Patents by Inventor Leo J. Schowalter

Leo J. Schowalter has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10692980
    Abstract: Fabrication of doped AlN crystals and/or AlGaN epitaxial layers with high conductivity and mobility is accomplished by, for example, forming mixed crystals including a plurality of impurity species and electrically activating at least a portion of the crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: CRYSTAL IS, INC.
    Inventors: Glen A. Slack, Leo J. Schowalter
  • Publication number: 20200190694
    Abstract: In various embodiments, controlled heating and/or cooling conditions are utilized during the fabrication of aluminum nitride single crystals and aluminum nitride bulk polycrystalline ceramics. Thermal treatments may also be utilized to control properties of aluminum nitride crystals after fabrication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Robert T. BONDOKOV, Jianfeng CHEN, Keisuke YAMAOKA, Shichao WANG, Shailaja P. RAO, Takashi SUZUKI, Leo J. SCHOWALTER
  • Publication number: 20200140292
    Abstract: A fluid treatment system includes a reactor chamber fluidly coupled with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. The reactor chamber is defined by one or more chamber walls. The system includes a UV LED, and a light pipe. The light pipe extends into the reactor chamber through at least one of the chamber walls. The light pipe has a proximal end disposed outside of the reactor chamber. The proximal end is coupled with the UV LED to transmit UV light into the reactor chamber through the light pipe. To that end, the light pipe also has a distal end, opposite the proximal end, that is disposed within an interior volume of the reactor chamber. The light pipe includes a central section disposed between the proximal end and the distal end. The central section is configured to transmit the UV light from UV LED to the distal end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2019
    Publication date: May 7, 2020
    Inventors: Leo J. Schowalter, Amy C. Wilson Miller
  • Patent number: 10612156
    Abstract: In various embodiments, growth of large, high-quality single crystals of aluminum nitride is enabled via a two-stage process utilizing two different crystalline seeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Crystal IS, Inc.
    Inventors: Leo J. Schowalter, Robert T. Bondokov, James R. Grandusky
  • Patent number: 10615322
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a rigid lens is attached to a light-emitting semiconductor die via a layer of encapsulant having a thickness insufficient to prevent propagation of thermal expansion mismatch-induced strain between the rigid lens and the semiconductor die.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: CRYSTAL IS, INC.
    Inventors: Leo J. Schowalter, Jianfeng Chen, James R. Grandusky
  • Publication number: 20200058491
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a semiconductor device includes an aluminum nitride single-crystal substrate, a pseudomorphic strained layer disposed thereover that comprises at least one of AN, GaN, InN, or an alloy thereof, and, disposed over the strained layer, a semiconductor layer that is lattice-mismatched to the substrate and substantially relaxed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Publication date: February 20, 2020
    Inventors: James R. Grandusky, Leo J. Schowalter, Shawn R. Gibb, Joseph A. Smart, Shiwen Liu
  • Patent number: 10550493
    Abstract: In various embodiments, controlled heating and/or cooling conditions are utilized during the fabrication of aluminum nitride single crystals and aluminum nitride bulk polycrystalline ceramics. Thermal treatments may also be utilized to control properties of aluminum nitride crystals after fabrication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: CRYSTAL IS, INC.
    Inventors: Robert T. Bondokov, Jianfeng Chen, Keisuke Yamaoka, Shichao Wang, Shailaja P. Rao, Takashi Suzuki, Leo J. Schowalter
  • Publication number: 20200010975
    Abstract: In various embodiments, growth of large, high-quality single crystals of aluminum nitride is enabled via a two-stage process utilizing two different crystalline seeds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Publication date: January 9, 2020
    Inventors: Leo J. SCHOWALTER, Robert T. BONDOKOV, James R. GRANDUSKY
  • Publication number: 20200002841
    Abstract: Bulk single crystal of aluminum nitride (AlN) having an areal planar defect density?100 cm?2. Methods for growing single crystal aluminum nitride include melting an aluminum foil to uniformly wet a foundation with a layer of aluminum, the foundation forming a portion of an AlN seed holder, for an AlN seed to be used for the AlN growth. The holder may consist essentially of a substantially impervious backing plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Inventors: Robert T. Bondokov, Leo J. Schowalter, Kenneth Morgan, Glen A. Slack, Shailaja P. Rao, Shawn Robert Gibb
  • Publication number: 20190382919
    Abstract: In various embodiments, single-crystal aluminum nitride boules and substrates have low Urbach energies and/or absorption coefficients at deep-ultraviolet wavelengths. The single-crystal aluminum nitride may function as a platform for the fabrication of light-emitting devices such as light-emitting diodes and lasers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Inventors: Robert T. BONDOKOV, James R. GRANDUSKY, Jianfeng CHEN, Shichao WANG, Toru KIMURA, Thomas MIEBACH, Keisuke YAMAOKA, Leo J. SCHOWALTER
  • Publication number: 20190382916
    Abstract: In various embodiments, single-crystal aluminum nitride boules and substrates are formed from the vapor phase with controlled levels of impurities such as carbon. Single-crystal aluminum nitride may be heat treated via quasi-isothermal annealing and controlled cooling to improve its ultraviolet absorption coefficient and/or Urbach energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Inventors: Robert T. BONDOKOV, James R. GRANDUSKY, Jianfeng CHEN, Shichao WANG, Toru KIMURA, Thomas MIEBACH, Keisuke YAMAOKA, Leo J. SCHOWALTER
