System and method for crystalline sheet growth using a cold block and gas jet

1. A crystallizer system for growing a crystalline sheet from a melt, comprising:

a crucible for housing the melt;

a cold block having a cold block surface that directly faces an exposed surface of the melt, the cold block configured to generate a cold block temperature at the cold block surface that is lower than a melt temperature of the melt at the exposed surface; and

a nozzle disposed within the cold block and configured to deliver a gas jet to the exposed surface, wherein the gas jet and the cold block are interoperative to generate a process zone that removes heat from the exposed surface at a first heat removal rate that is greater than a second heat removal rate from the exposed surface in outer regions outside of the process zone.

2. The crystallizer system of claim 1 , wherein the cold block surface is disposed at a first height above the exposed surface and a tip of the nozzle is disposed at a second height above the exposed surface that is less than the first height.

3. The crystallizer system of claim 2 ,

wherein the cold block surface and the nozzle are elongated in a transverse direction, and

wherein the cold block surface extends from the nozzle along a pull direction perpendicular to the transverse direction for a distance that is greater than the first height.

4. The crystallizer system of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle comprises fused silica.

5. The crystallizer of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle contains an aperture comprising an elongated cross-section whose long axis extends along a transverse direction that is perpendicular to a pull direction.

6. The crystallizer system of claim 1 , further comprising an actuator configured to adjust a height between the cold block surface and the exposed surface.

7. The crystallizer system of claim 5 , further comprising a plurality of gas feeds disposed at different locations along the aperture, wherein the plurality of gas feeds are individually configured to deliver gas to the aperture to form the gas jet when in an active state.

8. The crystallizer system of claim 7 , further comprising a controller configured to change a number of gas feeds of the plurality of gas feeds that are in the active state so at to alter a width of the process zone along the long axis.

9. The crystallizer system of claim 5 , wherein the nozzle comprises a first nozzle part and second nozzle part, the first nozzle part having a first recess and the second nozzle part having a second recess that opposes the first recess, wherein the first recess and the second recess define the aperture.

10. The crystallizer system of claim 5 , wherein an aperture length of the aperture along the pull direction is 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm.

11. The crystallizer system of claim 5 , further comprising:

an enclosure that defines an opening in which the cold block surface is disposed opposite the exposed surface, the enclosure having an enclosure temperature hotter than the cold block temperature; and

at least one inner exhaust channel disposed between the enclosure and the cold block and configured to exhaust between 75% and 95% of gas from the gas jet.

12. The crystallizer system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one inner exhaust channel is elongated along the transverse direction and comprises a plurality of exhaust ports that are individually configured to exhaust gas when in an active state, the system further comprising:

a plurality of gas feeds disposed at different locations along the aperture, and individually configured to deliver gas to the aperture when in an active state to form the gas jet; and

a controller configured to:

adjust a number of gas feeds that are in the active state so as to adjust a width of the process zone along the transverse direction to a target width; and

adjust a number of exhaust ports that are in the active state in the at least one exhaust channel in order to generate an exhaust width that matches the target width.

13. The crystallizer system of claim 1 , wherein the gas jet is configured to generate a gas vortex within the process zone that removes the heat at least in part by convection from the exposed surface to the cold block.

14. The crystallizer system of claim 1 , wherein the first heat removal rate is greater than 100 W/cm 2 .

15. The crystallizer system of claim 1 , wherein the nozzle comprises an aperture having an elongated cross-section defined by a width along a transverse direction, and wherein a flow rate of the gas jet is at least one liter per minute for every centimeter width (1 L/(m−cm)) of the aperture along the transverse direction.

16. The crystallizer system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one inner exhaust channel is configured to recycle 70% to 90% of gas provided by the gas jet.

17. A method for growing a crystalline sheet from a melt, comprising:

providing the melt in a crucible;

arranging a cold block directly above an exposed surface of the melt;

generating, at a cold block surface of the cold block that faces the melt, a cold block temperature that is lower than a melt temperature of the melt at the exposed surface; and

delivering a gas jet to the exposed surface through a nozzle disposed within the cold block, wherein the gas jet and the cold block are interoperative to generate a process zone that removes heat from the exposed surface at a first heat removal rate that is greater than a second heat removal rate from the exposed surface in outer regions outside of the process zone.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising generating, using the gas jet, a gas vortex within the process zone that removes heat from the exposed surface by convective heat removal, wherein a convective heat removal rate in the process zone is more than half of the first heat removal rate.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

providing an enclosure around the cold block wherein the enclosure defines an opening in which the cold block surface is disposed opposite the exposed surface;

generating an enclosure temperature of the enclosure that is higher than the cold block temperature;

providing at least one inner exhaust channel between the enclosure and the cold block; and

exhausting between 75 percent and 95 percent of gas from the gas jet through the at least one exhaust channel.

20. The method of claim 19 ,

wherein the nozzle comprises an aperture equipped with a plurality of gas feeds disposed along the aperture and individually configured to deliver gas to the aperture when in an active state to form the gas jet, and the at least one inner exhaust channel comprises a plurality of exhaust ports that are individually configured to exhaust gas when in an active state, the method further comprising:

adjusting a number of gas feeds that are in the active state so as to adjust a width of the process zone to a target width; and

adjusting a number of exhaust ports that are in the active state in the at least one exhaust channel to provide an exhaust width that matches the target width.