A susceptor assembly for supporting a crucible during a crystal growth process includes a susceptor base, a tubular sidewall connected to the susceptor base, and a removable sacrifice ring interposed between the susceptor base and the sidewall. Each of the susceptor base and the sidewall is formed of a carbon-containing material. The susceptor base has an annular wall and a shoulder extending radially outward from an outer surface of the annular wall. The sidewall has a first end that receives the annular wall to connect the sidewall to the susceptor base. The sacrifice ring has a first surface that faces the outer surface of the annular wall, a second surface that faces an interior surface of the sidewall, and a ledge extending outward from the second surface that engages the first end of the sidewall.

A furnace and a method of growing a high temperature oxide crystal in the furnace. The furnace includes a crucible having a melt therein and a heating element for generating heat in the melt. A thermal element within the furnace produces a thermal gradient within the melt to draw a cold spot of a convection cell of the melt away from a seed location of the crucible. A seed crystal is drawn from the melt at the seed location to form a boule to grow the high temperature oxide crystal.

A method for producing a single crystal silicon ingot includes adding polycrystalline silicon to a crucible disposed within a chamber defined by a housing of an ingot puller apparatus, maintaining the chamber at a first pressure, heating the chamber using radiant heat to melt the polycrystalline silicon and form a silicon melt in the crucible, pulling a single crystal silicon ingot from the silicon melt, channeling a liquid dopant at a second pressure greater than the first pressure into a feed tube positioned in the chamber, vaporizing the liquid dopant into a vaporized dopant by flash evaporation at the first pressure within the feed tube, and directing the vaporized dopant from the feed tube toward a surface of the silicon melt to cause the vaporized dopant to enter the silicon melt as a dopant while pulling the single crystal silicon ingot from the silicon melt.

An ingot puller for producing a doped single crystal silicon ingot includes a housing defining a chamber, a crucible disposed within the chamber, and a dopant injector attached to and extending into the housing. The chamber is maintained at a first pressure. The dopant injector includes a reservoir for containing a liquid dopant, a feed tube positioned within the chamber and connected to the reservoir, and a vaporization cup positioned within the feed tube and the chamber.