Apparatus Patents (Class 117/200)
  • Patent number: 7383696
    Abstract: A silica glass crucible includes a stable, bubble-free inner layer and an opaque outer layer, both layers demonstrating reduced bubble growth during a Czochralski process. When used in the CZ process, little volume change is observed in the crucible wall, and the crucible has little influence on melt level. The present crucible is especially suited for slow silicon ingot pulling with reduced crystalline defects. The fusion process of the present invention controls the dynamic gas balance at the fusion front where formed grain is melted to dense fused silica.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Heraeus Shin-Etsu America, Inc.
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Kemmochi, Robert Mosier, Yasuo Ohama
  • Patent number: 7377977
    Abstract: A method of growing a crystal on a substrate disposed in a reactor, that provides a reactor chamber in which the substrate is disposed, includes flowing reactive gases inside the reactor chamber toward the substrate, the reactive gases comprising components that are able to bond to each other to form the crystal, and flowing buffer gas in the reactor chamber between the reactive gases and a wall of the reactor, where the flowing buffer gas inhibits at least one of a first material at least one of in and produced by the reactive gases from reaching the reactor wall and a second material produced by the reactor wall from reaching the reactive gases in the reactor chamber before the reactive gases reach the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Cape Simulations, Inc.
    Inventors: Shariar Motakef, Aniruddha S. Worlikar
  • Patent number: 7378128
    Abstract: The invention relates to a crucible for the crystallization of silicon and to the preparation and application of release coatings for crucibles used in the handling of molten materials that are solidified in the crucible and then removed as ingots, and more particularly to release coatings for crucibles used in the solidification of polycrystalline silicon. The objective of the inventor was to provide a crucible which does not require the preparation of a very thick coating at the end user facilities, which is faster and cheaper to produce and which presents a stronger coating with an improved adherence to the walls. It has now been found that these problems can be solved with a crucible for the crystallization of silicon comprising a) a base body comprising a bottom surface and side walls defining an inner volume; b) an intermediate layer comprising 50 to 100 wt. % of silica at the surface of the side walls facing the inner volume; and c) a surface layer comprising 50 to 100 wt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Vesuvius Crucible Company
    Inventor: Gilbert Rancoule
  • Publication number: 20080110394
    Abstract: Evaporated matters and reaction products produced in a furnace can be exhausted without contacting with a graphite crucible and a heater, and an exhaust pipe per se can be maintained at a high temperature to suppress the deposition and condensation of the evaporated matters and reaction products, whereby the clogging of the exhaust pipe is prevented, in addition, a conversion of the exhaust pipes per se into SiC is suppressed to improve the durability of the exhaust pipe, and the change in thermal expansion coefficient is suppressed, whereby a thermal single crystal can be pulled up in high quality. Further, the exhaust pipe is formed of a small number of materials to reduce a production cost. A heat shield (12) made of a heat insulating material is provided outside a heater (6), and a plurality of exhaust pipes (20) are provided between the heater (6) and the heat shield (12).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2005
    Publication date: May 15, 2008
    Applicant: Sumco Techxiv Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akiko Noda, Tetuhiro Iida
  • Patent number: 7361223
    Abstract: A method for eliminating a display defect in a liquid crystal display device includes disposing a liquid crystal panel adhered with a polarizer into a first buffer chamber, increasing pressure of the first buffer chamber, communicating the first buffer chamber with a reactor chamber having a predetermined pressure, transferring the liquid crystal panel from the first buffer chamber to the reactor chamber, increasing pressure of a second buffer chamber, communicating the second buffer chamber with the reactor chamber, and transferring the liquid crystal panel from the reactor chamber to the second buffer chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seung-Hee Her, Tai-Huem Om, Jin-Whal Kim, Min-Young Won, Kun-Jong Lee
  • Patent number: 7357839
    Abstract: The present invention provides an SOI wafer having at least an SOI layer, in which a plain orientation of the SOI layer is off-angled from {110} only in a direction to <100>, and an off-angle is from 5 minutes to 2 degrees, and a method of producing an SOI wafer comprising at least bonding a base wafer and a bond wafer consisting of a silicon single crystal, and forming an SOI layer by thinning the bond wafer, wherein the bond wafer is used where a plain orientation thereof is off-angled from {110} only in a direction to <100>, and an off-angle is from 5 minutes to 2 degrees. Thereby, there can be provided an SOI wafer having both high uniformity of film thickness and good micro-roughness to be suitable for fabricating high speed devices, and provided a method of producing the SOI wafer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kiyotaka Takano, Hitoshi Tsunoda
  • Publication number: 20080081015
    Abstract: A crystal producing apparatus includes a crystal forming unit and a crystal growing unit. The crystal forming unit forms a first gallium nitride (GaN) crystal by supplying nitride gas into melt mixture containing metal sodium (Na) and metal gallium (Ga). The first GaN crystal is sliced and polished to form GaN wafers. The crystal growing unit grows a second GaN crystal on a substrate formed by using a GaN wafer, by the hydride vapor phase epitaxy method, thus producing a bulked GaN crystal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Inventors: Seiji Sarayama, Hirokazu Iwata
