Patents Examined by Hua Qi
  • Patent number: 11959189
    Abstract: A method for growing a single crystal silicon ingot by the Czochralski method having reduced deviation in diameter is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: GlobalWafers Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tapas Jain, Sumeet S. Bhagavat, Zheng Lu, Feng-Chien Tsai, Hong-Huei Huang
  • Patent number: 11946156
    Abstract: According to the invention, a SiC single crystal growth crucible includes: a raw material accommodation portion which accommodates a SiC raw material; and a seed crystal support portion which supports a seed crystal disposed on an upper portion of the raw material accommodation portion, in which the raw material accommodation portion has a tapered portion, an inner surface of which is tapered off downward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Resonac Corporation
    Inventor: Yohei Fujikawa
  • Patent number: 11939695
    Abstract: A quartz glass crucible 1 having a cylindrical side wall portion 10a, a bottom portion 10b, and a corner portion 10c includes a transparent layer 11 as an innermost layer made of quartz glass, a semi-molten layer 13 as an outermost layer made of raw material silica powder solidified in a semi-molten state, and a bubble layer 12 made of quartz glass interposed therebetween. An infrared transmissivity of the corner portion 10c in a state where the semi-molten layer 13 is removed is 25 to 51%, the infrared transmissivity of the corner portion 10c in the state where the semi-molten layer 13 is removed is lower than an infrared transmissivity of the side wall portion 10a, and the infrared transmissivity of the side wall portion 10a in the state where the semi-molten layer 13 is removed is lower than an infrared transmissivity of the bottom portion 10b.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ken Kitahara, Masanori Fukui, Hiroshi Kishi, Tomokazu Katano, Eriko Kitahara
  • Patent number: 11932962
    Abstract: A method for producing a silicon ingot by the horizontal magnetic field Czochralski method includes rotating a crucible containing a silicon melt, applying a horizontal magnetic field to the crucible, contacting the silicon melt with a seed crystal, and withdrawing the seed crystal from the silicon melt while rotating the crucible to form a silicon ingot. The crucible has a wettable surface with a cristobalite layer formed thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: GlobalWafers Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: JaeWoo Ryu, JunHwan Ji, WooJin Yoon, Richard J. Phillips, Carissima Marie Hudson
  • Patent number: 11925924
    Abstract: A synthetic block for optimizing the performance of diamonds and gemstones is provided, including: a sealing material, a thermal insulation material, conductive materials, and a heating material. The conductive materials are provided at both ends of the sealing material. The heating material abuts between the conductive materials, and a high-temperature and high-pressure area is formed inside the heating material. The thermal insulation material includes a first thermal insulation tube and a second thermal insulation tube that are sequentially telescoped the conductive materials. The first thermal insulation tube abuts on an outer wall of the heating material, the second thermal insulation tube is provided between the sealing material and the first thermal insulation tube, a height of the second thermal insulation tube is greater than that of the first thermal insulation tube, and the synthetic block is square.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: GUILIN KEYSTONE MACHINERY CO., Ltd.
