A group Ill nitride crystal manufacturing apparatus includes a raw material chamber generating a group Ill elemental oxide gas, and a growth chamber allowing the group Ill element oxide gas supplied from the raw material chamber to react with a nitrogen element-containing gas to generate a group III nitride crystal on a seed substrate, and the growth chamber incudes a decomposition promoting part promoting decomposition of the unreacted nitrogen element- containing gas between the seed substrate and an exhaust port for discharging the unreacted group Ill oxide gas and the nitrogen element-containing gas.

A system for manufacturing one or more single crystals of a semiconductor material by physical vapor transport (PVT) includes a reactor having an inner chamber adapted to accommodate a PVT growth structure for growing the one or more single crystals inside. The reactor accommodates the PVT growth structure in an orientation with a growth direction of the one or more single crystals inside the PVT growth structure substantially horizontal with respect to a direction of gravity or within an angle from horizontal of less than a predetermined value.

Ingot puller apparatus for preparing a single crystal silicon ingot by the Czochralski method are disclosed. The ingot puller apparatus includes a heat shield. The heat shield has a leg segment that includes a void (i.e., an open space without insulation) disposed in the leg segment. The heat shield may also include insulation partially within the heat shield.

A SiC single crystal is produced by impregnating a molten alloy of silicon and a metallic element M that increases carbon solubility into a SiC sintered body to form a SiC crucible, placing silicon and M in the crucible and heating the crucible to melt the silicon and M and form a Si—C solution, dissolving silicon and carbon in the solution from surfaces of the crucible in contact with the solution, contacting a SiC seed crystal with the top of the solution to grow a first SiC single crystal on the SiC seed crystal by a solution process, and bulk growing a second SiC single crystal on a face of the solution-grown first SiC single crystal by a sublimation or gas process. This method enables a low-dislocation, high-quality SiC single crystal to be produced by a vapor phase process.

The treating arrangement (900) for an epitaxial reactor (1000) comprises: a reaction chamber (100) for treating substrates, a transfer chamber (200) adjacent to the reaction chamber (100), for transferring substrates placed over substrates support devices, a loading/unloading group (300) at least in part adjacent to the transfer chamber (200), arranged to contain a substrates support device with one or more substrates, a storage chamber (400) at least in part adjacent to the load-lock chamber (300), having a first storage zone (410) for treated and/or untreated substrates and a second storage zone (420) for substrates support devices without any substrate, at least one external robot (500) for transferring treated substrates, untreated substrates and substrates support devices without any substrate between said storage chamber (400) and said loading/unloading group (300), at least one internal robot (600) for transferring substrates support devices with one or more substrates between said loading/unloading group (300) and said reaction chamber (100) via said transfer chamber (200).

The treating arrangement (900) for an epitaxial reactor (1000) comprises: a reaction chamber (100) for treating substrates, a transfer chamber (200) adjacent to the reaction chamber (100), for transferring substrates placed over substrates support devices, a loading/unloading group (300) at least in part adjacent to the transfer chamber (200), arranged to contain a substrates support device with one or more substrates, a storage chamber (400) at least in part adjacent to the load-lock chamber (300), having a first storage zone (410) for treated and/or untreated substrates and a second storage zone (420) for substrates support devices without any substrate, at least one external robot (500) for transferring treated substrates, untreated substrates and substrates support devices without any substrate between said storage chamber (400) and said loading/unloading group (300), at least one internal robot (600) for transferring substrates support devices with one or more substrates between said loading/unloading group (300) and said reaction chamber (100) via said transfer chamber (200).

The treating arrangement (900) for an epitaxial reactor (1000) comprises: a reaction chamber (100) for treating substrates, a transfer chamber (200) adjacent to the reaction chamber (100), for transferring substrates placed over substrates support devices, a loading/unloading group (300) at least in part adjacent to the transfer chamber (200), arranged to contain a substrates support device with one or more substrates, a loading/unloading chamber (400) at least in part adjacent to the loading/unloading group (300), having a first storage zone (410) for treated and/or untreated substrates and a second storage zone (420) for substrates support devices without any substrate, at least one external robot (500) for transferring treated substrates, untreated substrates and substrates support devices without any substrate between said loading/unloading chamber (400) and said loading/unloading group (300), at least one internal robot (600) for transferring substrates support devices with one or more substrates between said loading/unloading group (300) and said reaction chamber (100) via said transfer chamber (200); wherein said external robot (500) comprises an articulated arm (510) arranged to handle both treated substrates and untreated substrates as well as substrates support devices.

A single crystal growth apparatus to grow a single crystal of a gallium oxide-based semiconductor. The apparatus includes a crucible that includes a seed crystal section to accommodate a seed crystal, and a growing crystal section which is located on the upper side of the seed crystal section and in which the single crystal is grown by crystallizing a raw material melt accommodated therein, a tubular susceptor surrounding the seed crystal section and also supporting the crucible from below, and a molybdenum disilicide heating element to melt a raw material in the growing crystal section to obtain the raw material melt. The susceptor includes a thick portion at a portion in a height direction that is thicker and has a shorter horizontal distance from the seed crystal section than other portions. The thick portion surrounds at least a portion of the seed crystal section in the height direction.

A single crystal growth apparatus to grow a single crystal of a gallium oxide-based semiconductor. The apparatus includes a crucible that includes a seed crystal section to accommodate a seed crystal, and a growing crystal section which is located on the upper side of the seed crystal section and in which the single crystal is grown by crystallizing a raw material melt accommodated therein, a tubular susceptor surrounding the seed crystal section and also supporting the crucible from below, and a molybdenum disilicide heating element to melt a raw material in the growing crystal section to obtain the raw material melt. The susceptor includes a thick portion at a portion in a height direction that is thicker and has a shorter horizontal distance from the seed crystal section than other portions. The thick portion surrounds at least a portion of the seed crystal section in the height direction.

A method of making a liquid dispersion for the manufacture of a photonic crystal. The method comprises dispersing monodispersed spheres in a liquid to form a liquid dispersion, and subjecting the liquid dispersion to an ultrasonic treatment. Ammonia solution may also be added to the liquid dispersion. The ultrasound treatment breaks up agglomerations of monodispersed spheres, and the resulting photonic crystal made using the dispersion is more highly ordered and hence of higher quality.