Rca Inc.

Paul H Robinson

Henry Kressel

Lawrence A Goodman

Alvin M Goodman

Ramon Ubaldo Martinelli

John P Russell

Robert V D'Aiello

Norman Goldsmith

Norbert W Brackelmanns

Gary W Looney

Ram Shaul Ronen

A method for decreasing the turnoff time in a crystalline semiconductor region within a semiconductor device comprises initially providing a semiconductor region having a predetermined density of pinning centers. The semiconductor region is then irradiated so as to yield crystal damage that is equivalent to or greater than that which would be produced by irradiating with 1 MeV neutrons at a fluence greater than approximately 10.sup.13 cm.sup.-2. The region is then annealed at a temperature of approximately 350.degree. to 450.degree. C. for approximately 15 minutes to one hour so as to yield a density of stable recombination centers correlating with the pinning centers that provides a stable minority carrier lifetime within the semiconductor region.

Method for increasing the switching speed of a semiconductor device by

Heavily doped substrates of silicon wafers are inhibited from contaminating by autodoping phenomenon lightly doped epitaxial growing films by providing a thick film of silicon on the susceptor for CVD processing in an RF powered reactor. The susceptor film of silicon serves to provide a silicon seal to the rear surface of the substrate to prevent or at least inhibit outdiffusion of dopants that can contaminate the epitaxial film. For example, substrates heavily doped with arsenic, phosphorus or boron at concentrations of 10.sup.19 atoms/cc are inhibited from autodoping contaminating epitaxial films of silicon lightly doped with the same dopant at 10.sup.14 atoms/cc.

Method to inhibit autodoping in epitaxial layers from heavily doped

A high-current, high-voltage semiconductor device is fabricated on a metallurgical grade substrate of a first conductivity type by first growing an epitaxial layer of the first conductivity type on the substrate and then fabricating a semiconductor device thereon designed for high-current, high-voltage applications.

High-current, high-voltage semiconductor devices having a metallurgical

A body of semiconductor material having a first surface and a second surface spaced from the first surface includes a first layer along the first surface, a second layer along the second surface, a third layer between and contiguous to the first and second layers. The third layer is of a conductivity type opposite that of the first and second layers so as to form first and second P-N junctions respectively therebetween. The thickness of the third layer is at least twice the minority carrier diffusion length of the semiconductor material, so that carriers generated within the third layer have a high probability of being collected by one of the P-N junctions. The body includes means for electrically connecting the first and second P-N junctions and means for transferring the carriers collected at the first P-N junction to a portion of the first surface.

Polycrystalline or amorphous semiconductor photovoltaic device having

Certain electrical characteristics of a semiconductor device which includes a body of semiconductor material are improved by exposing the semiconductor device to a substantially water vapor free atmosphere of chlorine and heating the device in this atmosphere.

Method of treating semiconductor device to improve its electrical

Epitaxial layers of silicon, having thicknesses of at least about 25 .mu.m, are grown on the (100) or (111) planar surfaces of silicon substrates by the vapor deposition of silicon from the reaction of dichlorosilane and hydrogen gas in a reactor furnace. Good epitaxial layers of silicon of substantially uniform thicknesses are formed on the substrates when the growth rate of the epitaxial layer is between about 5 and 20 .mu.m/minute in the reactor furnace, and the latter is heated to a temperature of between about 1050.degree. and 1200.degree.C.

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Lawrenceville, NJ, United States of America

Paul H Robinson