Patents by Inventor Arnd-Dietrich Weber
Arnd-Dietrich Weber has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20240003054Abstract: An SiC volume monocrystal is processed by sublimation growth. An SiC seed crystal is placed in a crystal growth region of a growing crucible and SiC source material is introduced into an SiC storage region. During growth, at a growth temperature of up to 2,400° C. and a growth pressure between 0.1 mbar and 100 mbar, an SiC growth gas phase is generated by sublimation of the SiC source material and by transport of the sublimated gaseous components into the crystal growth region, where an SiC volume monocrystal grows by deposition from the SiC growth gas phase on the SiC seed crystal. A mechanical stress is introduced into the SiC seed crystal at room temperature prior to the start of the growth to cause seed screw dislocations present in the SiC seed crystal to undergo a dislocation movement so that seed screw dislocations recombine.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2023Publication date: January 4, 2024Inventors: Bernhard Ecker, Ralf Müller, Matthias Stockmeier, Michael Vogel, Arnd-Dietrich Weber
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Publication number: 20230416939Abstract: A SiC volume monocrystal is produced by sublimation growth. An SiC seed crystal is placed in a crystal growth region of a growing crucible and SiC source material is introduced into an SiC storage region. During growth, at a growth temperature of up to 2,400° C. and a growth pressure between 0.1 mbar and 100 mbar, an SiC growth gas phase is generated by sublimation of the SiC source material and by transport of the sublimated gaseous components into the crystal growth region, where an SiC volume monocrystal grows by deposition from the SiC growth gas phase on the SiC seed crystal. Prior to the start of growth, the SiC seed crystal is examined at the growth surface for the presence of seed screw dislocations, nucleation centers are generated, wherein the nucleation centers are starting points for at least one compensation screw dislocation during the growth carried out subsequently.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2023Publication date: December 28, 2023Inventors: Bernhard Ecker, Ralf Müller, Matthias Stockmeier, Michael Vogel, Arnd-Dietrich Weber
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Publication number: 20230349071Abstract: Crystal structure orientation in semiconductor semi-finished products and semiconductor substrates for fissure reduction and method of setting same The present invention provides monocrystalline semiconductor semi-finished product and substrates having a predetermined orientation of its crystal structure relative to a central axis and a at least partially curved lateral surface of the semi-finished product or substrate that reduces or even eliminates the occurrence of cracks during mechanical processing, and a method of producing such semiconductor semi-finished products and/or substrates.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 9, 2021Publication date: November 2, 2023Inventors: Michael VOGEL, Erwin SCHMITT, Arnd-Dietrich WEBER, Ralph-Uwe BARZ, Dominik BANNSPACH
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Patent number: 11781245Abstract: The present invention relates to a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate with improved mechanical and electrical characteristics. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for producing a bulk SiC crystal in a physical vapor transport growth system. The silicon carbide substrate comprises an inner region (102) which constitutes at least 30% of a total surface area of said substrate (100), a ring shaped peripheral region (104) radially surrounding the inner region (102), wherein a mean concentration of a dopant in the inner region (102) differs by at maximum 5·1018 cm?3, preferably 1·1018 cm?3, from the mean concentration of this dopant in the peripheral region (104).Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2021Date of Patent: October 10, 2023Assignee: SICRYSTAL GMBHInventors: Michael Vogel, Bernhard Ecker, Ralf Müller, Matthias Stockmeier, Arnd-Dietrich Weber
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Publication number: 20230193508Abstract: The present invention relates to a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate with improved mechanical and electrical characteristics. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for producing a bulk SiC crystal in a physical vapor transport growth system. The silicon carbide substrate comprises an inner region (102) which constitutes at least 30% of a total surface area of said substrate (100), a ring shaped peripheral region (104) radially surrounding the inner region (102), wherein a mean concentration of a dopant in the inner region (102) differs by at least 1·1018 cm?3 from the mean concentration of this dopant in the peripheral region (104).Type: ApplicationFiled: February 21, 2023Publication date: June 22, 2023Inventors: Michael VOGEL, Bernhard ECKER, Ralf MÜLLER, Matthias STOCKMEIER, Arnd-Dietrich WEBER
