Abstract: FZ single crystals are pulled by melting a polycrystal with electromagnetic melting apparatus and then recrystallizing. First, a lower end of the polycrystal is melted; second, a monocrystalline seed is attached to the lower end of the polycrystal and melted beginning from an upper end thereof; third, between a lower section of the seed and the polycrystal, a thin neck is formed whose diameter (dD) is smaller than that (dI) of the seed; and fourth, between the thin neck section and the polycrystal, a conical section is formed. Before the conical growth, a switchover position (h?) of the polycrystal, the position at which the rate of polycrystal movement relative to the melting apparatus is to be reduced is determined, and the rate is reduced, in amount when the switchover position (h?) is reached.

Abstract: One-dimensional nanostructures having uniform diameters of less than approximately 200 nm. These inventive nanostructures, which we refer to as “nanowires”, include single-crystalline homostructures as well as heterostructures of at least two single-crystalline materials having different chemical compositions. Because single-crystalline materials are used to form the heterostructure, the resultant heterostructure will be single-crystalline as well. The nanowire heterostructures are generally based on a semiconducting wire wherein the doping and composition are controlled in either the longitudinal or radial directions, or in both directions, to yield a wire that comprises different materials. Examples of resulting nanowire heterostructures include a longitudinal heterostructure nanowire (LOHN) and a coaxial heterostructure nanowire (COHN).

Abstract: An apparatus for growth of uniform multi-component single crystals is provided. The single crystal material has at least three elements and has a diameter of at least 50 mm, a dislocation density of less than 100 cm?2 and a radial compositional variation of less than 1%.

Abstract: A nanoengineered structure comprising an array of more than about 1000 nanowhiskers on a substrate in a predetermined spatial configuration, for use for example as a photonic band gap array, wherein each nanowhisker is sited within a distance from a predetermined site not greater than about 20% of its distance from its nearest neighbour. To produce the array, an array of masses of a catalytic material are positioned on the surface, heat is applied and materials in gaseous form are introduced such as to create a catalytic seed particle from each mass, and to grow, from the catalytic seed particle, epitaxially, a nanowhisker of a predetermined material, and wherein each mass upon melting, retains approximately the same interface with the substrate surface such that forces causing the mass to migrate across said surface are less than a holding force across a wetted interface on the substrate surface.

Abstract: A process for welding directionally solidified metallic materials is presented. Process parameters are targeted selected with respect to laser welding, advancement, laser power beam diameter and powder mass flow. The temperature gradient, which is fundamentally decisive for the single-crystal growth during laser cladding, may be set in a targeted manner.

Abstract: A method of making a single-crystalline Si wafer with an approximately polygonal cross section and having a material property that is the same as a zone-pulled Si crystal, and the single-crystalline Si wafer. The method includes pulling at least one bottle neck of a crystal vertically downwards from a rotating hanging melt drop. The rotational speed of the crystal is reduced to between 0 and less than 1 rpm. In a crystal-growth phase, a Si single crystal ingot is pulled vertically downwards with an approximately polygonal cross section. An inductor is used to generate a temperature profile at a growth phase boundary of the crystal that corresponds to the shape of a cross section of the pulled Si single crystal ingot. The growth is ended at a desired pulling length and the Si single crystal ingot is cut into wafers having an approximately polygonal cross section.

Abstract: A method of hydrothermally synthesizing sapphire single crystals doped with trivalent metal ions in a crystal-growth autoclave including a crystal-growth zone and nutrient-dissolution zone in fluid communication with the crystal-growth zone is provided. Implementations of the method including situating within the crystal-growth zone at least one sapphire-based seed crystal and situating within the nutrient-dissolution zone an aluminum-containing material to serve as nutrient. An acidic, trivalent-metal-ion-containing growth solution is introduced into the cavity in a quantity sufficient, at least when heated to a predetermined average temperature, to immerse the at least one seed crystal and the nutrient in the growth solution. The growth solution is selected such that sapphire exhibits retrograde solubility therein and the growth process is carried out while maintaining an interior-cavity pressure within a range between and including each of 3.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for producing a single crystal that is a multi-pulling method for pulling a plurality of single crystals from a raw material melt in a same crucible in a chamber by a Czochralski method, comprising steps of: pulling a single crystal from a raw material melt ; then additionally charging polycrystalline raw material in a residual raw material melt without turning off power of a heater, and melting the polycrystalline raw material; then pulling a next single crystal; and repeating the steps and thereby pulling the plurality of single crystals.

