Patents Assigned to Sumco Corporation
  • Patent number: 11781242
    Abstract: A convection pattern control method includes: heating a silicon melt in a quartz crucible using a heating portion; and applying a horizontal magnetic field to the silicon melt in the quartz crucible being rotated. In the heating of the silicon, the silicon melt is heated with the heating portion whose heating capacity differs on both sides across an imaginary line passing through a center axis of the quartz crucible and being in parallel to a central magnetic field line of the horizontal magnetic field when the quartz crucible is viewed from vertically above. In the applying of the horizontal magnetic field, the horizontal magnetic field of 0.2 tesla or more is applied to fix a direction of a convection flow in a single direction in a plane orthogonal to an application direction of the horizontal magnetic field in the silicon melt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hideki Sakamoto, Wataru Sugimura, Ryusuke Yokoyama, Naoki Matsushima
  • Publication number: 20230317761
    Abstract: A method of producing an epitaxial silicon wafer includes irradiating a surface of a silicon wafer with a beam of cluster ions containing SiHx ions (at least one of the integers 1 to 3 is selected as x of the SiHx ions) and C2Hy ions (at least one of the integers 2 to 5 is selected as y of the C2Hy ions) to form a modified layer that is located in a surface layer portion of the silicon wafer and that contains as a solid solution of the constituent elements of the cluster ion beam, and further includes forming a silicon epitaxial layer on the modified layer of the silicon wafer. The dose of the SiHx ions is 1.5×1014 ions/cm2 or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2021
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Applicant: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryo HIROSE, Takeshi KADONO
  • Patent number: 11772231
    Abstract: Provided is a double-sided polishing method of a wafer in which the wafer, which has been set in a wafer loading hole of the carrier, is compressed and held along with the carrier with an upper platen and a lower platen and the upper platen and the lower platen are rotated while supplying slurry to the wafer. The method includes: previously measuring an inclination value of a main surface of each of a plurality of carriers in the vicinity of the edge of the wafer loading hole; selecting, from among the plurality of carriers, those for which the inclination value is equal to or smaller than a threshold based on the measurement results of the inclination value; and applying the double-sided polishing to a wafer using the selected carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shunsuke Mikuriya, Tomonori Miura
  • Publication number: 20230307505
    Abstract: A silicon wafer having a layer of oxygen precipitates and method of manufacturing thereof wherein the wafer exhibiting robustness characterized as having a ratio of a first average density from a first treatment that to a second average density from a second treatment is between 0.74 to 1.02, wherein the first treatment includes heating the wafer or a portion of the wafer at about 1150° C. for about 2 minutes and then between about 950 to 1000° C. for about 16 hours, and the second treatment includes heating the wafer or a portion of the wafer at about 780° C. for about 3 hours and then between about 950 to 1000° C. for about 16 hours. The wafer exhibits heretofore unattainable uniformity wherein a ratio of an oxygen precipitate density determined from any one cubic centimeter in the BMD layer of the wafer to another oxygen precipitate density from any other one cubic centimeter in the BMD layer of the wafer is in a range of 0.77 to 1.30.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2023
    Publication date: September 28, 2023
    Applicant: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhisa TORIGOE, Toshiaki ONO, Shunya KAWAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20230295835
    Abstract: A method for producing an n-type monocrystalline silicon that includes pulling up a monocrystalline silicon from a silicon melt containing a main dopant in a form of red phosphorus to grow the monocrystalline silicon. The monocrystalline silicon exhibits an electrical resistivity ranging from 1.7 m?cm to 2.0 m?cm, and is pulled up using a quartz crucible whose inner diameter ranges from 1.7-fold to 2.0-fold relative to a straight-body diameter of the monocrystalline silicon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2023
    Publication date: September 21, 2023
    Applicant: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koichi MAEGAWA, Yasuhito NARUSHIMA, Yasufumi KAWAKAMI, Fukuo OGAWA, Ayumi KIHARA
  • Publication number: 20230271229
    Abstract: A method and a system for cleaning a work, the sum A of the areas (mm2), the sum B of the areas (mm2) and the determined supply flow rate Q (L/min) or the supply flow rate Q (L/min) and one or both of the determined sum A of the areas (mm2) and the determined sum B of the areas (mm2) satisfy the predetermined relations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2021
    Publication date: August 31, 2023
    Applicant: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kaito NODA, Katsuro WAKASUGI, Yuki KANEKO, Fumitoshi IWASAKI, Yoshihiro JAGAWA
  • Patent number: 11731234
