Abstract: A substrate loading subsystem receives substrates from an external source and delivers them to an input port. A substrate pickup transports the substrates serially from the input port to a delivery port of a processing subsystem wherein the substrates are subjected to a reactant gas in a reaction chamber. After completion of the chemical vapor deposition, the substrate pick up serially transports the substrates to an outlet port wherefrom they are off loaded.

Abstract: A heating system for use in chemical vapor deposition equipment of the type wherein a reactant gas is directed in horizontal flow for depositing materials on a substrate which is supported in a reaction chamber on a susceptor which is rotatably driven for rotating the substrate about an axis which extends normally from its center. The heating system works in conjunction with a special heat sensing arrangement and includes an upper heating element assembly, a lower heating element assembly and a heat concentrator mechanism whic interact to provide rapid temperature build-up at the beginning of a processing cycle, rapid temperature attenuation at the end of a processing cycle and a controlled flat temperature profile during the processing cycle.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a high throughput single crystal epitaxial deposition process which achieves increased uniformity, both wafer to wafer and across the wafer surface. There is provided an epitaxial deposition process characterized by low-level cooling periods which minimize temperature changes between deposition cycles and inter-cycle cleaning so that each new wafer is presented with a substantially equivalent deposition environment.

Abstract: A heating system for use in chemical vapor deposition equipment of the type wherein a reactant gas is directed in a horizontal flow for depositing materials on a substrate which is supported in a reaction chamber on a susceptor which is rotatably driven for rotating the substrate about an axis which extends normally from its center. The heating system works in conjunction with a special heat sensing arrangement and includes an upper heating element assembly, a lower heating element assembly and a heat concentrator mechanism which interact to provide rapid temperature build-up at the beginning of a processing cycle, rapid temperature attenuation at the end of a processing cycle and a controlled flat temperature profile during the processig cycle.

Abstract: This invention discloses a system for chemically depositing various materials carried by a reactant gas onto substrates for manufacturing semiconductor devices. The system includes special loading and unloading sub-system for placement of substrates to be processed into the system and subsequent extraction without contamination of the system. A special substrate handling sub-system is provided for moving the substrates to and from at least one processing sub-system without physically contacting the planar surfaces of the substrates. The processing sub-system includes a horizontal gas flow reaction chamber having a rotatable susceptor therein for rotating the single substrate supportable thereon about an axis that is normal to the center of the substrate for averaging of the temperature and reactant gas concentration variables.

Abstract: In a chemical vapor deposition chamber, an improved technique for providing deposition materials to the growth surface is described. The gas carrying deposition materials is constrained to have axial symmetry thereby providing a uniform deposition of materials on the substrate. The gas can be initially directed toward the substrate with a generally uniform perpendicular velocity. The gas can be introduced into the deposition chamber through a multiplicity of apertures and is extracted from the vicinity of the substrate in a manner to preserve the axial symmetry. The apparatus permits convenient control of the deposition process by varying the distance between apparatus introducing the gas carrying the deposition materials and the substrate. The flow of gas minimizes the problems arising from autodoping of the growth layer of material. The flow of gas and generally small size of the deposition chamber minimize particulate contamination of the growing film.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for heating a substrate and associated rotatable susceptor in an epitaxial deposition reactor with an axially symmetric gas flow carrying deposition material include at least one chamber having a plurality of heat lamps. The chamber is generally symmetric with respect to an axis of the substrate. The chamber walls are coated to reflect light from the heat lamps. The outermost heat lamps can be energized to produce a higher temperature than the centrally located lamps to compensate for regions of the reactor which provide access to the substrate and, therefore, promote thermal losses. The spacing of the heat lamps may be varied to compensate for thermal non-uniformity of the heating cavity. The substrate may be rotated, on the rotatable susceptor, to average the thermal environment to which the substrate is exposed.

Abstract: In an epitaxial deposition reactor with an axially symmetric gas flow carrying the deposition materials, apparatus and method for heating the substrate and associated susceptor uniformly is described. The apparatus includes at least one chamber having a plurality of heat lamps passing therethrough, the chamber being generally disposed symmetrically with respect to an axis of the substrate. The walls of the chamber are appropriately coated to reflect the light from the heat lamps and the outermost lamps can be energized to produce a higher temperature than the centrally located lamps to compensate for regions of the reactor that provide access to the substrate and therefore promote thermal losses. The spacing of the lamps can be varied also to compensate for thermal non-uniformity of the heating cavity. In a first embodiment, a lower chamber can be a chamber similar to the first chamber with the exception that the lamps are rotated 90.degree..

Abstract: High-speed p-i-n and avalanche photodetectors (photodiodes) use a heavily doped buried layer to greatly limit minority carriers generated by incident light in the buried layers and the substrates of the devices from reaching the cathodes and thus enhances response time while substantially decreasing dark current. A p-i-n diode of this type with a 1.1 square millimeter active area can operate with 4 volt reverse bias and is capable of having edge rise and fall times in the 4 nanosecond range.

Abstract: A semiconductor structure including a pair of single-crystal semiconductor bulk regions (10.3, 12.2) of differing first and second bulk conductivities, respectively, for forming semiconductor circuits therein, is fabricated whereby each such region is electrically isolated from the other and from a rigid body (20) supporting these regions. The structure is formed by forming at a major surface of a single crystal semiconductor water (10) having the first bulk conductivity a bulk zone (12.1) having the second bulk conductivity, followed by the steps of (1) forming in the wafer (10) at the major surface (10.6) thereof a V-shaped groove (10.2) at the boundary of the bulk zone (12.1) using a crystallographic orientation dependent etch, in order to define the regions (10.3, 12.2) of differing conductivities, (2) forming a dielectric layer (15.1, 15.

Abstract: Dielectrically isolated semiconductor devices are producible through a relatively convenient fabrication procedure. In this fabrication procedure, a substrate having regions of single crystal silicon and regions of silicon oxide is employed. Such substrate is expeditiously produced by methods which leave the surface of the single crystal regions below those of the silicon oxide regions. Silicon is deposited by CVD onto the structure with its regions of silicon dioxide and single crystal silicon. Initially, the conditions of the CVD procedure are controlled so that epitaxial silicon grows on the regions of single crystal silicon but essentially no growth is induced on the silicon oxide regions. When the growth of the single crystal regions has proceeded sufficiently to produce a substantially planar structure, advantageously the deposition conditions are adjusted so that silicon is also deposited on the surface of the silicon oxide.

Abstract: Structures useful for dielectrically isolated high voltage devices are produced utilizing a melting technique. In this technique a cavity is produced in a silicon wafer, the surface of the cavity is, for example, oxidized to form a dielectric material, and silicon is deposited onto the dielectric material so that it extends to a region where it is in contact with single crystal silicon, e.g., a portion of the wafer. The entire region of polycrystalline silicon is then melted. Upon termination of the melting energy, the polycrystalline silicon is converted into a thick region of dielectrically isolated single crystal silicon. This thick region is useful for the formation of high voltage devices.

Abstract: Dielectrically isolated regions of single crystal silicon are produced through the use of a specific melting process. In this process, a substrate having regions of single crystal silicon contacting regions of non-single crystal silicon that overlie a dielectric material are treated. In particular, the entire region(s) of non-single crystal silicon is melted utilizing primarily radiant energy. Cooling is then initiated and the molten silicon is converted into a region of single crystal material. Isolation is completed by removing the appropriate regions of single crystal silicon.