Patents by Inventor Takahiro Yanagimachi

Takahiro Yanagimachi 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).

  • Patent number: 10036100
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing a silicon single crystal by a Czochralski method with a chamber having a heater therein to heat a raw material and to cool the chamber by a coolant, including: measuring an inlet temperature, outlet temperature, and flow rate in a passage of the coolant to cool the chamber with flowing in the chamber; calculating a removed heat quantity from the chamber based on the measured values of the inlet temperature, outlet temperature, and flow rate; controlling heater power based on the value of the removed heat quantity. This provides an apparatus which can pull a single crystal in a crystal diameter and a crystal pulling rate closer to the target values by controlling the heater power based on a removed heat quantity from the chamber calculated by the measured values of temperatures and a flow rate of the coolant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: SHIN-ETSU HANDOTAI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro Yanagimachi, Masahiro Akiba, Junya Tokue, Susumu Sonokawa
  • Patent number: 9587325
    Abstract: A method for calculating a height position of a silicon melt surface at the time of pulling a CZ silicon single crystal is disclosed, including: obtaining a first crystal diameter measured from a fusion ring on a boundary of the silicon melt and the silicon single crystal by using a CCD camera installed at an arbitrary angle relative to the silicon single crystal, and a second crystal diameter measured by using two CCD cameras installed parallel to both ends of a crystal diameter of the silicon single crystal; and calculating the height position of the silicon melt surface in the crucible during pulling of the silicon single crystal from a difference between the first crystal diameter and the second crystal diameter. As a result, a method for enabling further accurately calculating a height position of a silicon melt surface at the time of pulling a silicon single crystal is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: SHIN-ETSU HANDOTAI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Masuda, Takahiro Yanagimachi
  • Publication number: 20160333496
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing a silicon single crystal by a Czochralski method with a chamber having a heater therein to heat a raw material and to cool the chamber by a coolant, including: measuring an inlet temperature, outlet temperature, and flow rate in a passage of the coolant to cool the chamber with flowing in the chamber; calculating a removed heat quantity from the chamber based on the measured values of the inlet temperature, outlet temperature, and flow rate; controlling heater power based on the value of the removed heat quantity. This provides an apparatus which can pull a single crystal in a crystal diameter and a crystal pulling rate closer to the target values by controlling the heater power based on a removed heat quantity from the chamber calculated by the measured values of temperatures and a flow rate of the coolant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2015
    Publication date: November 17, 2016
    Applicant: SHIN-ETSU HANDOTAI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro YANAGIMACHI, Masahiro AKIBA, Junya TOKUE, Susumu SONOKAWA
  • Publication number: 20140373774
    Abstract: A method for calculating a height position of a silicon melt surface at the time of pulling a CZ silicon single crystal is disclosed, including: obtaining a first crystal diameter measured from a fusion ring on a boundary of the silicon melt and the silicon single crystal by using a CCD camera installed at an arbitrary angle relative to the silicon single crystal, and a second crystal diameter measured by using two CCD cameras installed parallel to both ends of a crystal diameter of the silicon single crystal; and calculating the height position of the silicon melt surface in the crucible during pulling of the silicon single crystal from a difference between the first crystal diameter and the second crystal diameter. As a result, a method for enabling further accurately calculating a height position of a silicon melt surface at the time of pulling a silicon single crystal is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2013
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Applicant: SHIN-ETSU HANDOTAI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Naoki Masuda, Takahiro Yanagimachi
  • Patent number: 8441623
