Abstract: A method for pulling a cylindrical crystal from a melt by a crystal pulling unit includes measuring an actual value of a diameter of the crystal at a surface of the melt, comparing the actual value with a setpoint value for the diameter of the crystal, and setting a height of the annular gap as a function of a deviation between the actual value and the setpoint value using a first controller which has a first readjustment time.

Abstract: An apparatus for manufacturing a single crystal according to a Czochralski method, including: a main chamber housing crucibles for a raw-material melt and heater for heating the raw-material melt; a pulling chamber at an upper portion of the main chamber and a single crystal pulled from the raw-material melt; a cooling cylinder extending from a ceiling portion of the main chamber toward a surface of the raw-material melt to surround the single crystal; an auxiliary cooling cylinder inside the cooling cylinder; and a diameter-enlargement member to fit into the auxiliary cooling cylinder. The auxiliary cooling cylinder has a slit penetrating in an axial direction to come into close contact with the cooling cylinder by pushing the diameter-enlargement member into the auxiliary cooling cylinder to enlarge the diameter of the auxiliary cooling cylinder. This enables efficient cooling of a growing single crystal and increases the growth rate of the single crystal.

Abstract: A building management system includes one or more processing circuits. The one or more processing circuits are configured to receive, from a physical building device of a building, environmental inputs and environmental outputs of the physical building device; generate a building device digital twin for the physical building device based on the received environmental inputs and the received environmental outputs; generate a predicted future performance of the physical building device based on the building device digital twin; and generate a recommendation based on the predicted future performance of the physical building device, the recommendation indicating one or more changes to implement on the physical building device. The building device digital twin is a model for predicting the behavior of the physical building device ore changes to implement on the physical building device.

Abstract: In a producing method of an n-type monocrystalline silicon by pulling up a monocrystalline silicon from a silicon melt containing a main dopant in a form of red phosphorus to grow the monocrystalline silicon, the monocrystalline silicon exhibiting an electrical resistivity ranging from 0.5 m?cm to 1.0 m?cm is pulled up using a quartz crucible whose inner diameter ranges from 1.7-fold to 2.3-fold relative to a straight-body diameter of the monocrystalline silicon.

Abstract: A gettering property evaluation apparatus includes a gettering determination unit and a chuck table. The gettering determination unit has a laser beam applying unit for applying a laser beam to a wafer, and a transmission-reception unit for applying a microwave to the wafer and receiving the microwave reflected by the wafer. The gettering determination unit determines whether or not a gettering layer including a grinding strain generated by grinding the wafer has a gettering property. The chuck table holds the wafer on a holding surface. The chuck table has a conductive nonmetallic porous member constituting the holding surface and having a property of reflecting or absorbing the microwave, and a base member provided with a negative pressure transmission passage for transmitting a negative pressure to the nonmetallic porous member.

Abstract: Methods for forming a unitized crucible assembly for holding a melt of silicon for forming a silicon ingot are disclosed. In some embodiments, the methods involve a porous crucible mold having a channel network with a bottom channel, an outer sidewall channel that extends from the bottom channel, and a central weir channel that extends from the bottom channel. A slip slurry may be added to the channel network and the liquid carrier of the slip slurry may be drawn into the mold. The resulting green body may be sintered to form the crucible assembly.

Abstract: Provided is an evaluation method capable of easily evaluating the inner circumference of a quartz crucible in a short time. The method of evaluating an inner circumference of a quartz crucible includes: a first step of imaging the inner circumference of the quartz crucible, thereby obtaining an image of the inner circumference; a second step of performing image processing on the image to obtain an edge image in which boundaries between cristobalite and glass are defined; a third step of extracting closed regions; a fourth step of performing arithmetic calculations on coordinate information of the boundaries, thereby obtaining calculated values; a fifth step of determining whether the closed regions are the cristobalite or the glass based on the calculated values; and a sixth step of compositing images in which closed regions are determined to be the cristobalite are overlaid, thereby obtaining a full image.

Abstract: Single crystal semiconductor ingots are pulled from a melt contained in a crucible by a method of controlling the pulling the single crystal in a phase in which an initial cone of the single crystal is grown until a phase in which the pulling of a cylindrical section of the single crystal is begun, by measuring the diameter Dcr of the initial cone of the single crystal and calculating the change in the diameter dDcr/dt; pulling the initial cone of the single crystal from the melt at a pulling rate vp(t) from a point in time t1 until a point in time t2, starting from which the pulling of the cylindrical section of the single crystal in conjunction with a target diameter Dcrs is begun, wherein the profile of the pulling rate vp(t) from the point in time t1 until the point in time t2 during the pulling of the initial cone is predetermined by means of an iterative computation process.

