Abstract: A method of jet milling silicon powder in which silicon pellets are fed into a jet mill producing a gas vortex in which the pellets are entrained and pulverized by collisions with each other or walls of the milling chamber. The chamber walls are advantageously formed of high-purity silicon as are other parts contacting the unground pellets or ground powder. The pellets and chamber parts may be formed of electronic grade silicon but polycrystalline silicon may be used for chamber parts. Additionally, the particle feed tube in which the particles are entrained in a gas flow and the vortex finder operating as the outlet at the center of the vortex may be formed of silicon. The milling and feed gas may be nitrogen supplied from a liquid-nitrogen tank lined with stainless steel. The feed pellets may be formed by chemical vapor deposition.

Abstract: An edge ring for use in batch thermal processing of wafers supported on a vertical tower within a furnace. The edge rings are have a width approximately overlapping the periphery of the wafers and are detachably supported on the towers equally spaced between the wafer to reduce thermal edge effects. The edge rings have may have internal or external recesses to interlock with structures on or adjacent the fingers of the tower legs supporting the wafers or one or more steps formed on the lateral sides of the edge ring may slide over and then fall below a locking ledge associated with the support fingers. Preferably, the tower and edge ring and other parts of the furnace adjacent the hot zone are composed of silicon.

Abstract: A silicon shelf tower for hatch thermal processing of silicon wafers in a vertical furnace. The tower includes at least three silicon legs joined to bases and having a vertical arrangement of slots. Silicon shelves are detachably loaded by sliding them through the slots in the side legs and into the slot of the back leg. A interlocking mechanism detachably locks the shelves to the back leg while the slots in the two side legs laterally constrains the shelves. The shelves include cutouts to allow a robot paddle to load and unload wafers to the shelves. Circular holes in the shelves relieve stress and prevent wafer sticking Preferably, the shelves are formed from randomly oriented polycrystalline silicon. The shelves and towers can alternatively be made of other materials such as quartz and silicon carbide.

Abstract: A method of jet milling silicon powder in which silicon pellets are fed into a jet mill producing a gas vortex in which the pellets are entrained and pulverized by collisions with each other or walls of the milling chamber. The chamber walls are advantageously formed of high-purity silicon as are other parts contacting the unground pellets or ground powder. The pellets and chamber parts may be formed of electronic grade silicon but polycrystalline silicon may be used for chamber parts. Additionally, the particle feed tube in which the particles are entrained in a gas flow and the vortex finder operating as the outlet at the center of the vortex may be formed of silicon. The milling and feed gas may be nitrogen supplied from a liquid-nitrogen tank lined with stainless steel. The feed pellets may be formed by chemical vapor deposition.

Abstract: Tubular silicon members advantageously formed by extrusion from a silicon melt or by fixing together silicon staves in a barrel shape. A silicon-based wafer support tower is particularly useful for batch-mode thermal chemical vapor deposition and other high-temperature processes, especially reflow of silicate glass at above 1200° C. The surfaces of the silicon tower are bead blasted to introduce sub-surface damage, which produces pits and cracks in the surface, which anchor subsequently deposited layer of, for example, silicon nitride, thereby inhibiting peeling of the nitride film. Wafer support portions of the tower are preferably composed of virgin polysilicon. The invention can be applied to other silicon parts in a deposition or other substrate processing reactor, such as tubular sleeves and reactor walls. The tower parts are preferably pre-coated with silicon nitride or polysilicon prior to chemical vapor deposition of these materials, or with silicon nitride prior to reflow of silica.

Abstract: A silicon-based wafer support tower particularly useful for batch-mode thermal chemical vapor deposition. The surfaces of the silicon tower are bead blasted to introduce sub-surface damage, which produces pits and cracks in the surface, which anchor subsequently deposited layer of, for example, silicon nitride, thereby inhibiting peeling of the nitride film. The surface roughness may be in the range of 0.25 to 2.5 ?m. Wafer support portions of the tower are preferably composed of virgin polysilicon. The invention can be applied to other silicon parts in a deposition or other substrate processing reactor, such as tubular sleeves and reactor walls. Tubular silicon members are advantageously formed by extrusion from a silicon melt.

Abstract: An edge ring for use in batch thermal processing of wafers supported on a vertical tower within a furnace. The edge rings are have a width approximately overlapping the periphery of the wafers and are detachably supported on the towers equally spaced between the wafer to reduce thermal edge effects. The edge rings have may have internal or external recesses to interlock with structures on or adjacent the fingers of the tower legs supporting the wafers or one or more steps formed on the lateral sides of the edge ring may slide over and then fall below a locking ledge associated with the support fingers. Preferably, the tower and edge ring and other parts of the furnace adjacent the hot zone are composed of silicon.

Abstract: A silicon shelf tower for batch thermal processing of silicon wafers in a vertical furnace. The tower includes at least three silicon legs joined to bases and having a vertical arrangement of slots. Silicon shelves are detachably loaded by sliding therm through the slots in the side legs and into the slot of the back leg. A interlocking mechanism detachably locks the shelves to the back leg while the slots in the two side legs laterally constrains the shelves. The shelves include cutouts to allow a robot paddle to load and unload wafers to the shelves. Circular holes in the shelves relieve stress and prevent wafer sticking Preferably, the shelves are formed from randomly oriented polycrystalline silicon. The shelves and towers can alternatively be made of other materials such as quartz and silicon carbide.

Abstract: Baffle wafers of polycrystalline silicon are placed in non-production slots of a support tower for thermal processing monocrystalline silicon wafers. The polycrystalline silicon is preferably randomly oriented Czochralski polysilicon grown using a randomly oriented seed, for example, CVD grown silicon. An all-silicon hot zone of a thermal furnace may include a silicon support tower placed within a silicon liner and supporting the polysilicon baffle wafers with silicon injector tube providing processing gas within the liner. The randomly oriented polysilicon may be used for other parts requiring a rugged member, for example, within a silicon processing chamber and for structural members.