Abstract: Provided is a method for manufacturing a two-dimensional pattern by simultaneously forming a plurality of quantum dots on a surface of a solid material and making the quantum dots a periodic structure by a laser irradiation, and a device structure and a device fabricated by the method. The method for fabricating a quantum dot-formed surface including the laser irradiation which irradiate at least one batch of laser onto a surface of a solid material to simultaneously form a plurality of quantum dots on the surface, arranging the plurality of quantum dots into periodic arrays.

Abstract: Single crystal MoO3 nanowires were produced using an electrospinning technique. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed that the 1-D nanostructures are from 10-20 nm in diameter, on the order of 1-2 ?m in length, and have the orthorhombic MoO3 structure. The structure, crystallinity, and sensoric character of these electrostatically processed nanowires are discussed. It has been demonstrated that the non-woven-network of MoO3 nanowires exhibits higher sensitivity and an n-type response to NH3 as compared to the response of a sol-gel based sensor.

Abstract: The invention provides an apparatus for producing a single crystal, and a method for producing a silicon single crystal using the same. An apparatus for producing a single crystal includes a heating device which heats polycrystalline silicon raw material held in a crucible to form silicon melt, and a pulling up device which grows a silicon single crystal while pulling it up from the silicon melt accompanied with rotation. By providing the apparatus with a magnetic field generation unit which applies to the silicon melt a cusp magnetic field a shape of neutral plane of which is symmetric around the rotation axis of the silicon single crystal and is curved in the upward direction, various conditions for producing a silicon single crystal having a defect free region is relaxed, and a silicon single crystal having a defect free region is produced at high efficiency.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for producing group IB-IIA-VIA quaternary or higher alloy semiconductor films wherein the method comprises the steps of (i) providing a metal film comprising a mixture of group IB and group IIIA metals; (ii) heat treating the metal film in the presence of a source of a first group VIA element (said first group VIA element hereinafter being referred to as VIA1) under conditions to form a first film comprising a mixture of at least one binary alloy selected from the group consisting of a group IB-VIA1 alloy and a group IIIA-VIA1 alloy and at least one group IB-IIIA-VIA1 ternary alloy (iii) optionally heat treating the first film in the presence of a source of a second group VIA element (said second group VI element hereinafter being referred to as VIA2) under conditions to convert the first film into a second film comprising at least one alloy selected from the group consisting of a group IB-VIA1-VIA2 alloy and a group IIIA-VIA1-VIA2 alloy; and the at least one group IB-III-VI

Abstract: A nanoengineered structure comprising an array of more than about 1000 nanowhiskers on a substrate in a predetermined spatial configuration, for use for example as a photonic band gap array, wherein each nanowhisker is sited within a distance from a predetermined site not greater than about 20% of its distance from its nearest neighbor. To produce the array, an array of masses of a catalytic material are positioned on the surface, heat is applied and materials in gaseous form are introduced such as to create a catalytic seed particle from each mass, and to grow, from the catalytic seed particle, epitaxially, a nanowhisker of a predetermined material, and wherein each mass upon melting, retains approximately the same interface with the substrate surface such that forces causing the mass to migrate across said surface are less than a holding force across a wetted interface on the substrate surface.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing a barium titanium oxide single crystal piece with a given structure using a containerless solidification process, which comprises the steps of preparing a material made of a barium titanium oxide, controlling the material to be in a levitated state within a levitation furnace, melting the levitated material using a laser, and solidifying the molten material while maintaining the levitated state. In a specific embodiment, a spherical sample having a composition of BaTiO3 and a weight of about 20 mg is subjected to a rapid solidification and melting process (temperature gradient: about 700 K/sec) 3 times while levitating the sample in 4.5 atm of air atmosphere using an electrostatic levitation furnace. Then, the re-molten sample is maintained at a temperature just below the melting point of the sample for a given time, and then rapidly cooled at a cooling rate of 300 K/sec to obtain a transparent blue barium titanium oxide single crystal.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing nanofibers which use self-organization which has a process of placing silicon microcrystal grains comprising the same element as the substrate on the surface of a substrate, a process of heating the previously noted substrate in a vacuum until the surface of the substrate reaches a melting temperature whereby, the surface of the previously noted substrate is a crystal face and the method of manufacturing nanofibers causes numerous nanowires to grow due to elements supplied from the substrate in the previously noted heating process by causing surface segregation to occur in the crystal faces which placed microcrystal grains causing nanofiber having a stem shaped structure.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a substrate is provided for readily processing a substrate in the presence of a supercritical fluid in a deposition step, an etching step, a resist peeling step and the like. The method of manufacturing a substrate of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a substrate for processing a surface of the substrate by filling a liquid fluid in a reaction chamber in which the substrate is placed, and reacting a precursor solved in the liquid fluid in the vicinity of the surface of the substrate, wherein the substrate is placed on a ceiling of the reaction chamber with the surface of the substrate oriented downward.