  • Publication number: 20080078503
    Abstract: A mechanical pump of the present invention is applied to, for example, a screw pump A for exhausting a gas from a processing chamber. The screw pump comprises a gas-exposed region exposed to the gas and an yttria (Y2O3) film formed on the gas-exposed region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2007
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Inventors: Tadahiro OHMI, Isao Akutsu
  • Patent number: 7344597
    Abstract: A vapor-phase growth apparatus includes: at least a reaction furnace which is hermetically closable, a wafer container which is disposed in the reaction furnace, for disposing a wafer at a predetermined position, a gas supply member for supplying a source gas toward the wafer, and a heating member for heating the wafer, wherein the apparatus is designed to form a grown film on a front surface of the wafer by supplying the source gas in a high temperature state while the heating member heats the wafer in the reaction furnace through the wafer container. The wafer container is made of a single material or a single member, and has a ratio R2/R1, which is not less than 0.4 to not more than 1.0, where R1 is a heat resistance for a heat transfer route from a rear surface of the wafer container toward the front surface of the wafer, and R2 is a heat resistance for a heat transfer route from the rear surface of the wafer container toward a front surface of the wafer container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Nippon Mining & Metals Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eiichi Shimizu, Nobuhito Makino
  • Publication number: 20080053372
    Abstract: An implementation of a Czochralski-type crystal growth has been shown and embodied. More particularly, a furnace with suitable insulation and flow arrangement is shown to improve the cost-efficiency of production of crystals. That is achieved by the shown new hot-zone structure, gas flows and the growth process which can decrease the power consumption, increase the lifetime of hot-zone parts and improve the productivity, e.g., by giving means for opening the hot-zone and easily adapting the hot-zone to a new crystal diameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Applicant: OKMETIC OYJ
    Inventors: Olli Anttila, Ari Saarnikko, Jari Paloheimo
  • Publication number: 20080053371
    Abstract: A silicon carbide manufacturing device includes a graphite crucible, in which a seed crystal is disposed, a gas-inducing pipe coupled with the graphite crucible, and an attachment prevention apparatus. The gas-inducing pipe has a column-shaped hollow part, through which a source gas flows into the graphite crucible. The attachment prevention apparatus includes a rod extending to a flow direction of the source gas, and a revolving and rotating element for revolving the rod along an inner wall of the gas-inducing pipe while rotating the rod on an axis of the rod in parallel to the flow direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masao Nagakubo, Fusao Hirose, Yasuo Kitoh
  • Patent number: 7335260
    Abstract: A laser annealing apparatus for sequential lateral solidification (SLS) to uniformly crystallize silicon on an entire silicon substrate by minimizing the dislocation of the silicon substrate during laser beam irradiation is disclosed. During the laser annealing, a vacuum chuck holds the silicon substrate on a movable stage. The device includes a laser source, an optical system patterning the shape and energy of a laser beam irradiated from the laser source, a vacuum chuck supporting a silicon substrate, and a movable stage supporting the vacuum chuck as well as transferring the vacuum chuck in a predetermined direction. Accordingly, the apparatus improves the degree of crystallization because it is able to uniformly carry out SLS on an entire surface of the silicon substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: LG.Philips LCD Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yun-Ho Jung
  • Patent number: 7335262
    Abstract: An apparatus includes an autoclave for preparing a supercritical solvent, a convection controller for establishing a convection flow, a dissolution zone where a feedstock is located above the convection controller and a crystallization zone where a seed is located below the convection controller are formed. A convection flow rate of the supercritical solution between the dissolution zone and the crystallization zone is determined by the degree of opening of the convection controller and the temperature difference between the dissolution zone and the crystallization zone. Accordingly, the supercritical solution, in which the nitride has a negative temperature coefficient of solubility, is supplied from the dissolution zone to the crystallization zone in which a seed is located through the convection controller so that nitride crystal is selectively grown on the seed by maintaining supersaturation of the supercritical solution with respect to the seed at a raised temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignees: Ammono Sp. z o.o., Nichia Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Dwilinski, Roman Doradzinski, Jerzy Garczynski, Leszek P. Sierzputowski, Yasuo Kanbara
  • Patent number: 7335865
    Abstract: The present invention relates to process for producing a transparent missile dome having a spanning angle larger than 180°, comprising the step of: (a) growing from single crystals of a ceramic material a first dome portion, said first dome portion being a portion of a sphere (b) growing from single crystals of a ceramic material a second dome portion, said second dome portion being a complementary sphere-portion for said first dome portion (c) attaching said complementary dome portion to said first dome portion and to the body of the missile, thereby forming a missile with a front dome having a spanning angle larger than 180°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: Rafael-Armament Development Authority Ltd.
