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US 12,110,609 B2Granted
Methods for forming a single crystal silicon ingot with reduced crucible erosion
AssigneeGlobalWafers Co., Ltd.
InventorsRichard Joseph Phillips, Salvador Zepeda
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods for forming a single crystal silicon ingot with reduced crucible erosion are disclosed. Solid-phase quartz is added to the melt to reduce erosion at the crucible-melt surface interface. The quartz may be synthetic quartz such as synthetic quartz rods. The quartz may be disposed near the crucible-melt surface interface. Quartz dissolves and suppresses the amount of quartz that dissolves from the crucible at the crucible-melt surface interface.
Claims17
A method for forming a single crystal silicon ingot comprising:
- adding solid-phase polycrystalline silicon to a crucible having a sidewall and a bottom;
- heating the polycrystalline silicon to form a silicon melt having a surface;
- contacting the silicon melt with a seed crystal;
- withdrawing the seed crystal from the silicon melt to form a silicon ingot;
- adding solid-phase synthetic quartz to the melt, the synthetic quartz being made by melting synthetic sand and extruding the melt of synthetic sand;
- and
- at least partially dissolving the synthetic quartz, the synthetic quartz abutting the crucible sidewall at the surface of the melt when being dissolved, the surface of the melt being unobstructed between the ingot and the synthetic quartz, there being a gap between the synthetic quartz and ingot after addition of all synthetic quartz to the melt.
4 more elements
A method for forming a single crystal silicon ingot comprising:
- adding solid-phase polycrystalline silicon to a crucible having a sidewall and a bottom;
- heating the polycrystalline silicon to form a silicon melt;
- contacting the silicon melt with a seed crystal;
- withdrawing the seed crystal from the silicon melt to form a silicon ingot, the ingot being grown in a batch Czochralski process with polycrystalline silicon not being added to the melt during ingot growth;
- adding solid-phase quartz to the melt such that solid-phase quartz only extends partially across a surface of the silicon melt;
- and
- at least partially dissolving the quartz to reduce dissolution of the crucible, the quartz abutting the entire circumference of the crucible at the surface of the melt when being dissolved, the surface of the melt being unobstructed between the ingot and the solid-phase quartz.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.