    Inventor: Xiaowen Zhang
  • Patent number: 11905618
    Abstract: In an apparatus and method growing a SiC single crystal, a PVT growth apparatus is provided with a single crystal SiC seed and a SiC source material positioned in spaced relation in a growth crucible. A resistance heater heats the growth crucible such that the SiC source material sublimates and is transported via a temperature gradient that forms in the growth crucible in response to the heater heating the growth crucible to the single crystal SiC seed where the sublimated SiC source material condenses forming a growing SiC single crystal. Purely axial heat fluxes passing through the bottom and the top of the growth crucible form a flat isotherm at least at a growth interface of the growing SiC single crystal on the single crystal SiC seed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: II-VI ADVANCED MATERIALS, LLC
    Inventors: Xueping Xu, Ilya Zwieback, Avinash Gupta, Varatharajan Rengarajan
  • Patent number: 11873574
    Abstract: A method for producing a silicon ingot by the horizontal magnetic field Czochralski method includes rotating a crucible containing a silicon melt, applying a horizontal magnetic field to the crucible, contacting the silicon melt with a seed crystal, and withdrawing the seed crystal from the silicon melt while rotating the crucible to form a silicon ingot. The crucible has a wettable surface with a cristobalite layer formed thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: GlobalWafers Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: JaeWoo Ryu, JunHwan Ji, WooJin Yoon, Richard J. Phillips, Carissima Marie Hudson
  • Patent number: 11873576
    Abstract: A silicon-based molten composition according to an exemplary embodiment is used in a solution growing method for forming a silicon carbide single crystal, includes silicon (Si), yttrium (Y), and iron (Fe), and is expressed in Formula 1. SiaYbFec??[Formula 1] In Formula 1, the a is equal to or greater than 0.4 and equal to or less than 0.8, the b is equal to or greater than 0.2 and equal to or less than 0.3, and the c is equal to or greater than 0.1 and equal to or less than 0.2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Inventors: Horim Lee, Junghwan Kim, Chanyeup Chung, Jung Min Ko
  • Patent number: 11873575
    Abstract: Ingot puller apparatus for preparing a single crystal silicon ingot by the Czochralski method are disclosed. The ingot puller apparatus includes a heat shield. The heat shield has a leg segment that includes a void (i.e., an open space without insulation) disposed in the leg segment. The heat shield may also include insulation partially within the heat shield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: GlobalWafers Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jiaying Ke, Sumeet S. Bhagavat, Jaewoo Ryu, Benjamin Meyer, William Luter, Carissima Marie Hudson
  • Patent number: 11866844
    Abstract: A method for doping a single crystal silicon ingot pulled includes heating a vaporization cup. The method also includes maintaining a pressure of an interior of the housing at a first pressure. The method further includes injecting liquid dopant into the dopant injection tube and the vaporization cup. A pressure of the liquid dopant is maintained at a second pressure greater than the first pressure prior to injection into the dopant injection tube and the vaporization cup. The method also includes vaporizing the liquid dopant into vaporized dopant within the housing. The liquid dopant is vaporized by flash evaporation by heating the liquid dopant with the vaporization cup and reducing the pressure of the liquid dopant from the second pressure to the first pressure by injecting the liquid dopant into the housing. The method further includes channeling the vaporized dopant into the housing using the dopant injection tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: GlobalWafers Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yu-Chiao Wu, William Lynn Luter, Richard J. Phillips, James Dean Eoff
  • Patent number: 11859306
    Abstract: A manufacturing method of a silicon carbide ingot includes the following. A raw material containing carbon and silicon and a seed located above the raw material are provided in a reactor. A first surface of the seed faces the raw material. The reactor and the raw material are heated, where part of the raw material is vaporized and transferred to the first surface of the seed and a sidewall of the seed and forms a silicon carbide material on the seed, to form a growing body containing the seed and the silicon carbide material. The growing body grows along a radial direction of the seed, and the growing body grows along a direction perpendicular to the first surface of the seed. The reactor and the raw material are cooled to obtain a silicon carbide ingot. A diameter of the silicon carbide ingot is greater than a diameter of the seed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: GlobalWafers Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ching-Shan Lin
  • Patent number: 11846039
    Abstract: A vapor deposition apparatus includes a disc-shaped susceptor and a susceptor support member that supports and rotates the susceptor. The susceptor has a plurality of fitting grooves. The susceptor support member is provided with a plurality of support pins to be fitted in the respective plurality of fitting grooves. The fitting grooves each have an inclined portion that relatively moves the support pin with respect to the fitting groove in a circumferential direction of the susceptor with the support pin kept in contact by virtue of a self-weight of the susceptor and a positioning portion that positions the support pin relatively moved by the inclined portion at a specific position in the circumferential direction. The inclined portion and the positioning portion are formed continuously in a radial direction of the susceptor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Narahara, Masayuki Tsuji, Haku Komori
  • Patent number: 11821103
