Abstract: It is provided a method of growing gallium nitride single crystal of good quality with a high productivity, in the growth of gallium nitride single crystal by Na-flux method. Gallium nitride single crystal is grown using flux 8 containing at least sodium metal. Gallium nitride single crystal is grown in atmosphere composed of gases mixture “B” containing nitrogen gas at a pressure of 300 atms or higher and 2000 atms or lower. Preferably, the nitrogen partial pressure in the atmosphere is 100 atms or higher and 2000 atms or lower. Preferably, the growth temperature is 1000° C. or higher and 1500° C. or lower.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to carry out the flux method with improved work efficiency while maintaining the purity of flux at high level and saving flux material cost. The sodium-purifying apparatus includes a sodium-holding-and-management apparatus for maintaining purified sodium (Na) in a liquid state. Liquid sodium is supplied into a sodium-holding-and-management apparatus through a liquid-sodium supply piping maintained at 100° C. to 200° C. The sodium-holding-and-management apparatus further has an argon-gas-purifying apparatus for controlling the condition of argon (Ar) gas that fills the internal space thereof. Thus, by opening and closing a faucet at desired timing, purified liquid sodium (Na) supplied from the sodium-purifying apparatus can be introduced into a crucible as appropriate via the liquid-sodium supply piping, the sodium-holding-and-management apparatus, and the piping.

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.

Abstract: The invention relates to the production of a cable rotating head, which is devoid of an abrasion ring, for a Czochralski-crystal drawing system which is used to drive a drawing cord in an azimuthal and vertical manner and the nucleus of a crystal is fixed therein. According to the invention, the cord rotating head comprises a cord winding mechanism which can be supported by a vertical hollow shaft, through which the drawing cord is suspended in the crystal drawing system, and the cord rotating head is rotationally mounted about the axis thereof and can be offset by a rotation motor, which is secured to the crystal drawing system, together with the cord winding mechanism and the drawing cord in a rotational movement, and said vertical hollow shaft is surrounded in a coaxial manner by a double toothed gear which is rotationally mounted opposite to the hollow shaft and can be driven by a drawing motor which is secured to the crystal drawing system.

Abstract: A metal fine particle is adhere to a predetermined location on a substrate. A resist film containing a metallic compound dispersed therein is formed on a substrate (101). A patterning of the resist film is conducted by a lithography. The substrate (101) having the patterned resist formed thereon is heated within an oxygen atmosphere to adhere a metal fine particle (106) to the surface of the substrate (101), while removing the resin in the patterned resist.

Abstract: A method of growing silicon single crystals with a [110] crystallographic axis orientation by the Czochralski method is provided according to which a silicon seed crystal doped with a high concentration of boron is used and an included angle of a conical part during shoulder section formation is maintained within a specified range. It is thereby possible to grow large-diameter and heavy-weight dislocation-free silicon single crystals with a diameter of 300 mm or more in a stable manner, without the fear of dropping the single crystal during pulling up. Therefore, the method can be properly utilized in producing silicon single crystals as semiconductor materials.

Abstract: System for controlling crystal growth in a Czochralski crystal growing apparatus. A magnetic field is applied within the crystal growing apparatus and varied to control a shape of the melt-solid interface where the ingot is being pulled from the melt. The shape of the melt-solid interface is formed to a desired shape in response to the varied magnetic field as a function of a length of the ingot.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for producing a crystalline ribbon continuously from a melt pool of liquid feed material, e.g. silicon. The silicon is melted and flowed into a growth tray to provide a melt pool of liquid silicon. Heat is passively extracted by allowing heat to flow from the melt pool up through a chimney. Heat is simultaneously applied to the growth tray to keep the silicon in its liquid phase while heat loss is occurring through the chimney. A template is placed in contact with the melt pool as heat is lost through the chimney so that the silicon starts to “freeze” (i.e. solidify) and adheres to the template. The template is then pulled from the melt pool thereby producing a continuous ribbon of crystalline silicon.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of fabrication of high quality silicon single crystal at high growth rate. The method grows silicon single crystal from silicon melt by Czochralski method, wherein the silicon single crystal is grown according to conditions that the silicon melt has an axial temperature gradient determined according to an equation, {(?Tmax??Tmin)/?Tmin}×100?10, wherein ?Tmax is a maximum axial temperature gradient of the silicon melt and ?Tmin is a minimum axial temperature gradient of the silicon melt, when the axial temperature gradient is measured along an axis parallel to a radial direction of the silicon single crystal.

Abstract: A method of making a solar grade silicon wafer is disclosed. In at least some embodiments of this invention, the method includes the follow steps: providing a slurry including a liquid that essentially prevents the oxidation of silicon powder and a silicon powder that is essentially free of oxides; providing a solar grade wafer mold defining an interior for receiving the slurry; introducing the slurry into the solar grade wafer mold; precipitating the silicon powder from the slurry to form a preform of the solar grade silicon wafer; and crystallizing the preform to make the solar grade silicon wafer.

Abstract: A cooling structure for the body of a crystal-growing furnace includes an upper body and a lower body. The upper body includes an outer upper shell and an inner upper shell, wherein an upper enclosing space is formed between the outer upper shell and the inner upper shell. The lower body includes an outer lower shell and an inner lower shell, wherein a lower enclosing space is formed between the outer lower shell and the inner lower shell. A plurality of water pipes are arranged, respectively, around the upper and the lower enclosing spaces, wherein plural spraying holes are provided on each of the water pipes. With the help of a pump, water from an outside water source is drawn through the spraying holes of the water pipes so as to cool down the body of the crystal-growing furnace. In adding an exhaust fan, warm air in the upper enclosing spaces can be driven out speedily.

