Abstract: An apparatus for growth of uniform multi-component single crystals is provided. The single crystal material has at least three elements and has a diameter of at least 50 mm, a dislocation density of less than 100 cm?2 and a radial compositional variation of less than 1%.

Abstract: A method for purifying silicon bearing materials for photovoltaic applications includes providing metallurgical silicon into a crucible apparatus. The metallurgical silicon is subjected to at least a thermal process to cause the metallurgical silicon to change in state from a first state to a second state, the second stage being a molten state not exceeding 1500 Degrees Celsius. At least a first portion of impurities is caused to be removed from the metallurgical silicon in the molten state. The molten metallurgical silicon is cooled from a lower region to an upper region to cause the lower region to solidify while a second portion of impurities segregate and accumulate in a liquid state region. The liquid state region is solidified to form a resulting silicon structure having a purified region and an impurity region. The purified region is characterized by a purity of greater than 99.9999%.

Abstract: A method for purifying silicon bearing materials for photovoltaic applications includes providing metallurgical silicon into a crucible apparatus. The metallurgical silicon is subjected to at least a thermal process to cause the metallurgical silicon to change in state from a first state to a second state, the second stage being a molten state not exceeding 1500 Degrees Celsius. At least a first portion of impurities is caused to be removed from the metallurgical silicon in the molten state. The molten metallurgical silicon is cooled from a lower region to an upper region to cause the lower region to solidify while a second portion of impurities segregate and accumulate in a liquid state region. The liquid state region is solidified to form a resulting silicon structure having a purified region and an impurity region. The purified region is characterized by a purity of greater than 99.9999%.

Abstract: A crystallization apparatus is provided. The crystallization apparatus includes a visible light source capable of obtaining high energy density output therein. A visible light irradiation system is formed by a plurality of visible laser beam sources arranged in a two-dimensional array. The visible light irradiation system includes a light intensity distribution forming apparatus for patterning light intensity distribution of a plurality of visible laser beams emitted by each visible laser beam source, and an imaging optical system for imaging the light having the light intensity distribution patterned by the light intensity distribution forming apparatus onto an irradiated region on the processed substrate. The visible laser beams emitted by a plurality of solid lasers or semiconductor lasers are overlapped in the light intensity distribution forming apparatus that satisfies an imaging position relationship in an optical axis with respect to the processed substrate.

Abstract: A crystallization apparatus is provided. In the crystallization apparatus, a light intensity distribution formed by a light modulation device or a metal aperture and transferred to a processed substrate can be visualized. The crystallization apparatus has an ultraviolet (UV) irradiation system and a visible light irradiation system. The UV irradiation system irradiates pulses of laser beam in the UV range to the processed substrate. The visible light irradiation system continuously irradiates a visible light laser beam on the same irradiated region on the processed substrate. In a melted region resulted from the uniform irradiation of the laser beam in the UV range, the light intensity distribution of the visible laser beam is used to form crystal growth. The crystallization apparatus irradiates pulses of the laser beam in the UV range to melt the processed substrate, and continuously irradiates the visible light laser beam to crystallize the processed substrate.

Abstract: A process of lateral crystallization is provided for increasing the lateral growth length (LGL). A localized region of the substrate is heated for a short period of time. While the localized region of the substrate is still heated, a silicon film overlying the substrate is irradiated to anneal the silicon film to crystallize a portion of the silicon film in thermal contact with the heated substrate region. A CO2 laser may be used as a heat source to heat the substrate, while a UV laser or a visible spectrum laser is used to irradiate and crystallize the film.

Abstract: The present invention are a method for producing a silicon wafer having a crystal orientation <110> from a silicon single crystal ingot grown by a Floating Zone method (FZ method), wherein, at least, an FZ silicon single crystal ingot is grown by being made to be dislocation-free by Dash Necking method using a seed crystal having its crystal axis inclined at a specified angle from a crystal orientation <110>, and the grown FZ silicon single crystal ingot is sliced at the just angle of a crystal orientation <110> to produce a silicon wafer having a crystal orientation <110>, and a silicon wafer produced by the method. Thereby, there are provided a method for producing a silicon wafer having a crystal orientation <110> from a silicon single crystal ingot made to be dislocation-free at a high success rate by using Dash Necking method by FZ method, and a silicon wafer having an crystal orientation <110>.

Abstract: A process of lateral crystallization is provided for increasing the lateral growth length (LGL). A localized region of the substrate is heated for a short period of time. While the localized region of the substrate is still heated, a silicon film overlying the substrate is irradiated to anneal the silicon film to crystallize a portion of the silicon film in thermal contact with the heated substrate region. A CO2 laser may be used as a heat source to heat the substrate, while a UV laser or a visible spectrum laser is used to irradiate and crystallize the film.

Abstract: An inexpensive sheet with excellent evenness and a desired uniform thickness can be obtained by cooling a base having protrusions, dipping the surfaces of the protrusions of the cooled base into a melt material containing at least one of a metal material and a semiconductor material for crystal growth of the material on the surfaces of the protrusions. In addition, by rotating a roller having on its peripheral surface protrusions and a cooling portion for cooling said protrusions, the surfaces of the cooled protrusions can be dipped into a melt material containing at least one of a metal material and a semiconductor material for crystal growth of the material on the surfaces of the protrusions. Thus, a sheet with a desired uniform thickness can be obtained without slicing process.

Abstract: High purity semiconductor foils, such as silicon foils useful in solar energy cells, are produced by treating an impure semiconductor foil with at least one reactive gas while in the crystallizing state.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a superconductor by applying a floating zone method to a raw material sintered ingot. This method is adapted to obtain an elongated superconductor which can provide high critical current density. A floating zone is moved along the raw material sintered ingot with such speed difference that the speed in its forward end portion is higher than that in its rear end portion, thereby to obtain a superconductor having a smaller diameter. In order to attain a higher crystal orientation property, it is preferable to select the product of the diameter (D mm) of a superconductor provided with a crystal orientation property, which is produced after passage of the floating zone, and the speed (V mm/h) for moving the floating zone in a range of 0.5.ltoreq.DV.ltoreq.20 and to select pressure P of an atmosphere encircling the floating zone in a range of 0<P.ltoreq.3 [kgf/cm.sup.2 ] as well as to pass the floating zone along the raw material sintered ingot at least twice.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to obtain a high quality YB66 crystal by lowering the temperature of the molten zone and growing a crystal by deposition growth under an incongruent condition. A method for preparing a yttrium 66 boride crystal by the floating zone method by use of a YB66 polycrystalline rod. A YB66 crystal having a composition with an atomic ratio B/Y within a range of from 50 to 75, is grown under such conditions that the melt has a composition (an atomic ratio B/Y) different from the raw YB66 polycrystalline rod and the growing YB66 crystal, and that an equilibrium is maintained at the growth interface. When the atomic ratio B/Y of the starting material is within the range of from 50 to 62 and the atomic ratio B/Y of the melt is within the range of from 40 to 62, it is possible to attain the atomic ratio B/Y of the growing crystal within the range of from 50 to 62.