Saint-gobain Ceramics & Plastics, Inc.

Ase Americas, Inc.

Marc Ouellette

John Walter Locher

Brian H Mackintosh

Christopher D Jones

Jan Jozef Buzniak

Guilford L Mack, Iii

Abbie M Jennings

Joseph M Collins

The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus and method for growing a sapphire sheet via edge-defined film-fed growth (EFG) including an angled heat shield with respect to the a side surface of a die tip. The present disclosure is further directed to an sapphire sheets and batches of such sheets having features such as a particular maximum low spot thickness.

Sapphire sheets and apparatus and method for producing sapphire sheets with angled heat shields

An improved mechanical arrangement controls the introduction of silicon particles into an EFG (Edge-defined Film-fed Growth) crucible/die unit for melt replenishment during a crystal growth run. A feeder unit injects silicon particles upwardly through a center hub of the crucible/die unit and the mechanical arrangement intercepts the injected particles and directs them so that they drop into the melt in a selected region of the crucible and at velocity which reduces splashing, whereby to reduce the likelihood of interruption of the growth process due to formation of a solid mass of silicon on the center hub and adjoining components. The invention also comprises use of a Faraday ring to alter the ratio of the electrical currents flowing through primary and secondary induction heating coils that heat the crucible die unit and the mechanical arrangement.

EFG crystal growth apparatus and method

Growing community of inventors

Nashua, NH, United States of America

Marc Ouellette