    Inventors: Dov Tibi, Tsafrir Ben-Ari, Igal Finkelstein
  • Patent number: 7332029
    Abstract: A crystal forming apparatus and method for using the apparatus, the method including depositing a precipitant solution in a site, incubating the site, during which time volatile vapor evaporates from the precipitant solution and accumulates in the site, and pumping the accumulated volatile vapor away from the site. An exemplary apparatus includes a sealed site except for a vent on the sealed site. In one embodiment, the vent is a passive vent that inhibits vapor diffusion out of the site. In another embodiment, the vent is an active vent that opens in response to a pressure differential. The present invention accelerates and controls the crystal growth process by pumping volatile vapor away from the sealed site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2008
    Assignee: Neuro Probe Incorporated
    Inventor: Richard H. Goodwin, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20080031720
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for supplying a solid raw material to a grower of silicon or germanium semiconductor single crystal. In the solid raw material supply apparatus including a cylindrical body mounted above a crucible for receiving the solid raw material therein, a bottom cover detachably installed in the lower end of the body and basically formed in the shape of a cone, and a connection means for relatively moving the bottom cover upwards and downwards with regard to the body, the conic bottom cover is made from the same material as a semiconductor to be grown to the single crystal and the solid raw material is charged while the bottom cover is spaced away from the melt in the crucible at a predetermined distance, thereby the bottom cover can be used repetitively, and even though the bottom cover is broken by shocks resulted from the fall of the solid raw material, fragments of the bottom cover do not contaminate the melt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2007
    Publication date: February 7, 2008
    Inventors: Gyeong-Ho Seo, In-Kyoo Lee, Sung-Young Lee, Hyon-Jong Cho
  • Patent number: 7326296
    Abstract: High throughput screening of crystallization of a target material is accomplished by simultaneously introducing a solution of the target material into a plurality of chambers of a microfabricated fluidic device. The microfabricated fluidic device is then manipulated to vary the solution condition in the chambers, thereby simultaneously providing a large number of crystallization environments. Control over changed solution conditions may result from a variety of techniques, including but not limited to metering volumes of crystallizing agent into the chamber by volume exclusion, by entrapment of volumes of crystallizing agent determined by the dimensions of the microfabricated structure, or by cross-channel injection of sample and crystallizing agent into an array of junctions defined by intersecting orthogonal flow channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignees: California Institute of Technology, The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Stephen R. Quake, Carl L. Hansen, James M. Berger
  • Patent number: 7323052
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for growing bulk single crystals of silicon carbide is provided. The apparatus includes a sublimation chamber with a silicon vapor species phase outlet that allows the selective passage of atomic silicon vapor species while minimizing the concurrent passage of other vapor phase species. The apparatus can provide control of vapor phase stoichiometry within the sublimation chamber, which in turn can allow the production of bulk silicon carbide single crystals with reduced intrinsic point defects concentration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2008
    Assignee: Cree, Inc.
