Globalwafers Co., Ltd.

Sunedison Semiconductor Limited (uen201334164h)

Corner Star Limited

Sunedison Semiconductor Limited

Carissima Marie Hudson

JaeWoo Ryu

HyungMin Lee

Jae-Woo Ryu

Richard Joseph Phillips

Robert J Falster

Soubir Basak

WooJin Yoon

William L Luter

Sumeet S Bhagavat

Igor Peidous

Hariprasad Sreedharamurthy

Robert Wendell Standley

JunHwan Ji

ByungChun Kim

Gaurab Samanta

Benjamin Michael Meyer

Chun-Sheng Wu

Yu-Chiao Wu

Chieh Hu

Hsien-Ta Tseng

YoungJung Lee

Kirk D McCallum

Jun Hwan Ji

Tae Hoon Kim

Soon Sung Park

Byung Chun Kim

Jiaying Ke

Liang-Chin Chen

Young Jung Lee

John D Holder

Steven Lawrence Kimbel

Harold W Korb

Stephan Haringer

Salvador Zepeda

Marco Zardoni

Christopher Vaughn Luers

Byungchun Kim

Hyungmin Lee

Youngjung Lee

Junhwan Ji

Woojin Yoon

Jaewoo Ryu

Methods for producing a silicon ingot in which a horizontal magnetic field is generated are disclosed. The magnet position is controlled in at least two stages of ingot growth. The magnetic poles may be at a first position during the first stage of ingot growth and lowered to a second position in a second stage of ingot growth. By controlling the magnet position, the crystal-melt interface shape may be relatively more consistent.

Axial positioning of magnetic poles while producing a silicon ingot

Ingot puller apparatus that axially position magnetic poles

Methods for producing single crystal silicon ingots in which an array of quartz particles are added to the crucible assembly before ingot growth are disclosed. The array may be disposed in the outer melt zone of the crucible assembly as in a continuous Czochralski (CCz) process. The array may be made of quartz particles that are interconnected by linking members.

Use of arrays of quartz particles during single crystal silicon ingot production

Methods for producing a product ingot from a silicon melt held within a crucible are disclosed. The methods involve evaluating one or more ingot puller apparatus to determine if the apparatus is capable of producing low oxygen content silicon product ingots. A sample rod is pulled from the silicon melt and the oxygen content of the sample rod is measured.

Methods for producing a product ingot having low oxygen content

A method of growing a single crystal ingot includes growing a single crystal silicon ingot from a silicon melt in a crucible within an inner chamber, adding a volatile dopant into a feed tube, positioning the feed tube within an inner chamber at a first height relative to a surface of the melt, adjusting the feed tube within the inner chamber to a second height at a speed rate, and heating the volatile dopant to form a gaseous dopant as the feed tube is moved from the first height to the second height at the speed rate. Each of the second height and the speed rate are selected to control a vaporization rate of the volatile dopant. The method also includes introducing dopant species into the melt while growing the ingot by contacting the surface of the melt with the gaseous dopant.

Systems and methods for controlling a gas dopant vaporization rate during a crystal growth process

Ingot puller apparatus for preparing a single crystal silicon ingot by the Czochralski method are disclosed. The ingot puller apparatus includes a heat shield. The heat shield has a leg segment that includes a void (i.e., an open space without insulation) disposed in the leg segment. The heat shield may also include insulation partially within the heat shield.

Ingot puller apparatus having heat shields with feet having an apex

A method for producing a silicon ingot by the horizontal magnetic field Czochralski method includes rotating a crucible containing a silicon melt, applying a horizontal magnetic field to the crucible, contacting the silicon melt with a seed crystal, and withdrawing the seed crystal from the silicon melt while rotating the crucible to form a silicon ingot. The crucible has a wettable surface with a cristobalite layer formed thereon.

Systems and methods for production of silicon using a horizontal magnetic field

Ingot puller apparatus having heat shields with voids therein

Methods for producing monocrystalline silicon ingots by horizontal magnetic field Czochralski are disclosed. During growth of the neck and/or growth of at least a portion of the crown, a magnetic field is not applied to the neck and/or crown or a relatively weak magnetic field of 1500 gauss or less is applied. A horizontal magnetic field (e.g., greater than 1500 gauss) is applied during growth of the ingot main body.

Methods for producing a monocrystalline ingot by horizontal magnetic field Czochralski

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.

Resistivity stabilization measurement of fat neck slabs for high resistivity and ultra-high resistivity single crystal silicon ingot growth

A method for growing a single crystal silicon ingot by the continuous Czochralski method is disclosed. The melt depth and thermal conditions are constant during growth because the silicon melt is continuously replenished as it is consumed, and the crucible location is fixed. The critical v/G is determined by the hot zone configuration, and the continuous replenishment of silicon to the melt during growth enables growth of the ingot at a constant pull rate consistent with the critical v/G during growth of a substantial portion of the main body of the ingot. The continuous replenishment of silicon is accompanied by periodic or continuous nitrogen addition to the melt to result in a nitrogen doped ingot.

Methods for growing a nitrogen doped single crystal silicon ingot using continuous Czochralski method

Single crystal silicon ingot having axial uniformity

A method for preparing a single crystal silicon ingot and a wafer sliced therefrom are provided. The ingots and wafers comprise nitrogen at a concentration of at least about 1&#xd7;10atoms/cmand/or germanium at a concentration of at least about 1&#xd7;10atoms/cm, interstitial oxygen at a concentration of less than about 6 ppma, and a resistivity of at least about 1000 ohm cm.

High resistivity single crystal silicon ingot and wafer having improved mechanical strength

Growing community of inventors

St. Charles, MO, United States of America

Carissima Marie Hudson