Abstract: A method for producing a silicon ingot includes withdrawing a seed crystal from a melt that includes melted silicon in a crucible that is enclosed in a vacuum chamber containing a cusped magnetic field. At least one process parameter is regulated in at least two stages, including a first stage corresponding to formation of the silicon ingot up to an intermediate ingot length, and a second stage corresponding to formation of the silicon ingot from the intermediate ingot length to the total ingot length. During the second stage process parameter regulation may include reducing a crystal rotation rate, reducing a crucible rotation rate, and/or increasing a magnetic field strength relative to the first stage.

Abstract: The diameter (dK) of a cylindrical section and of an end cone of a single crystal being pulled from a melt in a crucible, is determined by measuring the diameter (dK) of the single crystal at an interface with the melt while taking into account a lowering rate (vs) of a surface of the melt relative to the crucible, a lifting rate (vK) with which the crystal is raised relative to the crucible, and a conservation of mass, wherein a diameter of a cylindrical section of the single crystal, determined by means of observing a bright ring on the surface of the melt, and is used for a correction, a plausibility check or a comparison of the diameter (dK) of the single crystal.

Abstract: A silicon single crystal manufacturing method in which the distance between the heat shield and the melt level of the melt can be regulated in a high precision. The real image includes at least the circular opening of the heat shield provided in such a way that the heat shield covers a part of the melt level of the silicon melt. The mirror image is a reflected image of the heat shield on the surface of the silicon melt. Based on the distance between the obtained real image and the mirror image, the melt level position of the silicon melt is computed, and the distance between the heat shield and the melt level position is regulated.

Abstract: Methods for growing a reduced dislocation crystal ingot in an ingot growing system are disclosed. The system has a first crucible with a first base and a first sidewall extending upward from the first base to define an outer cavity. The method includes placing a weir in the outer cavity, placing a second crucible on the weir, placing feedstock material into the outer cavity, and melting the feedstock material to allow movement of the melt from the outer cavity inward of an intermediate cavity and into an inner cavity.

Abstract: A projection control device includes a hardware processor. The hardware processor acquires a feature of a projection surface. The hardware processor determines a first area in which a first projection image corrected based on the acquired feature of the projection surface is projected and a second area that is other than the first area and in which a second projection image corrected based on the feature of the projection surface is projected, within a projection area projectable, by a projection device, on the projection surface. Then, the hardware processor controls the projection device to project the first projection image in the first area and project the second projection image in the second area.

Abstract: After melting raw materials, a distance between a raw material melt surface and a heat-shielding member disposed so as to face to the melt surface is adjusted based on temporal changes in chamber inside conditions, such as the heater temperature at the time of completion of the seed crystal equilibration operation carried out after completion of the raw material melting procedure and/or lag time required for completion of the seed crystal equilibration operation following completion of the raw material melting procedure. As a result, single crystals can be produced efficiently and in high yield, and further, by controlling the crystal interior temperature gradient by modifying the distance between the melt surface and the heat-shielding member, it becomes possible to control the ratio V/G (V:pulling speed, G:crystal interior temperature gradient) to thereby produce single crystals free of crystal defects such as COPs and/or dislocation clusters.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for manufacturing a single crystal, the method includes: photographing an image of a boundary portion between the single crystal and a melt by a camera during a single crystal pull-up process according to a Czochralski method; comparing at least one pixel included in a left side region with respect to an extension line of a pull-up shaft of the single crystal and at least one pixel included in a right side region with respect to the extension line; and determining an abnormality in a luminance distribution of the image from a result of the comparing.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of single crystal is provided with a melting process for dissolving raw material in a crucible and a pulling-up process of a single crystal from a melt by the Czochralski method. The pulling-up process includes detecting an edge line of a fusion ring, determining an approximated curve of the edge line by approximating the edge line of the fusion ring by an even function, eliminating constituent pixels of the fusion ring from the image of the fusion ring as noise, the constituent pixels being positioned on the side of the melt relative to the approximated curve and the constituent pixels of the fusion ring and a deviation between the constituent pixels and the approximated curve being a predetermined number of pixels, and calculating the center position of the single crystal from the edge line of the fusion ring from which the noise has been eliminated.

