# US 2014/0190398 A1 · System for manufacturing a crystalline material by directional crystallization provided with an additional lateral heat source > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0190398 A1 - Document ID: US20140190398A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/240,818 - Filed: 2012-08-31 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2011-08-31 - Assignees: Commissariat A L'energie Atomique Aux Energies Alternatives - Inventors: Jean-Paul Garandet; Anis Jouini; David Pelletier - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140190398A1 ## CPC - C30B 11/003: {Heating or cooling of the melt or the crystallised material} - C30B 11/007: {Mechanisms for moving either the charge or the heater} - C30B 11/008: {using centrifugal force to the charge} - C30B 28/06: by normal freezing or freezing under temperature gradient - C30B 29/06: Silicon - C30B 33/02: Heat treatment (C30B33/04, C30B33/06 take precedence) - C30B 35/00: Apparatus not otherwise provided for, specially adapted for the growth, production or after-treatment of single crystals or of a homogeneous polycrystalline material with defined structure - H10F 71/1221: {comprising polycrystalline silicon} - Y02E 10/546: Polycrystalline silicon PV cells - Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product - Y10T 117/1092: Shape defined by a solid member other than seed or product [e.g., Bridgman-Stockbarger] - 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 - H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract The crystallization system includes a crucible provided with a bottom and with side walls designed to contain the material to be solidified and a device for creating a main thermal gradient inside the crucible in a perpendicular direction to the bottom of the crucible. An additional inductive heating device is arranged at the level of the side walls of the crucible facing the liquid material and without overlapping with the solid phase. This additional inductive heating device is configured to heat a part of the crystalline material located in the vicinity of the triple contact line between the liquid material, the solidified material and the crucible so that the interface between the liquid material and the solidified material forms a convex meniscus in the vicinity of the triple contact line. ## Claims ### Claim at position 1 1-14. (canceled) ### Claim 15 A system for performing fabrication of a crystalline material by directional solidification comprising: a crucible provided with a bottom and side walls designed to contain the material to be solidified, a heating device configured for creating a main thermal gradient in the crucible in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the bottom of the crucible, an additional inductive heating device arranged at the level of the side walls of the crucible and configured to heat a part of the material located in the vicinity of a triple contact line between the liquid material, the solidified material and the crucible so that an interface between the liquid material and the solidified material forms a convex meniscus in the vicinity of said triple contact line, a moving device configured for moving the additional inductive heating device along the first direction and configured to place the additional inductive heating device facing the liquid material and without overlapping with the solidified material throughout a crystallization period. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system according to claim 15, wherein the moving device is configured to place the additional inductive heating device close to the solid/liquid interface. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The system according to claim 16, wherein the moving device is configured to place an inductive coil at a distance comprised between 1 and 20 mm with respect to said triple contact line in the first direction. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The system according to claim 17, wherein the moving device is configured to position the inductive coil at a distance comprised between 1 and 10 mm with respect to said triple contact line. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The system according to claim 15, comprising a power distribution device configured to deliver to the additional inductive heating device a first power comprised between 5% and 35% of a second power delivered to the heating device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The system according claim 15, wherein the crucible presents a shape such that two successive side walls define a corner. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The system according to claim 20, wherein in that the crucible is of square or rectangular cross-section. ### Claim 22 (depends on 15) The system according to claim 15, comprising a circuit for applying a current to the additional inductive heating device with a frequency comprised between 1 kHz and 100 kHz when the crystalline material is silicon. ### Claim 23 (depends on 15) The system according to claim 15, wherein the additional inductive heating device is mounted fixed with respect to the heating device. ### Claim 24 A method for performing fabrication of a crystalline material by directional solidification comprising the following steps: providing a crucible equipped with a bottom and a side wall and at least partially filled by the crystalline material in liquid phase, generating a main thermal gradient inside the crucible in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the bottom of the crucible so as to obtain progressive solidification of the crystalline material in the first direction and starting from the bottom of the crucible, heating a part of the crystalline material located in the vicinity of the triple contact line between the liquid crystalline material, the solidified crystalline material and the crucible, by means of an additional inductive heating device arranged at the level of the side walls of the crucible and mounted mobile with respect to the crucible in said first direction, so that the interface between the liquid crystalline material and the solidified crystalline material forms a convex meniscus in the vicinity of said triple contact line, the additional inductive heating device being arranged facing the liquid crystalline material and without overlapping with the solid crystalline phase. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method according to claim 24, wherein the ratio between the power delivered to the additional inductive heating device and the power delivered to a heating device configured for generating the main thermal gradient is comprised between 5% and 35%. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) The method according to claim 24, wherein the additional inductive heating device is formed by an inductive coil positioned at the level of the liquid/solid interface and facing the liquid crystalline material when the interface between the liquid crystalline material and the solidified crystalline material forms a convex meniscus in the vicinity of said triple contact line. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The method according to claim 26, wherein the inductive coil is positioned at a distance comprised between 1 and 20 mm with respect to said triple contact line in the first direction. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) The method according to claim 26, wherein said crystalline material is a semiconductor material that presents a higher electric conductivity in liquid phase than in solid phase.