Abstract: To provide a method of estimating an oxygen concentration in a silicon single crystal, a method of manufacturing a silicon single crystal, and a silicon single crystal manufacturing apparatus capable of manufacturing silicon single crystals having constant quality by preventing polarization of the oxygen concentration in the silicon single crystal. A method of estimating an oxygen concentration in a silicon single crystal according to the present invention is provided with measuring a height (gap) of a melt surface of a silicon melt in a quartz crucible when pulling up a silicon single crystal while applying a lateral magnetic field to the silicon melt and estimating an oxygen concentration in the silicon single crystal from a minute variation in the height of the melt surface.

Abstract: Please replace the Abstract contained in the application with the following replacement Provided is a process of measuring a space between a melt surface and a seed crystal provided above a melt, a process of lowering the seed crystal based on the space and bringing the seed crystal into contact with the melt, and a process of growing a single crystal by pulling the seed crystal while maintaining contact with the melt. Images of the seed crystal and the melt surface are captured by a camera installed diagonally above the melt surface, a real-image edge approximation circle is generated by approximating a circle from an edge pattern at a lower end of a straight-trunk portion of a real image of the seed crystal, and a mirror-image edge approximation circle is generated by approximating the circle from an edge pattern at the straight-trunk portion of a mirror image of the seed crystal reflected on the melt surface.

Abstract: A crystal puller apparatus comprises a pulling assembly to pull a crystal from a silicon melt at a pull speed; a crucible that contains the silicon melt; a heat shield above a surface of the silicon melt; a lifter to change a gap between the heat shield and the surface of the silicon melt; and one or more computing devices to determine an adjustment to the gap using a Pv-Pi margin, at a given length of the crystal, in response to a change in the pull speed. The computer-implemented method by a computing device comprises determining a pull-speed command signal to control a diameter of the crystal; determining a lifter command signal to control a gap between a heat shield and a surface of a silicon melt from which the crystal is grown; and determining an adjustment to the gap, in response to a different pull-speed, using a Pv-Pi margin.

Abstract: A single crystal manufacturing apparatus 10 according to the present invention is provided with a single crystal puller pulling up a single crystal 15 from a melt 13, a camera 18 photographing a fusion ring generated at the boundary between the melt 13 and the single crystal 15 and an computer 24 processing a photographed image taken by the camera 18. The computer 24 projects and converts the fusion ring appearing in the photographed image taken by the camera 18 on a reference plane corresponding to the liquid level position of the melt based on an installation angle and a focal length of the camera and calculates a diameter of the single crystal 15 from a shape of the fusion ring on the reference plane.

Abstract: A crystal puller apparatus comprises a pulling assembly to pull a crystal from a silicon melt at a pull speed; a crucible that contains the silicon melt; a heat shield above a surface of the silicon melt; a lifter to change a gap between the heat shield and the surface of the silicon melt; and one or more computing devices to determine an adjustment to the gap using a Pv-Pi margin, at a given length of the crystal, in response to a change in the pull speed. The computer-implemented method by a computing device comprises determining a pull-speed command signal to control a diameter of the crystal; determining a lifter command signal to control a gap between a heat shield and a surface of a silicon melt from which the crystal is grown; and determining an adjustment to the gap, in response to a different pull-speed, using a Pv-Pi margin.

Abstract: A crystal puller apparatus comprises a pulling assembly to pull a crystal from a silicon melt at a pull speed; a crucible that contains the silicon melt; a heat shield above a surface of the silicon melt; a lifter to change a gap between the heat shield and the surface of the silicon melt; and one or more computing devices to determine an adjustment to the gap using a Pv-Pi margin, at a given length of the crystal, in response to a change in the pull speed. The computer-implemented method by a computing device comprises determining a pull-speed command signal to control a diameter of the crystal; determining a lifter command signal to control a gap between a heat shield and a surface of a silicon melt from which the crystal is grown; and determining an adjustment to the gap, in response to a different pull-speed, using a Pv-Pi margin.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a silicon single crystal is provided. The apparatus comprises a chamber (11), a quarts crucible (21) provided in the chamber so as to be rotatable and movable upward and downward and store a silicon melt, a first heater (25) for melting a silicon raw material stored in the crucible, and a pulling mechanism (32) provided in the chamber so as to be rotatable and movable upward and downward. The pulling mechanism has a lower end to which a seed crystal (S) is attached. The seed crystal is to be dipped in the silicon melt in the crucible and pulled upward for growing a silicon single crystal by a Czochralski method. The apparatus further comprises a melt supplying mechanism (50) for supplying an additional silicon melt to the silicon melt in the crucible from external of the chamber.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a silicon single crystal is provided. The apparatus comprises a chamber (11), a quarts crucible (21) provided in the chamber so as to be rotatable and movable upward and downward and store a silicon melt, a first heater (25) for melting a silicon raw material stored in the crucible, and a pulling mechanism (32) provided in the chamber so as to be rotatable and movable upward and downward. The pulling mechanism has a lower end to which a seed crystal (S) is attached. The seed crystal is to be dipped in the silicon melt in the crucible and pulled upward for growing a silicon single crystal by a Czochralski method. The apparatus further comprises a melt supplying mechanism (50) for supplying an additional silicon melt to the silicon melt in the crucible from external of the chamber.