Ingot puller apparatus having silicon feed tubes with kick plates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12428750-B2
Application number	US-202318163635-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2023
Priority date	Feb 25, 2022
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

Ingot puller apparatus that include a silicon feed tube for adding solid silicon to a crucible assembly are disclosed. The silicon feed tubes include a conduit portion having an inner diameter and a kick plate disposed below the conduit portion. The kick plate extends across at least 60% of the inner diameter of the conduit portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a single crystal silicon ingot, the method comprising:
adding a solid-phase silicon charge to a crucible disposed within a growth chamber;
melting the solid-phase silicon charge to form an initial melt, the initial melt having a surface;
lowering a silicon feed tube into the growth chamber, the silicon feed tube comprising:
a conduit portion having an inner diameter; and
a kick plate extending from and disposed below the conduit portion, the kick plate extending from 60% to 90% of the inner diameter of the conduit portion;

adding additional solid-phase silicon to the initial melt through the silicon feed tube, the additional solid-phase silicon being chunk solid-phase silicon, the additional solid-phase silicon collecting on the surface of the initial melt and forming an island having a volcano shape;
removing the silicon feed tube from the growth chamber;
melting the island of additional solid-phase silicon to increase the size of the melt;
lowering a seed crystal to contact the surface of the melt; and
and raising the seed crystal to form a single crystal silicon ingot.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the kick plate extends across from 70% to 90% of the inner diameter of the conduit portion.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the silicon feed tube comprises a longitudinal axis, the kick plate and longitudinal axis forming an angle between 20° and 60°.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the kick plate has a height, wherein the conduit portion overlaps less than 70% of the height of the kick plate.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the silicon feed tube and single crystal silicon ingot move along a common axis.

6. A method for manufacturing a single crystal silicon ingot, the method comprising:
adding a solid-phase silicon charge to a crucible disposed within a growth chamber;
melting the solid-phase silicon charge to form an initial melt, the initial melt having a surface;
lowering a silicon feed tube into the growth chamber, the silicon feed tube comprising:
a conduit portion having an inner diameter; and
a kick plate extending from and disposed below the conduit portion, the kick plate extending from 60% to 90% of the inner diameter of the conduit portion;

adding additional solid-phase silicon to the initial melt through the silicon feed tube, the additional solid-phase silicon being chunk solid-phase silicon, the additional solid-phase silicon collecting on the surface of the initial melt;
removing the silicon feed tube from the growth chamber;
melting the island of additional solid-phase silicon to increase the size of the melt;
lowering a seed crystal to contact the surface of the melt; and
and raising the seed crystal to form a single crystal silicon ingot, the silicon feed tube and single crystal silicon ingot moving along a common axis.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the kick plate extends across from 70% to 90% of the inner diameter of the conduit portion.

8. The method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the silicon feed tube comprises a longitudinal axis, the kick plate and longitudinal axis forming an angle between 20° and 60°.

9. The method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the kick plate has a height, wherein the conduit portion overlaps less than 70% of the height of the kick plate.

Assignees

• Globalwafers Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wu Chun-Sheng
• Huang Hong-Huei
• Chou Wei-Chen
• Lin Chen-Yi
• Tsai Feng-Chien
• Lu Zheng

Classifications

• C30B15/20

  Controlling or regulating (controlling or regulating in general G05) · CPC title

• C30B15/10

  Crucibles or containers for supporting the melt · CPC title

• C30B29/06 Primary

  Silicon · CPC title

• C30B15/02 Primary

  adding crystallising materials or reactants forming it in situ to the melt · CPC title