Abstract: Epitaxial and polycrystalline layers of silicon and silicon-germanium alloys are selectively grown on a semiconductor substrate or wafer by forming over the wafer a thin film masking layer of an oxide of an element selected from scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium; and then growing the epitaxial layer over the wafer at temperatures below 650.degree. C. The epitaxial and polycrystalline layers do not grow on the masking layer. The invention overcomes the problem of forming epitaxial layers at temperatures above 650.degree. C. by providing a lower temperature process.

Abstract: A starting gas feeding apparatus for forming a gaseous starting material from a liquid starting material and feeding the gaseous starting material into a reaction chamber of a CVD apparatus, comprises; a container that holds the liquid starting material, pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure inside the container, and heating means for heating the liquid starting material held in the container; the liquid starting material being boiled.

Abstract: When producing a single-crystal bulk ZnSe from a melt by a high-pressure melt technique in a vertical Bridgman (VB) furnace or a vertical gradient freezing (VGF) furnace, preliminarily grown polycrystalline ZnSe (which may be a crystal solely composed of twins) is used as a seed and, after melting the starting ZnSe material and part of the seed, a twin-free ZnSe bulk crystal is grown on the seed; alternatively, polycrystalline ZnSe is grown at the tip of the growing crystal and part of it is melted, followed by growing a single crystal on that polycrystal to produce a twin-free, high-purity ZnSe bulk crystal. In either way, the process assures that twin-free single crystals of bulk ZnSe can be produced with good reproducibility without adding dopants or using any materials that are difficult to obtain.

Abstract: The present invention is a process and apparatus for the synthesis and growth of single crystals of phosphorus compounds starting with the elemental materials in a single furnace without external exposure. The apparatus of the present invention is a crystal growth furnace heated by RF coils. Inside the furnace is a susceptor for holding a crucible. Above the crucible is selectively positioned a phosphorus improved injector. The non-phosphorus materials are placed in the crucible and melted to a desired temperature. The phosphorus material previously placed within the injector is heated by the radiant heat from the crucible to drive the phosphorus vapor into the melt through a tube. This is closely controlled by noting the temperature within the injector and adjusting the height of the injector above the melt to control the temperature within the phosphorus material. After the formation of the stoichiometric melt, the seed is inserted into the melt for crystal growth if so desired.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor boule, the method comprises providing a chamber having a crucible, introducing a material for forming the boule and a liquid encapsulant having a softening point into the crucible, heating the crucible to melt the material, cooling the material to grow a boule, and separating the grown boule from the crucible at a temperature higher than the softening point of the encapsulant. An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor boule which comprises a chamber; a crucible for containing a seed crystal, a starting material, and a liquid encapsulant; a crucible shaft for holding the crucible; and a seed crystal shaft for holding the seed crystal and the boule formed by the seed crystal and starting material, the seed crystal shaft being elevated and rotated independently of the crucible shaft.

Abstract: A process for growing a multielement compound single crystal, includes the steps of placing a crucible holding a raw multielement compound of a predetermined set of composition ratios Y in a vertical crystal growing furnace having a heater, melting the raw multielement compound held in the crucible with the heater to produce a melt of the raw multielement compound in the crucible, controlling the output of the heater to grow a multielement compound single crystal of a predetermined set of composition ratios X from the melt so that the melt is solidified successively upwards from part of the melt in contact with the bottom of the crucible, and feeding to the melt as a solute at least one element of the raw multielement compound from above the level of the melt in the crucible so as to maintain the predetermined set of composition ratios X of the solute during growth of the multielement compound single crystal. The process can keep constant the composition of the grown multielement compound single crystal.

Abstract: A process for growing a multielement compound single crystal, includes the steps of placing a crucible holding a raw multielement compound of a predetermined set of composition ratios Y in a vertical crystal growing furnace having a heater, melting the raw multielement compound held in the crucible with the heater to produce a melt of the raw multielement compound in the crucible, controlling the output of the heater to grow a multielement compound single crystal of a predetermined set of composition ratios X from the melt so that the melt is solidified successively upwards from part of the melt in contact with the bottom of the crucible, and feeding to the melt as a solute at least one element of the raw multielement compound from above the level of the melt in the crucible so as to maintain the predetermined set of composition ratios X of the solute during growth of the multielement compound single crystal. The process can keep constant the composition of the grown multielement compound single crystal.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor boule, the method comprises providing a chamber having a crucible, introducing a material for forming the boule and a liquid encapsulant having a softening point into the crucible, heating the crucible to melt the material, cooling the material to grow a boule, and separating the grown boule from the crucible at a temperature higher than the softening point of the encapsulant.An apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor boule which comprises a chamber; a crucible for containing a seed crystal, a starting material, and a liquid encapsulant; a crucible shaft for holding the crucible; and a seed crystal shaft for holding the seed crystal and the boule formed by the seed crystal and starting material, the seed crystal shaft being elevated and rotated independently of the crucible shaft.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of growing a single crystal of a compound semiconductor, in which a compound semiconductor material is loaded in a vertical crucible and the compound semiconductor material is converted into a single crystal by utilizing a seed disposed in the center of the bottom portion of the vertical crucible.

Abstract: There is here provided a method for growing single crystals from a melt which comprises the steps of preparing a double structure crucible constituted of an inner tube and an outer tube; placing a raw material in the inner tube; hermetically sealing the outer tube; and heating/melting the raw material to perform crystal growth.According to the present invention, it is possible to hermetically confine and to crystallize the raw material even at a high temperature.