Systems and methods described herein may include a first semiconductor layer with a first lattice constant, a rare earth pnictide buffer epitaxially grown over the first semiconductor, wherein a first region of the rare earth pnictide buffer adjacent to the first semiconductor has a net strain that is less than 1%, a second semiconductor layer epitaxially grown over the rare earth pnictide buffer, wherein a second region of the rare earth pnictide buffer adjacent to the second semiconductor has a net strain that is a desired strain, and wherein the rare earth pnictide buffer may comprise one or more rare earth elements and one or more Group V elements. In some examples, the desired strain is approximately zero.

A method of growing a conductive Ga.sub.2O.sub.3-based crystal film by MBE includes producing a Ga vapor and a Si-containing vapor and supplying the vapors as molecular beams onto a surface of a Ga.sub.2O.sub.3-based crystal substrate so as to grow the Ga.sub.2O.sub.3-based crystal film. The Ga.sub.2O.sub.3-based crystal film includes a Si-containing Ga.sub.2O.sub.3-based single crystal film. The Si-containing vapor is produced by heating Si or a Si compound and Ga while allowing the Si or a Si compound to contact with the Ga.

Photodiodes and nuclear batteries may utilize actinide oxides, such a uranium oxide. An actinide oxide photodiode may include a first actinide oxide layer and a second actinide oxide layer deposited on the first actinide oxide layer. The first actinide oxide layer may be n-doped or p-doped. The second actinide oxide layer may be p-doped when the first actinide oxide layer is n-doped, and the second actinide oxide layer may be n-doped when the first actinide oxide layer is p-doped. The first actinide oxide layer and the second actinide oxide layer may form a p/n junction therebetween. Photodiodes including actinide oxides are better light absorbers, can be used in thinner films, and are more thermally stable than silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide.

The disclosure provides a semiconductor apparatus capable of keeping a semiconductor characteristics and realizing excellent semiconductor properties even when using an n type semiconductor (gallium oxide, for example) having a low loss at a high voltage and having much higher dielectric breakdown electric field strength than SiC. A semiconductor apparatus includes a gate electrode and a channel layer formed of a channel directly or through other layers on a side wall of the gate electrode, and wherein a portion of or whole the channel layer may be a p type oxide semiconductor (iridium oxide, for example).

Provided are an oxide semiconductor layer in which the number of defects is reduced and a highly reliable semiconductor device including the oxide semiconductor. A first oxide semiconductor layer having a crystal part is formed over a substrate by a sputtering method. A second oxide semiconductor layer is formed by a thermal chemical vapor deposition method over the first oxide semiconductor layer. The second oxide semiconductor layer is formed by epitaxial growth using the first oxide semiconductor layer as a seed crystal. A channel is formed in the second oxide semiconductor layer.

A laminate including: a crystal substrate; and a semiconductor film provided on a main surface of the crystal substrate, the semiconductor film being mainly made of an oxide semiconductor containing a dopant and having a corundum structure, where the oxide semiconductor has a silicon concentration of 5.0×10.sup.20 cm.sup.−3 or less, and the semiconductor film has a resistivity of 150 mΩ.Math.cm or less. This provides a laminate including a semiconductor having low resistance and a corundum structure suitable for use in semiconductor devices.

To provide a novel method for manufacturing a semiconductor device. To provide a method for manufacturing a highly reliable semiconductor device at relatively low temperature. The method includes a first step of forming a first oxide semiconductor film in a deposition chamber and a second step of forming a second oxide semiconductor film over the first oxide semiconductor film in the deposition chamber. Water vapor partial pressure in an atmosphere in the deposition chamber is lower than water vapor partial pressure in atmospheric air. The first oxide semiconductor film and the second oxide semiconductor film are formed such that the first oxide semiconductor film and the second oxide semiconductor film each have crystallinity. The second oxide semiconductor film is formed such that the crystallinity of the second oxide semiconductor film is higher than the crystallinity of the first oxide semiconductor film.

A method for manufacturing a novel semiconductor device is provided. The method includes a first step of forming a first oxide semiconductor film over a substrate, a second step of heating the first oxide semiconductor film, and a third step of forming a second oxide semiconductor film over the first oxide semiconductor film. The first to third steps are performed in an atmosphere in which water vapor partial pressure is lower than water vapor partial pressure in atmospheric air, and the first step, the second step, and the third step are successively performed in this order.

A method of forming a REO dielectric layer and a layer of a-Si between a III-N layer and a silicon substrate. The method includes depositing single crystal REO on the substrate. The single crystal REO has a lattice constant adjacent the substrate matching the lattice constant of the substrate and a lattice constant matching a selected III-N material adjacent an upper surface. A uniform layer of a-Si is formed on the REO. A second layer of REO is deposited on the layer of a-Si with the temperature required for epitaxial growth crystallizing the layer of a-Si and the crystallized silicon being transformed to amorphous silicon after transferring the lattice constant of the selected III-N material of the first layer of REO to the second layer of REO, and a single crystal layer of the selected III-N material deposited on the second layer of REO.

Systems and methods for forming semiconductor layers, including oxide-based layers, are disclosed in which a material deposition system has a rotation mechanism that rotates a substrate around a center axis of the substrate. The system includes a heater configured to heat the substrate and a positioning mechanism that allows dynamic adjusting of an orthogonal distance, a lateral distance, and a tilt angle of an exit aperture of a material source relative to the substrate. In some embodiments, the dynamic adjusting is based on a desired layer uniformity for a desired layer growth rate. In some embodiments, the orthogonal distance, the lateral distance, or the tilt angle depends on a predetermined material ejection spatial distribution of the material source.