Provided is a lift pin for an epitaxial growth apparatus, which can prevent the back surface of a silicon wafer from being damaged by the lift pin, reduce emission of dust due to the rubbing of the lift pin against the wall surface of a through hole in a susceptor, and prevent peeling of glassy carbon. The lift pin has a straight trunk part to be inserted through the through hole; a head part to be made to abut a silicon wafer; and a cover part covering at least a top of the head part. The straight trunk part and the head part are made of a porous body, the cover part is made of a carbon-based covering material, and at least part of voids of the porous body of the head part is filled with the cover part.

Provided is a method of enhancing silicon carbide monocrystalline growth yield, including the steps of: (A) filling a bottom of a graphite crucible with a silicon carbide raw material selected; (B) performing configuration modification on a graphite seed crystal platform; (C) fastening a silicon carbide seed crystal to the modified graphite seed crystal platform with a graphite clamping accessory; (D) placing the graphite crucible containing the silicon carbide raw material and the silicon carbide seed crystal in an inductive high-temperature furnace; (E) performing silicon carbide crystal growth process by physical vapor transport; and (F) obtaining silicon carbide monocrystalline crystals. The geometric configuration of the surface of the graphite seed crystal platform is modified to eradicate development of peripheral grain boundary.

The present disclosure provides a method for growing a seed crystal, including: obtaining a plurality of orthohexagonal seed crystals in a hexagonal crystal system by performing a first cutting on a plurality of seed crystals in the hexagonal crystal system to be expanded, respectively; splicing the plurality of orthohexagonal seed crystals in the hexagonal crystal system; obtaining a seed crystal in the hexagonal crystal system to be grown by performing a second cutting on the plurality of spliced orthohexagonal seed crystals in the hexagonal crystal system; obtaining an intermediate seed crystal in the hexagonal crystal system by performing a gap growth on the seed crystal in the hexagonal crystal system to be grown under a first setting condition; and obtaining a target seed crystal in the hexagonal crystal system by performing an epitaxial growth on the intermediate seed crystal in the hexagonal crystal system under a second setting condition.

The present disclosure provides a method for growing a seed crystal, including: obtaining a plurality of orthohexagonal seed crystals in a hexagonal crystal system by performing a first cutting on a plurality of seed crystals in the hexagonal crystal system to be expanded, respectively; splicing the plurality of orthohexagonal seed crystals in the hexagonal crystal system; obtaining a seed crystal in the hexagonal crystal system to be grown by performing a second cutting on the plurality of spliced orthohexagonal seed crystals in the hexagonal crystal system; obtaining an intermediate seed crystal in the hexagonal crystal system by performing a gap growth on the seed crystal in the hexagonal crystal system to be grown under a first setting condition; and obtaining a target seed crystal in the hexagonal crystal system by performing an epitaxial growth on the intermediate seed crystal in the hexagonal crystal system under a second setting condition.

A vacuum system for silicon crystal growth includes a silicon crystal growth chamber, a first vacuum pipe, a second vacuum pipe, and an oxides container. The first vacuum pipe is coupled to the chamber and has within a first brush that is movable in a first direction for removing internal oxides. The second vacuum pipe is coupled to the first vacuum pipe for receiving the internal oxides via the first brush and has within a second brush that is movable in a second direction different from the first direction. The second brush transports the received internal oxides away from the first vacuum pipe. The oxides container is coupled to the second vacuum pipe for receiving the internal oxides via the second brush.

A vacuum system for silicon crystal growth includes a silicon crystal growth chamber, a first vacuum pipe, a second vacuum pipe, and an oxides container. The first vacuum pipe is coupled to the chamber and has within a first brush that is movable in a first direction for removing internal oxides. The second vacuum pipe is coupled to the first vacuum pipe for receiving the internal oxides via the first brush and has within a second brush that is movable in a second direction different from the first direction. The second brush transports the received internal oxides away from the first vacuum pipe. The oxides container is coupled to the second vacuum pipe for receiving the internal oxides via the second brush.

The present invention provides an epitaxial film forming method for epitaxially growing a high-quality group III nitride semiconductor thin film on an α-Al.sub.2O.sub.3 substrate by a sputtering method. In the epitaxial film forming method according to an embodiment of the present invention, when an epitaxial film of a group III nitride semiconductor thin film is to be formed on the α-Al.sub.2O.sub.3 substrate arranged on a substrate holder provided with a heater electrode and a bias electrode of a sputtering apparatus, in a state where the α-Al.sub.2O.sub.3 substrate is maintained at a predetermined temperature by the heater electrode, high-frequency power is applied to a target electrode and high-frequency bias power is applied to a bias electrode and at that time, the powers are applied so that frequency interference between the high-frequency power and the high-frequency bias power does not occur.

The present disclosure provides a device for preparing a crystal and a method for growing a crystal. The device may include a growth chamber configured to execute a crystal growth; and a temperature control system configured to heat the growth chamber to cause that a radial temperature difference in the growth chamber does not exceed a first preset range of an average temperature in the growth chamber during the crystal growth. The method may include placing a seed crystal and a source material in a growth chamber to grow a crystal; and controlling a heating component based on information of a temperature sensing component, to cause that a radial temperature difference in the growth chamber does not exceed a first preset range of an average temperature in the growth chamber during a crystal growth.

The present disclosure provides a device for preparing a crystal and a method for growing a crystal. The device may include a growth chamber configured to execute a crystal growth; and a temperature control system configured to heat the growth chamber to cause that a radial temperature difference in the growth chamber does not exceed a first preset range of an average temperature in the growth chamber during the crystal growth. The method may include placing a seed crystal and a source material in a growth chamber to grow a crystal; and controlling a heating component based on information of a temperature sensing component, to cause that a radial temperature difference in the growth chamber does not exceed a first preset range of an average temperature in the growth chamber during a crystal growth.

An effusion cell includes a crucible for containing material to be evaporated or sublimated, a delivery tube configured to deliver evaporated or sublimated material originating from the crucible into a chamber, a supply tube extending from the crucible, the supply tube located and configured to trap condensate originating from the evaporated or sublimated material and to deliver the condensate back to the crucible, and at least one heating element located and configured to heat material in the crucible so as to cause evaporation or sublimation of the material and flow of the evaporated or sublimated material through the delivery tube and out from the effusion cell. The effusion cell is configured such that the crucible can be filled with the material to be evaporated or sublimated without removing the effusion cell from the process vacuum chamber. Semiconductor substrate processing systems may include such effusion cells.