa). In the ultrahigh vacuum state, a process of irradiating the surface with a Ga atomic beam 5 at time t1 at temperature of 800° C. or lower and performing a heating treatment at 800° C. or higher is repeated at least once.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: Japan Science and Technology Agency
    Inventors: Jun Suda, Hiroyuki Matsunami, Norio Onojima
  • Patent number: 7615116
    Abstract: In a vapor phase growth apparatus including a reaction chamber, a susceptor, a lift pin, an upper heating device, and a lower heating device, a heating ratio between the upper heating ratio and the lower heating ratio is adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichi Kanaya, Tsuyoshi Nishizawa
  • Patent number: 7601215
    Abstract: A method of producing epitaxial silicon films on a c-Si wafer substrate using hot wire chemical vapor deposition by controlling the rate of silicon deposition in a temperature range that spans the transition from a monohydride to a hydrogen free silicon surface in a vacuum, to obtain phase-pure epitaxial silicon film of increased thickness is disclosed. The method includes placing a c-Si substrate in a HWCVD reactor chamber. The method also includes supplying a gas containing silicon at a sufficient rate into the reaction chamber to interact with the substrate to deposit a layer containing silicon thereon at a predefined growth rate to obtain phase-pure epitaxial silicon film of increased thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignee: Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC
    Inventors: Qi Wang, Paul Stradins, Charles Teplin, Howard M. Branz
  • Patent number: 7597757
    Abstract: A ZnO film with a C-axis preference is provided with a corresponding fabrication method. The method includes: forming a substrate; forming an amorphous Al2O3 film overlying the substrate; and, forming a ZnO film overlying the Al2O3 film at a substrate temperature of about 170° C., having a C-axis preference responsive to the adjacent Al2O3 film. The substrate can be a material such as Silicon (Si) (100), Si (111), Si (110), quartz, glass, plastic, or zirconia. The Al2O3 film can be deposited using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), or sputtering process. Typically, the Al2O3 layer has a thickness in the range of about 3 to 15 nanometers (nm). The step of forming the ZnO film having a C-axis preference typically means that the ZnO film has a (002) peak at least 5 times greater than the (100) peak, as measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc.
    Inventors: John F. Conley, Jr., Yoshi Ono
  • Patent number: 7594967
    Abstract: A semiconductor structure including a cap layer formed over a semiconductor substrate having a rough edge, which discourages formation of dislocation pile-up defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignee: AmberWave Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher J. Vineis, Richard Westhoff, Mayank Bulsara
  • Patent number: 7582161
    Abstract: An apparatus and methods of forming the apparatus include a film of transparent conductive titanium-doped indium oxide for use in a variety of configurations and systems. The film of transparent conductive titanium-doped indium oxide may be structured as one or more monolayers. The film of transparent conductive titanium-doped indium oxide may be formed using atomic layer deposition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2009
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Kie Y. Ahn, Leonard Forbes
  • Patent number: 7566364
    Abstract: Provided may be a method of fabricating nanowires and a method of fabricating a transistor having the same. The method may include: forming a template layer on a substrate, the template layer having a first lateral surface and a second lateral surface facing the first surface; forming pores in the template layer, the pores disposed between the first lateral surface and the second lateral surface in the template layer and having first apertures in the first lateral surface; forming a single-crystalline material layer contacting the first apertures disposed in the first lateral surface of the template layer; forming second apertures connecting pores disposed in the second lateral surface; supplying gaseous crystal growth materials through the second apertures; and forming crystalline nanowires in the pores by crystal growth from the single-crystalline material layer. The nanowires may be made of crystalline materials, e.g., Si or SiGe, and may be formed parallel to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wenxu Xianyu, Young-Soo Park, Takashi Noguchi, Hans S. Cho, Xiaoxin Zhang, Huaxiang Yin
  • Patent number: 7553369
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for modifying the properties of a thin layer (1) formed on the surface of a support (2) forming a substrate (3) utilised in the field of microelectronics, nanoelectronics or microtechnology, nanotechnology, characterised in that it consists of: forming at least one thin layer (1) on a nanostructured support with specific upper surface (2), and treating the nanostructured support with specific upper surface (2) to generate internal strains in the support causing its deformation at least in the plane of the thin layer so as to ensure corresponding deformation of the thin layer to modify its properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1
    Inventors: Olivier Marty, Volodymyr Lysenko
  • Patent number: 7553371
    Abstract: Porous and/or curved nanofiber bearing substrate materials are provided having enhanced surface area for a variety of applications including as electrical substrates, semipermeable membranes and barriers, structural lattices for tissue culturing and for composite materials, production of long unbranched nanofibers, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Nanosys, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Dubrow, Carlos Guillermo Casillas, William P. Freeman, Jay L. Goldman, Veeral Dilip Hardev, Francisco Leon, Chunming Niu, Cheri X. Y. Pereira
  • Patent number: 7553370
    Abstract: Methods of crystal growth for semiconductor materials, such as nitride semiconductors, and methods of manufacturing semiconductor devices are provided. The method of crystal growth includes forming a number of island crystal regions during a first crystal growth phase and continuing growth of the island crystal regions during a second crystal growth phase while bonding of boundaries of the island crystal regions occurs. The second crystal growth phase can include a crystal growth rate that is higher than the crystal growth rate of the first crystal growth phase and/or a temperature that is lower than the first crystal growth phase. This can reduce the density of dislocations, thereby improving the performance and service life of a semiconductor device which is formed on a nitride semiconductor made in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Goshi Biwa, Hiroyuki Okuyama, Masato Doi, Toyoharu Oohata