    Abstract: The invention is a method for detecting the diameter of a single crystal grown by the Czochralski method, wherein the diameter of a single crystal is detected by both a camera and a load cell, the diameter detected by the camera is corrected based on a difference between the diameter detected by the camera and the diameter calculated by the load cell and a correction coefficient ? obtained in advance according to a growth rate of the single crystal, and a value obtained by the correction is set as the diameter of the single crystal, and a single crystal pulling apparatus including both a camera and a load cell for detecting the diameter of a single crystal to be pulled upwardly. As a result, it is possible to improve the measurement accuracy of the diameter of a large-diameter, heavy crystal and achieve the enhancement of yields and a reduction in variations in quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Yanagimachi, Susumu Sonokawa
  • Patent number: 8211228
    Abstract: The present invention is a method for producing a single crystal that is a multi-pulling method for pulling a plurality of single crystals from a raw material melt in a same crucible in a chamber by a Czochralski method, comprising steps of: pulling a single crystal from a raw material melt ; then additionally charging polycrystalline raw material in a residual raw material melt without turning off power of a heater, and melting the polycrystalline raw material; then pulling a next single crystal; and repeating the steps and thereby pulling the plurality of single crystals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryoji Hoshi, Takahiro Yanagimachi
  • Publication number: 20100128253
    Abstract: The invention is a method for detecting the diameter of a single crystal grown by the Czochralski method, wherein the diameter of a single crystal is detected by both a camera and a load cell, the diameter detected by the camera is corrected based on a difference between the diameter detected by the camera and the diameter calculated by the load cell and a correction coefficient ? obtained in advance according to a growth rate of the single crystal, and a value obtained by the correction is set as the diameter of the single crystal, and a single crystal pulling apparatus including both a camera and a load cell for detecting the diameter of a single crystal to be pulled upwardly. As a result, it is possible to improve the measurement accuracy of the diameter of a large-diameter, heavy crystal and achieve the enhancement of yields and a reduction in variations in quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2008
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Applicant: SHIN-ETSU HANDOTAI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro Yanagimachi, Susumu Sonokawa
  • Publication number: 20100031869
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system for manufacturing a silicon single crystal which designs manufacturing conditions under which a value of F/G is controlled to fall within a predetermined range in order that a crystal quality of a silicon single crystal manufactured by a pulling apparatus using the CZ method falls within a target standard, including, automatically, at least: means 1 tentatively designing manufacturing conditions of a silicon single crystal in a subsequent batch from a crystal quality result of a silicon single crystal in a previous batch; means 2 calculating a correction amount from an amount of change in F and/or G due to constituent members of the pulling apparatus in the subsequent batch; means 3 calculating a correction amount from an amount of change in F and/or G due to a manufacturing process in the subsequent batch; and means 4 adding the correction amount by the means 2 and/or the means 3 to the manufacturing conditions by the means 1 to calculate manufacturing conditions in th
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2007
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Applicant: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Makoto Iida, Nobuaki Mitamura, Takahiro Yanagimachi
  • Publication number: 20080184928
    Abstract: The present invention is a method for producing a single crystal that is a multi-pulling method for pulling a plurality of single crystals 3 from a raw material melt 4 in a same crucible in a chamber by a Czochralski method, comprising steps of: pulling a single crystal 3 from a raw material melt 4; then additionally charging polycrystalline raw material in a residual raw material melt 4 without turning off power of a heater 7, and melting the polycrystalline raw material; then pulling a next single crystal 3; and repeating the steps and thereby pulling the plurality of single crystals 3; wherein in a case of setting a ratio of a pulling rate V and crystal temperature gradient G near a solid-liquid interface along a pulling axis direction when a straight body of the single crystal 3 is grown to be V/G, in order to control the V/G of each of the single crystals 3 to be pulled to a predetermined value, a pulling condition such as the pulling rate V is preliminarily modified according to an elapsed time from beg
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2005
    Publication date: August 7, 2008
    Applicant: SHIN-ETSU HANDOTAI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryoji Hoshi, Takahiro Yanagimachi
  • Patent number: 7326395