Abstract: According to one aspect, a system for controlling each control volume of a plurality of control volumes is provided. The system includes a plurality of sensors corresponding to the plurality of control volumes, and each sensors is configured to detect a temperature value of the control volume corresponding to the sensor, and generate a feedback signal for the control volume corresponding to the sensor based on the temperature value. The system further includes a primary controller configured to receive a set point temperature value for each control volume, receive the feedback signal for each control volume, execute a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) control that is configured to determine a target set point temperature value for each control volume based on the set point temperature value for the control volume and the feedback signal for the control volume, and transmit the target set point temperature value for each control volume.

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.

Abstract: An apparatus to monitor thickness of a crystalline sheet grown from a melt. The apparatus may include a process chamber configured to house the melt and crystalline sheet; an x-ray source disposed on a first side of the crystalline sheet and configured to deliver a first beam of x-rays that penetrate the crystalline sheet from a first surface to a second surface opposite the first surface, at a first angle of incidence with respect to the first surface; and an x-ray detector disposed on the first side of the crystalline sheet and configured to intercept a second beam of x-rays that are generated by reflection of the first beam of x-rays from the crystalline sheet at an angle of reflection with respect to the first surface, wherein a sum of the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection satisfies the equation ?=2d sin ?.

Abstract: The distance between the heat shield and the melt level of the melt can be regulated in a high precision. The real image includes at least the circular opening of the heat shield provided in such a way that the heat shield covers a part of the melt level of the silicon melt. The mirror image is a reflected image of the heat shield on the surface of the silicon melt. Based on the distance between the obtained real image and the mirror image, the melt level position of the silicon melt is computed, and the distance between the heat shield and the melt level position is regulated.

Abstract: Various embodiments of a method for producing a crystalline material in a crucible in a crystal growth apparatus are disclosed. The method comprises, in part, the step of monitoring for remaining solid feedstock in a liquid feedstock melt with an automated vision system positioned above the crucible. Alternatively, or in addition, the method comprises the step of monitoring for solidified crystalline material in a partially solidified melt with the automated vision system. A crystal growth apparatus comprising the automated vision system is also disclosed.

Abstract: Provides are a system of controlling a diameter of a single crystal ingot and a single crystal ingot growing apparatus including the same. The system of controlling a diameter of a single crystal ingot includes: a diameter measuring sensor measuring a diameter of a single crystal ingot; a Low-Pass Filter (LPF) removing short period noise from measured data from the diameter measuring sensor; and an Automatic Diameter Control (ADC) sensor controlling the diameter of the single crystal ingot through controlling of a pull speed by using data having the noise removed as current data.

Abstract: The diameter of a single crystal is controlled to a set point diameter during pulling of the single crystal from a melt contained in a crucible and which forms a meniscus at a phase boundary on the edge of the single crystal, the meniscus having a height which corresponds to the distance between the phase boundary and a level of the surface of the melt outside the meniscus, comprising repeatedly: determining the diameter of a bright ring on the meniscus; calculating a diameter of the single crystal while taking into account the diameter of the bright ring and the dependency of the diameter of the bright ring on the height of the meniscus and on the diameter of the single crystal itself; and calculating at least one manipulated variable for controlling the diameter of the single crystal on the basis of the difference between the calculated diameter of the single crystal and the set point diameter of the single crystal.

Abstract: A method for determining the oxygen concentration of a sample made from p-type semiconductor material includes a thermal treatment step to form the thermal donors, a measuring step of the charge carrier concentration of the sample at a temperature between 0 K and 100 K, a step of determining the thermal donor concentration of the sample from the charge carrier concentration and the temperature of the sample, and a step of determining the interstitial oxygen concentration from the thermal donor concentration.

Abstract: A method for determining the interstitial oxygen concentration of a sample made from a p-doped semiconductor material includes a step of heat treatment of the sample in order to form thermal donors, determining the duration of the heat treatment required to obtain a compensated semiconductor material, determining the thermal donors concentration in the sample of compensated semiconductor material, from the charge carriers concentration, and determining the oxygen concentration from the thermal donors of and the duration of the heat treatment.

Abstract: A method for producing a crystalline material in a crucible in a crystal growth apparatus is disclosed. The method comprises, in part, the step of determining the amount of solidified material present in a partially solidified melt produced during the growth phase using at least one laser positioned at a height above the crucible. A crystal growth apparatus comprising the laser is also disclosed.

