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US 10,633,759 B2Granted
Technique for controlling temperature uniformity in crystal growth apparatus
AssigneeGTAT Corporation
InventorsFrederick Schmid, Cody Riopel, Hui Zhang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sapphire crystal growth apparatus is provided that includes a chamber, a hot zone and a muffle. More specifically, the hot zone is disposed within the chamber and includes at least one heating system, at least one heat removal system, and a crucible containing feedstock. Additionally, a muffle that surrounds at least two sides of the crucible is also provided to ensure uniform temperature distribution through the feedstock during crystal growth to allow the crystalline material to be grown with a square or rectangular shaped cross section.
Claims14
A crystal growth apparatus comprising:
- an outer container;
- a chamber formed by an outer shell of insulation and a top insulation cover, wherein the chamber is formed within the outer container;
- a hot zone within the chamber, the hot zone including a crucible, a heating element disposed between the crucible and the outer shell of insulation, and a heat exchanger positioned beneath the crucible, wherein the crucible has a square or rectangular cross section, and the heating element has a circular cross section;
- and
- a muffle disposed within the hot zone and configured to apply heat uniformly to the crucible, the muffle surrounding at least two sides of the crucible and disposed between the heating element and the at least two sides of the crucible, wherein the muffle has a square or rectangular cross section, the muffle is thicker in each of a plurality of corners thereof than in each of a plurality of sides thereof, and the muffle is oriented such that at least one corner of the plurality of corners of the muffle is positioned between a center of one side of the crucible and the heating element.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.