Method and apparatus for floating melt zone of semiconductor crystal rods

Abstract

Stock semiconductor crystal rods are zone melt refined by positioning such stock rods in a zone melt environment with a seed crystal attached to a lower end thereof, generating a melt zone at the juncture of the seed crystal and stock rod and controllably moving the melt zone away from the juncture and through the stock rod to a select point thereon, uniformly supporting the cone-shaped lower portion of the rod being refined from below the juncture to an area adjacent the select point so as to prevent vibrations and the like within the rod being processed, applying a controlled electrical current across the melt zone from the ends of the rod being refined and controllably moving the melt zone from the select point through the remainder of the rod. The uniform support is provided by a movable electrically conductive funnel-shaped jacket filled with an electrically conductive stabilizing means, such as metal spheroids or particulate silicon particles, molten metal, etc. and the electrical leads are connected to such jacket and to an upper rod support member whereby electrical current is fed from one end of the rod to the other.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.