Improvements in or relating to electric semi-conductor devices and processes for their production

摘要

719,873. Semi-conductor materials. SIEMENS-SCHUCKERTWERKE AKT.-GES. March 10, 1952, [March 10, 1951; Feb. 22, 1952; Feb. 23, 1952.] No. 6228/52. Class 37. A semi-conductor for use in rectifiers, transistors, photo-electric cells consists of a chemical compound of one of the elements boron, aluminium, gallium, or indium with one of the elements nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, or antimony. Specific compounds envisaged are A1P, A1Sb, AIN, AIAs, GaP, GaN, GaAs, GaSb, InP, InSb, In AS,BP. If desired, traces of elements of the sixth group of the Periodic System, e.g. tellurium or selenium, may be added to produce p and n type conductivities. Zones of different types of conductivity may be produced e.g. by growing the crystal in a vacuum so that the impurity addition (e.g. tellurium or selenium) evaporates while the vacuum persists. An n type conductivity crystal can be given a p type zone by coating with an appropriate impurity _ e.g. an element of the second group such as zinc, cadmium or magnesium, and heating to diffuse the impurity into the crystal. Similarly a zone of n type conductivity can be produced in a p type conductivity crystal by using selenium or tellurium or another element of the sixth group. Two crystals having n-p junctions may be joined to produce crystals of n-p-n or p-n-p junctions.