Crystal growing system and method thereof
AssigneeAdvanced Renewableenergy Co. LLC
InventorsGovindhan Dhanaraj, Chandra P. Khattak, Carl Richard Schwerdtfeger, JR., Kedar Prasad Gupta
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Abstract
Provided is a system and method for growing crystals. The method includes substantially fully covering a seed crystal in a charge material, using a heat source to melt the charge material, cooling the seed crystal to keep the seed crystal at least partially intact as the charge material melts, allowing at least a portion of the seed crystal to melt into the molten charge material, and continually growing the crystal by reducing the temperature of the heat source, moving the molten charge material and seed crystal from the heat source, and increasing a rate of cooling of the seed crystal.
Claims15
A system for growing crystals from a charge material, comprising:
- a crucible;
- at least one heating element adapted to heat the crucible;
- a seed cooling component adapted to receive a coolant fluid to cool a portion of the crucible;
- a gradient control device comprising thermal insulation and adapted to control transport of heat from a vicinity of a bottom of the crucible;
- and
- an insulating element substantially surrounding the crucible, heating element, and gradient control device,
- wherein the gradient control device and the crucible are independently movable with respect to each other and the at least one heating element.
The system of claim 4, wherein an innermost radiation shield of the gradient control device comprises tungsten and an outermost radiation shield of the gradient control device comprises molybdenum.
A method for growing a crystal, comprising:
- substantially fully covering a seed crystal in a charge material;
- using a heat source to melt the charge material;
- cooling the seed crystal to keep the seed crystal at least partially intact as the charge material melts;
- allowing at least a portion of the seed crystal to melt into the molten charge material;
- and
- continually growing the crystal by reducing the temperature of the heat source, moving the molten charge material and seed crystal from the heat source, and increasing a rate of cooling of the seed crystal.
A method for growing a crystal, comprising:
- heating a small amount of sapphire in a crucible to above a melting point in a vacuum to form a sapphire vapor;
- allowing surfaces of the crucible to be coated in the sapphire vapor;
- quickly cooling the small amount of sapphire;
- removing the small amount of sapphire from the crucible;
- and
- subsequently growing a sapphire crystal in the crucible from a seed crystal and sapphire charge material.
A system for growing crystals from a charge material, comprising:
- a crucible;
- at least one heating element adapted to heat the crucible;
- a seed cooling component adapted to receive a coolant fluid to cool a portion of the crucible;
- and
- an insulating element substantially surrounding the crucible and heating element,
- wherein the insulating element comprises at least one radiation shield formed from a refractory metal or alloy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.