Production of silicon ingots in a crystal puller that involve reduction of the erosion rate at the crucible contact point are disclosed.

Methods for producing single crystal silicon ingots by Continuous Czochralski (CCz) are disclosed. A batch of buffer members (e.g., quartz cullets) is added to an outer melt zone of the crucible assembly before the main body of the ingot is grown. In some embodiments, the ratio of the mass M of the batch of buffer members added to the melt to the time between adding the batch of buffer members to the melt and when the ingot main body begins to grow is controlled such that the ratio of M/T is greater than a threshold M/T.

Methods for forming a unitized crucible assembly for holding a melt of silicon for forming a silicon ingot are disclosed. In some embodiments, the methods involve a porous crucible mold having a channel network with a bottom channel, an outer sidewall channel that extends from the bottom channel, and a central weir channel that extends from the bottom channel. A slip slurry may be added to the channel network and the liquid carrier of the slip slurry may be drawn into the mold. The resulting green body may be sintered to form the crucible assembly.

Methods for forming a unitized crucible assembly for holding a melt of silicon for forming a silicon ingot are disclosed. In some embodiments, the methods involve a porous crucible mold having a channel network with a bottom channel, an outer sidewall channel that extends from the bottom channel, and a central weir channel that extends from the bottom channel. A slip slurry may be added to the channel network and the liquid carrier of the slip slurry may be drawn into the mold. The resulting green body may be sintered to form the crucible assembly.

A method for producing a mono-crystalline sheet includes providing at least two aperture elements forming a gap in between; providing a molten alloy including silicon in the gap; providing a gaseous precursor medium comprising silicon in the vicinity of the molten alloy; providing a silicon nucleation crystal in the vicinity of the molten alloy; and bringing in contact said silicon nucleation crystal and the molten alloy. A device for producing a mono-crystalline sheet includes at least two aperture elements at a predetermined distance from each other, thereby forming a gap, and being adapted to be heated for holding a molten alloy including silicon by surface tension in the gap between the aperture elements; a precursor gas supply supplies a gaseous precursor medium comprising silicon in the vicinity of the molten alloy; and a positioning device for holding and moving a nucleation crystal in the vicinity of the molten alloy.

A crystal puller for growing a crystal ingot includes a housing, insulation, a crucible assembly, a heat shield, and a dust barrier. The housing encloses a growth chamber, and has an upper wall with an inner surface and an aperture. The insulation separates an inside of the housing into an upper area and a lower area, and has a central opening. The crucible assembly is within the lower area to contain the melt. The heat shield is adjacent the central opening of the insulation, and forms a labyrinth gas path with the crucible assembly. The dust barrier extends from the inner surface of the upper wall to one of the insulation and the heat shield, and forms a seal with the upper wall around the aperture to inhibit particles from entering the growth chamber through the upper area of the housing.

The present invention relates to a process for synthesizing indium phosphide by liquid phosphorus injection method, which belongs to the field of semiconductor technology. The method comprises: converting gaseous phosphorus into liquid phosphorus through a condenser, injecting the liquid phosphorus into an indium melt while preventing phosphorus vaporization by randomly delivering a low temperature inert gas, and causing an instantaneous reaction between the liquid phosphorus and the liquid indium melt, so that an indium phosphide melt can be synthesized at a relatively low temperature, with advantages of high efficiency, high purity, precise proportioning, large capacity, aiding in the growth of a phosphorus-rich indium phosphide polycrystal and facilitating the growth of an indium phosphide monocrystal. The method includes the steps of indium cleaning, phosphorus charging, furnace loading, communication of condenser, synthesis, preparation of crystals, etc.

An apparatus may include a crucible configured to contain the melt, the melt having an exposed surface separated from a floor of the crucible by a first distance, a housing comprising a material that is non-contaminating to the melt, the housing comprising a plurality of sidewalls and a top that are configured to contact the melt, and a plurality of heating elements isolated from the melt and disposed along a transverse direction perpendicular to a pulling direction of the crystalline sheet, the plurality of heating elements being individually powered, wherein the plurality of heating elements are disposed at a second set of distances from the exposed surface of the melt that are less than the first distance, and wherein the plurality of heating elements are configured to vary a heat flux profile along the transverse direction when power is supplied individually to the plurality of heating elements.

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 computer device includes at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device. The at least one processor is programmed to: a) receive at least one image of a silicon melt of a crystal in a crucible; b) execute a model trained to segment the at least one image into different classes; c) analyze segmentation to determine a quality of the crystal; and/or d) approve or reject the crystal based upon the analysis.