    Inventors: Valeri F. Tsvetkov, David Phillip Malta, Jason Ronald Jenny
  • Patent number: 7318865
    Abstract: A manufacturing method of an electronic device includes positioning a processed substrate with respect to a substrate stage of a crystallization apparatus and supporting it with at least one positioning mark previously provided on the processed substrate being used as a references, applying a modulated light beam to a predetermined area of the processed substrate supported by the substrate stage and crystallizing the area, and forming at least one circuit element in the crystallized area of the processed substrate subjected to positioning with the positioning mark being used as a reference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    Assignee: Advanced LCD Technologies Development Center Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Noritaka Akita, Yoshio Takami
  • Patent number: 7318866
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and methods for irradiating regions of a thin film sample(s) with laser beam pulses having different energy beam characteristics that are generated and delivered via different optical paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    Assignee: The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
    Inventor: James Im
  • Patent number: 7311773
    Abstract: The invention provides a biopolymer crystal mounting device with which a biopolymer crystal having been grown in a solution containing a biopolymer can be taken out of the solution. The device can be manufactured efficiently without requiring labors and can be mass-produced with high yield. A biopolymer crystal mounting device comprises: a film member 12, which is made of a material possessing permeability to an electromagnetic wave, and which is integrally formed of a loop portion 16 holding a drop of solution containing a biopolymer crystal, a neck portion 18 and a body portion 20; and a tubular member 14 including a bearing hole 22 in which the body portion of the film member is inserted and supported. Further, the film member is inserted into and secured to the tubular member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Protein Wave Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Sanjoh
  • Patent number: 7311778
    Abstract: A method of processing a polycrystalline film on a substrate includes generating a plurality of laser beam pulses, positioning the film on a support capable of movement in at least one direction, directing the plurality of laser beam pulses through a mask to generate patterned laser beams; each of said beams having a length l?, a width w? and a spacing between adjacent beams d?, irradiating a region of the film with the patterned beams, said beams having an intensity that is sufficient to melt an irradiated portion of the film to induce crystallization of the irradiated portion of the film, wherein the film region is irradiated n times; and after irradiation of each film portion, translating either the film or the mask, or both, a distance in the x- and y-directions, where the distance of translation in the y-direction is in the range of about 1?/n-?, where ? is a value selected to form overlapping the beamlets from the one irradiation step to the next, and where the distance of translation in the x-direction
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
    Inventors: James S. Im, Paul Christiaan van der Wilt
  • Patent number: 7299658
    Abstract: A quartz glass crucible for use in pulling up a silicon single crystal, wherein it has, at least in the curved portion thereof, a three-layer structure comprising a transparent inner layer being composed of a synthetic quartz glass and having a low Al concentration, a transparent or nontransparent intermediate layer being composed of a natural quartz glass or a mixture of natural and synthetic quartz glasses and having a high Al concentration, and a nontransparent outer layer being composed of a natural quartz glass and having an Al concentration higher than that of the intermediate layer. The quartz glass crucible is reduced in the deformation of the transparent inner layer, and allows the suppression of the change in the amount of dissolution of the quartz glass crucible associated with the pull-up of a single crystal and the achievement of the uniform oxygen concentration in the longitudinal direction of a single crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignees: Heraeus Quarzglas GmbH & Co. K.G., Shin-Etsu Quartz Products Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Ohama, Takayuki Togawa, Shigeo Mizuno
  • Publication number: 20070256630
    Abstract: A crystal growth setup within a physical vapor transport growth furnace system for producing AlN monocrystal boules at high temperatures includes a crucible effective to contain an AlN source material and a growing AlN crystal boule. This crucible has a thin wall thickness in at least that portion housing the growing AlN crystal boule. Other components include a susceptor, in case of an inductive heating, or a heater, in case of a resistive heating, a thermal insulation enclosing the susceptor or heater effective to provide a thermal gradient inside the crucible in the range of 5-100° C./cm and a furnace chamber capable of being operated from a vacuum (<0.1 torr) to a gas pressure of at least 4000 torr through filling or flowing a nitrogen gas or a mixture of nitrogen gas and argon gas. The high temperatures contribute to a high boule growth rate and the thin wall thickness contributes to reduced imparted stress during boule removal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2007
