Apparatus and method for transformation of substrate

Abstract

A method is disclosed for forming a layer of a wide bandgap material in a non-wide bandgap material. The method comprises providing a substrate of a non-wide bandgap material and converting a layer of the non-wide bandgap material into a layer of a wide bandgap material. An improved component such as wide bandgap semiconductor device may be formed within the wide bandgap material through a further conversion process.

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         20 . A method of forming a wide bandgap material within a non-wide bandgap material, comprising the steps of:
 providing a substrate of a non-wide bandgap material having a first and a second substrate surface;   applying a doping gas to the first surface of the substrate; and   directing a thermal energy beam onto the first surface of the substrate for heating the non-wide bandgap material of the substrate in the presence of the doping gas for converting a layer inside of the non-wide bandgap material of the substrate into the wide bandgap material defined between a first and a second wide bandgap surface with the first wide bandgap surface of the wide bandgap material being coincident with the first surface of the substrate and with the second wide bandgap surface of the wideband gap material being embedded between first and second surfaces of the substrate.   
     
     
         21 . A method of forming a wide bandgap material as set forth in  claim 20 , wherein the non-wide bandgap material has a bandgap equal to or less than two electron volts (2 eV) and wherein the wide bandgap material has a bandgap greater than two electron volts (2 eV). 
     
     
         22 . A method of forming a wide bandgap material as set forth in  claim 20 , wherein the step of providing the substrate of the non-wide bandgap material includes selecting a substrate from the group consisting of silicon (Si) and gallium arsenide (GaAs). 
     
     
         23 . A method of forming a wide bandgap material as set forth in  claim 20 , wherein the wide bandgap material is selected from the group consisting of silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN). 
     
     
         24 . A method of forming a wide bandgap material as set forth in  claim 20 , wherein the step of converting the layer of the non-wide bandgap material includes directing a thermal energy beam selected from the group consisting of a beam of charged particles, a beam of electrons, a beam of ions, a beam of electromagnetic radiation onto the layer for converting the layer into a wide bandgap material. 
     
     
         25 . A method of forming a wide bandgap material as set forth in  claim 20 , wherein the step of converting the layer of the non-wide bandgap material includes directing a laser beam onto the layer for converting the layer into a wide bandgap material by laser synthesis. 
     
     
         26 . A method of forming a wide bandgap material as set forth in  claim 20 , wherein the step of directing a thermal energy beam onto the non-wide bandgap substrate includes directing a laser beam selected from the group consisting of a Nd;YAG laser, a frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser and a excimer laser. 
     
     
         27 . A method of forming a wide bandgap material as set forth in  claim 20 , wherein the step of applying a doping gas to the non-wide bandgap material comprises applying a doping gas selected from the group consisting of methane, acetylene, nitrogen and ammonia. 
     
     
         28 . A method of forming silicon carbide in a silicon material, comprising the steps of:
 providing a substrate of a silicon material having a first and a second substrate surface;   providing a doping gas having carbon atoms;   applying a doping gas to the first surface of the substrate; and   directing a laser beam onto the first surface of the substrate for heating the silicon material of the substrate in the presence of the doping gas for converting a layer inside of the silicon material substrate into a wide bandgap material defined between a first and a second wide bandgap surface with the first wide bandgap surface of the wideband gap material being coincident with the first surface of the substrate and with the second wide bandgap surface of the wideband gap material being embedded between first and second surfaces of the substrate.   
     
     
         29 . A method of forming silicon carbide in a silicon material as set forth in  claim 28 , wherein the step of providing a doping gas having carbon atoms comprises providing a doping gas selected from the group consisting of methane and acetylene. 
     
     
         30 . A method of forming silicon carbide wide bandgap semiconductor in a silicon semiconductor, comprising the steps of:
 providing a substrate of a silicon semiconductor having a first and a second substrate surface;   applying methane gas to the first surface of the silicon semiconductor substrate; and   directing a laser beam onto the first surface of the silicon semiconductor substrate for heating the silicon semiconductor surface in the presence of methane for providing carbon atoms to react with the silicon for converting a layer inside of the silicon semiconductor substrate into silicon carbide defined between a first and a second surface with the first silicon carbide surface being coincident with the first silicon semiconductor surface and with the second silicon carbide surface being embedded between the first and second surfaces of the silicon semiconductor substrate.