Spool-balanced seed lift
AssigneeLinton Kayex Technology Co., Ltd
InventorsJiaqi Yin, John A. Reese, Joel C. Stefl
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A crystal growing system can include a spool-balanced seed lift assembly for rotating and lifting a seed crystal supported by a cable. The seed crystal is supported along and rotated about a lift axis. The spool-balanced seed lift assembly includes a spool that rotates on, and has a center of gravity along, an axis that intersects the lift axis. As the spool rotates, it moves axially along its axis to avoid displacing the cable from the lift axis. A guide pulley positioned below the spool is used to direct the cable between the lift axis and a spool-tangent axis to minimize displacement of the cable as it is raised and rotated.
Claims16
A seed lift assembly for a crystal growing system, the seed lift assembly comprising:
- a support structure rotatable about a lift axis;
- a spool for receiving a cable supporting a seed crystal along the lift axis, the spool being rotatable about a spool axis, the spool having a spool center of mass positioned along the spool axis, wherein the spool is coupled to the support structure such that the spool axis intersects the lift axis;
- a spool driver coupled to the spool to effect rotation of the spool about the spool axis, wherein rotation of the spool about the spool axis controls winding of the cable about the spool to control vertical displacement of the seed crystal along the lift axis;
- and
- a guide pulley coupled to the support structure to change an axial direction of the cable between a first direction collinear with the lift axis and a second direction, the guide pulley being in direct contact with the cable to guide the cable along the lift axis, the guide pulley being rotatable about a guide pulley axis that is parallel to the spool axis.
A crystal growing system, comprising:
- a furnace tank having a crucible for containing a melt;
- a receiving chamber coupled to the furnace tank;
- a seed crystal suspended within the receiving chamber by a cable along a lift axis;
- a seed lift assembly rotatably coupled to the receiving chamber to rotate about the lift axis, the seed lift assembly including:
- a support structure;
- a spool for receiving the cable, the spool being rotatable about a spool axis, the spool having a spool center of mass positioned along the spool axis, wherein the spool is coupled to the support structure such that the spool axis intersects the lift axis;
- a spool driver coupled to the spool to effect rotation of the spool about the spool axis, wherein rotation of the spool about the spool axis controls winding of the cable about the spool to control vertical displacement of the seed crystal along the lift axis;
- and
- a guide pulley coupled to the support structure to change an axial direction of the cable between a first direction collinear with the lift axis and a second direction, the guide pulley being in direct contact with the cable to guide the cable along the lift axis, the guide pulley being rotatable about a guide pulley axis that is parallel to the spool axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.