Patent ID: 6461944
Filing Date: 2002-10-08
Classification: C30B,H01L,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of producing single-crystal structures with cantilevered web features on a single-crystal substrate, said method comprising the steps of:(a) choosing a single crystal substrate material which exhibits the property that the material contains at least one growth plane orientation whereby under selected growth conditions the growth rate due to step-flow growth is greater than at least one hundred (100) times a growth rate due to growth involving two-dimensional nucleation; (b) preparing a planar first growth surface on said substrate that is parallel to within a predetermined angle relative to a selected crystal plane of said substrate; (c) removing material in said first growth surface so as to define at least one selected separated second growth surface defined by a boundary wherein said boundary has at least one concave border; (d) treating said substrate so as to remove any removable sources of unwanted crystal nucleation and any removable sources of steps; (e) depositing a homoepitaxial film on said second separated growth surface under selected conditions so as to provide a step-flow growth while suppressing two-dimensional nucleation; (f) continuing said deposition of said homoepitaxial film so that said step-flow growth results and produces a cantilevered web structure growing from said at least one of the concave border; and (g) continuing said deposition of said homoepitaxial film starting from said produced cantilevered web structure until a third selected separated growth surface of a desired size and shape is achieved and consisting of a continuous composition devoid of coalescence regions.