  • Patent number: 7547360
    Abstract: In a method of SiC single crystal growth, a SiC single crystal seed and polycrystalline SiC source material are provided in spaced relation inside of a graphite growth crucible along with at least one compound capable of forming SiO gas in the growth crucible. The growth crucible is heated whereupon the gaseous SiO forms and reacts with carbon in the growth crucible thereby avoiding the introduction of carbon into the SiC single crystal before and during the growth thereof and the SiC source material vaporizes and is transported via a temperature gradient in the growth crucible to the seed crystal where it precipitates and forms a SiC single crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2009
    Assignee: II-VI Incorporated
    Inventors: Avinash K. Gupta, Edward Semenas, Ilya Zwieback
  • Patent number: 7481880
    Abstract: A method of crystallizing amorphous silicon includes forming an amorphous silicon layer on a substrate, placing a mask over the substrate including the amorphous silicon layer, and applying a laser beam onto the amorphous silicon layer through the mask to form a first crystallized region, the laser beam having an energy intensity high enough to completely melt the amorphous silicon layer, wherein the mask comprises a base substrate, a phase shift layer on the base substrate, having a plurality of first stripes having a first width separated by slits, and a blocking layer overlapping the phase shift layer, having a plurality of second stripes having a second width narrower than the first width, the second stripes being parallel to the first stripes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kwang-Jo Hwang
  • Patent number: 7479188
    Abstract: A process for producing an inexpensive large high-quality GaN substrate which comprises forming a MgO buffer layer on a high-quality substrate, generating a ZnO layer on the MgO buffer layer while performing polarity control, growing a GaN layer on the ZnO layer while performing polarity control, and melting the ZnO layer, thereby producing a GaN substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Assignee: Tohoku Techno Arch Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takafumi Yao, Takuma Suzuki, Hang-ju Ko, Agus Setiawan
  • Patent number: 7473315
    Abstract: A low dislocation density AlxInyGa1-x-yN single crystal substrate is made by forming a seed mask having parallel stripes regularly and periodically aligning on an undersubstrate, growing an AlxInyGa1-x-yN crystal on a facet-growth condition, forming repetitions of parallel facet hills and facet valleys rooted upon the mask stripes, maintaining the facet hills and facet valleys, producing voluminous defect accumulating regions (H) accompanying the valleys, yielding low dislocation single crystal regions (Z) following the facets, making C-plane growth regions (Y) following flat tops between the facets, gathering dislocations on the facets into the valleys by the action of the growing facets, reducing dislocations in the low dislocation single crystal regions (Z) and the C-plane growth regions (Y), and accumulating the dislocations in cores (S) or interfaces (K) of the voluminous defect accumulating regions (H).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Nakahata, Ryu Hirota, Kensaku Motoki, Takuji Okahisa, Koji Uematsu
  • Patent number: 7468103
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of manufacturing a gallium nitride-based (AlxInyGa(1?x?y)N, where 0?x?1, 0?y?1, 0?x+y?1) single crystal substrate. The method comprises the steps of preparing a ZnO substrate, primarily growing a gallium nitride-based single crystal layer, and secondarily growing an additional gallium nitride-based single crystal layer on the primarily grown gallium nitride-based single crystal layer while removing the ZnO substrate by etching the underside of the ZnO substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Soo Min Lee, Hun Joo Hahm, Young Ho Park
  • Patent number: 7459025
    Abstract: Systems and methods for transferring a thin film from a substrate onto another substrate, a layer of the same area as the substrate, of a thickness from sub-micron to tens of micron, and of the thickness and flatness required by VLSI and MEMS applications, and with sufficiently low defect density in the transferred layer are disclosed. The method enables separating a solid layer from a supply substrate and optionally transferring the solid layer onto a target substrate. The method generally includes providing the solid layer on a hydrogen recombination region containing hydrogen-recombination-dopant at a concentration higher than that of the solid layer. The supply substrate includes the solid layer, a mother substrate, and the hydrogen recombination region. The hydrogen recombination region may form a part of the mother substrate or may be separate therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Inventor: Tien-Hsi Lee
  • Patent number: 7459026
    Abstract: A light irradiation apparatus includes a light modulation element which has a phase step having a phase difference substantially different from 180°, an illumination optical system which illuminates the light modulation element, and an image formation optical system which forms, on an irradiation surface, a light intensity distribution based on a light beam phase-modulated by the light modulation element. The illumination optical system illuminates the light modulation element with an illumination light beam inclined in a direction normal to a step line of the phase step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: Advanced LCD Technologies Development Center Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Taniguchi, Masakiyo Matsumura
  • Patent number: 7455730
    Abstract: A method for producing a single crystal includes supplying a vapor gas from silicon carbide as a raw material to a seed crystal formed of a silicon carbide single crystal to grow the seed crystal. The seed crystal is disposed in a part of crystal growth, with a crystal face of the seed crystal inclined relative to a (0001) plane or (000-1) plane, thereby making crystal growth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Showa Denko K.K.
