Patent ID: 6488771
Filing Date: 2002-12-03
Classification: C30B

Abstract:
A method of depositing a heteroepitaxial single-crystal film on a plurality of step-free surfaces of a basal plane surface orientation of a selected single-crystal substrate material serving as a wafer, said method comprising the steps of:(a) preparing more than one step-free planar surface on the selected substrate, wherein each of said plurality of step-free surfaces has a boundary of selected size and shape; (b) selecting a heteroepitaxial film material whose chemical bonding structure is tetrahedral and exhibits a property that under predetermined growth conditions that growth of said heteroepitaxial film material grows in bilayers on said selected step-free planar surface; (c) carrying out a selected deposition process under selected growth conditions that produce (1) a single nucleus of said heteroepitaxial film material at least one bilayer thick on said step-free surface with said selected boundary, followed by (2) lateral expansion of said single nucleus over entire surface defined by said selected boundary of said plurality of step-free basal plane surfaces before a second nucleus can form elsewhere on the said selected step-free planar surface, and (3) a single nucleus of the second bilayer of heteroepitaxial film material on top of the said first bilayer of heteroepitaxial film followed by (4) lateral expansion of the single nucleus over the entire surface defined by the selected boundary of the step-free basal plane surface before a second nucleus can form elsewhere on the first bilayer of heteroepitaxial film on the selected step-free planar surface; and (d) providing growth of subsequent additional bilayers of the said heteroepitaxial film by providing a suitable set of growth conditions until a desired thickness of said heteroepitaxial film is achieved.