Integrated Materials, Incorporated

Other

Ferrotec (usa) Corporation

Integrated Photovoltaics, Incorporated

Ferrotec Corporation

James E Boyle

Raanan Y Zehavi

Laurence D Delaney

Ranaan Y Zehavi

Robert W Mytton

Reese Reynolds

Robert L Davis

Tom L Cadwell

Amnon Chalzel

Doris Mytton, Legal Representative

Laurence Delaney

A portable hand-washing station that is self-contained to provide hot and cold water to a user as well as dispose of said water. The station includes a rolling hand truck, a sink assembly, a fresh-water tank, a grey-water tank, a water heater, and a water pump. The rolling hand truck includes a base platform and a vertical frame for support. The sink assembly is perpendicularly mounted to the vertical frame, opposite to the base frame. The grey-water tank and the fresh-water tank are positioned in between the sink assembly and the base platform and each are adjacently attached to the rolling hand truck. The grey-water tank and the fresh-water tank are in fluid communication with the sink assembly through the water pump and the water heater to provide the user with clean water. Additionally, a drain of the sink assembly is in fluid communication with the grey-water tank for disposal.

Portable self-contained hot water hand-washing station

Non-production wafers of polycrystalline silicon are placed in non-production slots of a support tower for thermal processing monocrystalline silicon wafers. They may have thicknesses of 0.725 to 2 mm and be roughened on both sides. Nitride may be grown on the non-production wafers to a thickness of over 2 &#x3bc;m without flaking. The polycrystalline silicon is preferably randomly oriented Czochralski polysilicon grown using a randomly oriented seed, for example, CVD grown silicon. Both sides are ground to introduce sub-surface damage and then oxidized and etch cleaned. An all-silicon hot zone of a thermal furnace, for example, depositing a nitride layer, may include a silicon support tower placed within a silicon liner and supporting the polysilicon non-production wafers with silicon injector tube providing processing gas within the liner.

Czochralski growth of randomly oriented polysilicon and use of randomly oriented polysilicon dummy wafers

A method of joining two silicon members, the adhesive used for the method, and the joined product, especially a silicon tower for supporting multiple silicon wafers. A flowable adhesive is prepared comprising silicon particles of size less than 100 &#x3bc;m and preferably less than 100 nm and a silica bridging agent, such as a spin-on glass. Nano-silicon crystallites of about 20 nm size maybe formed by CVD. Larger particles maybe milled from virgin polysilicon. If necessary, a retardant such as a heavy, preferably water-insoluble alcohol such as terpineol is added to slow setting of the adhesive at room temperature. The mixture is applied to the joining areas. The silicon parts are assembled and annealed at a temperature sufficient to link the silica, preferably at 900&#xb0; C. to 1100&#xb0; C. for nano-silicon but higher for milled silicon.

Assembly of silicon parts bonded together with a silicon and silica composite

Baffle wafers of polycrystalline silicon are placed in non-production slots of a support tower for thermal processing monocrystalline silicon wafers. The polycrystalline silicon is preferably randomly oriented Czochralski polysilicon grown using a randomly oriented seed, for example, CVD grown silicon. An all-silicon hot zone of a thermal furnace may include a silicon support tower placed within a silicon liner and supporting the polysilicon baffle wafers with silicon injector tube providing processing gas within the liner. The randomly oriented polysilicon may be used for other parts requiring a rugged member, for example, within a silicon processing chamber and for structural members.

Baffle wafers and randomly oriented polycrystalline silicon used therefor

Tubular silicon members advantageously formed by extrusion from a silicon melt or by fixing together silicon staves in a barrel shape. A silicon-based wafer support tower is particularly useful for batch-mode thermal chemical vapor deposition and other high-temperature processes, especially reflow of silicate glass at above 1200&#xb0; C. The surfaces of the silicon tower are bead blasted to introduce sub-surface damage, which produces pits and cracks in the surface, which anchor subsequently deposited layer of, for example, silicon nitride, thereby inhibiting peeling of the nitride film. Wafer support portions of the tower are preferably composed of virgin polysilicon. The invention can be applied to other silicon parts in a deposition or other substrate processing reactor, such as tubular sleeves and reactor walls. The tower parts are preferably pre-coated with silicon nitride or polysilicon prior to chemical vapor deposition of these materials, or with silicon nitride prior to reflow of silica.

