In large area plasma processing systems, process gases may be introduced to the chamber via the showerhead assembly which may be driven as an RF electrode. The gas feed tube, which is grounded, is electrically isolated from the showerhead. The gas feed tube may provide not only process gases, but also cleaning gases from a remote plasma source to the process chamber. The inside of the gas feed tube may remain at either a low RF field or a zero RF field to avoid premature gas breakdown within the gas feed tube that may lead to parasitic plasma formation between the gas source and the showerhead. By feeding the gas through an RF choke, the RF field and the processing gas may be introduced to the processing chamber through a common location and thus simplify the chamber design.

In large area plasma processing systems, process gases may be introduced to the chamber via the showerhead assembly which may be driven as an RF electrode. The gas feed tube, which is grounded, is electrically isolated from the showerhead. The gas feed tube may provide not only process gases, but also cleaning gases from a remote plasma source to the process chamber. The inside of the gas feed tube may remain at either a low RF field or a zero RF field to avoid premature gas breakdown within the gas feed tube that may lead to parasitic plasma formation between the gas source and the showerhead. By feeding the gas through an RF choke, the RF field and the processing gas may be introduced to the processing chamber through a common location and thus simplify the chamber design.

The sublimation speed of dopant can be precisely controlled without being influenced by a change over time of intra-furnace thermal environment. A dopant supply unit equipped with an accommodation chamber and a supply tube is provided. A sublimable dopant is accommodated. Upon sublimation of the dopant within the accommodation chamber, the sublimed dopant is introduced into a melt. The dopant within the accommodation chamber of the dopant supply unit is heated. The amount of heating by means of heating means is controlled so as to sublime the dopant at a desired sublimation speed. The dopant is supplied to the melt so that the dopant concentration until the first half of a straight body portion of the silicon single crystal is in the state of low concentration or non-addition. After the first half of the straight body portion of the silicon single crystal is formed, the dopant is supplied to the melt so that every portion of the crystal is in the state where the dopant is added to a desired high concentration.

An improved system based on the Czochralski process for continuous growth of a single crystal ingot comprises a low aspect ratio, large diameter, and substantially flat crucible, including an optional weir surrounding the crystal. The low aspect ratio crucible substantially eliminates convection currents and reduces oxygen content in a finished single crystal silicon ingot. A separate level controlled silicon pre-melting chamber provides a continuous source of molten silicon to the growth crucible advantageously eliminating the need for vertical travel and a crucible raising system during the crystal pulling process. A plurality of heaters beneath the crucible establish corresponding thermal zones across the melt. Thermal output of the heaters is individually controlled for providing an optimal thermal distribution across the melt and at the crystal/melt interface for improved crystal growth. Multiple crystal pulling chambers are provided for continuous processing and high throughput.

A method for producing Si ingot single crystal by NOC growth method including a Si ingot single crystal growing step and a continuous growing step is provided. The growing step includes providing a low temperature region in the Si melt where the Si ingot single crystal is grown along the surface of the Si melt or toward the inside of the Si melt, and the Si ingot single crystal has distribution of a vacancy concentration and an interstitial concentration in which respectively a vacancy concentration and an interstitial concentration vary with a distance from the growth interface; and adjusting a temperature gradient and a growth rate in the Si melt, so that along with the increasing of the distance from the growth interface, the vacancy concentration and the interstitial concentration in the Si ingot single crystal respectively decrease come near to each other.

A method for producing Si ingot single crystal by NOC growth method including a Si ingot single crystal growing step and a continuous growing step is provided. The growing step includes providing a low temperature region in the Si melt where the Si ingot single crystal is grown along the surface of the Si melt or toward the inside of the Si melt, and the Si ingot single crystal has distribution of a vacancy concentration and an interstitial concentration in which respectively a vacancy concentration and an interstitial concentration vary with a distance from the growth interface; and adjusting a temperature gradient and a growth rate in the Si melt, so that along with the increasing of the distance from the growth interface, the vacancy concentration and the interstitial concentration in the Si ingot single crystal respectively decrease come near to each other.

An apparatus for processing materials at high temperatures comprises a high strength enclosure; a plurality of high strength radial segments disposed adjacent to and radially inward from the high strength enclosure; a liner disposed adjacent to and radially inward from the radical segments; a chamber defined interior to the liner; a heating device disposed within the chamber; and a capsule disposed within the chamber, the capsule configured to hold a supercritical fluid. The apparatus may be used for growing crystals, e.g., GaN, under high temperature and pressure conditions.

Apparatus and method for control of epitaxial growth parameters, for example during manufacture of light emitting diodes (LEDs). Embodiments include PL measurement of a group III-V film following growth while a substrate at an elevated temperature is in a transfer chamber of a multi-chamber cluster tool. In other embodiments, a film thickness measurement, a contactless resistivity measurement, and a particle and/or roughness measure is performed while the substrate is disposed in the transfer chamber. One or more of the measurements performed in the transfer chamber are temperature corrected to room temperature by estimating the elevated temperature based on emission from a GaN base layer disposed below the group III-V film. In other embodiments, temperature correction is based on an absorbance band edge of the GaN base layer determined from collected white light reflectance spectra. Temperature corrected metrology is then used to control growth processes.

An embodiment comprises: a chamber; a crucible provided in the chamber and accommodating a molten liquid which is a raw material for single crystal growth; a crucible screen disposed on the upper end of the crucible; and a moving unit for raising or lowering the crucible screen, wherein the crucible screen and a first upper adiabatic unit are raised to control the stroke distance, thereby preventing the impossibility of a lift-off process caused by a shortage of the stroke distance and the generation of cracks in single crystals.

An apparatus for growing a crystalline sheet from a melt includes a cold block assembly. The cold block assembly may include a cold block and a shield surrounding the cold block and being at an elevated temperature with respect to that of the cold block, the shield defining an opening disposed along a surface of the cold block proximate a melt surface that defines a cold area comprising a width along a first direction of the cold block, the cold area operable to provide localized cooling of a region of the melt surface proximate the cold block. The apparatus may further include a crystal puller arranged to draw a crystalline seed in a direction perpendicular to the first direction when the cold block assembly is disposed proximate the melt surface.