Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.

Clarkson University

Brian T Helenbrook

Frederick M Carlson

Peter Lawrence Kellerman

Dawei Sun

David S Harvey

Ming-Cheng Cheng

An apparatus for growing a silicon crystal substrate comprising a heat source, an anisotropic thermal load leveling component, a crucible, and a cold plate component is disclosed. The anisotropic thermal load leveling component possesses a high thermal conductivity and may be positioned atop the heat source to be operative to even-out temperature and heat flux variations emanating from the heat source. The crucible may be operative to contain molten silicon in which the top surface of the molten silicon may be defined as a growth interface. The crucible may be substantially surrounded by the anisotropic thermal load leveling component. The cold plate component may be positioned above the crucible to be operative with the anisotropic thermal load leveling component and heat source to maintain a uniform heat flux at the growth surface of the molten silicon.

Method for growing a silicon crystal substrate from a melt by directing a flow of molten silicon around a baffle structure

Thermal load leveling during silicon crystal growth from a melt using anisotropic materials

Embodiments related to sheet production are disclosed. A melt of a material is cooled to form a sheet of the material on the melt. The sheet is formed in a first region at a first sheet height. The sheet is translated to a second region such that it has a second sheet height higher than the first sheet height. The sheet is then separated from the melt. A seed wafer may be used to form the sheet.

Removing a sheet from the surface of a melt using elasticity and buoyancy

The invention of novel methods is described for efficient and accurate thermal simulation of a structure that can be primarily constructed using building blocks. These structures may include, but not limited to, semiconductor chips, photovoltaic/solar panels, battery packs, etc. The methods are formulated in hierarchical function spaces, rather than the physical space and provide three-dimensional (3D) steady-state and transient temperature profiles of the structure, which are as detailed as full-scale numerical simulation, using substantially less computational degrees-of-freedom (DOF). The number of DOF required is comparable to that of lumped thermal models, yet no ad-hoc modeling assumptions related to geometry, dimensions, temperature profiles, or heat flow paths are required. The methods can be applied to evaluate temperature profiles at different levels of granularity. The methods can also be implemented in various computer-aided-design (CAD) or electronic-design-automation (EDA) tools for different technologies to perform electro-thermal simulations.

Method for thermal simulation

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Potsdam, NY, United States of America

Brian T Helenbrook