    Publication date: November 8, 2007
    Inventor: Shaoping Wang
  • Patent number: 7279047
    Abstract: An apparatus for growing bulk GaN and AlGaN single crystal boules, preferably using a modified HVPE process, is provided. The single crystal boules typically have a volume in excess of 4 cubic centimeters with a minimum dimension of approximately 1 centimeter. If desired, the bulk material can be doped during growth to achieve n-, i-, or p-type conductivity. In order to have growth cycles of sufficient duration, preferably an extended Ga source is used in which a portion of the Ga source is maintained at a relatively high temperature while most of the Ga source is maintained at a temperature close to, and just above, the melting temperature of Ga. To grow large boules of AlGaN, preferably multiple Al sources are used, the Al sources being sequentially activated to avoid Al source depletion and excessive degradation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Technologies and Devices, International, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuri V. Melnik, Vitali Soukhoveev, Vladimir Ivantsov, Katie Tsvetkov, Vladimir A. Dmitriev
  • Patent number: 7276121
    Abstract: Method and apparatus are provided for forming metal nitride (MN), wherein M is contacted with iodine vapor or hydrogen iodide (HI) vapor to form metal iodide (MI) and then contacting MI with ammonia to form the MN in a process of reduced or no toxicity. Such method is conducted in a reactor that is maintained at a pressure below one atmosphere for enhanced uniformity of gas flow and of MN product. The MN is then deposited on a substrate, on one or more seeds or it can self-nucleate on the walls of a growth chamber, to form high purity and uniform metal nitride material. The inventive MN material finds use in semiconductor materials, in nitride electronic devices, various color emitters, high power microwave sources and numerous other electronic applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: David F. Bliss, Vladimir L. Tassev, Michael J. Suscavage, John S. Bailey
  • Publication number: 20070215037
    Abstract: A light irradiation apparatus irradiates a target plane with light having a predetermined light intensity distribution. The apparatus includes a light modulation element having a light modulation pattern of a periodic structure represented by a primitive translation vector (a1, a2), an illumination system for illuminating the modulation element with the light, and an image forming optical system for forming the predetermined light intensity distribution obtained by the modulation pattern on the target plane. A shape of an exit pupil of the illumination system is similar to the Wigner-Seitz cell of a primitive reciprocal lattice vector (b1, b2) obtained from the primitive translation vector (a1, a2) by the following equations: b1=2?(a2×a3)/(a1·(a2×a3)) and b2=2?(a3×a1)/(a1·(a2×a3)) in which a3 is a vector having an arbitrary size in a normal direction of a flat surface of the modulation pattern of the modulation element, “·” is an inner product of the vector, and “×” is an outer product of the vector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2007
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Inventor: Yukio TANIGUCHI
  • Patent number: 7270706
    Abstract: A single roll crusher for comminuting high purity materials includes a roll with teeth spaced around the circumference of the roll. The roll is rotatably mounted inside a housing. The housing has a top with an entrance port, sides, and bottom with an exit port. The roll, teeth, and at least the inside surfaces of the top, sides, and bottom are fabricated from a material of construction that minimizes contamination of silicon. The material of construction may be tungsten carbide with a cobalt binder. The single roll crusher is used for processing polycrystalline silicon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignee: Dow Corning Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas Andrejewski, Thomas Dubay, Terence Lee Horstman, Roger Dale Spencer, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7258846
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and installation for the dry fractionation of edible oils and fats and related products, said method comprising the steps of: a) solidifying the product in a crystallizer comprising at least one cooling chamber that is provided with at least one wall permitting heat transfer, to form a solid block of crystallized material; b) discharging the chambers and collecting the block; c) crushing the block so that a pumpable paste is obtained; d) pumping this paste into a filter press; e) separating this paste into an olein fraction and a stearin fraction by filtration and collecting both fractions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: De Smet Engineering N.V.
