Methods for forming single crystal silicon ingots with improved resistivity control are disclosed. The methods involve growth of a sample rod. The sample rod may have a diameter less than the diameter of the product ingot. The sample rod is cropped to form a center slab. The resistivity of the center slab may be measured directly such as by a four-point probe. The sample rod or optionally the center slab may be annealed in a thermal donor kill cycle prior to measuring the resistivity, and the annealed rod or slab is irradiated with light in order to enhance the relaxation rate and enable more rapid resistivity measurement.

Methods for forming single crystal silicon ingots with improved resistivity control are disclosed. The methods involve growth of a sample rod. The sample rod may have a diameter less than the diameter of the product ingot. The sample rod is cropped to form a center slab. The resistivity of the center slab may be measured directly such as by a four-point probe. The sample rod or optionally the center slab may be annealed in a thermal donor kill cycle prior to measuring the resistivity, and the annealed rod or slab is irradiated with light in order to enhance the relaxation rate and enable more rapid resistivity measurement.

[Object] To provide a single-crystal fiber production equipment and a single-crystal fiber production method that do not at all require high precision control necessary for a conventional single-crystal production equipment, can very easily maintain a stable steady state for a long time, and can stably produce a long single crystal fiber having a length of several hundreds of meters or more. [Solution] The single-crystal fiber production equipment is used to produce a single crystal fiber by irradiating an upper surface of a raw material rod with a laser beam within a chamber to form a melt, immersing a seed single crystal in the melt, and pulling the seed single crystal upward. The single-crystal fiber production equipment includes: a laser light source that emits the laser beam as a collimated beam; a pulling device configured to be upward and downward movable in a vertical direction with the seed single crystal held thereby; and a flat reflector that reflects the laser beam such that the reflected laser beam is incident vertically on the upper surface of the raw material rod. The upper surface of the raw material rod is irradiated with the laser beam such that the melt has a donut-shaped temperature distribution.

A system for producing a ribbon from a melt includes a crucible to contain a melt and a cold block. The cold block has a surface that directly faces an exposed surface of the melt. A ribbon is formed on the melt using the cold block. A furnace is operatively connected to the crucible. The ribbon passes through the furnace after removal from the melt. The furnace includes at least one gas jet. The gas jet can dope the ribbon, form a diffusion barrier on the ribbon, and/or passivate the ribbon. Part of the ribbon passes through the furnace while part of the ribbon is being formed in the crucible using the cold block.

A system for producing a ribbon from a melt includes a crucible to contain a melt and a cold block. The cold block has a surface that directly faces an exposed surface of the melt. A ribbon is formed on the melt using the cold block. A furnace is operatively connected to the crucible. The ribbon passes through the furnace after removal from the melt. The furnace includes at least one gas jet. The gas jet can dope the ribbon, form a diffusion barrier on the ribbon, and/or passivate the ribbon. Part of the ribbon passes through the furnace while part of the ribbon is being formed in the crucible using the cold block.

Methods for preparing single crystal silicon substrates for epitaxial growth are disclosed. The methods may involve control of the (i) a growth velocity, v, and/or (ii) an axial temperature gradient, G, during the growth of an ingot segment such that v/G is less than a critical v/G and/or is less than a value of v/G that depends on the boron concentration of the ingot. Methods for preparing epitaxial wafers are also disclosed.

Methods for preparing single crystal silicon substrates for epitaxial growth are disclosed. The methods may involve control of the (i) a growth velocity, v, and/or (ii) an axial temperature gradient, G, during the growth of an ingot segment such that v/G is less than a critical v/G and/or is less than a value of v/G that depends on the boron concentration of the ingot. Methods for preparing epitaxial wafers are also disclosed.

Methods for preparing an ingot in an ingot puller apparatus are disclosed. Thermal simulations are performed with the length of the ingot puller apparatus side heater being varied in the thermal simulations. A side heater is selected based on the thermal simulations. An ingot puller apparatus having the selected side heater length is provided. A seed crystal is lowered into a melt within a crucible of the ingot puller apparatus and an ingot is withdrawn from the melt.

Methods for preparing an ingot in an ingot puller apparatus are disclosed. Thermal simulations are performed with the length of the ingot puller apparatus side heater being varied in the thermal simulations. A side heater is selected based on the thermal simulations. An ingot puller apparatus having the selected side heater length is provided. A seed crystal is lowered into a melt within a crucible of the ingot puller apparatus and an ingot is withdrawn from the melt.

A mono-crystalline silicon growth apparatus includes a furnace, a support base, a crucible, a heating module disposed outside of the crucible, and a heat adjusting module above the crucible. The heat adjusting module includes a diversion tube, a plurality of heat preservation sheets, and a hard shaft. The diversion tube includes a tube body and a carrying body connected to the tube body. The heat preservation sheets are sleeved around the tube body and are stacked and disposed on the carrying body. The hard shaft passes through the tube body and does not rotate. The hard shaft includes a water flow channel disposed therein and a clamping portion configured to clamp a seed crystal. Therefore, a fluid injected into the water flow channel takes away the heat near the clamping portion. A heat adjusting module and a hard shaft of the mono-crystalline silicon growth apparatus are provided.