    Abstract: A quartz glass crucible including a bottom portion, a curved portion, and a straight body portion, where the quartz glass crucible includes an outer layer including opaque quartz glass containing bubbles therein, and an inner layer including transparent quartz glass, the outer layer includes a plurality of layers in a part of the straight body portion, out of the plurality of layers, one layer having a devitrification spot number of 50/cm3 or more and 70/cm3 or less when the quartz glass crucible is heated at 1600° C. for 24 hours, and a layer positioned inwards of the devitrifiable layer in a thickness direction of the quartz glass crucible is a low devitrification layer having a spot number of 2/cm3 or less when the quartz glass crucible is heated at 1600° C. for 24 hours. This provides a quartz glass crucible suppressed from deformation due to heating and excessive progression of devitrification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: SHIN-ETSU QUARTZ PRODUCTS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuji Baba
  • Patent number: 11814749
    Abstract: The present invention provides a single crystal growth crucible and a single crystal growth method which can suppress the recrystallization of the raw material gas which has been sublimated on the surface of the raw material and can suppress the generation of different polytypes in single crystal growth. The single crystal growth crucible includes an inner bottom, a crystal mounting part, and a deposition preventing member, wherein a raw material is provided in the inner bottom, the crystal mounting part faces the inner bottom, the deposition preventing member has a first surface comprising metal carbide, a first surface is disposed to face the crystal mounting part, the deposition preventing member is disposed in a central area of the inner bottom in a plan view from the crystal mounting part, and the first surface is disposed in accordance with the position of the surface of the raw material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Resonac Corporation
    Inventor: Yohei Fujikawa
  • Patent number: 11814745
    Abstract: A production method of monocrystalline silicon includes: growing the monocrystalline silicon having a straight-body diameter in a range from 301 mm to 330 mm that is pulled up through a Czochralski process from a silicon melt including a dopant in a form of red phosphorus; controlling a resistivity of the monocrystalline silicon at a straight-body start point to fall within a range from 1.20 m?cm to 1.35 m?cm; and subsequently sequentially decreasing the resistivity of the monocrystalline silicon to fall within a range from 0.7 m?cm to 1.0 m?cm at a part of the monocrystalline silicon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: SUMCO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasufumi Kawakami, Koichi Maegawa
  • Patent number: 11795569
    Abstract: An ingot puller apparatus for producing a doped single crystal silicon ingot includes a housing defining a chamber, a crucible disposed within the chamber, and a dopant injector extending into the housing. The dopant injector includes a delivery module attached to and extending through the housing into the chamber. The delivery module includes a dopant injection tube positioned within the chamber and a vaporization cup positioned within the dopant injection tube and the chamber. The second valve selectively channels the liquid dopant into the vaporization cup and the vaporization cup vaporizes the liquid dopant into a vaporized dopant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: GlobalWafers Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yu-Chiao Wu, William Lynn Luter, Richard J. Phillips, James Dean Eoff
  • Patent number: 11795570
    Abstract: A single crystal furnace is provided, including a main furnace chamber; an auxiliary furnace chamber communicating with the main furnace chamber; and a material chamber provided with a charging inlet and a charging mechanism, wherein the material chamber is communicated with the main furnace chamber through the charging inlet, the charging mechanism is telescopically coupled to the charging inlet for charging materials into a crucible in the main furnace chamber. In the single crystal furnace, the material chamber is provided, so that charging operation may be performed during taking out the monocrystalline silicon rod, thereby effectively shortening the time consumed by taking out the monocrystalline silicon rod and the charging operation, and improving production efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignees: JINKO SOLAR CO., LTD., ZHEJIANG JINKO SOLAR CO., LTD
    Inventors: Ziyang Ou, Xiaolong Bai, Xinyu Zhang
  • 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
  • Patent number: 11767610
    Abstract: Methods for producing single crystal silicon ingots by Continuous Czochralski (CCz) are disclosed. A batch of buffer members (e.g., quartz cullets) is added to an outer melt zone of the crucible assembly before the main body of the ingot is grown. In some embodiments, the ratio of the mass M of the batch of buffer members added to the melt to the time between adding the batch of buffer members to the melt and when the ingot main body begins to grow is controlled such that the ratio of M/T is greater than a threshold M/T.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: GlobalWafers Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Matteo Pannocchia, Francesca Marchese, James Ho Wai Kitt
  • Patent number: 11761114
    Abstract: In a method of producing a SiC single crystal ingot of the present invention, in a lower part of a crucible, a high thermal conductivity raw material layer containing a high thermal conductivity raw material and a low thermal conductivity raw material layer containing a low thermal conductivity raw material in at least one of a position above or below the high thermal conductivity raw material layer are disposed to form a raw material part, and heating is performed so that the raw material part reaches the maximum temperature in the high thermal conductivity raw material layer and a SiC single crystal ingot is grown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Resonac Corporation
    Inventor: Yohei Fujikawa