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Patent number: 11624124Abstract: The present invention relates to a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate with improved mechanical and electrical characteristics. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for producing a bulk SiC crystal in a physical vapor transport growth system. The silicon carbide substrate comprises an inner region (102) which constitutes at least 30% of a total surface area of said substrate (100), a ring shaped peripheral region (104) radially surrounding the inner region (102), wherein a mean concentration of a dopant in the inner region (102) differs by at least 1-1018 cm-3 from the mean concentration of this dopant in the peripheral region (104).Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 2018Date of Patent: April 11, 2023Assignee: SICRYSTAL GMBHInventors: Michael Vogel, Bernhard Ecker, Ralf Müller, Matthias Stockmeier, Arnd-Dietrich Weber
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Publication number: 20230078982Abstract: The present invention relates to a chamfered silicon carbide substrate which is essentially monocrystalline, and to a corresponding method of chamfering a silicon carbide substrate. A silicon carbide substrate according to the invention comprises a main surface (102), wherein an orientation of said main surface (102) is such that a normal vector ({right arrow over (O)}) of the main surface (102) includes a tilt angle with a normal vector ({right arrow over (N)}) of a basal lattice plane (106) of the substrate, and a chamfered peripheral region (110), wherein a surface of the chamfered peripheral region includes a bevel angle with said main surface, wherein said bevel angle is chosen so that, in more than 75% of the peripheral region, normal vectors ({right arrow over (F)}_i) of the chamfered peripheral region (110) differ from the normal vector of the basal lattice plane by less than a difference between the normal vector of the main surface and the normal vector of the basal lattice plane of the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2022Publication date: March 16, 2023Inventors: Bernhard Ecker, Ralf Müller, Matthias Stockmeier, Michael Vogel, Arnd-Dietrich Weber
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Patent number: 11515140Abstract: The present invention relates to a chamfered silicon carbide substrate which is essentially monocrystalline, and to a corresponding method of chamfering a silicon carbide substrate. A silicon carbide substrate according to the invention comprises a main surface (102), wherein an orientation of said main surface (102) is such that a normal vector ({right arrow over (O)}) of the main surface (102) includes a tilt angle with a normal vector ({right arrow over (N)}) of a basal lattice plane (106) of the substrate, and a chamfered peripheral region (110), wherein a surface of the chamfered peripheral region includes a bevel angle with said main surface, wherein said bevel angle is chosen so that, in more than 75% of the peripheral region, normal vectors ({right arrow over (F)}_i) of the chamfered peripheral region (110) differ from the normal vector of the basal lattice plane by less than a difference between the normal vector of the main surface and the normal vector of the basal lattice plane of the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2019Date of Patent: November 29, 2022Assignee: SICRYSTAL GMBHInventors: Bernhard Ecker, Ralf Müller, Matthias Stockmeier, Michael Vogel, Arnd-Dietrich Weber
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Publication number: 20220090296Abstract: The present invention relates to a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate with improved mechanical and electrical characteristics. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for producing a bulk SiC crystal in a physical vapor transport growth system. The silicon carbide substrate comprises an inner region (102) which constitutes at least 30% of a total surface area of said substrate (100), a ring shaped peripheral region (104) radially surrounding the inner region (102), wherein a mean concentration of a dopant in the inner region (102) differs by at maximum 5·1018 cm?3, preferably 1·1018 cm?3, from the mean concentration of this dopant in the peripheral region (104).Type: ApplicationFiled: December 7, 2021Publication date: March 24, 2022Inventors: Michael VOGEL, Bernhard ECKER, Ralf MÜLLER, Matthias STOCKMEIER, Arnd-Dietrich WEBER
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Patent number: 11261536Abstract: A bulk SiC single crystal is produced by placing an SiC seed crystal in a crystal growth region of a growth crucible, and introducing SiC source material into an SiC reservoir region, and the bulk SiC single crystal is grown on from an SiC growth gas phase by deposition. The growth crucible is surrounded by an insulation that extends rotationally symmetrically and axially towards the central middle longitudinal axis. The insulation has mutually concentric insulation cylinder components and the insulation is notionally divided into insulation ring segments that are in turn notionally divided into volume elements. The insulation cylinder components are selected and positioned relative to one another such that every volume element of the insulation ring segment in question has a volume element density varying by not more than 10% from an average insulation ring segment density of the insulation ring segment in question.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2020Date of Patent: March 1, 2022Assignee: SiCrystal GmbHInventors: Bernhard Ecker, Ralf Mueller, Matthias Stockmeier, Michael Vogel, Arnd-Dietrich Weber
