Hetero junction semiconductor device

• US 4,254,429 A
• Filed: 07/09/1979
• Issued: 03/03/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Shunpei Yamazaki
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Shunpei
• Primary Examiner(s): Edlow, Martin H.
• Application Number:
  US06/055,650
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 357/16, 357/2, 357/59, 357/61, 357/4
• US Class Current: 257/65
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/1604 Amorphous materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/247 Amorphous materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/263 Amorphous materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1055 the devices comprising amorphous materials of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/109 the potential barrier being of the PN heterojunction type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1105 the device being a bipolar phototransistor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/111 characterised by at least three potential barriers, e.g. photothyristors

Abstract

A hetero junction semiconductor device having at least one inter-semiconductor hetero junction, which has at least a first non-single-crystal semiconductor region having a first energy gap, a second non-single-crystal semiconductor region having a second energy gap different from the first energy gap and a third non-single-crystal semiconductor region serving as the hetero junction formed to extend between the first and second semiconductor regions and having an energy gap continuously changing from the first energy gap on the side of the first semiconductor region to the second energy gap on the side of the second semiconductor region, and in which the first, second and third semiconductor regions are doped with recombination center neutralizers.

Claims

1. A hetero junction semiconductor device having at least one inter-semiconductor hetero junction, which comprises at least a first non-single-crystal semiconductor region having a first energy gap, a second non-single-crystal semiconductor region having a second energy gap different from the first energy gap, and a third non-single-crystal semiconductor region defined between the first and second semiconductor regions to serve as a hetero junction, and wherein the third semiconductor region has an energy gap which successively changes from the first energy gap on the side of the first semiconductor region to the second energy gap on the side of the second semiconductor region, and wherein the first, second and third semiconductor regions have doped therein a recombination center neutralizer.

2. A hetero junction semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor region has any one of p-type, n-type and i-type conductivity types, and the second semiconductor region has a conductivity type different from that of the first semiconductor region.

3. A hetero junction semiconductor device accoring to claim 1, wherein the recombination center neutralizer is one or more of hydrogen, deuterium, chlorine, fluorine, bromine and halogenide.

4. A hetero junction semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first, second and third semiconductor regions is formed of a material selected from a group consisting of silicon, germanium, silicon carbides, germanium carbides, silicon nitrides, germanium nitrides, silicon oxides and germanium oxides.

5. A hetero junction semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor region is formed of Si_x C_1-x (where 0.5<

x<

1), wherein the second semiconductor region is formed of Si, and wherein the third semiconductor region is formed of Si_y C_1-y (where the value of y is larger than the value of x and changes from the value of x on the side of the first semiconductor region to 1 on the side of the second semiconductor region).

6. A hetero junction semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor region is formed of Si₃ N_4-x (where 0<

x<

4), wherein the second semiconductor region is formed of Si, and wherein the third semiconductor region is formed of Si₃ N_4-y (where the value of y is larger than the value of x and changes from the value of x on the side of the first semiconductor region to 1 on the side of the second semiconductor region).

7. A hetero junction semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconductor region is formed of SiO_2-x (where 0<

x<

2), wherein the second semiconductor region is formed of Si, and wherein the third semiconductor region is formed of SiO_2-y (where the value of y is larger than the value of x and changes from the value of x on the side of the first semiconductor region to 1 on the side of the second semiconductor region.