Abstract: A method of producing epitaxial silicon films on a c-Si wafer substrate using hot wire chemical vapor deposition by controlling the rate of silicon deposition in a temperature range that spans the transition from a monohydride to a hydrogen free silicon surface in a vacuum, to obtain phase-pure epitaxial silicon film of increased thickness is disclosed. The method includes placing a c-Si substrate in a HWCVD reactor chamber. The method also includes supplying a gas containing silicon at a sufficient rate into the reaction chamber to interact with the substrate to deposit a layer containing silicon thereon at a predefined growth rate to obtain phase-pure epitaxial silicon film of increased thickness.

Abstract: The method of producing monocrystalline or multicrystalline blanks, especially silicon blanks, by using a vertical-gradient-freeze method, includes providing a crucible with a rectangular or square-shaped cross section and a heating jacket disposed around the crucible, which has a number of flat heating elements with a meandering course disposed on side faces of the crucible. The heating jacket generates an inhomogeneous temperature profile corresponding to a temperature gradient in the center of the crucible. The flat heating elements preferably comprise parallel heating webs, whose heat output is set by varying the conductor cross section. To avoid local overheating in corner areas of the crucible, constrictions of the cross section are provided at inversion zones of the meandering courses of the webs. The flat heating elements can be formed from a plurality of interconnected individual segments.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for producing crystals wherein crystal quality can be kept and a crystal composition is uniformed from a growth early stage to a growth last stage are provided. In an apparatus for producing crystals wherein the crystals 13 are grown from a liquefying raw material 12 in a crucible retained in a furnace and slowly cooling the raw material 12 in the crucible 11 from below upward, the apparatus comprises a raw material supply apparatus 18 which supplies a resupply raw material, and a reflection plate 20 placed above the crucible 11, which liquefies the resupply raw material 19 supplied from the raw material supply apparatus 18 and drops it as a liquid into the crucible.

Abstract: A method for producing high-purity, large-volume monocrystals that are especially radiation-resistant and have low intrinsic birefringence. From a melt of crystalline raw material, with controlled cooling and solidification, a crystal is generated. As the crystalline raw material, shards and/or waste from already-grown crystals is used, and the re-used raw material 1) upon visual observation in daylight has no color; and 2) upon illumination with a white-light lamp in a darkroom a) has no or at maximum a just barely perceivable reddish and/or bluish fluorescence; and b) has no or at maximum a just barely perceivable diffuse scattering; and c) has no or only slight discrete scattering of at maximum two visually perceivable scattering centers per dm3. In this way, crystals can be obtained which after tempering have a BSDF value of <7×10?7, an RMS homogeneity after the subtraction of 36 Zernike coefficients of <15×10?8, an SDR-RMS value in the 111 direction of <0.2 nm/cm.

Abstract: A single crystal pulling apparatus having a heater 4 melting material silicon by thermal radiation from a cylindrical exothermic part 4a which surrounds a crucible 3 inside a furnace body 2 and an electromagnet 13 which is prepared to surround the furnace body 2 and applies a transverse magnetic field to the silicon liquid melt in the crucible 3 is provided. A length h in a pull-up axis direction in the exothermic part 4a of the heater 4 is arranged to be 0.5 times to 0.9 times an inner diameter of the crucible 3, a first middle position in the pull-up axis direction in the exothermic part 4a is arranged below a second middle position in the pull-up axis direction in the electromagnet 13, and a distance difference d between the first and second middle positions is 0.15 times to 0.55 times the inner diameter R of the crucible 3.

Abstract: A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a hot plate which heats a sapphire substrate; a support table having a support plate disposed as being spaced away from the hot plate by a predetermined interval, and having support portions which respectively support the sapphire substrate while being spaced by a predetermined interval between the hot plate and the support plate and which support the sapphire substrate in such a manner that back surfaces of the hot plate and the sapphire substrate are opposite to each other; an elevating device which moves the support table up and down; and a shielding cover which externally blocks off spacing defined between the hot plate and the sapphire substrate and spacing defined between the sapphire substrate and the support plate.

Abstract: A crystallization apparatus includes an illumination system which illuminates a phase-shift mask and an image-forming optical system arranged in an optical path between the phase-shift mask and a semiconductor film. The semiconductor film is irradiated with a light beam having a light intensity distribution of inverted peak patterns whose light intensity is the lowest in portions corresponding to phase shift sections to form a crystallized semiconductor film. The image-forming optical system is located to optically conjugate the phase-shift mask and the semiconductor film and has an aberration corresponding to the given wavelength range to form a light intensity distribution of inverted peak patterns with no swell of intensity in the middle portion.

Abstract: Scandium, yttrium, and lanthanide sesquioxide crystals having the formula Ln2O3, wherein Ln is selected from Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu, with or without an activator ion, are made by a hydrothermal method for a variety of end-use applications.

Abstract: A process for the manufacture of a gallium rich gallium nitride film is described. The process comprises (a) preparing a reaction mixture containing a gallium species and a nitrogen species, the gallium species and the nitrogen species being selected such that, when they react with each other, gallium nitride is formed; and (b) growing the gallium rich gallium nitride film from the reaction mixture, by allowing the gallium species to react with the nitrogen species and to deposit gallium nitride on a substrate selected from the group consisting of silicon, glass, sapphire, quartz and crystalline materials having a lattice constant closely matched to gallium nitride, including zinc oxide, optionally with a zinc oxide buffer layer, at a temperature of from about 480° C. to about 900 ° C. and in the presence of a gaseous environment in which the partial pressure of oxygen is less than 10?4 Torr, wherein the ratio of gallium atoms to nitrogen atoms in the gallium rich gallium nitride film is from 1.01 to 1.20.