Devices incorporating heavily defected semiconductor layers

• US 20060267007A1
• Filed: 12/28/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Yale University
• Original Assignee: Yale University
• Inventors: Woodall, Jerry M., Harmon, Eric S., Salzman, David
• Application Number:
  US11/320,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20060267007A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/46
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02381 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02392 Phosphides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02395 Arsenides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02422 Non-crystalline insulating materials, e.g. glass, polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0245 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02461 Phosphides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02463 Arsenides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02491 Conductive materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02507 Alternating layers, e.g. superlattice
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0251 Graded layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02546 Arsenides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02576 N-type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02631 Physical deposition at reduced pressure, e.g. MBE, sputtering, evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/205 in different semiconductor regions , e.g. heterojunctions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/32 the imperfections being within the semiconductor body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7783 using III-V semiconductor material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/88 Tunnel-effect diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/101 Devices sensitive to infrared, visible or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/109 the potential barrier being of the PN heterojunction type

Abstract

The structure and growth method are disclosed for a novel heterojunction diode structure. The invention exploits the Fermi level pinning properties of dislocations and defects in compound semiconductors to achieve heterojunctions with nonlinear current-voltage characteristics despite highly defected, polycrystalline, or amorphous semiconductors. The invention enable new diode, photodetector, and transistor devices to be implemented using highly lattice-mismatched semiconductors. The invention additionally enables thin film diodes, photodetectors, and transistors to be realized.

Claims

1. A heterojunction diode including a first side and a second side, wherein said first side contains at least 10⁷ dislocations and/or grain boundaries per cm².

2. The heterojunction diode of claim 1 wherein said first side includes a compound semiconductor material containing at least 25% In atoms.

3. The heterojunction diode of claim 2 wherein said semiconductor material includes atoms from columns III and from column V of the periodic table.

4. The heterojunction diode of claim 1 wherein said first side contains amorphous semiconductor material.

5. The heterojunction diode of claim 1 wherein said second side also exhibits a density of dislocations of at least 10⁷ per cm², a density of polycrystalline grains of at least 10⁷ per cm², amorphous semiconductor material, or some combination of these.

6. A field-effect transistor including a gate electrode, said electrode using at least one heterojunction diode in accordance with claim 1.

7. A hot-electron transistor including a junction, said junction using a heterojunction diode in accordance with claim 1.

8. A photodetector including a junction, said junction using a heterojunction diode in accordance with claim 1.

9. A metal-semiconductor-metal junction wherein said semiconductor exhibits at least 10⁷ dislocations or grain boundaries per cm².

10. A junction in accordance with claim 9 wherein at least one of said metals is a semi-metal.

11. A junction in accordance with claim 10 wherein said semi-metal includes at least 25% In atoms.

12. A diode junction including at least 10⁷ dislocations or grain boundaries per cm², said diode junction acting as a Schottky, a PN, an nN isotype heterojunction, an MIM, an NIN, a PIP, a PIN, or a metal-semiconductor contact.

13. A diode junction in accordance with claim 12 including amorphous semiconductor material.

14. A diode junction in accordance with claim 12 including atoms from column III and from column V of the periodic table.

16. A microelectronic device including a plurality of diode junctions in accordance with claim 12.

17. A transistor in accordance with claim 16.

18. The transistor of claim 17 wherein said transistor is a MESFET, JFET, HFET, HEMT, pHEMT, or fin FET.

19. The transistor of claim 17 wherein said transistor is a junction transistor.

20. The transistor of claim 17 wherein said junction transistor is a BJT, HBT, or metal-base transistor.

15. A diode junction in accordance with claim 15 wherein said first side includes at least 25 % In atoms.