Abstract: When pulling and growing a single crystal from a raw material melt by the Czochralski method, a boundary between the single crystal and the raw material melt is imaged by an optical sensor, and also the weight of the single crystal is measured by a weight sensor, a diameter value of the single crystal is calculated on the basis of first measured values of the diameter of the single crystal derived from image data captured by the optical sensor and second measured values of the diameter of the single crystal derived from weight data captured by the weight sensor, and a pulling rate of the single crystal and the temperature of the raw material melt are adjusted on the basis of the calculated diameter value to thereby control the diameter of the single crystal, and thus it is possible to accurately measure the diameter of a growing single crystal.

Abstract: According to one exemplary embodiment, a single crystal pulling-up apparatus of pulling-up silicon single crystals by a Czochralski method, is provided with: a neck diameter measuring portion which measures a diameter of a grown neck portion; a first compensation portion which outputs a first compensated pulling-up speed for the seed crystals based on a difference between a measured value of the diameter of the neck portion and a target value of the neck portion diameter previously stored; a second compensation portion which outputs a second pulling-up speed while limiting an upper limit of the first pulling-up speed to a first limit value; and a crucible rotation number compensation portion which lowers the number of a rotation of a crucible at least in a period where the upper limit of the first pulling-up speed is limited to the first limit value.

Abstract: The present invention provides a technique which enables production of single crystal silicon having relatively low resistivity by preventing cell growth during crystal growth from occurring, especially in a case where a relatively large amount of dopant is added to a molten silicon raw material. Specifically, the present invention provides a method of producing single crystal silicon by the Czochralski process, comprising producing single crystal silicon having relatively low resistivity by controlling a height of a solid-liquid interface when the single crystal silicon is pulled up.

Abstract: A silicon single crystal pull-up apparatus is provided with a chamber into which an inert gas is introduced; a crucible that supports a silicon melt within the chamber; a heater that heats the silicon melt in the crucible; a lifting device for lifting and lowering the crucible; a thermal radiation shield disposed above the crucible; a cylindrical purging tube that is provided inside the thermal radiation shield so as to straighten the inert gas; a CCD camera that photographs the mirror image of the thermal radiation shield reflected on the liquid surface of the silicon melt through the purging tube; a liquid surface level calculator that calculates the liquid surface level of the silicon melt from the position of the mirror image photographed by the camera; and a conversion table creator that creates a conversion table representing a relationship between the liquid surface level of the silicon melt and the mirror image position obtained.

Abstract: A condition of a single crystal manufacturing step subjected to the Czochralski method applying an initial oxygen concentration, a dopant concentration or resistivity, and a heat treatment condition is determined simply and clearly on the basis of the conditions of a wafer manufacturing step and a device step so as to obtain a silicon wafer having a desired gettering capability. A manufacturing method of a silicon substrate which is manufactured from a silicon single crystal grown by the CZ method and provided for manufacturing a solid-state imaging device is provided. The internal state of the silicon substrate, which depends on the initial oxygen concentration, the carbon concentration, the resistivity, and the pulling condition of the silicon substrate, is determined by comparing a white spot condition representing upper and lower limits of the density of white spots as device characteristics with the measured density of white spots.

Abstract: A high temperature furnace comprising hot zone insulation having at least one shaped thermocouple assembly port to reduce temperature measurement variability is disclosed. The shaped thermocouple assembly port has an opening in the insulation facing the hot zone that is larger than the opening on the furnace shell side of the insulation. A method for producing a crystalline ingot in a high temperature furnace utilizing insulation having a shaped thermocouple assembly port is also disclosed.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing single crystal based on a Czochralski method, including: analyzing Ni concentration in at least one of graphite components used in a furnace in which the single crystal is manufactured; and manufacturing the single crystal using the at least one of the graphite components when the analyzed Ni concentration is 30 ppb or less. As a result, in manufacture of the single crystal based on the Czochralski method, the method that enables manufacturing high-quality single crystal in which a reduction in LT (Life Time) or an LPD (Light Point Defect) abnormality does not occur can be provided.

Abstract: A method for evaluating metal contamination of a silicon single crystal grown by the Czochralski method using a pulling apparatus in which a voltage can be applied between a crystal suspending member and a crucible comprises the steps of: setting the crystal suspending member as a negative electrode while setting the crucible as a positive electrode in a process for growing a non-convertible portion of the silicon single crystal; applying the voltage; collecting a sample from the non-convertible portion grown in association with the voltage application; and evaluating the metal contamination of the sample by an analysis in which Surface Photo Voltage method is adopted. In a process for growing an end-product convertible portion of the silicon single crystal, the voltage is applied such that the crystal suspending member is set as the positive electrode while the crucible is set as the negative electrode, or the voltage is not applied.

