Controlling melt-solid interface shape of a growing silicon crystal using a variable magnetic field
View Patent ↗System for controlling crystal growth in a Czochralski crystal growing apparatus. A magnetic field is applied within the crystal growing apparatus and varied to control a shape of the melt-solid interface where the ingot is being pulled from the melt. The shape of the melt-solid interface is formed to a desired shape in response to the varied magnetic field as a function of a length of the ingot.
1. A system for controlling crystal growth in a crystal growing apparatus, said crystal growing apparatus having a heated crucible including a semiconductor melt from which a monocrystalline ingot is grown according to a Czochralski process, said ingot being grown on a seed crystal pulled from the melt, said melt and said ingot forming a melt-solid interface therebetween, said system comprising:
first and second coils positioned near the crucible for applying a cusped magnetic field to the melt;
a variable power supply for energizing the coils to produce the magnetic field applied to the melt; and
a controller for varying the power supply while the ingot is being pulled from the melt, said variable power supply being responsive to the controller for varying the magnetic field to control cusp position of the magnetic field relative to the melt-solid interface between the melt and the ingot to control a shape of the melt-solid interface, said controlled shape of the melt-solid interface being a function of length of the ingot.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the variable power supply is responsive to the controller for varying the magnetic field according to one or more of the following types of magnetic field configurations relative to the melt-solid interface: a horizontally dominated asymmetric magnetic field configuration; an axially dominated asymmetric magnetic field configuration; and a substantially symmetric magnetic field configuration.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the horizontally dominated asymmetric magnetic field produces one or more of the following: a melt-solid interface shape having a flatter concave gull-wing shape relative to the ingot; an increased axial temperature gradient at the melt-solid interface; and a decreased radial variation of the axial temperature gradient in the ingot near the melt-solid interface.
4. The system of claim 2 wherein the axially dominated asymmetric magnetic field produces one or more of the following: a melt-solid interface shape having a more convex shape relative to the ingot; a substantially stable melt flow; and a decreased level of oxygen concentration in the ingot.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first coil is positioned higher than the melt-solid interface and the second coil is positioned lower than the melt-solid interface.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein the variable power supply is responsive to the controller for increasing a power distribution in the first coil relative to the second coil to move the cusp position below the melt-solid interface for achieving a horizontally dominated asymmetric magnetic field configuration.
7. The system of claim 5 wherein the variable power supply is responsive to the controller for increasing a power distribution in the second coil relative to the first coil to move the cusp position above the melt-solid interface for achieving an axially dominated asymmetric magnetic field configuration.
8. The system of claim 5 wherein the variable power supply is responsive to the controller for energizing the first and second coils according to a substantially uniform power distribution to move the cusp position near the melt-solid interface for achieving a substantially symmetric magnetic field configuration.
9. The system of claim 5 wherein the controller varies the power supply to selectively adjust a power distribution of the first and second coils as a function of one or more of the following to change the magnetic field intensity thereby moving the cusp position to a particular position above or below the melt-solid interface: length of the ingot; and growth stage of the ingot.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein the growth stage includes one or more of the following: necking; crown; and late-body to end cone growth.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is responsive to a desired level of oxygen concentration for varying the power supply to selectively adjust the magnetic field to control the shape of the melt-solid interface to produce the desired level of oxygen concentration in the ingot.
12. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is responsive to a desired level of oxygen radial gradient for varying the power supply to selectively adjust the magnetic field to control the shape of the melt-solid interface to produce the desired level of oxygen radial gradient in the ingot.
13. The system of claim 1 wherein the first and second coils comprise solenoids.
14. The system of claim 1 wherein the variable power supply includes a first coil power supply for energizing the first coil and a second coil power supply for energizing the second coil.
15. A system for controlling crystal growth in a crystal growing apparatus, said crystal growing apparatus having a heated crucible including a semiconductor melt from which a monocrystalline ingot is grown according to a Czochralski process, said ingot being grown on a seed crystal pulled from the melt, said system comprising:
first and second coils positioned near the crucible for applying a cusped magnetic field to the melt, said magnetic field being based on power distributed to said first and second coils;
a first power supply for supplying the first coil with power according to a first power distribution;
a second power supply for supplying the second coil with power according to a second power distribution; and
a controller for controlling the first and second power supplies while the ingot is being pulled from the melt to produce the magnetic field applied to the melt, said controller controlling the first and second power supplies according to the first and second power distributions, respectively, for varying the magnetic field to control a shape of the melt-interface as a function of length of the ingot.
16. The system of claim 15 wherein the controller controls the first and second power distributions such that the first power distribution is greater than the second power distribution to move the cusp position below the melt-solid interface for achieving a horizontally dominated asymmetric magnetic field configuration.
17. The system of claim 15 wherein the controller controls the first and second power distributions such that the second power distribution is greater than the first power distribution to move the cusp position above the melt-solid interface for achieving an axially dominated asymmetric magnetic field configuration.
18. The system of claim 15 wherein the controller controls the first and second power distributions such that the first and second power distributions are substantially uniform power to move the cusp position near the melt-solid interface for achieving a substantially symmetric magnetic field configuration.
19. The system of claim 15 wherein the controller controls the first and second power distributions, relative to each other, as a function of one or more of the following to change the magnetic field intensity thereby moving the cusp position to a desired position above or below the melt-solid interface: length of the ingot; and growth stage of the ingot.
20. A system for producing a monocrystalline semiconductor ingot by a Czochralski process, said system comprising:
a crystal growing apparatus having a heated crucible, said crucible containing a semiconductor melt from which the ingot is grown on a seed crystal pulled from the melt, said melt and said ingot forming a melt-solid interface therebetween;
first and second coils positioned near the crucible for applying a cusped magnetic field to the melt;
a variable power supply for energizing the coils to produce the magnetic field applied to the melt; and
a controller for varying the power supply while the ingot is being pulled from the melt, said variable power supply being responsive to the controller for varying the magnetic field to control cusp position of the magnetic field relative to the melt-solid interface between the melt and the ingot for controlling a shape of the melt-solid interface, said controlled shape of the melt-solid interface being a function of length of the ingot.