Globalwafers Co., Ltd.

Memc Electronic Materials, Inc.

Gtat IP Holding Llc.

Gt Advanced Cz LLC

Corner Star Limited

William L Luter

Richard Joseph Phillips

Benjamin Michael Meyer

Yu-Chiao Wu

James Dean Eoff

Sumeet S Bhagavat

Salvador Zepeda

Patrick Fredrick Boegemann, Iii

Carissima Marie Hudson

Nan Zhang

Dick S Williams

Hariprasad Sreedharamurthy

Gaurab Samanta

Stephan Haringer

Soubir Basak

Lee William Ferry

John Francis Valley

Justin Scott Kayser

Parthiv Daggolu

Vandan Tanna

Shawn George Thomas

Qingmin Liu

Bayard K Johnson

JaeWoo Ryu

Chun-Sheng Wu

Richard G Schrenker

John P Deluca

Chieh Hu

Eric Michael Gitlin

Hsien-Ta Tseng

Jiaying Ke

Liang-Chin Chen

Jae Woo Ryu

Neil Middendorf

Weidong Huang

Kyong-Min Kim

Mauro Diodà

Paolo Tosi

David J Dubiel

Umberto Martini

Verlin A Lauher

Frank S Delk, Ii

Nels Patrick Ostrom

James N Highfill

Yu-Chaio Wu

Robert J Braun

Srdjan Ilic

Marco Gobbo

Howard P Zinschlag

Patrick Fredrick Iii Boegemann

Neil D Middendorf

Dicks S Williams

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

Methods for producing a single crystal silicon ingot are disclosed. The ingot is doped with boron using solid-phase boric acid as the source of boron. Boric acid may be used to counter-dope the ingot during ingot growth. Ingot puller apparatus that use a solid-phase dopant are also disclosed. The solid-phase dopant may be disposed in a receptacle that is moved closer to the surface of the melt or a vaporization unit may be used to produce a dopant gas from the solid-phase dopant.

Methods for producing a single crystal silicon ingot using boric acid as a 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 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 that use a solid-phase dopant

Methods for forming a unitized crucible assembly for holding a melt of silicon for forming a silicon ingot are disclosed. In some embodiments, the methods involve a porous crucible mold having a channel network with a bottom channel, an outer sidewall channel that extends from the bottom channel, and a central weir channel that extends from the bottom channel. A slip slurry may be added to the channel network and the liquid carrier of the slip slurry may be drawn into the mold. The resulting green body may be sintered to form the crucible assembly.

Methods for forming a unitized crucible assembly

Crucible molds

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 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

Ingot puller apparatus having heat shields with voids therein

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

Growing community of inventors

St. Charles, MO, United States of America

William L Luter