Abstract: This mechanism for controlling a melt level includes: an optical recording device by which a real image of a furnace internal structural object and a reflected image reflected on the melt surface; and a processing device which, taking a value based on the real image as a reference value, controls the position of the melt surface based on a relationship of a position or a size of the reflected image, a distance between the reflected image and the real image, or amounts of changes thereof to the position of the melt surface. This mechanism for adjusting a melt level includes: the above mechanism for controlling a melt level; and a lifting mechanism which is controlled by the mechanism for controlling a melt level and adjusts the melt surface to the set position.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus for producing single crystals according to the Czochralski method, the apparatus including a chamber that can be divided into a plurality of chambers; at least one of the plurality of divided chambers having a circulating coolant passage in which a circulating coolant for cooling the chamber circulates; and measuring means that respectively measure an inlet temperature, an outlet temperature, and a circulating coolant flow rate of the circulating coolant in the circulating coolant passage; the apparatus further including a calculating means that calculates a quantity of heat removed from the chamber and/or a proportion of the quantity of removed heat, from the measured values of the inlet temperature, outlet temperature, and circulating coolant flow rate; and a pulling rate control means that controls a pulling rate of the single crystal based on the resulting quantity of removed heat and/or the resulting proportion of the quantity of removed heat.

Abstract: A system for growing a crystal ingot includes a crucible and a weir. The crucible has a base and a sidewall for the containment of a silicon melt therein. The weir is located along the base of the crucible inward from the sidewall of the crucible. The weir has a body connected with at least a pair of legs disposed to inhibit movement of the silicon melt therebetween.

Abstract: A method for growing a single crystal in a chamber. The method includes heating raw material to form a melt for forming the single crystal. A crystal seed is then inserted into the melt and pulled from the melt to form a partial ingot, wherein the partial ingot radiates heat. An amount of gas is then introduced into the chamber which corresponds to a size of the partial ingot so as to provide a constant crystallization rate.

Abstract: Pulling systems are disclosed for measuring the weight of an object coupled to a first end of a cable. The cable is routed over a pulley suspended from a load cell. The force exerted by the cable on the pulley is used to calculate the weight of the object. The second end of the cable is coupled to a drum which when rotated pulls the object by wrapping the cable around the drum. An arm is coupled to the pulley at one end and to a frame at another end. A path travelled by the cable between the pulley and the drum is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the arm. Horizontal force components are transmitted by the arm to the frame and do not affect a force component measured by the load cell, thus increasing the accuracy of the calculated weight of the object.

Abstract: Various single crystals are disclosed including sapphire. The single crystals have desirable geometric properties, including a width not less than about 15 cm and the thickness is not less than about 0.5 cm. The single crystal may also have other features, such as a maximum thickness variation, and as-formed crystals may have a generally symmetrical neck portion, particularly related to the transition from the neck to the main body of the crystal. Methods and for forming such crystals and an apparatus for carrying out the methods are disclosed as well.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for growing a semiconductor crystal include pulling the semiconductor crystal from melt at a pull speed and modulating the pull speed by combining a periodic pull speed with an average speed. The modulation of the pull speed allows in-situ determination of characteristic temperature gradients in the melt and in the crystal during crystal formation. The temperature gradients may be used to control relevant process parameters that affect morphological stability or intrinsic material properties in the finished crystal such as for instance the target pull speed of the crystal or the melt gap, which determines the thermal gradient in the crystal during growth.

Abstract: An arrangement for manufacturing a crystal of the melt of a raw material comprises: a furnace having a heating device with one or more heating elements, which are configured to generate a gradient temperature field directed along a first direction, a plurality of crucibles for receiving the melt, which are arranged within the gradient temperature field side by side, and a device for homogenizing the temperature field within a plane perpendicular to the first direction in the at least two crucibles. The arrangement further has a filling material inserted within a space between the crucibles wherein the filling shows an anisotropic heat conductivity. Additionally or alternatively, the arrangement may comprise a device for generating magnetic migration fields, both the filling material having the anisotropic heat conductivity and the device for generating magnetic migration fields being suited to compensate or prevent the formation of asymmetric phase interfaces upon freezing of the raw melt.

