Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.

Axcelis Technologies, Inc.

Other

Frederick M Carlson

Peter Lawrence Kellerman

Frank Sinclair

David J Morrell

Nandish Desai

Ala Moradian

Brian H Mackintosh

Dawei Sun

Brian T Helenbrook

Victor M Benveniste

Julian G Blake

Nicholas P T Bateman

Robert J Mitchell

Brian Kernan

David Morrell

Brian MacKintosh

An apparatus for controlling heat flow within a melt. The apparatus may include a crucible configured to contain the melt where the melt has an exposed surface. The apparatus may also include a heater disposed below a first side of the crucible and configured to supply heat through the melt to the exposed surface, and a heat diffusion barrier assembly comprising at least one heat diffusion barrier disposed within the crucible and defining an isolation region in the melt and an outer region in the melt.

Method for controlling heat flow within a silicon melt using a heat diffusion barrier assembly

Apparatus for controlling heat flow within a silicon melt

An apparatus for forming a crystalline sheet. The apparatus may include a crystallizer comprising a first gas channel and a second gas channel, wherein the first gas channel and second gas channel extend through the crystallizer to a lower surface of the crystallizer between an upstream edge and a downstream edge. The first gas channel may be disposed closer to the downstream edge than the second gas channel. A first gas source may be coupled to the first gas channel, where the first gas source comprises helium or hydrogen, and a second gas source may be coupled to the second gas channel, where the second gas source does not contain hydrogen or helium.

Apparatus and method for crystalline sheet growth

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

An apparatus may include a crucible configured to contain the melt, the melt having an exposed surface separated from a floor of the crucible by a first distance, a housing comprising a material that is non-contaminating to the melt, the housing comprising a plurality of sidewalls and a top that are configured to contact the melt, and a plurality of heating elements isolated from the melt and disposed along a transverse direction perpendicular to a pulling direction of the crystalline sheet, the plurality of heating elements being individually powered, wherein the plurality of heating elements are disposed at a second set of distances from the exposed surface of the melt that are less than the first distance, and wherein the plurality of heating elements are configured to vary a heat flux profile along the transverse direction when power is supplied individually to the plurality of heating elements.

Apparatus and method for controlling thickness of a crystalline sheet grown on a melt

A crystallizer for growing a crystalline sheet from a melt may include a cold block having a cold block surface that faces an exposed surface of the melt, the cold block configured to generate a cold block temperature at the cold block surface that is lower than a melt temperature of the melt at the exposed surface. The system may also include a nozzle disposed within the cold block and configured to deliver a gas jet to the exposed surface, wherein the gas jet and the cold block are interoperative to generate a process zone that removes heat from the exposed surface at a first heat removal rate that is greater than a second heat removal rate from the exposed surface in outer regions outside of the process zone.

System and method for crystalline sheet growth using a cold block and gas jet

An apparatus for processing a melt may include a crucible configured to contain the melt, where the melt has an exposed surface that is separated from a floor of the crucible by a first distance. The apparatus may further include a submerged heater comprising a heating element and a shell disposed between the heating element and the melt, wherein the heating element does not contact the melt. The heating element may be disposed at a second distance with respect to the exposed surface of the melt that is less than the first distance.

Apparatus for processing a melt

An apparatus to purify a melt is disclosed. A first portion of a melt in a chamber is frozen in a first direction. A fraction of the first portion is melted in the first direction. A second portion of the melt remains frozen. The melt flows from the chamber and the second portion is removed from the chamber. The freezing concentrates solutes in the melt and second portion. The second portion may be a slug with a high solute concentration. This system may be incorporated into a sheet forming apparatus with other components such as, for example, pumps, filters, or particle traps.

Melt purification and delivery system

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

The embodiments herein relate to a sheet production apparatus. A vessel is configured to hold a melt of a material and a cooling plate is disposed proximate the melt. This cooling plate configured to form a sheet of the material on the melt. A pump is used. In one instance, this pump includes a gas source and a conduit in fluid communication with the gas source. In another instance, this pump injects a gas into a melt. The gas can raise the melt or provide momentum to the melt.

Gas-lift pumps for flowing and purifying molten silicon

An apparatus to pump a melt is disclosed. The pump has a chamber that defines a cavity configured to hold the melt. A gas source is in fluid communication with the chamber. A first valve is between the chamber and a first pipe and a second valve is between the chamber and a second pipe. The valves may be check valves in one embodiment.

Method for continuous formation of a purified sheet from a melt

A melt of a material is cooled and a sheet of the material is formed in the melt. This sheet is transported, cut into at least one segment, and cooled in a cooling chamber. The material may be Si, Si and Ge, Ga, or GaN. The cooling is configured to prevent stress or strain to the segment. In one instance, the cooling chamber has gas cooling.

Removal of a sheet from a production apparatus

A dislocation-free sheet may be formed from a melt. A sheet of material with a first width is formed on a melt of the material using a cooling plate. This sheet has dislocations. The sheet is transported with respect to the cooling plate and the dislocations migrate to an edge of the sheet. The first width of the sheet is increased to a second width by the cooling plate. The sheet does not have dislocations at the second width. The cooling plate may have a shape with two different widths in one instance. The cooling plate may have segments that operate at different temperatures to increase the width of the sheet in another instance. The sheet may be pulled or flowed with respect to the cooling plate.

Method and apparatus for producing a dislocation-free crystalline sheet

The present invention is directed to a semiconductor thermal processing apparatus and a method for thermally cooling a semiconductor substrate. According to one aspect of the present invention, a gas-cooled clamp and associated method is disclosed which provides cooling of a substrate by thermal conduction generally in the free molecular regime. The gas-cooled clamp comprises a clamping plate having a plurality of protrusions that define gaps therebetween, wherein a distance or depth of the gaps are associated with a mean free path of the cooling gas therein. The gas-cooled clamp further comprises a pressure control system operable to control a backside pressure of the cooling gas within the plurality of gaps to thus control a heat transfer coefficient of the cooling gas, wherein the heat transfer coefficient of the cooling gas is primarily a function of the pressure and substantially independent of the gap distance.

Growing community of inventors

Potsdam, NY, United States of America

Frederick M Carlson