    Inventors: Marc Hendrix, Marc Kellens
  • Patent number: 7258744
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a graphite heater for producing a single crystal used when producing a single crystal by the Czochralski method which comprises at least a terminal part to which electric current is supplied and a cylindrical heat generating part by resistance heating and are provided so as to surround a crucible for containing a raw material melt wherein the heat generating part has heat generating slit parts formed by being provided with upper slits extending downward from the upper end and lower slits extending upwards from the lower end by turns, and a length of at least one slit of the upper slits differs from others and/or a length of at least one slit of the lower slits differs from others so that a heat generating distribution of the heat generating part may be changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Sakurada, Izumi Fusegawa, Satoshi Soeta, Makoto Iida
  • Patent number: 7252712
    Abstract: The present invention refers to an ammonobasic method for preparing a gallium-containing nitride crystal, in which gallium-containing feedstock is crystallized on at least one crystallization seed in the presence of an alkali metal-containing component in a supercritical nitrogen-containing solvent. The method can provide monocrystalline gallium-containing nitride crystals having a very high quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignees: Ammono Sp. z o.o., Nichia Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Tomasz Dwilinski, Roman Marek Doradzinski, Leszek Piotr Sierzfutowski, Jerzy Garczynski, Yasuo Kanbara
  • Publication number: 20070163485
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an apparatus and a method for producing a single crystal of semiconductor material. The apparatus comprises a chamber and a crucible which is arranged in the chamber and is enclosed by a crucible heater, a radiation shield for shielding a growing single crystal and thermal insulation between the crucible heater and an inner wall of the chamber. The apparatus may include a resilient seal which seals a gap between the inner wall and the thermal insulation and forms an obstacle for the transport of gaseous iron carbonyls to the single crystal. The disclosure also relates to a method for producing a single crystal of semiconductor material by using the apparatus, the single crystal which is produced and a semiconductor wafer cut therefrom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2007
    Publication date: July 19, 2007
    Inventors: Laszlo Fabry, Gunter Strebel, Hans Oelkrug
  • Patent number: 7235133
    Abstract: By utilizing a crystal pulling apparatus for producing a single crystal according to the Czochralski method comprising at least a crucible to be charged with a raw material, a heater surrounding the crucible, and subsidiary heating means provided below the crucible, a single crystal is pulled or the raw material is additionally introduced with heating by the heater surrounding the crucible and the subsidiary heating means when the amount of the raw material melt in the crucible becomes a limited amount. Thus, there is provided a method for growing a single crystal at a high yield while preventing solidification of melt raw material decreased to a limited amount without affecting crystal quality, durability of crucible or the like even when a crucible having a large diameter is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masanori Kimura
  • Patent number: 7235132
    Abstract: In order to pull semiconductor single crystals by the Czochralski method, quartz glass crucibles are used which require support crucibles having high temperature capabilities. Such support crucibles may be made of various materials, in which case graphite materials, carbon fiber-reinforced carbon (CFC), combinations thereof or carbon materials coated with silicon carbide (SiC) are used. The working life of a CFC support crucible can be extended by a partial thickening of the support crucible walls affected by corrosion processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: SGL Carbon AG
    Inventor: Dieter Kompalik
  • Patent number: 7214270
    Abstract: The present invention comprises a light modulation optical system having a first element which forms a desired light intensity gradient distribution to an incident light beam and a second element which forms a desired light intensity minimum distribution with an inverse peak shape to the same, and an image formation optical system which is provided between the light modulation optical system and a substrate having a polycrystal semiconductor film or an amorphous semiconductor film, wherein the incident light beam to which the light intensity gradient distribution and the light intensity minimum distribution are formed is applied to the polycrystal semiconductor film or the amorphous semiconductor film through the image formation optical system, thereby crystallizing a non-crystal semiconductor film. The pattern of the first element is opposed to the pattern of the second element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2007
    Assignee: Advanced LCD Technologies Development Center Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Taniguchi, Masakiyo Matsumura, Noritaka Akita
  • Patent number: 7198672
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Inventor: Josuke Nakata
  • Patent number: 7195668
    Abstract: A crucible for the growth of single crystals by the Czochralski method which can enhance the productivity, yield and quality of crystal and a single crystal growing method, wherein the crucible has an inner bottom surface, the profile of which has at least one raised portion symmetrical about the rotary axis of the crucible wherein the periphery of the raised portion is positioned at a distance of from 0.4 to 1.2 times the radius of crystal to be grown from the rotary axis and the height of the raised portion is generally not smaller than 7% and greater than 100% of the radius of crystal to be grown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Siltronic AG
    Inventors: Yutaka Kishida, Teruyuki Tamaki
  • Patent number: 7179331
