Globalwafers Co., Ltd.

James Dean Eoff

William L Luter

Justin Scott Kayser

John Francis Valley

Benjamin Michael Meyer

Vandan Tanna

Yu-Chiao Wu

Richard Joseph Phillips

Stephan Haringer

Marco Zardoni

Giorgio Agostini

Giancarlo Zago

William Lynn Luter

A method for producing a single crystal silicon ingot includes adding polycrystalline silicon to a crucible disposed within a chamber defined by a housing of an ingot puller apparatus, maintaining the chamber at a first pressure, heating the chamber using radiant heat to melt the polycrystalline silicon and form a silicon melt in the crucible, pulling a single crystal silicon ingot from the silicon melt, channeling a liquid dopant at a second pressure greater than the first pressure into a feed tube positioned in the chamber, vaporizing the liquid dopant into a vaporized dopant by flash evaporation at the first pressure within the feed tube, and directing the vaporized dopant from the feed tube toward a surface of the silicon melt to cause the vaporized dopant to enter the silicon melt as a dopant while pulling the single crystal silicon ingot from the silicon melt.

Systems and methods for producing a single crystal silicon ingot using a vaporized dopant

A method of detecting defects on a semiconductor wafer includes directing diffuse light to the semiconductor wafer and reflecting the diffuse light off of the semiconductor wafer. The method further includes detecting the diffuse light with a camera to generate an image of the semiconductor wafer and analyzing the image to detect defects on the semiconductor wafer.

Method of processing a cleaved semiconductor wafer

A semiconductor wafer processing system for processing a semiconductor wafer includes a semiconductor wafer processing station for processing the semiconductor wafer and a semiconductor wafer imaging system that images the semiconductor wafer after the semiconductor wafer processing station processes the semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer imaging system includes shroud panels defining a black box, a camera positioned in the black box for imaging the semiconductor wafer, and an illumination panel for directing diffuse light to the semiconductor wafer. A portion of the diffuse light is reflected off the semiconductor wafer and the camera images the semiconductor wafer by detecting the reflected diffuse light.

Cleaved semiconductor wafer imaging system

A semiconductor wafer imaging system for imaging a semiconductor wafer includes shroud panels defining a black box, a camera positioned in the black box for imaging the semiconductor wafer, and an illumination panel for directing diffuse light to the semiconductor wafer. A portion of the diffuse light is reflected off the semiconductor wafer and the camera images the semiconductor wafer by detecting the reflected diffuse light.

Cleaved semiconductor wafer camera system

A method for doping a single crystal silicon ingot pulled includes heating a vaporization cup. The method also includes maintaining a pressure of an interior of the housing at a first pressure. The method further includes injecting liquid dopant into the dopant injection tube and the vaporization cup. A pressure of the liquid dopant is maintained at a second pressure greater than the first pressure prior to injection into the dopant injection tube and the vaporization cup. The method also includes vaporizing the liquid dopant into vaporized dopant within the housing. The liquid dopant is vaporized by flash evaporation by heating the liquid dopant with the vaporization cup and reducing the pressure of the liquid dopant from the second pressure to the first pressure by injecting the liquid dopant into the housing. The method further includes channeling the vaporized dopant into the housing using the dopant injection tube.

Methods for producing a single crystal silicon ingot using a vaporized dopant

An ingot puller apparatus for producing a doped single crystal silicon ingot includes a housing defining a chamber, a crucible disposed within the chamber, and a dopant injector extending into the housing. The dopant injector includes a delivery module attached to and extending through the housing into the chamber. The delivery module includes a dopant injection tube positioned within the chamber and a vaporization cup positioned within the dopant injection tube and the chamber. The second valve selectively channels the liquid dopant into the vaporization cup and the vaporization cup vaporizes the liquid dopant into a vaporized dopant.

Systems for producing a single crystal silicon ingot using a vaporized dopant

Additive feed systems for feeding at least two different additives to silicon disposed within a crucible of an ingot puller apparatus are disclosed. The additive feed system may include first and second feed trays which are caused to vibrate to move first or second additive from a canister in which the additive is stored to another vessel in which the amount of first or second additive added to the vessel is sensed. The additive is discharged from the vessel into an additive feed tube through which the additive enters the crucible.

Additive feed systems, ingot puller apparatus and methods for forming a single crystal silicon ingot with use of such additive feed systems

Cleave systems for separating bonded wafer structures, mountable cleave monitoring systems and methods for separating bonded wafer structures are disclosed. In some embodiments, the sound emitted from a bonded wafer structure is sensed during cleaving and a metric related to an attribute of the cleave is generated. The generated metric may be used for quality control and/or to adjust a cleave control parameter to improve the quality of the cleave of subsequently cleaved bonded wafer structures.

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Montgomery City, MO, United States of America

James Dean Eoff