IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,339,497
Granted Patent B2
US 11,339,497 · App. 17/408,727 · Granted May 24, 2022

Silicon carbide ingot manufacturing method and silicon carbide ingot manufactured thereby

Inventors: Jong Hwi Park (Suwon-si, KR); Kap-Ryeol Ku (Suwon-si, KR); Jung-Gyu Kim (Suwon-si, KR); Jung Woo Choi (Suwon-si, KR); Sang Ki Ko (Suwon-si, KR); Byung Kyu Jang (Suwon-si, KR); Eun Su Yang (Suwon-si, KR); Jung Doo Seo (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: SENIC INC.
C30B23/002C30B23/06C30B29/36
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,339,497
App. No.
17/408,727
Granted
May 24, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A silicon carbide ingot manufacturing method and a silicon carbide ingot manufacturing system are provided. The silicon carbide ingot manufacturing method and the silicon carbide ingot manufacturing system may change a temperature gradient depending on the growth of an ingot by implementing a guide which has a tilted angle to an external direction from the interior of a reactor, in an operation to grow an ingot during a silicon carbide ingot manufacturing process.

Claims (56)

1. A silicon carbide ingot manufacturing method, the method comprising:

a preparation operation of disposing a silicon carbide raw material and a silicon carbide seed crystal in an internal space of a reactor, and adjusting the internal space of the reactor to a vacuum atmosphere;

a proceeding operation of injecting an inert gas into the internal space of the reactor, sublimating the silicon carbide raw material in the internal space of the reactor through a heater configured to surround the reactor, and configured to induce a silicon carbide ingot to be grown; and

a cooling operation of cooling a temperature of the internal space of the reactor to room temperature, cutting a rear region of the silicon carbide ingot in contact with the seed crystal to retrieve the silicon carbide ingot;

wherein the internal space of the reactor comprises a guide disposed to surround a circumferential surface of the silicon carbide seed crystal with a predetermined interval,

wherein the guide is configured to extend toward a direction that faces a silicon carbide raw material from the silicon carbide seed crystal,

the guide is configured to have a guide angle of inclination which is tilted to an external side of the silicon carbide seed crystal by −4° to 50° when a virtual reference line connecting one side of the silicon carbide seed crystal and the silicon carbide raw material in a shortest distance is designated as 0°,

wherein the proceeding operation comprises a procedure in which the heater is moved, and

wherein the moving of the heater comprises moving the heater to a relative position which becomes more distant at a rate of 0.1 mm/hr to 0.48 mm/hr based on the silicon carbide seed crystal,

wherein:

the silicon carbide ingot comprises a front region and the rear region,

the silicon carbide ingot has a maximum height equal to or greater than 15 mm in a direction perpendicular to the rear region,

the silicon carbide ingot has a ratio, Df/Db, of 0.95 to 1.17, wherein Db is a diameter of the rear region, and Df is a diameter of the circumference of the front region, and

the silicon carbide ingot has an angle of −4° to 50° between a line perpendicular to the rear region from one side of the circumference of the rear region, and an edge line linking one side of the front region, which is close to the one side of the circumference of the rear region, from a plane comprising the line perpendicular to the rear region from one side of the circumference of the rear region and the diameter of the rear region,

wherein the reactor comprises a heat insulating material configured to surround an external surface of the reactor,

wherein the heat insulating material comprises a heat insulating circumference part that surrounds a circumferential surface of the reactor, and

wherein a volume of the reactor Vc and a volume of the heat insulating circumference part Vi have a ratio Vc/Vi of 0.05 to 0.8, and

wherein the heat insulating circumference part of the heat insulating material has a thickness of 200 mm to 600 mm.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the angle of inclination of the guide is 4° to 25°.

3. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the guide that surrounds the circumferential surface of the silicon carbide seed crystal has a height equal to or greater that 30 mm, based on a direction connecting one side of the silicon carbide seed crystal and the silicon carbide raw material in a shortest distance.

4. The method of claim 1 ,

wherein the proceeding operation sequentially comprises a pre-growth process and a growth process,

wherein the pre-growth process sequentially comprises a first process, a second process, and a third process,

wherein the first process changes the vacuum atmosphere of the preparation operation to an inert atmosphere,

wherein the second process raises the temperature of the internal space of the reactor with the heater, and

wherein the third process depressurizes a pressure of the internal space of the reactor to reach a growth pressure based on the heating of the internal space of the reactor so that the temperature of the internal space of the reactor reaches the growth temperature,

wherein the growth process maintains the internal space of the reactor at the growth temperature and the growth pressure, and inducing the ingot to grow,

wherein a moving of the heater is performed in the growth process,

wherein a temperature difference is a difference between an upper temperature of the internal space of the reactor and a lower temperature of the internal space of the reactor, and

wherein the temperature difference in the growth process is 110° C. to 160° C.