  • Publication number: 20190348581
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a layer of organic encapsulant is provided over a surface of an ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting semiconductor die, and at least a portion of the encapsulant is exposed to UV light to convert at least some of said portion of the encapsulant into non-stoichiometric silica material. The non-stoichiometric silica material includes silicon, oxygen, and carbon, and a carbon content of the non-stoichiometric silica material is greater than 1 ppm and less than 40 atomic percent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Inventors: Ken Kitamura, Masato Toita, Hironori Ishii, Yuting Wang, Leo J. Schowalter, Jianfeng Chen, James R. Grandusky
  • Publication number: 20190316272
    Abstract: In various embodiments, methods of forming single-crystal AlN include providing a substantially undoped polycrystalline AlN ceramic having an oxygen concentration less than approximately 100 ppm, forming a single-crystal bulk AlN crystal by a sublimation-recondensation process at a temperature greater than approximately 2000° C., and cooling the bulk AlN crystal to a first temperature between approximately 1500° C. and approximately 1800° C. at a first rate less than approximately 250° C./hour.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Publication date: October 17, 2019
    Inventors: Sandra B. Schujman, Shailaja P. Rao, Robert T. Bondokov, Kenneth E. Morgan, Glen A. Slack, Leo J. Schowalter
  • Patent number: 10446391
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a semiconductor device includes an aluminum nitride single-crystal substrate, a pseudomorphic strained layer disposed thereover that comprises at least one of AlN, GaN, InN, or an alloy thereof, and, disposed over the strained layer, a semiconductor layer that is lattice-mismatched to the substrate and substantially relaxed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: CRYSTAL IS, INC.
    Inventors: James R. Grandusky, Leo J. Schowalter, Shawn R. Gibb, Joseph A. Smart, Shiwen Liu
  • Patent number: 10407798
    Abstract: In various embodiments, growth of large, high-quality single crystals of aluminum nitride is enabled via a two-stage process utilizing two different crystalline seeds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: CRYSTAL IS, INC.
    Inventors: Leo J. Schowalter, Robert T. Bondokov, James R. Grandusky
  • Patent number: 10392722
    Abstract: Bulk single crystal of aluminum nitride (AlN) having an areal planar defect density ?100 cm?2. Methods for growing single crystal aluminum nitride include melting an aluminum foil to uniformly wet a foundation with a layer of aluminum, the foundation forming a portion of an AlN seed holder, for an AlN seed to be used for the AlN growth. The holder may consist essentially of a substantially impervious backing plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: CRYSTAL IS, INC.
    Inventors: Robert T. Bondokov, Leo J. Schowalter, Kenneth Morgan, Glen A. Slack, Shailaja P. Rao, Shawn Robert Gibb
  • Publication number: 20190214527
    Abstract: In various embodiments, light-emitting devices incorporate graded layers with compositional offsets at one or both end points of the graded layer to promote formation of two-dimensional carrier gases and polarization doping, thereby enhancing device performance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2019
    Publication date: July 11, 2019
    Inventors: Craig MOE, James R. GRANDUSKY, Shawn R. GIBB, Leo J. SCHOWALTER, Kosuke SATO, Tomohiro MORISHITA
  • Patent number: 10347805
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a layer of organic encapsulant is provided over a surface of an ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting semiconductor die, and at least a portion of the encapsulant is exposed to UV light to convert at least some of said portion of the encapsulant into non-stoichiometric silica material. The non-stoichiometric silica material includes silicon, oxygen, and carbon, and a carbon content of the non-stoichiometric silica material is greater than 1 ppm and less than 40 atomic percent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: CRYSTAL IS, INC.
    Inventors: Ken Kitamura, Masato Toita, Hironori Ishii, Yuting Wang, Leo J. Schowalter, Jianfeng Chen, James R. Grandusky
  • Patent number: 10316428
    Abstract: In various embodiments, methods of forming single-crystal AlN include providing a substantially undoped polycrystalline AlN ceramic having an oxygen concentration less than approximately 100 ppm, forming a single-crystal bulk AlN crystal by a sublimation-recondensation process at a temperature greater than approximately 2000° C., and cooling the bulk AlN crystal to a first temperature between approximately 1500° C. and approximately 1800° C. at a first rate less than approximately 250° C./hour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Crystal IS, Inc.
    Inventors: Sandra B. Schujman, Shailaja P. Rao, Robert T. Bondokov, Kenneth E. Morgan, Glen A. Slack, Leo J. Schowalter
  • Publication number: 20190153618
    Abstract: In various embodiments, single-crystal aluminum nitride boules and substrates having high transparency to ultraviolet light and low defect density are formed. The single-crystal aluminum nitride may function as a platform for the fabrication of light-emitting devices such as light-emitting diodes and lasers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Inventors: Robert T. BONDOKOV, Jianfeng CHEN, Keisuke YAMAOKA, Shichao WANG, Shailaja P. RAO, Takashi SUZUKI, Leo J. SCHOWALTER