Single-Crystal Germanium

Abstract

Significant advances have been made in the development of new types of transistors, photocells, and rectifiers and in the improvement of the reproducibility and reliability of the point-contact transistor. A key factor in this development has been the use of single-crystal germanium having a high degree of lattice perfection and compositional control. Of particular interest to the device-development engineer is the fact that the rectifying barriers between the p-type and n-type sections behave in a manner predictable from the measured properties of each section. The exceptionally long lifetime of injected carriers observed in the material and the high degree of control over its chemical composition make it ideally suitable for the production of p-n structures. The ranges of properties of germanium single crystals which are now realizable are given, as well as their present degree of control.