# US 12,768,071 B2 · External crucible accommodating silicon melt and silicon single crystal ingot growth apparatus including the same

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- Number: US 12,768,071 B2
- Document ID: US12768071B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/408,851
- Filed: 2024-01-10
- Published: 2024-09-19
- Granted: 2026-10-20
- Earliest claimed: 2023-03-16
- Assignees: SK Siltron Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: SK Siltron Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Ji Hoon Kang; Se Hun Kim; Ji Soo Yu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12768071B2

## CPC

- C30B 15/10: Crucibles or containers for supporting the melt
- C30B 15/14: Heating of the melt or the crystallised materials
- C30B 29/06: Silicon
- C30B: SINGLE-CRYSTAL GROWTH (by using ultra-high pressure, e.g. for the formation of diamonds, B01J3/06); UNIDIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION OF EUTECTIC MATERIAL OR UNIDIRECTIONAL DEMIXING OF EUTECTOID MATERIAL; REFINING BY ZONE-MELTING OF MATERIAL (zone-refining of metals or alloys C22B); PRODUCTION OF A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (casting of metals, casting of other substances by the same processes or devices B22D; working of plastics B29; modifying the physical structure of metals or alloys C21D, C22F); SINGLE CRYSTALS OR HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE; AFTER-TREATMENT OF SINGLE CRYSTALS OR A HOMOGENEOUS POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH DEFINED STRUCTURE (for producing semiconductor devices or parts thereof H10); APPARATUS THEREFOR

## Abstract

An external crucible accommodating a silicon melt is disclosed. The external crucible includes a body configured to accommodate a silicon melt and divided into first to n-th sections. At least one of the first to n-th sections is formed to have a shape different from shapes of remaining ones of the first to n-th sections.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for growing a silicon single crystal, the apparatus comprising:
a chamber;
an internal quartz crucible provided in an interior of the chamber and configured to accommodate a silicon melt;
an external graphic crucible divided into at least two sections and including a body configured to accommodate the internal quartz crucible;
a heater provided in the interior of the chamber and disposed around the external crucible;
a coolant tube provided at an upper portion of the interior of the chamber in a fixed state and disposed around an ingot rising while being grown from the silicon melt;
a heat shield provided at an upper portion of the quartz crucible; and
a support configured to rotate the external crucible, wherein a size of an outer diameter of every section of the external graphite crucible is the same, and a size of an inner diameter of every section of the external graphite crucible is the same, wherein at least one section of the external graphite crucible comprises a coating surface mounted on an outer circumferential surface of the body not contacting the silicon melt, wherein a thickness of the at least one section of the body having the coating surface is smaller than a thickness of the other sections of the body of the external graphite crucible, wherein the at least one section of the at least two sections is formed to have different thermal conductivities from the remaining sections of the at least two sections, and wherein a greater amount of heat is transferred to a section among the at least two sections of the external graphite crucible by a convection flow of the silicon melt due to an asymmetrical heat distribution in an interior of the internal quartz crucible with reference to a magnetic field direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coating surface is made of a material different from a material of the body.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least two sections are symmetrical with respect to a center of the body.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein gaps are formed among the at least two sections, respectively.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the coating surface is made of an SiC material.