    Abstract: Provided is a method of double-side polishing a semiconductor wafer, which can suppress variation in the polishing quality by providing for changes in the polishing environment during polishing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mami Kubota, Fumiya Fukuhara, Tomonori Miura
  • Patent number: 11728193
    Abstract: A wafer manufacturing system includes a wafer manufacturing device provided with a sensor; a host PC that is connected to the wafer manufacturing device via a data communication line; a logic controller that samples and stores an analog output signal of the sensor; and a relay PC that extracts tracking information transmitted on the data communication line for a wafer or a single crystal that is being processed by the wafer manufacturing device and sends the tracking information to the logic controller, and the logic controller stores a digital value of the analog output signal of the sensor in association with the tracking information that is sent from the relay PC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Shigeru Daigo
  • Patent number: 11717931
    Abstract: Provided is a double-side polishing apparatus and a double-side polishing method which make it possible to terminate double-side polishing with timing allowing a work having been polished to have a target shape. A computing unit 13 performs a step of grouping the data of thicknesses measured using work thickness measuring devices 11 on a work basis; a step of extracting shape components of each work from the thickness data; a step of identifying a position of each of the shape components in the work radial direction; a step of computing a shape distribution of the work from the identified position ; a step of obtaining a shape index of the work from the computed shape distribution; and a step of determining timing of termination of the double-side polishing based on the obtained shape index, thus timing of termination of the double-side polishing is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mami Kubota, Keiichi Takanashi
  • Publication number: 20230243066
    Abstract: A semiconductor wafer including a single crystal doped with a dopant, wherein a resistivity of the wafer is 0.7 m?-cm or less, and wherein a striation height of the wafer is 6 mm or more. The resistivity of the wafer may be 0.8 m?-cm or less, and the striation height may be 13 mm or more. The resistivity of the wafer may be 0.7 m?-cm or less, and the striation may be 22 mm or more. Example features relate to a method of making a semiconductor wafer that includes adding a dopant to a silicon melt, rotationally pulling a crystal from the silicon melt, and applying a magnetic field of 3000 G or more such that the semiconductor wafer has a resistivity that is equal to or less than 0.8 m?-cm and a striation height that is equal to or more than 13 mm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2023
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Applicant: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuhito NARUSHIMA, Masayuki UTO
  • Publication number: 20230230875
    Abstract: A handle wafer used for a bonded wafer that is produced by bonding an active wafer and the handle wafer through an insulation film is provided. The handle wafer includes a handle wafer body and a polycrystalline silicon layer deposited on a side close to a bonding surface of the handle wafer body. The polycrystalline silicon layer has a polycrystalline silicon grain size of 0.419 ?m or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Applicant: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shota SHIBUYA, Daisuke HIEDA, Hiroaki ISHIZAKI
  • Patent number: 11702760
    Abstract: In a producing method of an n-type monocrystalline silicon by pulling up a monocrystalline silicon from a silicon melt containing a main dopant in a form of red phosphorus to grow the monocrystalline silicon, the monocrystalline silicon exhibiting an electrical resistivity ranging from 0.5 m?cm to 1.0 m?cm is pulled up using a quartz crucible whose inner diameter ranges from 1.7-fold to 2.3-fold relative to a straight-body diameter of the monocrystalline silicon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koichi Maegawa, Yasuhito Narushima, Yasufumi Kawakami, Fukuo Ogawa, Ayumi Kihara
  • Patent number: 11703452
    Abstract: A measurement method and a measurement apparatus are capable of measuring the transmittance of a quartz crucible accurately. A measurement method includes: emitting a parallel light from a light source disposed on a side of one wall surface of a quartz crucible toward a predetermined measurement point of the quartz crucible; measuring reception levels of light transmitted through the quartz crucible at a plurality of positions by disposing a detector at the plurality of positions on a circle centered around an exit point of the parallel light on the other wall surface of the quartz crucible; and calculating a transmittance of the quartz crucible at the predetermined measurement point based on a plurality of the reception levels of the transmitted light measured at the plurality of positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunobu Shimizu, Keiichi Takanashi, Takeshi Fujita, Eriko Kitahara, Masanori Fukui
  • Publication number: 20230220583
