The present invention provides a semiconductor crystal growth apparatus, which comprises a furnace body, a crucible, a pulling device, a deflector, and a magnetic field applying device. The crucible is disposed inside the furnace body for containing silicon melt. The pulling device is disposed on the top of the furnace body for pulling a silicon ingot from the silicon melt. The deflector is in a barrel shape and is disposed in the furnace body in a vertical direction, and the pulling device pulls the silicon ingot in a vertical direction and through the deflector. The magnetic field applying device is configured to apply a magnetic field to the silicon melt in the crucible, in which the distance between the bottom of the deflector and the liquid level of the silicon melt in the direction of the magnetic field is less than that between the bottom of the deflector and the silicon melt in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field.

The present invention provides a semiconductor crystal growth apparatus, which comprises a furnace body, a crucible, a pulling device, a deflector, and a magnetic field applying device. The crucible is disposed inside the furnace body for containing silicon melt. The pulling device is disposed on the top of the furnace body for pulling a silicon ingot from the silicon melt. The deflector is in a barrel shape and is disposed in the furnace body in a vertical direction, and the pulling device pulls the silicon ingot in a vertical direction and through the deflector. The magnetic field applying device is configured to apply a magnetic field to the silicon melt in the crucible, in which the distance between the bottom of the deflector and the liquid level of the silicon melt in the direction of the magnetic field is less than that between the bottom of the deflector and the silicon melt in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field.

An embodiment provides a method for growing silicon single crystal ingots, comprising the steps of: (a) injecting polysilicon into a crucible inside a chamber; (b) melting the polysilicon in the crucible to form a silicon melt; (c) measuring the degree of melting of the polysilicon; and (d) increasing, after a predetermined part of the polysilicon has been melted, the supply amount of an inert gas supplied to the chamber, and decreasing the pressure inside the chamber.

An embodiment provides a method for growing silicon single crystal ingots, comprising the steps of: (a) injecting polysilicon into a crucible inside a chamber; (b) melting the polysilicon in the crucible to form a silicon melt; (c) measuring the degree of melting of the polysilicon; and (d) increasing, after a predetermined part of the polysilicon has been melted, the supply amount of an inert gas supplied to the chamber, and decreasing the pressure inside the chamber.

A method of controlling a convection pattern of a silicon melt includes applying a horizontal magnetic field having an intensity of 0.2 tesla or more to the silicon melt in a rotating quartz crucible to fix a direction of a convection flow in a plane orthogonal to an application direction of the horizontal magnetic field in the silicon melt, the horizontal magnetic field being applied so that a central magnetic field line passes through a point horizontally offset from a center axis of the quartz crucible by 10 mm or more.

A method of controlling a convection pattern of a silicon melt includes applying a horizontal magnetic field having an intensity of 0.2 tesla or more to the silicon melt in a rotating quartz crucible to fix a direction of a convection flow in a plane orthogonal to an application direction of the horizontal magnetic field in the silicon melt, the horizontal magnetic field being applied so that a central magnetic field line passes through a point horizontally offset from a center axis of the quartz crucible by 10 mm or more.

A roller guide assembly for use in lifting a seed coupled to a cable includes a mounting plate, a shaft, and a roller guide. The mounting plate has a throughhole. The shaft is coupled to the mounting plate such that the shaft is movable relative to the mounting plate in a direction that is generally perpendicular to a central axis of the shaft. The roller guide is rotationally coupled about the shaft and generally positioned within the throughhole of the mounting plate such that at least a portion of the roller guide extends out of the throughhole.

A roller guide assembly for use in lifting a seed coupled to a cable includes a mounting plate, a shaft, and a roller guide. The mounting plate has a throughhole. The shaft is coupled to the mounting plate such that the shaft is movable relative to the mounting plate in a direction that is generally perpendicular to a central axis of the shaft. The roller guide is rotationally coupled about the shaft and generally positioned within the throughhole of the mounting plate such that at least a portion of the roller guide extends out of the throughhole.

A method for producing a silicon ingot includes withdrawing a seed crystal from a melt that includes melted silicon in a crucible that is enclosed in a vacuum chamber containing a cusped magnetic field. At least one process parameter is regulated in at least two stages, including a first stage corresponding to formation of the silicon ingot up to an intermediate ingot length, and a second stage corresponding to formation of the silicon ingot from the intermediate ingot length to the total ingot length. During the second stage process parameter regulation may include reducing a crystal rotation rate, reducing a crucible rotation rate, and/or increasing a magnetic field strength relative to the first stage.

A method for producing a silicon ingot includes withdrawing a seed crystal from a melt that includes melted silicon in a crucible that is enclosed in a vacuum chamber containing a cusped magnetic field. At least one process parameter is regulated in at least two stages, including a first stage corresponding to formation of the silicon ingot up to an intermediate ingot length, and a second stage corresponding to formation of the silicon ingot from the intermediate ingot length to the total ingot length. During the second stage process parameter regulation may include reducing a crystal rotation rate, reducing a crucible rotation rate, and/or increasing a magnetic field strength relative to the first stage.