Silicon ingot having uniform multiple dopants and method and apparatus for producing same
View Patent ↗A Czochralski growth system is disclosed comprising a crucible, a silicon delivery system comprising a feeder having a delivery point overhanging the crucible and delivering a controllable amount of silicon into the crucible, and at least one doping mechanism controllably delivering at least one dopant material to the feeder. The system can comprise two or more doping mechanisms each loaded with a different dopant material and can therefore be used to prepare silicon ingots having multiple dopants. The resulting ingots have substantially constant dopant concentrations along their axes. Also disclosed is a method of Czochralski growth of at least one silicon ingot comprising at least one dopant material, which is preferably a continuous Czochralski method.
1. A method of Czochralski growth of a silicon ingot comprising a dopant material in a concentration C and having a segregation coefficient of k, the method comprising the steps of:
i) providing a crucible having an inner growth zone in fluid communication with an outer feed zone;
ii) pre-charging the inner growth zone with silicon and the dopant material to form a mixture, wherein the mixture, when melted, has a concentration of the dopant material of C/k, where k is less than 1, and pre-charging the outer feed zone with silicon and the dopant material in a concentration C, when melted,
iii) melting the mixture in the inner growth zone and the silicon and the dopant material in the outer feed zone;
iv) initiating growth of the silicon ingot from the inner growth zone;
v) delivering a feed of silicon and the dopant material into the outer feed zone while growing the silicon ingot, the feed having an average concentration of the dopant material C when melted; and
vi) removing the silicon ingot comprising the dopant material in concentration C.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the silicon ingot comprises a single dopant material.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the silicon ingot comprises multiple dopant materials.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the silicon ingot comprises a first dopant material in a concentration C 1 and having a segregation coefficient of k 1 and further comprises a second dopant material in a concentration C 2 and having a segregation coefficient of k 2 ;
the inner growth zone is pre-charged with silicon, the first dopant material, and the second dopant material to form a mixture, wherein, when melted, the mixture has a concentration of the first dopant material of C 1 /k 1 and a concentration of the second dopant material of C 2 /k 2 ; and
the outer feed zone is fed with silicon, the first dopant material in a concentration of C 1 when melted, and the second dopant material in a concentration of C 2 when melted.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first dopant material and the second dopant material have different semiconductivity types.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first dopant material is phosphorus and the second dopant material is boron.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dopant material is phosphorus, boron, gallium, indium, or aluminum, arsenic, antimony.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein, after growing the silicon ingot, the method comprises the step of initiating the growth a second silicon ingot comprising the dopant material in concentration C without pre-charging the crucible again.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein, after growing the silicon ingot, the method comprises the step of growing a plurality of ingots comprising the dopant material in concentration C after pre-charging the inner growth zone.
10. The method of claim 1 , where the method is a continuous Czochralski growth method.