# US 2009/0260564 A1 · Method for growing silicon single crystal

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- Number: US 2009/0260564 A1
- Document ID: US20090260564A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 12/385,730
- Filed: 2009-04-17
- Published: 2009-10-22
- Earliest claimed: 2008-04-21
- Inventors: Yasuhiro SAITO; Nobumitsu TAKASE
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20090260564A1

## CPC

- C30B 29/06: Silicon
- C30B 15/20: Controlling or regulating (controlling or regulating in general G05)
- C30B 15/36: characterised by the seed, e.g. its crystallographic orientation
- 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

A method for growing silicon single crystal by the CZ method, namely by feeding silicon materials for crystal into a crucible to melt the materials, and growing a silicon single crystal on the lower end of the seed crystal, comprises: forming a narrowingly tapered portion with a gradually decreased seed crystal diameter by pulling up the seed crystal inserted in the melt; and providing increased or decreased neck diameter regions in the process of forming a neck in such a manner that each increased neck diameter is provided by increasing the neck diameter, followed by reverting the neck diameter to the original diameter, or alternatively, each decreased neck diameter region is provided by decreasing the neck diameter, followed by reverting the diameter to the original diameter, thereby enabling to reliably eliminate dislocations remaining in the central axial region of the neck in the step of necking. When the neck diameter is increased or decreased at the final stage in the process of forming the neck, dislocations can be eliminated more efficiently.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for growing a silicon single crystal by the Czochralski method, namely by feeding silicon materials for crystal into a crucible to melt the materials to obtain a melt, and pulling up a seed crystal immersed into the melt while rotating the seed crystal to thereby grow a silicon single crystal on the lower end of the seed crystal, comprising:
forming a narrowingly tapered portion with a gradually decreased seed crystal diameter by pulling up the seed crystal inserted in the melt; and
providing an increased neck diameter region or a decreased neck diameter region in the process of forming a neck with a constant nominal diameter in such a manner that the increased neck diameter region is provided by increasing the neck diameter, followed by decreasing the diameter, or alternatively, the decreased neck diameter region is provided by decreasing the neck diameter, followed by increasing the diameter.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method for growing a silicon single crystal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the increased neck diameter region or the decreased neck diameter region is provided at the final stage in the process of forming the neck.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method for growing a silicon single crystal as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of the increased diameter regions or decreased diameter regions are provided.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method for growing a silicon single crystal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the silicon single crystal to be pulled-up has [110] as its crystallographic axis.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method for growing a silicon single crystal as claimed in claim 2, wherein the silicon single crystal to be pulled-up has [110] as its crystallographic axis.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The method for growing a silicon single crystal as claimed in claim 3, wherein the silicon single crystal to be pulled-up has [110] as its crystallographic axis.