    Abstract: The present invention is a method for producing a single crystal in accordance with Czochralski method by flowing an inert gas downward in a chamber 1 of a single crystal-pulling apparatus 11 and surrounding a single crystal 3 pulled from a raw material melt 2 with a gas flow-guide cylinder 4, wherein when a single crystal within N region outside OSF region generated in a ring shape in the radial direction of the single crystal is pulled, the single crystal within N region is pulled in a condition that flow amount of the inert gas between the single crystal and the gas flow-guide cylinder is 0.6 D(L/min) or more and pressure in the chamber is 0.6 D(hPa) or less, in which D (mm) is a diameter of the single crystal to be pulled. It is preferable that there is used the gas flow-guide cylinder that Fe concentration is 0.05 ppm or less, at least, in a surface thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Izumi Fusegawa, Nobuaki Mitamura, Takahiro Yanagimachi
  • Publication number: 20060236919
    Abstract: The present invention is a method for producing a single crystal in accordance with Czochralski method by flowing an inert gas downward in a chamber 1 of a single crystal-pulling apparatus 11 and surrounding a single crystal 3 pulled from a raw material melt 2 with a gas flow-guide cylinder 4, wherein when a single crystal within N region outside OSF region generated in a ring shape in the radial direction of the single crystal is pulled, the single crystal within N region is pulled in a condition that flow amount of the inert gas between the single crystal and the gas flow-guide cylinder is 0.6 D(L/min) or more and pressure in the chamber is 0.6 D(hPa) or less, in which D (mm) is a diameter of the single crystal to be pulled. It is preferable that there is used the gas flow-guide cylinder that Fe concentration is 0.05 ppm or less, at least, in a surface thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2004
    Publication date: October 26, 2006
    Applicant: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Izumi Fusegawa, Nobuaki Mitamuria, Takahiro Yanagimachi
  • Patent number: 6764548
    Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for producing a silicon semiconductor single crystal which can stabilize and homogenize an amount of precipitated oxygen in the direction of the crystal growth axis when growing a silicon semiconductor single crystal. The apparatus for producing a silicon semiconductor single crystal by the Czochralski method comprises a main growth furnace having a crucible retaining silicon melt disposed therein for growing a silicon semiconductor single crystal, and an upper growth furnace for housing therein and cooling the silicon semiconductor single crystal pulled from the silicon melt, wherein the upper growth furnace communicated to a ceiling section of the main growth furnace is provided with an upper insulating member for surrounding a pulled silicon semiconductor single crystal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2004
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryoji Hoshi, Takahiro Yanagimachi, Izumi Fusegawa, Tomohiko Ohta, Yuuichi Miyahara, Tetsuya Igarashi
  • Publication number: 20030089300
    Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for producing a silicon semiconductor single crystal which can stabilize and homogenize an amount of precipitated oxygen in the direction of the crystal growth axis when growing a silicon semiconductor single crystal. The apparatus for producing a silicon semiconductor single crystal by the Czochralski method comprises a main growth furnace having a crucible retaining silicon melt disposed therein for growing a silicon semiconductor single crystal, and an upper growth furnace for housing therein and cooling the silicon semiconductor single crystal pulled from the silicon melt, wherein the upper growth furnace communicated to a ceiling section of the main growth furnace is provided with an upper insulating member for surrounding a pulled silicon semiconductor single crystal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2002
    Publication date: May 15, 2003
    Inventors: Ryoji Hoshi, Takahiro Yanagimachi, Izumi Fusegawa, Tomohiko Ohta, Yuuichi Miyahara, Tetsuya Igarashi
  • Patent number: 5888298
    Abstract: A method, mechanisms and jig for handling a member of a crystal pulling apparatus are disclosed. The crystal pulling apparatus grows a single crystal from a melt of a crystalline material by a CZ method. Handling of a graphite crucible or the like of the crystal pulling apparatus, including a vertical moving operation, a swinging operation, or the like, is performed using a crane and a lifting jig. This makes it possible to readily move the member of the crystal pulling apparatus vertically and otherwise without relying on manual labor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1999
    Assignee: Shin-Etsu Handotai Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Yanagimachi, Satoshi Soeta, Atsushi Iwasaki, Shinobu Takeyasu