Abstract: Provided are a crucible which prevents polycrystal formation to easily allow growth of optical part material single crystals, and a single crystal growth method employing the crucible. The crucible has a smooth surface of about Rmax 3.2s as the surface roughness of the wall surface 1H, concave curved plane 1J, cone surface 1F and convex curved plane 1L of the starting material carrying section 1D and the wall surface 1K of the seed carrying section 1E, which constitute the inner surface of the crucible of a crucible body 1A.

Abstract: A drop tube type particulate crystalline body producing device is a device for creating a substantially spherical crystalline body by solidifying a particulate melt of an inorganic material while allowing it to free-fall inside a drop tube. This device 1 has a melt formation device 2, drop tube 3, gas flow formation means for forming inside the drop tube 3 a gas flow of cooling gas, and recovery mechanism 5 for recovering a crystalline body 25a from the lower end of the drop tube 3. The drop tube 3 comprises an introducing tube 30, cooling tube 31, and solidification tube 32, where the cooling tube 31 is configured such that the cross sectional area thereof becomes smaller toward the bottom such that the cooling gas flow speed becomes substantially equal to the free fall speed of the particulate melt, and the solidification tube 32 is connected to the lower end of the cooling tube 31 and has a cross sectional area enlarged discontinuously from the lower end of the cooling tube 31.

Abstract: The present invention is a method of manufacturing a silicon single crystal by Czochralski method without performing Dash Necking method, wherein a temperature variation at a surface of a silicon melt is kept at ±5° C. or less at least for a period from a point of bringing the tip end of a seed crystal into contact with the silicon melt to a point of shifting to pull the single crystal. Thereby, in a method of growing a silicon single crystal by Czochralski method without using Dash Necking method, a success ratio of growing a single crystal free from dislocation can be increased, at the same time a heavy silicon single crystal having a large diameter in which a diameter of a constant diameter portion is over 200 mm can be grown even in the case of growing a silicon single crystal having a crystal orientation of <110>.

Abstract: A xerogel aging system includes an aging chamber (190) with inlets and outlet and flows a gel catalyst in gas phase over a xerogel precursor film on a semiconductor wafer. Preferred embodiments use an ammonia and water vapor gas mixture catalyst.

Abstract: When a crystalline nucleus generated from an under-cooled silicon droplet is grown up to a mono-crystalline silicon ball, a critical under-cooling &Dgr;Tcr is determined in response to a diameter d of the silicon droplet so as to satisfy the relationships of (d=5 mm, &Dgr;Tcr=100K), (d=3 mm, &Dgr;Tcr=120K) and (d=1 mm, &Dgr;Tcr=150K). A crystal grown up from the crystalline nucleus at an under-cooling &Dgr;T less than the critical under-cooling &Dgr;Tcr is a mono-crystalline silicon ball with high quality free from cracks or twins.

Abstract: The present invention provides a catch pan for melt leakage provided under a crucible at a bottom portion of a chamber in a single crystal pulling apparatus based on the CZ method, wherein the catch pan for melt leakage comprises at least a bottom portion and a barrel portion, and the bottom portion and the barrel portion are connected by screw-fitting or by using a tap bolt. There is provided a catch pan for melt leakage provided in a single crystal pulling apparatus, which can, even if a melt flows out of the crucible by a certain possible cause in a CZ method single crystal pulling apparatus, prevent the melt flowed out from reaching lower mechanisms including metal parts, piping and so forth, and thereby prevent bad influences on operators and peripheral equipments.