    Abstract: A single crystal manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the present invention is provided with a single crystal puller pulling up a single crystal 15 from a melt 13, a camera 18 photographing a fusion ring generated at the boundary between the melt 13 and the single crystal 15 and an computer 24 processing a photographed image taken by the camera 18. The computer 24 projects and converts the fusion ring appearing in the photographed image taken by the camera 18 on a reference plane corresponding to the liquid level position of the melt based on an installation angle and a focal length of the camera and calculates a diameter of the single crystal 15 from a shape of the fusion ring on the reference plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Applicant: SUMCO Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Nishioka, Keiichi Takanashi, Ken Hamada, Ippei Shimozaki
  • Publication number: 20230215730
    Abstract: An epitaxial wafer that includes a silicon wafer and an epitaxial layer on the silicon wafer. The silicon wafer contains hydrogen that has a concentration profile including a first peak and a second peak. A hydrogen peak concentration of the first peak and a hydrogen peak concentration of the second peak are each not less than 1×1017 atoms/cm3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2023
    Publication date: July 6, 2023
    Applicant: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Ryosuke OKUYAMA
  • Publication number: 20230211449
    Abstract: A polishing apparatus for an outer peripheral portion of a wafer includes: a stage for horizontally holding a disc-shaped wafer; a rotation drive unit for rotating the stage around its center axis as a rotation axis; polishing heads having an inner circumferential surface mounted with polishing pads; and a polishing-head drive mechanism for bringing the polishing pads into contact with the outer peripheral portion of the wafer and sliding the polishing heads in a direction slanted relative to a center axis of the wafer or a vertical direction thereof under application of a predetermined polishing pressure to the outer peripheral portion of the wafer. The inner circumferential surface of each of the polishing heads is mounted with two or more types of the polishing pads having different physical property values in the vertical direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Publication date: July 6, 2023
    Applicant: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenji SATOMURA
  • Publication number: 20230212786
    Abstract: A method of heat-treating a silicon wafer using a lateral heat treatment furnace that can improve the product yield by restricting reduction in the lifetime value of silicon wafers placed in the vicinity of dummy blocks placed to equalize the temperature of the region where the wafers are placed. In a method of heat-treating a silicon wafer using a lateral heat treatment furnace, a boat is placed in a hollow cylindrical furnace core tube, and on the boat, at least one of a first additional block between a first dummy block and a wafer group and a second additional block between a second dummy block and the wafer group is placed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2021
    Publication date: July 6, 2023
    Applicant: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshihiro KUWANO
  • Patent number: 11695048
    Abstract: A silicon wafer having a layer of oxygen precipitates and method of manufacturing thereof wherein the wafer exhibiting robustness characterized as having a ratio of a first average density from a first treatment that to a second average density from a second treatment is between 0.74 to 1.02, wherein the first treatment includes heating the wafer or a portion of the wafer at about 1150° C. for about 2 minutes and then between about 950 to 1000° C. for about 16 hours, and the second treatment includes heating the wafer or a portion of the wafer at about 780° C. for about 3 hours and then between about 950 to 1000° C. for about 16 hours. The wafer exhibits heretofore unattainable uniformity wherein a ratio of an oxygen precipitate density determined from any one cubic centimeter in the BMD layer of the wafer to another oxygen precipitate density from any other one cubic centimeter in the BMD layer of the wafer is in a range of 0.77 to 1.30.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Torigoe, Toshiaki Ono, Shunya Kawaguchi
  • Publication number: 20230201993
    Abstract: The sum of torques: the torque of the sun gear and the torque of the internal gear, and the ratio of the torques are controlled within predetermined ranges.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2021
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Applicant: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazushige TAKAISHI, Chin Fu TSAI
  • Patent number: RE49657
    Abstract: Provided is an epitaxial wafer having an excellent gettering capability and a suppressed formation of epitaxial defects. The epitaxial wafer has a specified resistivity, and includes a modifying layer formed on a surface portion of the silicon wafer and composed of a predetermined element including at least carbon, in the form of a solid solution in the silicon wafer; and an epitaxial layer having a resistivity that is higher than the resistivity of the silicon wafer, wherein a concentration profile of the predetermined element in the modifying layer in a depth direction thereof meets a specified full width half maximum and a specified peak concentration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takuro Iwanaga, Kazunari Kurita, Takeshi Kadono