A single crystal ingot puller includes a crucible for containing a melt. A single crystal ingot is grown from the melt. A laser system selectively transmits a laser beam to the ingot edge. A controller selectively controls power of the laser to heat the ingot edge such that a local temperature of the edge region is increased.

To provide a thin plate-shaped single-crystal production equipment and a thin plate-shaped single-crystal production method capable of applying a large raw material lump while suppressing an increase in output of an infrared ray, and capable of continuously producing a thin plate-shaped single crystal in which a dopant concentration is an optimum composition and uniform at low cost with high accuracy. Included are an infrared ray irradiation apparatus that irradiates an upper surface of a raw material lump for producing a thin plate-shaped single crystal with an infrared ray to melt a surface of the upper surface of the raw material lump; an elevator apparatus that immerses a lower surface of a thin plate-shaped seed single crystal in a melt melted by the infrared ray irradiation apparatus and obtained on the surface of the upper surface of the raw material lump, and lifts the seed single crystal upward from the immersed state; and a horizontal direction moving apparatus that moves the raw material lump in a horizontal direction. By immersing the lower surface of the seed single crystal in the melt obtained on the surface of the upper surface of the raw material lump by the infrared ray irradiation apparatus via the elevator apparatus, growth of a single crystal is started from the lower surface of the immersed seed single crystal. Furthermore, configured such that, by moving the raw material lump in the horizontal direction by the horizontal direction moving apparatus simultaneously with lifting the seed single crystal upward via the elevator apparatus, a thin plate-shaped single crystal is continuously produced while a molten region of the upper surface of the raw material lump is moved in the horizontal direction.

To provide a thin plate-shaped single-crystal production equipment and a thin plate-shaped single-crystal production method capable of applying a large raw material lump while suppressing an increase in output of an infrared ray, and capable of continuously producing a thin plate-shaped single crystal in which a dopant concentration is an optimum composition and uniform at low cost with high accuracy. Included are an infrared ray irradiation apparatus that irradiates an upper surface of a raw material lump for producing a thin plate-shaped single crystal with an infrared ray to melt a surface of the upper surface of the raw material lump; an elevator apparatus that immerses a lower surface of a thin plate-shaped seed single crystal in a melt melted by the infrared ray irradiation apparatus and obtained on the surface of the upper surface of the raw material lump, and lifts the seed single crystal upward from the immersed state; and a horizontal direction moving apparatus that moves the raw material lump in a horizontal direction. By immersing the lower surface of the seed single crystal in the melt obtained on the surface of the upper surface of the raw material lump by the infrared ray irradiation apparatus via the elevator apparatus, growth of a single crystal is started from the lower surface of the immersed seed single crystal. Furthermore, configured such that, by moving the raw material lump in the horizontal direction by the horizontal direction moving apparatus simultaneously with lifting the seed single crystal upward via the elevator apparatus, a thin plate-shaped single crystal is continuously produced while a molten region of the upper surface of the raw material lump is moved in the horizontal direction.

A method for growing a straight/non-tapered or a tapered high-transmission single-crystal fiber (SCF) using a fiber growth machine includes receiving, via an electronic control unit (ECU), a set of image data from a camera. The image data includes a first group of pixels of a feed fiber, a seed fiber, and a molten zone formed therebetween using a laser beam. The method includes identifying a feature of interest of the feed fiber, seed fiber, and/or molten zone within the first pixel group and locating position-identifying pixels within the feature of interest as a second pixel group. A horizontal position of the feed fiber is controlled via the ECU using the second pixel group while growing the fiber, including transmitting electronic control signals to actuators of the machine. An automated system for growing the SCF includes the camera configured and the ECU configured to perform the method.

A method for growing a straight/non-tapered or a tapered high-transmission single-crystal fiber (SCF) using a fiber growth machine includes receiving, via an electronic control unit (ECU), a set of image data from a camera. The image data includes a first group of pixels of a feed fiber, a seed fiber, and a molten zone formed therebetween using a laser beam. The method includes identifying a feature of interest of the feed fiber, seed fiber, and/or molten zone within the first pixel group and locating position-identifying pixels within the feature of interest as a second pixel group. A horizontal position of the feed fiber is controlled via the ECU using the second pixel group while growing the fiber, including transmitting electronic control signals to actuators of the machine. An automated system for growing the SCF includes the camera configured and the ECU configured to perform the method.

Disclosed are apparatuses and methods for growing thin crystal fibers via optical heating. The apparatuses may include and the methods may employ a source of optical energy for heating a source material to form a molten zone of melted source material, an upper fiber guide for pulling a growing crystal fiber along a defined translational axis away from the molten zone, and a lower feed guide for pushing additional source material along a defined translational axis towards the molten zone. For certain such apparatuses and the methods that employ them, the lower feed guide's translational axis and upper fiber guide's translational axis are substantially aligned vertically and axially so as to horizontally locate the source material in the path of optical energy emitted from the optical energy source, in some cases to within a horizontal tolerance of about 5 m.

Disclosed are apparatuses and methods for growing thin crystal fibers via optical heating. The apparatuses may include and the methods may employ a source of optical energy for heating a source material to form a molten zone of melted source material, an upper fiber guide for pulling a growing crystal fiber along a defined translational axis away from the molten zone, and a lower feed guide for pushing additional source material along a defined translational axis towards the molten zone. For certain such apparatuses and the methods that employ them, the lower feed guide's translational axis and upper fiber guide's translational axis are substantially aligned vertically and axially so as to horizontally locate the source material in the path of optical energy emitted from the optical energy source, in some cases to within a horizontal tolerance of about 5 m.

Disclosed is a single-crystal growth apparatus including a chamber, a crucible provided in the chamber and configured to accommodate a melt that is a raw material for single-crystal growth, a heater disposed between the crucible and a side wall of the chamber and heating the crucible, and a crucible screen disposed on an upper end of the crucible, and the crucible screen has a bending member reflecting a radiant heat generated from the melt in the crucible to inside wall of the crucible.

Disclosed is a single-crystal growth apparatus including a chamber, a crucible provided in the chamber and configured to accommodate a melt that is a raw material for single-crystal growth, a heater disposed between the crucible and a side wall of the chamber and heating the crucible, and a crucible screen disposed on an upper end of the crucible, and the crucible screen has a bending member reflecting a radiant heat generated from the melt in the crucible to inside wall of the crucible.

A single crystal of silicon may be pulsed by a method that includes installing a seed holder on a drawing shaft in a Czochralski crystal pulling apparatus. Here, a dish, in a form of a hollow truncated cone, is secured between the seed holder and the drawing shaft such that an opening of the dish faces the drawing shaft. The dish has a top radius, a height, a material thickness, a base plate having a base plate radius, and a bore having a diameter. The method further includes: mounting a crystal seed into the seed holder; melting polycrystalline silicon in a crucible to create a melt; lowering the drawing shaft until the crystal seed is in contact with the melt; and pulling the single crystal. The drawing shaft and the dish are wetted with oil, prior to pulling the single crystal.