Abstract: A process of making thermoelectric coolers by direct printing of n- and p-type semiconductor materials suitable for making thermoelectric coolers is disclosed. Micro Jet Printing of arrays on n and p-type materials belong to conductive site pads on non-conductive substrate and crystalization of these materials in the preferred direction as they cool produces thermoelectric cooler components without the need for sawing and machining operations. A non-conductive top substrate having conductive bonding pads is secured to the tops of the columns n and p-type semiconductor materials thereby forming an electrical and physical bond to make a thermoelectric cooler package.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a crystal with at least two segments, wherein adjacent segments differ by at least one characteristic. The different segments can, for example, be of different materials, or have a different doping agent. The method makes possible the manufacturing of segmented crystals with high crystal quality, and as planar joining surfaces between the individual segments as possible. This is achieved in that the segmented crystal is grown directly from the molten mass.

Abstract: A method is provided for the manufacture of mineral power crystals having a uniform mean size. The method includes forming a solution which is highly supersaturated with respect to the crystals. The crystals of the solution are Ostwald ripened at a level of supersaturation that produces an Ostwald steady state crystal size distribution shape wherein the crystals are of a uniform size. After Ostwald ripening ceases, the crystals further grow by supply controlled growth which uniformly increases the size thereof. This enables the supply controlled growth to be terminated at a selected, controlled point so as to produce a desired mean crystal size.

Abstract: There is disclosed a silicon single crystal wafer produced by processing a silicon single crystal ingot grown by Czochralski method with doping nitrogen, wherein a size of grown-in defects in the silicon single crystal wafer is 70 nm or less, a silicon single crystal wafer produced by processing a silicon single crystal ingot grown by Czochralski method with doping nitrogen, the silicon single crystal ingot is grown with controlling a rate of cooling from 1150 to 1080° C. to be 2.3° C./min or more, and a method for producing a silicon single crystal wafer wherein a silicon single crystal ingot is grown with doping nitrogen and controlling a rate of cooling from 1150 to 1080° C. to be 2.3° C./min or more, and is then processed to provide a silicon single crystal wafer. The silicon single crystal wafer for device wherein growth of the crystal defects is suppressed can be produced by CZ method in high productivity.

Abstract: The invention is related to nuclear physics, medicine and oil industry, namely to the measurement of x-ray, gamma and alpha radiation; control for trans uranium nuclides in the habitat of a man; non destructive control for the structure of heavy bodies; three dimensional positron-electron computer tomography, etc. The essence of the invention is in additional ingredients in a chemical composition of a scintillating material based on crystals of oxyorthosilicates, including cerium Ce and crystallized in a structural type Lu2SiO5.

Abstract: A method of preparing a crystalline or amorphous material, wherein a droplet of a melt of a metal-containing material is cooled in the atmosphere of an inert gas or in vacuum and in a microgravity environment to solidify the droplet. The cooling is performed by impingement of the droplet prior to solidification against a cooling surface.

Abstract: A process of producing quantum fine wires, it is called silicon nanowires, too, which allows silicon quantum fine wires to grow into desirable shapes. In this process, gold is deposited on a silicon substrate to a thickness of 5 nm or less, and the silicon substrate is heated at a temperature of 450.degree. C. to 650.degree. C. in an atmosphere containing silane gas at a pressure less than 0.5 Torr, whereby drops of a molten alloy of silicon and gold are formed on the surface of the silicon substrate and the silane gas is decomposed by the action of the molten alloy drops as catalyst, to allow silicon quantum fine wires to grow into such desirable shapes as to be uniform in diameter without any bending.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for fabricating single crystals of superconducting ceramics are described. A powdered row oxide mixture is placed and molten in a melting pot. The surface of the molten mixture is approximately at the freezing point of the mixture. From the surface, a single crystal is pulled in accordance with the known pulling crystal technique. The pulled mixture is subjected to a magnetic field normal to the pulling direction. By virtue of the magnetic field, single crystal superconducing oxide ceramics can be obtained without twin crystals.

Abstract: A fabrication method provides fine structures which have few carrier trap centers and light absorption levels and find applications in quantum wires and quantum boxes having arbitrary configurations at least within a two-dimensional plane. The fabrication method comprises the steps of having a sharp tip held in close proximity to the surface of a substrate 1 and having a metal constituting the tip evaporated from the top. Alternatively, a metal contained in ambient vapor or a solution decomposed by a tunnel current or the like is provided. The metal is deposited locally on the substrate surface. A finely structured crystal is grown on the locally deposited region by a vapor phase-liquid phase-solid phase reaction.