Patents by Inventor Troy Houthoofd

Troy Houthoofd 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).

  • Method of determining an amount of impurities that a contaminating material contributes to high purity silicon
    Patent number: 8895324
    Abstract: A method of determining an amount of impurities that a contaminating material contributes to high purity silicon including the step of partially encasing a sample of high purity silicon in the contaminating material. The sample encased in the contaminating material is heated within a furnace. A change in impurity content of the high purity silicon is determined after the step of heating, compared to an impurity content of the high purity silicon prior to the step of heating. A furnace for heat treating high purity silicon including a housing that defines a heating chamber. The housing is at least partially formed from low contaminant material that contributes less than 400 parts per trillion of impurities to the high purity silicon during heating at annealing temperatures for a sufficient period time to anneal the high purity silicon, and the furnace contributes an average of less than 400 parts per trillion of impurities to the high purity silicon under the same heating conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Dennis DePesa, Jon Host, Troy Houthoofd, Alan Rytlewski
  • METHOD OF DETERMINING AN AMOUNT OF IMPURITIES THAT A CONTAMINATING MATERIAL CONTRIBUTES TO HIGH PURITY SILICON AND FURNACE FOR TREATING HIGH PURITY SILICON
    Publication number: 20120227472
    Abstract: A method of determining an amount of impurities that a contaminating material contributes to high purity silicon comprises the step of partially encasing a sample of high purity silicon in the contaminating material. The sample encased in the contaminating material is heated within a furnace. A change in impurity content of the high purity silicon is determined after the step of heating, compared to an impurity content of the high purity silicon prior to the step of heating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2012
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Inventors: Dennis DePasa, Jon Host, Troy Houthoofd, Alan Rytlewski
  • Method Of Determining An Amount of Impurities That A Contaminating Material Contributes To High Purity Silicon And Furnace For Treating High Purity Silicon
    Publication number: 20110177626
    Abstract: A method of determining an amount of impurities that a contaminating material contributes to high purity silicon comprises the step of partially encasing a sample of high purity silicon in the contaminating material. The sample encased in the contaminating material is heated within a furnace. A change in impurity content of the high purity silicon is determined after the step of heating, compared to an impurity content of the high purity silicon prior to the step of heating. A furnace for heat treating high purity silicon comprises a housing that defines a heating chamber. The housing is at least partially formed from low contaminant material that contributes less than 400 parts per trillion of impurities to the high purity silicon during heating at annealing temperatures for a sufficient period time to anneal the high purity silicon, and the furnace contributes an average of less than 400 parts per trillion of impurities to the high purity silicon under the same heating conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2009
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Inventors: Dennis Depesa, Jon Host, Troy Houthoofd, Alan Rytlewski