Methods of making a semiconductor layer from nanocrystals are disclosed. A film of nanocrystals capped with a ligand can be deposited onto a substrate; and the nanocrystals can be irradiated with one or more pulses of light. The pulsed light can be used to substantially remove the ligands from the nanocrystals and leave the nanocrystals unsintered or sintered, thereby providing a semiconductor layer. Layered structures comprising these semiconductor layers with an electrode are also disclosed. Devices comprising such layered structures are also disclosed.

A method for producing the growth of a semiconductor material, in particular of type II-VI, uses a melt of the semiconductor placed in a sealed bulb under vacuum or under controlled atmosphere, the bulb being subjected to a sufficient temperature gradient for first maintaining the melt in the liquid state, then causing its progressive crystallization from the surface towards the bottom. The method further comprises an element capable of floating on the surface of the melt, and equipped with a substantially central bore, intended for receiving a seed crystal for permitting the nucleation leading to the preparation of a seed crystal, and also supporting the seed crystal above the melt while maintaining it in contact with the melt in order to permit the continued crystallization from the seed crystal by lowering the temperature gradient.

In one embodiment, a method for surface passivation for CdTe devices is provided. The method includes adjusting a stoichiometry of a surface of a CdTe material layer such that the surface becomes at least one of stoichiometric or Cd-rich; and reconstructing a crystalline lattice at the surface of the CdTe material layer by annealing the adjusted surface.

Transistor structures with monocrystalline metal chalcogenide channel materials are formed from a plurality of template regions patterned over a substrate. A crystal of metal chalcogenide may be preferentially grown from a template region and the metal chalcogenide crystals then patterned into the channel region of a transistor. The template regions may be formed by nanometer-dimensioned patterning of a metal precursor, a growth promoter, a growth inhibitor, or a defected region. A metal precursor may be a metal oxide suitable, which is chalcogenated when exposed to a chalcogen precursor at elevated temperature, for example in a chemical vapor deposition process.

In an embodiment, a method includes providing a substrate and epitaxially growing a semiconductor layer of a semiconductor material on the substrate using physical vapor deposition, wherein the semiconductor material has a tetragonal phase, wherein the semiconductor material has the general formula: (In.sub.1-xM.sub.x)(Te.sub.1-yZ.sub.y), and wherein M=Ga, Zn, Cd, Hg, Tl, Sn, Pb, Ge, or combinations thereof, Z═As, S, Se, Sb, or combinations thereof, x=0-0.1, and y=0-0.1, or wherein the semiconductor material has the general formula: (In.sub.1-xTl.sub.x)(Te.sub.1-ySe.sub.y) with x=0-1 and y=0-1.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described for a CMOS compatible substrate having multiple stacks of semiconductor layers. The multiple stacks, at least, each include i) a layer of a tellurium based semiconductor layer on top of ii) a porous silicon layer. The porous silicon layer is a compliant layer to accept structural defects from the tellurium based semiconductor layer into the porous silicon layer. The multiple stacks are grown on the CMOS compatible substrate.

A method of preparing a heterojunction material, includes forming a first transition metal on a substrate, forming a second transition metal on the first transition metal, and performing a plasma process containing a chalcogen source on the substrate. The first transition metal and the second transition metal are different from each other.

A method for forming a semiconductor device having a lateral semiconductor heterojunction involves forming a first metal chalcogenide layer of the lateral semiconductor heterojunction adjacent to a first metal electrode on a substrate. The first metal chalcogenide layer includes a same metal as the first metal electrode and at least some of the first metal chalcogenide layer includes metal from the first metal electrode. A second metal chalcogenide layer of the lateral semiconductor heterojunction is formed adjacent to the first metal chalcogenide layer. A second metal electrode is formed adjacent to the second metal chalcogenide layer. The second metal chalcogenide layer includes a same metal as the second metal electrode.

Disclosed herein are a radiation detector and a method of making it. The radiation detector is configured to absorb radiation particles incident on a semiconductor single crystal of the radiation detector and to generate charge carriers. The semiconductor single crystal may be a CdZnTe single crystal or a CdTe single crystal. The method may comprise forming a recess into a substrate of semiconductor; forming a semiconductor single crystal in the recess; and forming a heavily doped semiconductor region in the substrate. The semiconductor single crystal has a different composition from the substrate. The heavily doped region is in electrical contact with the semiconductor single crystal and embedded in a portion of intrinsic semiconductor of the substrate.

A method of performing HVPE heteroepitaxy comprises exposing a substrate to a carrier gas, a first precursor gas, a Group II/III element, and ternary-forming gasses (V/VI group precursor), to form a heteroepitaxial growth of a binary, ternary, and/or quaternary compound on the substrate; wherein the carrier gas is H.sub.2, wherein the first precursor gas is HCl, the Group II/III element comprises at least one of Zn, Cd, Hg, Al, Ga, and In; and wherein the ternary-forming gasses comprise at least two or more of AsH.sub.3 (arsine), PH.sub.3 (phosphine), H.sub.2Se (hydrogen selenide), H.sub.2Te (hydrogen telluride), SbH.sub.3 (hydrogen antimonide, or antimony tri-hydride, or stibine), H.sub.2S (hydrogen sulfide), NH.sub.3 (ammonia), and HF (hydrogen fluoride); flowing the carrier gas over the Group II/III element; exposing the substrate to the ternary-forming gasses in a predetermined ratio of first ternary-forming gas to second ternary-forming gas (1tf:2tf ratio); and changing the 1tf:2tf ratio over time.