    Inventor: Naoki Oyanagi
  • Patent number: 7438790
    Abstract: The present invention provides an electrode for electrolysis including: a conductive substrate; and a conductive diamond formed on a surface of the conductive substrate, the conductive substrate having at least one surface shape selected from the group consisting of: (a) a surface shape of a combination of an Ra of 100-1,000-?m and an RSm of 50-10,000 ?m; (b) a surface shape of a combination of an Ra of 2.5-100 ?m and an RSm of 1.5-800 ?m, and (c) a surface shape of a combination of an Ra of 0.01-2 ?m and an RSm of 0.005-250 ?m, and a process for producing the electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Permelec Electrode Ltd.
    Inventors: Masashi Hosonuma, Masaharu Uno, Tomoyasu Shibata, Yoshinori Nishiki, Tsuneto Furuta
  • Patent number: 7425237
    Abstract: The deposition of material (3) on a growth area (4) may be highly temperature-sensitive. In order to reduce temperature inhomogeneities on the growth area (4) of a substrate wafer (1), a thermal radiation absorption layer (2) is applied on a rear side (5) of the substrate wafer (1) lying opposite to the growth area (4). The thermal radiation absorption layer (2) exhibits good radiation absorption in the spectral range of a heating source. Since the deposition of semiconductor materials, in particular AllnGaN, may lead to (depending on the deposition temperature) different emission wavelengths of the deposited material, the use of a thermal radiation absorption layer (2) may produce a narrower emission wavelength distribution of the deposited material (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Osram Opto Semiconductor GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Bader, Hans-Jurgen Lugauer, Volker Haerle, Berthold Hahn
  • Patent number: 7402206
    Abstract: A method of synthesizing or growing a compound having the general formula Mn+1AXn(16) where M is a transition metal, n is 1, 2, 3 or higher, A is an A-group element and X is carbon, nitrogen or both, which comprises the step of exposing a substrate to gaseous components and/or components vaporized from at least one solid source (13, 14, 15) whereby said components react with each other to produce the Mn+1AXn (16) compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: ABB AB
    Inventors: Peter Isberg, Jens-Petter Palmquist, Ulf Jansson, Lars Hultman, Jens Birch, Timo Seppänen
  • Patent number: 7399356
    Abstract: A film structure of a ferroelectric single crystal which can be beneficially used in the fabrication of high-performance electric and electronic parts and devices is prepared by forming an electrode layer having a perovskite crystal structure on a substrate made of a silicon or ferroelectric single crystal optionally polished to have a off-axis crystal structure, and epitaxially growing a layer of a ferroelectric single crystal thereon by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) or metallorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2008
    Assignee: Ibule Photonics, Inc.
    Inventors: Jaehwan Eun, Sang-Goo Lee, Hyeongjoon Kim, Minchan Kim
  • Patent number: 7396409
    Abstract: By uniformly forming an indefinite number of microscopic acicular crystals on a surface of a silicon substrate so as to be perpendicular to the surface of the substrate by plasma CVD method using a catalyst, it is possible to reliably, homogeneously and massively form an ultramicroscopic acicular silicon crystal having a substantial cone shape tapered so as to have a radius of curvature of not less than 1 nm to no more than 20 nm at its tip end and having a diameter of bottom surface of not less than 10 nm, and a height equivalent to or more than the diameter of bottom surface, at a desired location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignees: Covalent Materials Corporation, Techno Network Shikoku Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akitmitsu Hatta, Hiroaki Yoshimura, Keiichi Ishimoto, Hiroaki Kanakusa, Shinichi Kawagoe
  • Patent number: 7387678
    Abstract: A GaN substrate comprises a GaN single crystal substrate, an AlxGa1-xN intermediate layer (0<x?1) epitaxially grown on the substrate, and an GaN epitaxial layer grown on the intermediate layer. The intermediate layer is made of AlGaN and this AlGaN grows over the entire surface of the substrate with contaminants thereon and high dislocation regions therein. Thus, the intermediate layer is normally grown on the substrate, and a growth surface of the intermediate layer can be made flat. Since the growth surface is flat, a growth surface of the GaN epitaxial layer epitaxially grown on the intermediate layer is also flat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsushi Akita, Eiryo Takasuka, Masahiro Nakayama, Masaki Ueno, Kouhei Miura, Takashi Kyono
  • Patent number: 7384479
    Abstract: An optical semiconductor device operable in a 0.6 ?m band includes an active layer of GaInNP sandwiched by a pair of GaInP layer with a thickness of about 2 molecular layers or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoto Jikutani, Shunichi Sato, Takashi Takahashi