Systems and methods for producing a single crystal silicon ingot using a vaporized dopant
AssigneeGlobalWafers Co., Ltd.
InventorsYu-Chiao Wu, William Lynn Luter, Richard J. Phillips, James Dean Eoff
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ingot puller for producing a doped single crystal silicon ingot includes a housing defining a chamber, a crucible disposed within the chamber, and a dopant injector attached to and extending into the housing. The chamber is maintained at a first pressure. The dopant injector includes a reservoir for containing a liquid dopant, a feed tube positioned within the chamber and connected to the reservoir, and a vaporization cup positioned within the feed tube and the chamber.
Claims19
An ingot puller apparatus for producing a doped single crystal silicon ingot, the ingot puller apparatus comprising:
- a housing defining a chamber maintained at a first pressure;
- a crucible disposed within the chamber;
- and
- a dopant injector attached to the housing and extending into the chamber, the dopant injector comprising:
- a reservoir for containing a liquid dopant, the reservoir maintained at a second pressure greater than the first pressure;
- a feed tube positioned within the chamber and connected to the reservoir;
- a vaporization cup positioned within the feed tube and the chamber, wherein the vaporization cup receives the liquid dopant from the reservoir and vaporizes the liquid dopant into a vaporized dopant at the first pressure;
- and
- an actuatable valve operable to selectively channel the liquid dopant from the reservoir to the vaporization cup when actuated to reduce a pressure of the liquid dopant from the second pressure to the first pressure.
An ingot puller apparatus for producing a doped single crystal silicon ingot, the ingot puller apparatus comprising:
- a housing defining a chamber maintained at a pressure below atmospheric pressure;
- a crucible disposed within the chamber;
- a heater to radiate heat in the chamber;
- and
- a dopant injector attached to and extending into the housing, the dopant injector comprising:
- a feed tube positioned within the chamber to receive a liquid dopant;
- a vaporization cup positioned within the feed tube and the chamber to vaporize the liquid dopant into a vaporized dopant;
- and
- an actuatable valve operable to selectively channel the liquid dopant to the vaporization cup when actuated to reduce a pressure of the liquid dopant;
- wherein the vaporization cup is maintained at the pressure below atmospheric pressure in the chamber and heated by radiant heat from the heater such that the vaporization cup operates to vaporize the liquid dopant by flash evaporation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.