Doped elongated semiconductors, growing such semiconductors, devices including such semiconductors, and fabricating such devices
A bulk-doped semiconductor that is at least one of the following: a single crystal, an elongated and bulk-doped semiconductor that, at any point along its longitudinal axis, has a largest cross-sectional dimension less than 500 nanometers, and a free-standing and bulk-doped semiconductor with at least one portion having a smallest width of less than 500 nanometers. Such a semiconductor may comprise an interior core comprising a first semiconductor; and an exterior shell comprising a different material than the first semiconductor. Such a semiconductor may be elongated and may have, at any point along a longitudinal section of such a semiconductor, a ratio of the length of the section to a longest width is greater than 4:1, or greater than 10:1, or greater than 100:1, or even greater than 1000:1. At least one portion of such a semiconductor may a smallest width of less than 200 nanometers, or less than 150 nanometers, or less than 100 nanometers, or less than 80 nanometers, or less than 70 nanometers, or less than 60 nanometers, or less than 40 nanometers, or less than 20 nanometers, or less than 10 nanometers, or even less than 5 nanometers. Such a semiconductor may be a single crystal and may be free-standing. Such a semiconductor may be either lightly n-doped, heavily n-doped, lightly p-doped or heavily p-doped. Such a semiconductor may be doped during growth. Such a semiconductor may be part of a device, which may include any of a variety of devices and combinations thereof, and a variety of assembling techniques may be used to fabricate devices from such a semiconductor. Two or more of such a semiconductors, including an array of such semiconductors, may be combined to form devices, for example, to form a crossed p-n junction of a device. Such devices at certain sizes may exhibit quantum confinement and other quantum phenomena, and the wavelength of light emitted from one or more of such semiconductors may be controlled by selecting a width of such semiconductors. Such semiconductors and device made therefrom may be used for a variety of applications.
1 . A method of growing a semiconductor, the method comprising an act of:
(A) doping the semiconductor during growth of the semiconductor.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the grown semiconductor is a doped semiconductor that is at least one of the following: a single crystal, an elongated and bulk-doped semiconductor that, at any point along its longitudinal axis, has a largest cross-sectional dimension less than 500 nanometers, and a free-standing and bulk-doped semiconductor with at least one portion having a smallest width of less than 500 nanometers.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising an act of:
(B) adding one or more other materials to a surface of the doped semiconductor.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein act (B) comprises forming a shell around the doped semiconductor.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein act (A) comprises:
controlling an extent of the doping.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein act (A) comprises growing the doped semiconductor by applying energy to a collection of molecules, the collection of molecules comprising molecules of the semiconductor and molecules of a dopant.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein act (A) comprises an act of:
controlling an extent of the doping.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the act of controlling doping comprises controlling a ratio of an amount of the semiconductor molecules to an amount of the dopant molecules.
9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein act (A) further comprises:
vaporizing the molecules using a laser to form vaporized molecules.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein act (A) further comprises:
growing the semiconductor from the vaporized molecules.
11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein act (A) further comprises:
condensing the vaporized molecules into a liquid cluster.
12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein act (A) further comprises:
growing the semiconductor from the liquid cluster.
13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein act (A) is performed using laser-assisted catalytic growth.
14 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the collection of molecules comprises a cluster of molecules of a catalyst material.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein act (A) comprises:
controlling a width of the semiconductor.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein controlling the width of the semiconductor comprises:
controlling a width of the catalyst cluster.
17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein act (A) further comprises:
performing chemical vapor deposition on at least the molecules.
18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the grown semiconductor has at least one portion having a smallest width of less than 500 nanometers.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the grown semiconductor has at least one portion having a smallest width of less than 200 nanometers.
20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the grown semiconductor has at least one portion having a smallest width of less than 100 nanometers.
21 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the grown semiconductor is magnetic.
22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein act (A) comprises:
doping the semiconductor with a material that makes the grown semiconductor magnetic.
23 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the grown semiconductor is ferromagnetic.
24 . The method of claim 23 , act (A) comprises:
doping the semiconductor with a material that makes the grown semiconductor ferromagnetic.
25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein act (A) comprises:
doping the semiconductor with manganese.
26 . A method of fabricating a device having a doped semiconductor component and one or more other components, the method comprising acts of:
(A) doping a semiconductor during its growth to produce the doped semiconductor component; and
(B) attaching the doped semiconductor component to at least one of the one or more other components.
27 . The method of claim 26 , wherein the doped semiconductor component is at least one of the following: a single crystal, an elongated and bulk-doped semiconductor that, at any point along its longitudinal axis, has a largest cross-sectional dimension less than 500 nanometers, and a free-standing and bulk-doped semiconductor with at least one portion having a smallest width of less than 500 nanometers.
28 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor is grown catalytically from a catalyst particle.