    Abstract: The invention presented here relates to a crystal growing equipment. It is equipped in general with a resistance heater for heating a melt (13) as well as with field coils, which generate alternating magnetic field in a crucible, with which flows can be induced in the melt (13). The invention is so designed that the resistance heaters are also devised to function as the field coils, that is, they are built of a hollow cylindrical body (1), in which, by means of a surrounding slit (2) which winds around it, a spiral-shaped single layer current path is formed. This has the advantage that the current needed for the electrical heating in the equipment is also used for the generation of the magnetic field. Thus, neither separate field coils nor a separate current supply is necessary. Further, the resistance heater, which serves as the field coil arranged as a coil array, is high temperature resistant and surrounds the immediate hot core zone of the equipment and thus the region of the melt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Crystal Growing Systems GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Mühe, Burkhard Altekrüger, Axel Vonhoff
  • Patent number: 7144458
    Abstract: Nanocrystals are synthesized with a high degree of control over reaction conditions and hence product quality in a flow-through reactor in which the reaction conditions are maintained by on-line detection of characteristic properties of the product and by adjusting the reaction conditions accordingly. The coating of nanocrystals is achieved in an analogous manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2006
    Assignee: Invitrogen Corporation
    Inventors: Donald A. Zehnder, Marcel P. Bruchez, Joseph A. Treadway, Jonathan P. Earhart
  • Patent number: 7125453
    Abstract: A capsule for containing at least one reactant and a supercritical fluid in a substantially air-free environment under high pressure, high temperature processing conditions. The capsule includes a closed end, at least one wall adjoining the closed end and extending from the closed end; and a sealed end adjoining the at least one wall opposite the closed end. The at least one wall, closed end, and sealed end define a chamber therein for containing the reactant and a solvent that becomes a supercritical fluid at high temperatures and high pressures. The capsule is formed from a deformable material and is fluid impermeable and chemically inert with respect to the reactant and the supercritical fluid under processing conditions, which are generally above 5 kbar and 550° C. and, preferably, at pressures between 5 kbar and 80 kbar and temperatures between 550° C. and about 1500° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Mark Philip D'Evelyn, Kristi Jean Narang, Robert Arthur Giddings, Steven Alfred Tysoe, John William Lucek, Suresh Shankarappa Vagarali, Robert Vincent Leonelli, Jr., Joel Rice Dysart
  • Patent number: 7125452
    Abstract: A process for calibrating the temperature control unit of a vertical gradient freeze crystal growth oven, instead of the fused material a test body (3) is used in the oven (1) that does not melt at the oven temperature, that has a heat conductivity comparable to the fused material and a central bore (4). After turning on the resistance heaters (8, 9, 10) of the oven (1) the temperature at the level of the individual control temperature indicators (11, 12, 13) of the oven (1) is measured via a reference temperature indicator (5) that can be fully inserted into the bore (4) and subsequently the output of the respective resistance heaters (8, 9, 10) is set to a desired temperature value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2006
    Assignee: Crystal Growing Systems GmbH
    Inventor: Andreas Mühe
  • Patent number: 7105048
    Abstract: Each region, which should be left on a substrate after patterning, of a semiconductor film is grasped in accordance with a mask. Then, each region to be scanned with laser light is determined so that at least the region to be obtained through the patterning is crystallized, and a beam spot is made to hit the region to be scanned, thereby partially crystallizing the semiconductor film. Each portion with low output energy of the beam spot is shielded by a slit. In the present invention, the laser light is not scanned and irradiated onto the entire surface of the semiconductor film but is scanned such that at least each indispensable portion is crystallized to a minimum. With the construction described above, it becomes possible to save time taken to irradiate the laser light onto each portion to be removed through the patterning after the crystallization of the semiconductor film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2006
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Hisashi Ohtani, Masaaki Hiroki, Koichiro Tanaka, Aiko Shiga, Satoshi Murakami, Mai Akiba
  • Patent number: 7101436
    Abstract: A crystallization apparatus includes an optical illumination system to illuminate a phase shift mask and which irradiates an amorphous semiconductor film with a light beam having an inverse peak type light intensity distribution including a minimum light intensity in a point corresponding to a phase shift portion of the phase shift mask to produce a crystallized semiconductor film. A wavefront dividing element is disposed on a light path between the optical illumination system and the phase shift mask. The wavefront dividing element wavefront-divides the light beam supplied from the optical illumination system into a plurality of light beams, and condenses the wavefront-divided light beams in the corresponding phase shift portion or in the vicinity of the portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2006
    Assignee: Advanced LCD Technologies Development Center Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yukio Taniguchi, Masakiyo Matsumura, Hirotaka Yamaguchi, Mikihiko Nishitani, Susumu Tsujikawa, Yoshinobu Kimura, Masayuki Jyumonji
  • Patent number: 7074731