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Patent number: 11236438Abstract: The present invention relates to a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate with improved mechanical and electrical characteristics. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for producing a bulk SiC crystal in a physical vapor transport growth system. The silicon carbide substrate comprises an inner region (102) which constitutes at least 30% of a total surface area of said substrate (100), a ring shaped peripheral region (104) radially surrounding the inner region (102), wherein a mean concentration of a dopant in the inner region (102) differs by at maximum 5·1018 cm?3, preferably 1·1018 cm?3, from the mean concentration of this dopant in the peripheral region (104).Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 2018Date of Patent: February 1, 2022Assignee: SICRYSTAL GMBHInventors: Michael Vogel, Bernhard Ecker, Ralf Müller, Matthias Stockmeier, Arnd-Dietrich Weber
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Publication number: 20220025545Abstract: The present invention provides monocrystalline 4H—SiC substrates having a specific orientation of its crystal structure which is set such as to reduce or even eliminate the occurrence of cracks or fissures during mechanical processing, and method of producing same. The monocrystalline 4H—SiC substrate, which has a longitudinal axis and an at least partially curved lateral surface parallel to said longitudinal axis, is characterized in that the crystal structure of the 4H—SiC substrate is oriented with respect to the longitudinal axis such that at each position on the lateral surface of the semi-finished product there is a line segment which is intersected by at least a predetermined minimum number of parallel cleavage planes of the {1010} form per unit length, wherein the line segment is defined by a plane tangent to the lateral surface at said position.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 20, 2021Publication date: January 27, 2022Inventors: Michael Vogel, Erwin Schmitt, Arnd-Dietrich Weber, Ralph-Uwe Barz, Dominik Bannspach
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Publication number: 20220025546Abstract: The present invention provides monocrystalline 4H—SiC semi-finished products having a specific orientation of its crystal structure which is set such as to reduce or even eliminate the occurrence of cracks or fissures during mechanical processing, and method of producing same. The monocrystalline 4H—SiC semi-finished product, which has a longitudinal axis and an at least partially curved lateral surface parallel to said longitudinal axis, is characterized in that the crystal structure of the 4H—SiC semi-finished product is oriented with respect to the longitudinal axis such that at each position on the lateral surface of the semi-finished product there is a line segment which is intersected by at least a predetermined minimum number of parallel cleavage planes of the {1010} form per unit length, wherein the line segment is defined by a plane tangent to the lateral surface at said position.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 20, 2021Publication date: January 27, 2022Inventors: Michael Vogel, Erwin Schmitt, Arnd-Dietrich Weber, Ralph-Uwe Barz, Dominik Bannspach
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Patent number: 11041254Abstract: The present invention relates to a chamfered silicon carbide substrate which is essentially monocrystalline, and to a corresponding method of chamfering a silicon carbide substrate. The silicon carbide substrate (100) comprises a main surface (102) and a circumferential end face surface (114) which is essentially perpendicular to the main surface (102), and a chamfered peripheral region (110), wherein a first bevel surface (106) of the chamfered peripheral region (110) includes a first bevel angle (a1) with said main surface (102), and wherein a second bevel surface (108) of the chamfered peripheral region (110) includes a second bevel angle (a2) with said end face surface (114), wherein, in more than 75% of the peripheral region, said first bevel angle (a1) has a value in a range between 20° and 50°, and said second bevel angle (a2) has a value in a range between 45° and 75°.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2019Date of Patent: June 22, 2021Assignee: SICRYSTAL GMBHInventors: Michael Vogel, Bernhard Ecker, Ralf Müller, Arnd-Dietrich Weber, Matthias Stockmeier
