An apparatus for controlling a thickness of a crystalline ribbon grown on a surface of a melt includes a crucible configured to hold a melt; a cold initializer facing an exposed surface of the melt; a segmented cooled thinning controller disposed above the crucible on a side of the crucible with the cold initializer; and a uniform melt-back heater disposed below of the crucible opposite the cooled thinning controller. Heat is applied to the ribbon through the melt using a uniform melt-back heater disposed below the melt. Cooling is applied to the ribbon using a segmented cooled thinning controller facing the crystalline ribbon above the melt.

An apparatus for controlling a thickness of a crystalline ribbon grown on a surface of a melt includes a crucible configured to hold a melt; a cold initializer facing an exposed surface of the melt; a segmented cooled thinning controller disposed above the crucible on a side of the crucible with the cold initializer; and a uniform melt-back heater disposed below of the crucible opposite the cooled thinning controller. Heat is applied to the ribbon through the melt using a uniform melt-back heater disposed below the melt. Cooling is applied to the ribbon using a segmented cooled thinning controller facing the crystalline ribbon above the melt.

An optical sensor is configured to detect a difference in emissivity between the melt and a solid ribbon on the melt, which may be silicon. The optical sensor is positioned on a same side of a crucible as a cold initializer. A difference in emissivity between the melt and the ribbon on the melt is detected using an optical sensor. This difference in emissivity can be used to determine and control a width of the ribbon.

An optical sensor is configured to detect a difference in emissivity between the melt and a solid ribbon on the melt, which may be silicon. The optical sensor is positioned on a same side of a crucible as a cold initializer. A difference in emissivity between the melt and the ribbon on the melt is detected using an optical sensor. This difference in emissivity can be used to determine and control a width of the ribbon.

A single crystal silicon wafer has a thickness between a first surface and an opposite second surface from 50 μm to 300 μm. The wafer includes a first region extending a first depth from the first surface. The first region has a reduced oxygen concentration relative to an adjacent region of the wafer. The wafer has a bulk minority carrier lifetime greater than 100 μs.

A ribbon is formed such that the ribbon floats on a melt using a cold initializer facing an exposed surface of the melt. The ribbon is single crystal silicon. The ribbon is pulled from the silicon melt at a low angle off the melt surface. The ribbon is formed at a same rate as the pulling. The ribbon is separated from the melt at a wall of the crucible where a stable meniscus forms. The ribbon has a thickness between a first surface and an opposite second surface from 50 μm to 5 mm. The ribbon includes a first region extending a first depth from the first surface. The first region has a reduced oxygen concentration relative to a bulk of the ribbon.

A ribbon is formed such that the ribbon floats on a melt using a cold initializer facing an exposed surface of the melt. The ribbon is single crystal silicon. The ribbon is pulled from the silicon melt at a low angle off the melt surface. The ribbon is formed at a same rate as the pulling. The ribbon is separated from the melt at a wall of the crucible where a stable meniscus forms. The ribbon has a thickness between a first surface and an opposite second surface from 50 μm to 5 mm. The ribbon includes a first region extending a first depth from the first surface. The first region has a reduced oxygen concentration relative to a bulk of the ribbon.

A silicon single crystal growing apparatus based on a Czochralski method arranges a graphite crucible inside a graphite heater for heating and a quartz crucible inside the graphite crucible and grows a crystal from a raw material melt filling the quartz crucible, and includes a heater outer heat-insulating member outside the graphite heater, a crucible lower heat-insulating member below the graphite crucible, a crucible upper heat-insulating member above straight bodies of the graphite and quartz crucibles, a crucible outer heat-insulating member outside the straight body of the graphite crucible, a crucible inner heat-insulating member inside the straight bodies of the graphite crucible and the quartz crucible, and a heat shielding member above a liquid surface of the raw material melt, the graphite crucible and the quartz crucible being movable upward and downward in a space enclosed with the crucible upper heat-insulating, crucible outer heat-insulating, and crucible inner heat-insulating members.

A sheet-forming apparatus including a crucible for holding a melt of material and a solid sheet of the material disposed within the melt, a crystallizer disposed above the crucible and configured to form the sheet from the melt, and an ultrasonic measurement system disposed adjacent the crystallizer, the ultrasonic measurement system comprising at least one ultrasonic measurement device including a waveguide coupled to an ultrasonic transducer for directing an ultrasonic pulse through the melt.

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.