5. A silicon carbide ingot manufacturing method, the method comprising:

a preparation operation of disposing a silicon carbide raw material and a silicon carbide seed crystal in an internal space of a reactor, and adjusting the internal space of the reactor to a vacuum atmosphere;

a proceeding operation of injecting an inert gas into the internal space of the reactor, sublimating the silicon carbide raw material in the internal space of the reactor through a heater configured to surround the reactor, and configured to induce a silicon carbide ingot to be grown; and

a cooling operation of cooling a temperature of the internal space of the reactor to room temperature, cutting a rear region of the silicon carbide ingot in contact with the seed crystal to retrieve the silicon carbide ingot;

wherein the internal space of the reactor comprises a guide disposed to surround a circumferential surface of the silicon carbide seed crystal with a predetermined interval,

wherein the guide is configured to extend toward a direction that faces a silicon carbide raw material from the silicon carbide seed crystal,

the guide is configured to have a guide angle of inclination which is tilted to an external side of the silicon carbide seed crystal by −4° to 50° when a virtual reference line connecting one side of the silicon carbide seed crystal and the silicon carbide raw material in a shortest distance is designated as 0°,

wherein the proceeding operation comprises a procedure in which the heater is moved, and

wherein the moving of the heater comprises moving the heater to a relative position which becomes more distant at a rate of 0.1 mm/hr to 0.48 mm/hr based on the silicon carbide seed crystal,

wherein:

the silicon carbide ingot comprises a front region and the rear region,

the silicon carbide ingot has a maximum height equal to or greater than 15 mm in a direction perpendicular to the rear region,

the silicon carbide ingot has a ratio, Df/Db, of 0.95 to 1.17, wherein Db is a diameter of the rear region, and Df is a diameter of the circumference of the front region, and

the silicon carbide ingot has an angle of −4° to 50° between a line perpendicular to the rear region from one side of the circumference of the rear region, and an edge line linking one side of the front region, which is close to the one side of the circumference of the rear region, from a plane comprising the line perpendicular to the rear region from one side of the circumference of the rear region and the diameter of the rear region,

wherein the reactor comprises a heat insulating material configured to surround an external surface of the reactor,

wherein the heat insulating material comprises a heat insulating circumference part that surrounds a circumferential surface of the reactor, and

wherein a volume of the reactor Vc and a volume of the heat insulating circumference part Vi have a ratio Vc/Vi of 0.05 to 0.8,

wherein the proceeding operation sequentially comprises a pre-growth process and a growth process,

wherein the pre-growth process sequentially comprises a first process, a second process, and a third process,

wherein the first process changes the vacuum atmosphere of the preparation operation to an inert atmosphere,

wherein the second process raises the temperature of the internal space of the reactor with the heater, and

wherein the third process depressurizes a pressure of the internal space of the reactor to reach a growth pressure based on a heating of the internal space of the reactor so that the temperature of the internal space of the reactor reaches a growth temperature,

wherein the growth process maintains the internal space of the reactor at the growth temperature and the growth pressure, and inducing the ingot to grow,

wherein a moving of the heater is performed in the growth process,

wherein a temperature difference between a temperature of an upper portion of the internal space of the reactor and a temperature of a lower portion of the internal space of the reactor during the growth process is 160° C. to 240° C.

Assignments (5)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 20, 2025
From: SENIC INC.
To: EIN CRYSTAL CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 072990/0001 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE EXECUTION DATE OF CHANGE OF ADDRESS FOR ASSIGNEE PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 058645 FRAME: 0149. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE CHANGE OF ADDRESS.. Recorded Apr 10, 2022
From: SENIC INC.
To: SENIC INC.
Reel/Frame 059852/0027 →
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Jan 5, 2022
From: SENIC INC.
To: SENIC INC.
Reel/Frame 058645/0149 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 13, 2021
From: SKC CO., LTD.
To: SENIC INC.
Reel/Frame 057788/0414 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 23, 2021
From: PARK, JONG HWI; KU, KAP-RYEOL; KIM, JUNG-GYU; CHOI, JUNG WOO; KO, SANG KI; JANG, BYUNG KYU; YANG, EUN SU; SEO, JUNG DOO
To: SKC CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 057254/0001 →
Priority Claims (2)
KR 10-2020-0110065 · Aug 31, 2020 · national
KR 10-2020-0162868 · Nov 27, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220064817A1 · Mar 3, 2022