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a hydrogen-doped silica powder that is useful in the formation of a quartz glass crucible that is capable of pulling a silicon single crystal without causing a state having dislocations in the silicon single crystal due to peeling of quartz glass segment. It is a further object of the invention to provide a quartz glass crucible for use in pulling a silicon single crystal whose inner surface is formed by use of the hydrogen-doped silica powder and a producing method of the silica powder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignees: Heraeus Quarzglas GmbH & Co. KG, Shin-Etsu Quartz Products Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Ohama, Takayuki Togawa
  • Patent number: 7063743
    Abstract: The present invention teaches an apparatus for pulling a single crystal, whereby a radial temperature gradient of a seed crystal and/or a neck is reduced to a minimum so as to inhibit occurrence of thermal stress and prevent induction of dislocations, thereby resulting in an improvement in dislocation-free rate of single crystals to be pulled in cases where a single crystal is pulled with a seed crystal and/or a neck being heated using an auxiliary heating device. The apparatus comprises a crucible to be charged with a melt, a heater located around the crucible, and an auxiliary heating device including a heating section which can be located so as to surround a seed crystal in a position near and above the melt, a transfer mechanism for withdrawing the heating section from a passing area of a single crystal, and a covering section to cover a clearance between the heating section and the seed crystal extending from the heating section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: Sumitomo Mitsubishi Silicon Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Watanabe, Isamu Miyamoto, Toshiyuki Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 7052547
    Abstract: In single crystal growth by means of a CZ method, a granular/lump polycrystalline raw material is additionally supplied into a raw material melt in a crucible through a vertical charging tube. A raw material accumulating section is provided at a site part way downward in the vertical charging tube working in such a way that a predetermined amount of the polycrystalline raw material is accumulated in the raw material accumulating section and the polycrystalline raw material in excess of the predetermined amount falls down. The polycrystalline raw material falling down in the vertical charging tube strikes against the accumulated raw material in the raw material accumulating section, thereby absorbing a shock of the falling raw material. The accumulated raw material works simultaneously as a protective member, thereby preventing breakage of the tube accompanying absorption of the shock from occurring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: Sumitomo Mitsubishi Silicon Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Watanabe, Hiroshi Asano, Masakazu Onishi
  • Patent number: 7052546
    Abstract: A method of growing a crystal on a substrate disposed in a reactor, that provides a reactor chamber in which the substrate is disposed, includes flowing reactive gases inside the reactor chamber toward the substrate, the reactive gases comprising components that are able to bond to each other to form the crystal, and flowing buffer gas in the reactor chamber between the reactive gases and a wall of the reactor, where the flowing buffer gas inhibits at least one of a first material at least one of in and produced by the reactive gases from reaching the reactor wall and a second material produced by the reactor wall from reaching the reactive gases in the reactor chamber before the reactive gases reach the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: Cape Simulations, Inc.
    Inventors: Shariar Motakef, Aniruddha S. Worlikar
  • Patent number: 7048802
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for depositing especially crystalline layers on especially crystalline substrates by means of reaction gases fed to a heated process chamber. Said process chamber is formed by the cavity of an especially multi-part graphite tube arranged in a reactor housing that especially comprises quartz walls. Said reactor housing, in the area of the process chamber, is enclosed by a high-frequency coil and the space between the reactor housing wall and the graphite tube is filled with a graphite foam sleeve. In order to improve heat insulation, the graphite foam sleeve is fully slit. The slot is wider than the maximum thermal elongation of the graphite foam sleeve in the peripheral direction to be expected when the device is heated up to process temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Aixtron AG
    Inventors: Johannes Kaeppeler, Frank Wischmeyer, Rune Berge
  • Patent number: 7033439
    Abstract: A hydrogen chloride gas and an ammonia gas are introduced with a carrier gas into a reactor in which a substrate and at least an aluminum metallic material through conduits. Then, the hydrogen gas and the ammonia gas are heated by heaters, and thus, a III–V nitride film including at least Al element is epitaxially grown on the substrate by using a Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy method. The whole of the reactor is made of an aluminum nitride material which does not suffer from the corrosion of an aluminum chloride gas generated by the reaction of an aluminum metallic material with a hydrogen chloride gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomohiko Shibata, Keiichiro Asai, Mitsuhiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7022191
    Abstract: The present invention is related to a method of crystallizing an amorphous silicon layer and a crystallizing apparatus thereof which crystallize an amorphous silicon layer using plasma. The present invention includes the steps of depositing an inducing substance for silicon crystallization on an amorphous silicon layer by plasma exposure, and carrying out annealing on the amorphous silicon layer to the amorphous silicon layer. The present invention includes a chamber having an inner space, a substrate support in the chamber wherein the substrate support supports a substrate, a plasma generating means in the chamber wherein the plasma generating means produces plasma inside the chamber, and a heater at the substrate support wherein the heater supplies the substrate with heat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: LG.Philips LCD Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jin Jang, Soo-Young Yoon, Jae-Young Oh, Woo-Sung Shon, Seong-Jin Park