Method for continuously pulling up crystal

Abstract

An apparatus and a method that permits a seed crystal to be directed to a precise location of a melt for growing a ribbon-shaped crystal, but after the crystal has commenced growing, the ribbon-shaped crystal is continuously pulled up so as to produce a longitudinally extending crystal using a continuous pulling device. The method for producing a ribbon-shaped crystal includes growing a ribbon-shaped crystal on a seed crystal using a linear pulling device for pulling the seed crystal and a crystal growing at the end of the seed crystal in a vertical direction, and continuing to pull the ribbon-shaped crystal by using a continuous pulling device having a continuous pulling mechanism. The apparatus for continuous production of a ribbon-shaped crystal includes a linear pulling device for linear vertical pulling of a seed crystal and a ribbon-shaped crystal grown on the seed crystal; a continuous pulling device for pulling the crystal continuously by clamping a portion of the ribbon-shaped crystal; a switching device for changing from the linear pulling device to the continuous pulling device after the seed crystal has passed through the continuous pulling device; and a crystal cutting device for severing the seed crystal from the grown ribbon-shaped crystal.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.