Apparatus and method for ingot growth

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11427925-B2
Application number	US-202016952564-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2020
Priority date	Jul 7, 2020
Publication date	Aug 30, 2022
Grant date	Aug 30, 2022

Abstract

The present application provides an apparatus and a method for ingot growth. The apparatus for ingot growth comprises a growth furnace, a crucible, a heater, a lifting mechanism, an infrared detector, a dividing disc, a sensor and a control device. The crucible is located within the growth furnace. The lifting mechanism comprises a lifting wire and a driving device, wherein the lifting wire connects to the top of the ingot via one terminal and to the driving device via another terminal. The bottom of the ingot puts inside the crucible, and the ingot has plural crystal lines thereon. The infrared detector is located outside the growth furnace. The dividing disc is above the growth furnace, connects to the lifting mechanism, and rotates with the ingot synchronously under the driving of the lifting mechanism, and an orthographic projection of bisector of the dividing disc is between two adjacent crystal lines. The sensor is located on the periphery of the dividing disc. The control device connects to the infrared detector and the sensor in order to control the infrared detector to detect the ingot diameter while the sensor senses the bisector of the dividing disc. The present application is able to increase ingot quality and enhance product yield.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for ingot growth comprising:
a growth furnace having a detecting window on upper part of the furnace;
a crucible located within the growth furnace and containing a raw material for ingot growth;
a heater located within the growth furnace and outside the crucible and heating the raw material;
a lifting mechanism comprising a lifting wire and a driving device, wherein the lifting wire connects to the top of the ingot via one terminal and to the driving device via another terminal, and the bottom of the ingot puts inside the crucible, and the ingot has plural crystal lines extending longitudinally thereon;
an infrared detector located outside the growth furnace, wherein the infrared detector produces a detecting signal passing through the detecting window to the ingot surface to detect the ingot diameter;
a dividing disc located above the growth furnace, connecting to the lifting mechanism, and synchronously rotating with the ingot under the driving of the lifting mechanism, and an orthographic projection of bisector of the dividing disc being between two adjacent crystal lines;
a sensor located on the periphery of the dividing disc and having an interval with the dividing disc, wherein the sensor detects the bisector of the dividing disc;
a control device connecting to the infrared detector and the sensor, and controlling the infrared detector to detect the ingot diameter while the sensor senses the bisector of the dividing disc.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ingot has four crystal lines distributed on the periphery and having a same interval between each other, and the dividing disc is a quarter-type dividing disc.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a distance between any point on the bisector of the dividing disc and one crystal line is identical to that between the point and the adjacent crystal line.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control device comprises a storage unit for storing the data detected by the infrared detector.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a heat shield located within the furnace, surrounding the ingot, and extending toward the inner wall of the furnace.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control device comprises computer, microcontroller unit (MCU) and programmable logic controller (PLC) or any combination thereof.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the orthographic projection of the dividing disc covers the ingot.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises contact sensor, photoelectric sensor, or a combination thereof.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ingot axis coincides with the centerline of the diving disc.

Assignees

• Zing Semiconductor Corp

Inventors

• Zhao Xuliang

Classifications

• C30B15/26 Primary

  using television detectors; using photo or X-ray detectors · CPC title

• C30B29/06

  Silicon · CPC title

• C30B15/30 Primary

  Mechanisms for rotating or moving either the melt or the crystal (flotation methods C30B15/28) · CPC title

• C30B15/22 Primary

  Stabilisation or shape controlling of the molten zone near the pulled crystal; Controlling the section of the crystal · CPC title

• C30B15/14

  Heating of the melt or the crystallised materials · CPC title