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Publication number: 20210148006Abstract: The present invention relates to a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate with improved mechanical and electrical characteristics. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for producing a bulk SiC crystal in a physical vapor transport growth system. The silicon carbide substrate comprises an inner region (102) which constitutes at least 30% of a total surface area of said substrate (100), a ring shaped peripheral region (104) radially surrounding the inner region (102), wherein a mean concentration of a dopant in the inner region (102) differs by at maximum 5·1018 cm?3, preferably 1·1018 cm?3, from the mean concentration of this dopant in the peripheral region (104).Type: ApplicationFiled: March 7, 2018Publication date: May 20, 2021Inventors: Michael VOGEL, Bernhard ECKER, Ralf MÜLLER, Matthias STOCKMEIER, Arnd-Dietrich WEBER
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Publication number: 20200263318Abstract: A bulk SiC single crystal is produced by placing an SiC seed crystal in a crystal growth region of a growth crucible, and introducing SiC source material into an SiC reservoir region, and the bulk SiC single crystal is grown on from an SiC growth gas phase by deposition. The growth crucible is surrounded by an insulation that extends rotationally symmetrically and axially towards the central middle longitudinal axis. The insulation has mutually concentric insulation cylinder components and the insulation is notionally divided into insulation ring segments that are in turn notionally divided into volume elements. The insulation cylinder components are selected and positioned relative to one another such that every volume element of the insulation ring segment in question has a volume element density varying by not more than 10% from an average insulation ring segment density of the insulation ring segment in question.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2020Publication date: August 20, 2020Inventors: BERNHARD ECKER, RALF MUELLER, MATTHIAS STOCKMEIER, MICHAEL VOGEL, ARND-DIETRICH WEBER
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Publication number: 20200071847Abstract: The present invention relates to a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate with improved mechanical and electrical characteristics. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for producing a bulk SiC crystal in a physical vapor transport growth system. The silicon carbide substrate comprises an inner region (102) which constitutes at least 30% of a total surface area of said substrate (100), a ring shaped peripheral region (104) radially surrounding the inner region (102), wherein a mean concentration of a dopant in the inner region (102) differs by at least 1-1018 cm-3 from the mean concentration of this dopant in the peripheral region (104).Type: ApplicationFiled: March 7, 2018Publication date: March 5, 2020Inventors: Michael VOGEL, Bernhard ECKER, Ralf MÜLLER, Matthias STOCKMEIER, Arnd-Dietrich WEBER
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Publication number: 20190345635Abstract: The present invention relates to a chamfered silicon carbide substrate which is essentially monocrystalline, and to a corresponding method of chamfering a silicon carbide substrate. The silicon carbide substrate (100) comprises a main surface (102) and a circumferential end face surface (114) which is essentially perpendicular to the main surface (102), and a chamfered peripheral region (110), wherein a first bevel surface (106) of the chamfered peripheral region (110) includes a first bevel angle (a1) with said main surface (102), and wherein a second bevel surface (108) of the chamfered peripheral region (110) includes a second bevel angle (a2) with said end face surface (114), wherein, in more than 75% of the peripheral region, said first bevel angle (a1) has a value in a range between 20° and 50°, and said second bevel angle (a2) has a value in a range between 45° and 75°.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 10, 2019Publication date: November 14, 2019Inventors: Michael Vogel, Bernhard Ecker, Ralf Müller, Arnd-Dietrich Weber, Matthias Stockmeier
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Publication number: 20190348272Abstract: The present invention relates to a chamfered silicon carbide substrate which is essentially monocrystalline, and to a corresponding method of chamfering a silicon carbide substrate. A silicon carbide substrate according to the invention comprises a main surface (102), wherein an orientation of said main surface (102) is such that a normal vector ({right arrow over (O)}) of the main surface (102) includes a tilt angle with a normal vector ({right arrow over (N)}) of a basal lattice plane (106) of the substrate, and a chamfered peripheral region (110), wherein a surface of the chamfered peripheral region includes a bevel angle with said main surface, wherein said bevel angle is chosen so that, in more than 75% of the peripheral region, normal vectors ({right arrow over (F)}_i) of the chamfered peripheral region (110) differ from the normal vector of the basal lattice plane by less than a difference between the normal vector of the main surface and the normal vector of the basal lattice plane of the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 10, 2019Publication date: November 14, 2019Inventors: Bernhard Ecker, Ralf Müller, Matthias Stockmeier, Michael Vogel, Arnd-Dietrich Weber