SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE MADE WITH GROUP II-VI COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTOR AND HAVING A P TYPE REGION

摘要

A semiconductor device made of a II-VI compound semiconductor and having a p type semiconductor crystal. The p type semiconductor crystal is one obtained by growing the II-VI compound semiconductor crystal by relying on a liquid phase crystal growth process using a solvent comprised of one of Group II and Group VI elements constituting the Group II-VI compound semiconductor and having a higher vapor pressure over the other of these elements in an atmosphere comprised of the other of the elements having a lower vapor pressure under controlled vapor pressure of the atmosphere, and by doping into the solvent a p type impurity element selected from Group Ia and Ib elements in an amount of a range from 1x10-3 to 5x10-1 mol %. Thus, p type semiconductor crystals for use in semiconductor devices can be obtained easily from II-VI compound semiconductors. The present invention is especially effective in ZnSe crystals.