Tube formed of bonded silicon staves

A method of jet milling silicon powder in which silicon pellets are fed into a jet mill producing a gas vortex in which the pellets are entrained and pulverized by collisions with each other or walls of the milling chamber. The chamber walls are advantageously formed of high-purity silicon as are other parts contacting the unground pellets or ground powder. The pellets and chamber parts may be formed of electronic grade silicon but polycrystalline silicon may be used for chamber parts. Additionally, the particle feed tube in which the particles are entrained in a gas flow and the vortex finder operating as the outlet at the center of the vortex may be formed of silicon. The milling and feed gas may be nitrogen supplied from a liquid-nitrogen tank lined with stainless steel. The feed pellets may be formed by chemical vapor deposition.

Jet mill producing fine silicon powder

A method of joining two silicon members and the bonded assembly in which the members are assembled to place them into alignment across a seam. Silicon derived from silicon powder is plasma sprayed across the seam and forms a silicon coating that bonds to the silicon members on each side of the seam to thereby bond together the members. The plasma sprayed silicon may seal an underlying bond of spin-on glass or may act as the primary bond, in which case through mortise holes are preferred so that two layers of silicon are plasma sprayed on opposing ends of the mortise holes. A silicon wafer tower or boat may be the final product. The method may be used to form a ring or a tube from segments or staves arranged in a circle. Plasma spraying silicon may repair a crack or chip formed in a silicon member.

Silicon parts joined by a silicon layer preferably plasma sprayed

A method of joining two silicon members, the adhesive used for the method, and the joined product, especially a silicon tower for supporting multiple silicon wafers. A flowable adhesive is prepared comprising silicon particles of size less than 100 &#x3bc;m and preferably less than 100 nm and a silica bridging agent, such as a spin-on glass. Nano-silicon crystallites of about 20 nm size may be formed by CVD. Larger particles may be milled from virgin polysilicon. If necessary, a retardant such as a heavy, preferably water-insoluble alcohol such as terpineol is added to slow setting of the adhesive at room temperature. The mixture is applied to the joining areas. The silicon parts are assembled and annealed at a temperature sufficient to link the silica, preferably at 900&#xb0; C. to 1100&#xb0; C. for nano-silicon but higher for milled silicon.

Adhesive of a silicon and silica composite for bonding together silicon parts

Polysilicon dummy wafers and process used therewith

Silicon tube formed of bonded staves

A silicon-based wafer support tower particularly useful for batch-mode thermal chemical vapor deposition. The surfaces of the silicon tower are bead blasted to introduce sub-surface damage, which produces pits and cracks in the surface, which anchor subsequently deposited layer of, for example, silicon nitride, thereby inhibiting peeling of the nitride film. The surface roughness may be in the range of 250 to 2500 &#x3bc;m. Wafer support portions of the tower are preferably composed of virgin polysilicon. The invention can be applied to other silicon parts in a deposition or other substrate processing reactor, such as tubular sleeves and reactor walls. Tubular silicon members are advantageously formed by extrusion from a silicon melt.

Silicon fixture with roughened surface supporting wafers in chemical vapor deposition

Adhesive of a silicon and silica composite particularly useful for joining silicon parts

Plasma spraying for joining silicon parts

A process for hydrogen annealing silicon wafers that have been cut from an ingot and polished on both sides, thereby removing crystal originated pits (COPs) in their surface. The wafers are then stacked in a tower having at least support surfaces made from virgin polysilicon, that is, polysilicon form by chemical vapor deposition, preferably from monosilane. The tower may include four virgin polysilicon legs have support teeth slotted at inclined angles along the legs and fixed at their opposed ends to bases. The wafers so supported on the virgin polysilicon towers are annealed in a hydrogen ambient at 1250&#xb0; C. for 12 hours.

Silicon fixture supporting silicon wafers during high temperature processing

A process for hydrogen annealing silicon wafers that have been cut from an ingot and polished on both sides, thereby removing crystal originated pits (COPs) in their surface. The wafers are then stacked in a tower having at least support surfaces made from virgin polysilicon, that is, polysilicon form by chemical vapor deposition, preferably from monosilane. The tower may include four virgin polysilicon legs have support teeth slotted along the legs and fixed at their opposed ends to bases. The wafers are supported at four equally distributed points at 0.707 of the wafer radius. The wafers so supported on the virgin polysilicon towers are annealed in a hydrogen ambient at 1250&deg; C. for 12 hours.

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Saratoga, CA, United States of America

James E Boyle