Apparatus for preparing compound single crystals

Abstract

A method and apparatus for the preparation of single crystals of group II-VI compounds such as ZnSe and CdTe and group III-V compounds such as InP and GaP or of ternary compounds thereof, from which some of their components are likely to be dissociated and evaporated during crystal growth at high temperatures. Single crystals are prepared which enable the preparation of high quality compound single crystals and prevent the contamination of furnace structures. The method includes melting a source material in a container by heating in a furnace body and solidifying the melt by cooling from the bottom to grow a single crystal. The container is enclosed by an airtight chamber communicating to the outside with a pressure equalizing passage. Heating is performed while the passage is held at a low temperature equal to or lower than the melting point of a high-dissociation-pressure component of the source material. The apparatus includes a container for holding the source material, a hermetical furnace body including a heater to heat the container, an airtight chamber inside the heater which encloses the container and a pressure equalizing passage communicating with the airtight chamber and forming a lower portion of the chamber.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.