Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Katsushi Hashio

Masami Tatsumi

Shin-ichi Sawada

Takuya Yanagisawa

Tomohiro Kawase

Kazuaki Konoike

Makoto Kiyama

Hiroshi Fukunaga

Yukio Ishikawa

Masanori Morishita

Tatsuya Moriwake

Shinya Kawamoto

Kazuaki Kounoike

An indium phosphide single-crystal body has an oxygen concentration of less than 1×10atoms·cm, and includes a straight body portion having a cylindrical shape, wherein a diameter of the straight body portion is more than or equal to 100 mm and less than or equal to 150 mm or is more than 100 mm and less than or equal to 150 mm. An indium phosphide single-crystal substrate has an oxygen concentration of less than 1×10atoms·cm, wherein a diameter of the indium phosphide single-crystal substrate is more than or equal to 100 mm and less than or equal to 150 mm or is more than 100 mm and less than or equal to 150 mm.

Indium phosphide single-crystal body and indium phosphide single-crystal substrate

An indium phosphide single crystal including a straight body portion having a cylindrical shape, wherein a residual strain in a tangential direction in an outer circumferential portion is a compressive strain, the outer circumferential portion extending between an inner circumferential surface located 10 mm inward from an outer circumferential surface of the straight body portion toward a central axis and a location located 5 mm inward from the outer circumferential surface. There is also provided an indium phosphide single crystal substrate, wherein a residual strain in a tangential direction in an outer circumferential portion is a compressive strain, the outer circumferential portion extending between an inner circumference located 10 mm inward from an outer circumference toward a center and a location located 5 mm inward from the outer circumference.

Indium phosphide single crystal and indium phosphide single crystal substrate

The gallium arsenide single crystal substrate has a circular main surface, and when the diameter of the main surface of the gallium arsenide single crystal substrate is represented by D and the number of etch pits formed on the main surface by immersing the gallium arsenide single crystal substrate in molten potassium hydroxide at 500&#xb0; C. for 10 minutes is counted, the number Cof etch pits in a first circular region having a diameter of 0.2D around the center of the main surface is 0 or more and 10 or less.

Gallium arsenide single crystal substrate

An indium phosphide single-crystal body has an oxygen concentration of less than 1&#xd7;10atoms&#xb7;cm, and includes a straight body portion having a cylindrical shape, wherein a diameter of the straight body portion is more than or equal to 100 mm and less than or equal to 150 mm or is more than 100 mm and less than or equal to 150 mm. An indium phosphide single-crystal substrate has an oxygen concentration of less than 1&#xd7;10atoms&#xb7;cm, wherein a diameter of the indium phosphide single-crystal substrate is more than or equal to 100 mm and less than or equal to 150 mm or is more than 100 mm and less than or equal to 150 mm.

A semi-insulating gallium arsenide crystal substrate has a main surface with a plane orientation of (100) and a diameter of 2R mm, the main surface having a specific resistance with an average value of 5&#xd7;10&#x3a9;&#xb7;cm or more and with a standard deviation divided by the average value of the specific resistance, or with a coefficient of variation, of 0.50 or less in each of three measurement areas having their centers at distances of 0 mm, 0.5R mm, and (R-17) mm, respectively, from the center of the main surface in the [010] direction.

Semi-insulating gallium arsenide crystal substrate

A semi-insulating compound semiconductor substrate includes a semi-insulating compound semiconductor, the semi-insulating compound semiconductor substrate being configured such that, on a major plane having a plane orientation of (100), a standard deviation/average value of specific resistance measured at intervals of 0.1 mm along equivalent four directions in a &#x3c;110&#x3e; direction from a center of the major plane, and a standard deviation/average value of specific resistance measured at intervals of 0.1 mm along equivalent four directions in a &#x3c;100&#x3e; direction from the center of the major plane are each not more than 0.1.

Semi-insulating compound semiconductor substrate and semi-insulating compound semiconductor single crystal

A large semiconductor crystal has a diameter of at least 6 inches and a low dislocation density of not more than 1&#xd7;10cm. The crystal is preferably a single crystal of GaAs, or one of CdTe, InAs, GaSb, Si or Ge, and may have a positive boron concentration of not more than 1&#xd7;10cmand a carbon concentration of 0.5&#xd7;10cmto 1.5&#xd7;10cmwith a uniform concentration throughout the crystal. Such a crystal can form a very thin wafer with a low dislocation density. A special method and apparatus for producing such a crystal is also disclosed.

Large size semiconductor crystal with low dislocation density

A large semiconductor crystal is produced by charging a raw material into a crucible in a reactor tube, sealing the reactor tube with a flange on an open end of the tube, pressurizing the interior of the tube to an elevated pressure with an inert gas, heating the tube with an externally arranged heater to melt the raw material to form a raw material melt in the crucible, and solidifying the raw material melt to grow the semiconductor crystal. A second raw material such as a group V element can be introduced as a vapor from a reservoir into the melt in the crucible to form a compound semiconductor material. The flange is sealed to the tube by an elastic seal member, of which the temperature is maintained below 400&deg; C. throughout the process, to protect its elastic sealing properties.

Method for producing a semiconductor crystal

An apparatus and method of providing a large semiconductor crystal at a low cost are provided. The apparatus of producing a semiconductor crystal includes a reactor tube having an open end at least one end side, formed of any one material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, and aluminum oxide, or of a composite material with any one material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, mullite, and carbon as a base, and having an oxidation-proof or airtight film formed on the surface of the base, a kanthal heater arranged around the reactor tube in the atmosphere, a flange attached at the open end to seal the reactor tube, and a crucible mounted in the reactor tube to store material of a semiconductor crystal. The material stored in the crucible is heated and melted to form material melt. The material melt is solidified to grow a semiconductor crystal.

Semiconductor crystal, and method and apparatus of production thereof

An apparatus for and method of producing a large semiconductor crystal at a low cost are provided. The apparatus for producing a semiconductor crystal includes a reactor (,) having an open end at both ends thereof, that is formed of any material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, and aluminum oxide, or of a composite material including a base material selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, boron nitride, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, mullite, and carbon as a base, and including an oxidation-proof or airtight film formed on the surface of the base. The apparatus further includes a resistance heater (,) arranged around the reactor (,) in the atmosphere, a flange (,) attached at the open end to seal the reactor (,), and a crucible (,) mounted in the reactor (,) to store material of a semiconductor crystal. The material stored in the crucible (,) is heated and melted to form a material melt (,). The material melt is solidified to grow a semiconductor crystal (,).

According to the present invention, in the growth of an oxide single crystal or a compound semiconductor single crystal such as GaAs single crystal by the CZ method or LEC method, the tendency of concave solid-liquid interface shape at the periphery of the growing crystal can be suppressed to prevent polycrystallization without localized heating of the solid-liquid interface, while controlling the diameter of the growing crystal even when using a crucible with a larger diameter, thus improving the yield of crystal on a commercial scale. In the invention, the end of a cylindrical body having an inner diameter of larger than the predetermined diameter of straight part of the growing crystal is immersed in the raw material melt or liquid encapsulant and the crystal is pulled while preventing the shape of the solid-liquid interface from becoming concave by controlling the rotation rate of at least one of a crucible holding the raw material melt, the growing crystal and cylindrical body.

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Osaka, Japan

Katsushi Hashio