Abstract: A melting furnace, mounted adjacent a growth furnace, comprises a receiving container for melting therein raw material in a particle or powder form falling in it from a feeder. The receiving container accommodates a set of slope-wise plates providing a distributed sliding of partially melted raw material particles over the surface of these plates and their complete melting while moving downward; eventually the melted raw material flows into the crucible of the growth furnace through a conveying tube extending slantingly from the bottom of the receiving container to the crucible through coaxial openings in housings of both furnaces. The rate of feeding is given solely by the feeder, and at continuous feeding the raw material flows continuously by gravity from the feeder to the crucible of the growth furnace, first in a solid state (powder, granules, pellets, etc.) and then in a liquid state.

Abstract: Silicon semiconductor wafers are produced by pulling a single crystal at a seed crystal from a melt heated in a crucible; supplying heat to the center of the crucible bottom with a heating power which, in the course of the growth of a cylindrical section of the single crystal, is increased at least once to not less than 2 kW and is then decreased again; and slicing semiconductor wafers from the pulled single crystal.

Abstract: A method for evaluating metal contamination of a silicon single crystal grown by the Czochralski method using a pulling apparatus in which a voltage can be applied between a crystal suspending member and a crucible comprises the steps of: setting the crystal suspending member as a negative electrode while setting the crucible as a positive electrode in a process for growing a non-convertible portion of the silicon single crystal; applying the voltage; collecting a sample from the non-convertible portion grown in association with the voltage application; and evaluating the metal contamination of the sample by an analysis in which Surface Photo Voltage method is adopted. In a process for growing an end-product convertible portion of the silicon single crystal, the voltage is applied such that the crystal suspending member is set as the positive electrode while the crucible is set as the negative electrode, or the voltage is not applied.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a silicon single crystal wafer, having at least: a step of preparing a silicon single crystal ingot; a step of slicing the silicon single crystal ingot to fabricate a plurality of sliced substrates; a processing step of processing the plurality of sliced substrates into a plurality of substrates by performing at least one of lapping, etching, and polishing; a step of sampling at least one from the plurality of substrates; a step of measuring surface roughness of the substrate sampled at the sampling step by an AFM and obtaining an amplitude (an intensity) of a frequency band corresponding to a wavelength of 20 nm to 50 nm to make a judgment of acceptance; and a step of sending the substrate to the next step if a judgment result is acceptance or performing reprocessing if the judgment result is rejection.

Abstract: Controlling crystal growth in a crystal growing system is described. The crystal growing system includes a heated crucible including a semiconductor melt from which a monocrystalline ingot is grown according to a Czochralski and the ingot is grown on a seed crystal pulled from the melt. The method includes applying a cusped magnetic field to the melt by supplying an upper coil with a first direct current (IUDC) and supplying a lower coil with a second direct current (ILDC). The method also includes supplying the upper coil with a first alternating current (IUAC) and supplying the lower coil with a second alternating current (ILAC) to generate a time-varying magnetic field, wherein the time-varying magnetic field generates a pumping force in the semiconductor melt.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for controlling the growth of a silicon ingot in which the diameter of the growing silicon ingot can be accurately measured. A camera captures an image of the interface ring between the growing silicon ingot and the silicon melt. An image processor extracts local intensity maxima from the captured image, which are then digitized into an image data which comprises attributes of the pixels forming the local intensity maxima. An analyzer statistically analyzes the image data to derive parameters of an equation statistically simulating the interface ring. A probabilistic filter conducts the statistical analysis on the equation in which the respective pixels are weighted by their weight factors. The weight factor functions to attenuate the effect of noises caused by pixels which do not represent the interface ring.

Abstract: An apparatus for growing a crystalline sheet from a melt includes a cold block assembly. The cold block assembly may include a cold block and a shield surrounding the cold block and being at an elevated temperature with respect to that of the cold block, the shield defining an opening disposed along a surface of the cold block proximate a melt surface that defines a cold area comprising a width along a first direction of the cold block, the cold area operable to provide localized cooling of a region of the melt surface proximate the cold block. The apparatus may further include a crystal puller arranged to draw a crystalline seed in a direction perpendicular to the first direction when the cold block assembly is disposed proximate the melt surface.

Abstract: When a silicon single crystal is grown by the CZ method using a pulling apparatus in which a voltage can be applied between a crystal suspending member and a crucible, the voltage is applied under the condition that the crystal suspending member is set as a negative electrode while the crucible is set as a positive electrode in a process for growing a lower end portion of a cylindrical portion or a tail portion which is of a non-convertible portion of the silicon single crystal. A sample wafer is collected from the lower end portion of the cylindrical portion or the tail portion, which is grown in association with the voltage application, and the metal contamination of the sample wafer is evaluated. The sample wafer has enough metal impurity concentration to evaluate the metal contamination.