Rare-earth oxides, rare-earth nitrides, rare-earth phosphides and ternary alloys

Abstract

Fabrication of new forms of rare-earth oxides, rare-earth nitrides and rare-earth phosphides is disclosed. Further, ternary compounds composed of binary (rare-earth oxides, rare-earth nitrides and rare-earth phosphides) mixed with silicon and or germanium to form compound semiconductors. The presented growth techniques and material system can be applied to silicon electronics, opto-electronic, magneto-electronics and magneto-optics devices.

1 . A solid state device comprising a structure comprising:
 a first single crystal semiconductor layer;   a second semiconductor layer; and   a rare earth layer separating the first layer from the second layer wherein the rare earth layer comprises a composition chosen from: [Q] m [RE1] n  or [RE1] u [RE2] v [J1] x [J2] y ; wherein [RE] is chosen from a rare earth; [Q] is chosen from silicon, germanium and SiGe mixtures; [J] is chosen from Oxygen, Nitrogen and Phosphorus such that the rare earth layer is polycrystalline or single crystal and 0<m, n, u, x≦5 and 0≦v, y≦5.   
   
   
       2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said first single crystal semiconductor layer is one of silicon, germanium or silicon-germanium. 
   
   
       3 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said rare earth layer further comprises at least one constituent chosen from a group comprising a crystal growth modifier comprising C, As, P, B, H, O, N, Sn and Pb. 
   
   
       4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said solid state device is operable as one of a field effect transistor, multiple gate field effect transistor, vertical gate field effect transistor, electronic memory, magnetic sensor and storage, semiconductor optical amplifier, semiconductor photodetector, semiconductor laser, bipolar transistor, CMOS device, LED device, solar cell device, and thermoelectric device. 
   
   
       5 . The device of  claim 1  wherein 0<u, v, x≦5 and 0≦y≦5 
   
   
       6 . A semiconductor device comprising:
 a first semiconductor layer comprising a first surface; and   a plurality of layers wherein one layer is a second semiconductor layer chosen from silicon, or germanium or mixtures thereof, and one layer comprises one or more species of rare-earth metals ions and one constituent chosen from a crystal growth modifier or an iso-electronic center and is in contact with the first surface.   
   
   
       7 . The device of  claim 6  wherein said first semiconductor layer and said layer comprising one or more species of rare-earth metals ions are in predetermined state of elastic mechanical strain such that said first semiconductor layer is in a different predetermined state of elastic mechanical strain than said rare earth layer. 
   
   
       8 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein said semiconductor device is operable as one of a group consisting of field effect transistors, multiple gate field effect transistors, vertical gate field effect transistors, electronic memories, magnetic sensors and storage, semiconductor optical amplifiers, semiconductor photodetectors, semiconductor lasers, bipolar transistors, CMOS devices, LED devices, solar cell devices, and thermoelectric devices. 
   
   
       9 . A solid state device comprising a structure comprising:
 a first single crystal semiconductor layer;   a second semiconductor layer; and   a rare earth layer separating the first layer from the second layer wherein the rare earth layer comprises a composition chosen from: [Q] m [RE1] u [RE2] v [J1] x [J2] y ; wherein [RE] is chosen from a rare earth; [Q] is chosen from silicon, germanium and SiGe mixtures; [J] is chosen from Oxygen, Nitrogen and Phosphorus such that the rare earth layer is polycrystalline or single crystal and 0<m, u, v, x≦5 and 0≦y≦5.